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...

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...

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...

A Q&A with Jonell Sanchez, Vice President of Education Solutions for The National Student Clearinghouse Insights & Outlooks: There is currently a ban on the creation of a federal student unit record system, but there is increased interest from policymakers in understanding student success metrics– specifically around persistence and...

For most college presidents, converting the school’s football field into an organic farm would be a career-ending move. For Michael Sorrell, it was just the beginning of what has become a historic turnaround at the 147-year-old institution where he serves as president. Facing sagging enrollment, financial challenges and growing questions about th...

My mother was raised in a low-income Mexican-American family. With this background she never imagined college as an option for herself. However, when she was a teenager, my mother applied for a position in the air traffic control industry as a part of a minority recruitment initiative. The initiative offered to train minority individuals without&he...

Insights & Outlooks: How did you originally develop a passion for education, both personally and as a career? What are the issues that inspire you most today? I got my first job in the summer of 1990 as a rising sophomore at Allegheny College in Meadville, Penn. The Pennsylvania Department of Education hired me as…

A Q&A with Dr. Kim Hunter Reed, Commissioner, Louisiana Commission of Higher Education   Today’s students are more diverse, older and juggling multiple demands on their time while pursuing postsecondary education. The complex lives of today’s students often contribute to challenges in their ability to persist through their program of stud...

Attending college as a first-generation or low-income student can be a difficult path. Though neither of my parents graduated from high school, they encouraged their five children to go to college. Thankfully, by the time it was my turn, I had four older siblings who had kept their promise to my parents — four mentors…

In an era when declining enrollment looms large, and the demographics of higher education are undergoing an unprecedented shift. Colleges and universities are clamoring to attract so-called “nontraditional students.” But, while institutions are quick to market more flexible pathways to a degree, many still expect their adult, parent, and workin...

The idea of free college is currently dominating headlines and the 2020 Democratic primary race. And for good reason: Americans now collectively owe $1.6 trillion in student debt. But supporting today’s students requires more than plans for offering free tuition or debt relief.  More students than ever before are now going to college. They are&h...