Credit: NASA/GSFC Too much of the debate over higher education has devolved into whether “college is worth it.”  That conversation misses a key fact: higher learning is no longer bound by quads and ivy and the traditions of the past. The landscape for learning and opportunity beyond high school is vast and growing, with millions…

By all accounts, our country needs a trillion dollars or more to rebuild crumbling highways, bridges, and other infrastructure. We also need a plan to shore up education and training after high school— but this is one area we can improve with the resources already there. Last month the Trump administration, as part of a…

As the curtain raised, the theater went pitch black with only the light from the stage casting dimly into the audience. Patrons found themselves fumbling in the darkness trying to read their playbills and the latecomers interrupted the mood, unable to find their seats. In 1896, Granville Woods invented the “Safety Dimmer” so theater patrons—...

The Boeing Company’s opens its Commercial Airplane Decorative Paint Facility in North Charleston, SC, USA. Source: Flickr. South Carolina’s current economic climate is undeniably one of growth.  The South Carolina Department of Commerce is projecting solid growth for 2018 and the transportation, manufacturing, and education sectors, among othe...

The prospect – some say threat –  of the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) has animated many lively discussions regarding the value of higher education, the integrity of the accreditation process, and the effectiveness of the existing accountability framework. With the possibility of a vote on reauthorization this summer, here ...

As the signature federal student aid program providing college access to low and middle-income Americans, the Pell Grant program is a vital bridge to higher education opportunity. Pell Grants have enabled millions of Americans to pursue higher learning by distributing need-based aid to students who otherwise would not be able to afford tuition. Fu...

As the signature federal student aid program providing college access to low and middle-income Americans, the Pell Grant program is a vital bridge to higher education opportunity. Pell Grants have enabled millions of Americans to pursue higher learning by distributing need-based aid to students who otherwise would not be able to afford tuition. F...

A student entering college today is more likely to leave with debt than a degree, and 31 million Americans have some college credit, but no degree or credential at all. Yet the degree is still the North Star for economic opportunity: a bachelor’s degree-holder earns one million dollars more over their lifetime than their peers with only a hig...

National higher education policy should be built around the needs and priorities of students, who are taking different pathways through higher education as part-time students, adults, workers, transfers, parents, and more. At Higher Learning Advocates’ first Champions Network briefing on Capitol Hill, “Unlocking College Opportunity for Today’...

Recently, retail giant Walmart, the largest private employer in the nation, made big news in higher education by announcing a new tuition assistance program available to all of its U.S. employees. Walmart’s new program will enable its workers who do not currently hold a college degree to enroll at one of three universities for only…

Joey Hatch, a recently retired construction executive and member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, credits his career success to a journey through higher education that started forty-five years ago— at college and career night put on by his local high school. “I love telling my story of how I got involved in higher education…

The key to assuring higher education quality in the U.S. is accreditation, the complex system used by the Federal government as a gate-keeping mechanism to over $130 billion annually in federal student aid. But federal accreditation policy has become almost entirely focused on compliance and bureaucratic procedures, instead of what counts: student ...