The month of September signals change. It is the beginning of a new season, and for many, it is the start of a new school year. One thing that has not changed, however, is the reauthorization status of the Higher Education Act (HEA). This act is essentially the framework for how institutions of higher learning…

New teachers and principals are often told that the first year is “trial by fire” or “sink or swim.” Too many educators leave the profession, and others are far less effective in those early years than they could be. Experienced teachers, on the other hand, often lack career advancement opportunities that allow them to take…

Insights & Outlooks: Last month marked the 11th anniversary of the last reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). For HEA to better support today’s students, what are you hoping to see updated in the next reauthorization of HEA? Today’s students are now more diverse in age, race, and income level than any previous generation.&helli...

As the nation prepares for yet another attempt at reauthorizing the Higher Education Act, it is crucial to remember the history of this seminal legislation as well as the current plight of public higher education and the reality facing students across the nation. In 1965, when Lyndon Johnson signed the original HEA into reality as…

Jan Yoshiwara counts herself lucky to have been in high school and college in California during a time of excitement, change and activism in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Her family had been detained in internment camps during World War II, and Jan understood what prejudice looked and felt like through the stories she…

Successfully navigating the college experience is not easy, particularly for today’s students.  Knowing where and from whom to get help can mean the difference between success or failure for students of color and those with low incomes who are opportunity youth, adults, parents, immigrants, first-generation college attendees, or justice-impact...

I first heard about CMT’s “Empowering Education” initiative late last year when the country music network announced it would stage free concerts at four Tennessee community colleges this spring to encourage more Tennesseans to attend college. The concerts were targeted toward our colleges primarily serving rural areas where college-going rate...

The dictionary definition of persistence is having a “firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty and oppression.” For many college students in America, that definition accurately describes their college experience. Gone are the days when average students could aim to attend college out of pocket and stress-free w...