Brenda Brooks dropped out of college 40 years ago. Federal rules mean she can’t afford to go back.
Lately, Englewood native Brenda Brooks has had a tough time finding work. The 60-year-old has decades of experience at CVS and the historic Regal Theater in Avalon Park. But recently, prospective employers have told her, “ ‘You have the qualifications...
News
Our news, editorial, and analysis on federal policy surrounding higher education’s most pressing issues.
A Q&A with Julie Peller, Executive Director for Higher Learning Advocates
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...
Encouraging State Higher Ed Investments through Federal-State Partnerships
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: Channeling 1960’s Student Activism For 21st Century Change
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…
Guiding Today’s Students with Equity in Mind
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...
Press
Capella U shares lessons from 5 years of competency-based education
Higher Learning Advocates Executive Director Julie Peller argues that competency-based education (CBE) requires a unique approach in Education Dive. Read the entire article here.
CMT Shines Spotlight on Tennessee Community Colleges
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...
Press
Elijah Cummings Working With Florida Congressman to Help Veterans at Colleges, Universities
Source: Florida Daily
U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho and Rep. Elijah Cummings introduced the “Safeguarding Student Veterans Act,” which would increase “coordination between the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Education “through pushing the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs “to better understand and track the risks that certain schools po...
Press
Veterans Groups, Education Leaders Back Donna Shalala’s Effort to Close GI Benefits Loophole
Source: Florida Daily
Higher Learning Advocates supports Congresswoman Donna Shalala’s amendment on the U.S. Department of Defense Tuition Assistance funds in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). Read the entire article at Florida Daily here.
Press
Groups Align to Advocate for Today’s Students
Source: Inside Higher Ed
Higher Learning Advocates joins with “groups representing veterans, working adults and historically underrepresented students” to form the Today’s Students Coalition to advocate for postsecondary policies that support their success. Read the entire article from Inside Higher Ed here.
Higher Learning Advocates Endorses “Closing the College Hunger Gap Act”
Higher Learning Advocates expresses our strong support for the Closing the College Hunger Gap Act of 2019. This legislation would provide college students who may be eligible for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) with eligibility and application information and would require the Department of Education to collect data on food and hou...
Press
Students to Keep Pressing Congress for Higher Education Update
Source: Bloomberg Government
Higher Learning Advocates and nine other education advocacy groups launched the Today’s Students Coalition. Today’s students are more diverse in age, race, and income than any previous generation. The Today’s Students Coalition advocates for postsecondary policies that support their success through three core policy principles: creating robus...
Persistence and Retention at Colleges and Universities
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...