Growing up in a low socioeconomic area in Phoenix, Arizona, surrounded by gangs, violence, and drugs, I never thought that college was a place for me. Instead, as a teen, I envisioned myself selling drugs, robbing people, and spending most of my days in prison. So when I was 20 years old and was sentenced…

“Emily Bouck West, deputy executive director for ​​Higher Learning Advocates, which has been lobbying for broadband affordability programs for students, was pleased that the report details students’ struggles with broadband access. ‘It’s great that we have more data about the challenges that so many students are experiencing...

“The infrastructure bill would be a really big win for Pell students if it were to be enacted as it is right now,” said Emily Bouck West, deputy executive director at Higher Learning Advocates, which has been lobbying for broadband affordability programs for students. “It will mean greater broadband access and greater success for ...

Deputy Executive Director Emily Bouck West commented on Higher Learning Advocates’ support for expanding Second Chance Pell in a recent Inside Higher Ed article: “Providing education to incarcerated individuals is critically important, as it benefits individuals and society by reducing recidivism and increasing employment rates after release so...

In Inside Higher Ed, Deputy Executive Director Emily Bouck West commented on Higher Learning Advocates’ support for the Community College Student Success Act: “It would be a good first step to helping community colleges that have faced enrollment declines as a result of the pandemic not only get students back into the classroom but also...

In spring 2020, as the coronavirus pandemic swept across the country, colleges and universities swiftly shuttered their campuses to students, unsure of for how long or what was coming next. As faculty scrambled to continue their courses virtually, they utilized emergency remote learning to deliver course content like lectures and seminars, facilita...

The four-year college degree has long been the gold standard and the surest gateway to economic opportunity in the United States. But while the four-year degree provides access to the entry-level work and graduate education that lead, in turn, to the best-paying jobs, it starkly divides Americans by race. Often lauded as the great equalizer,&hellip...

The mental health crisis on college campuses, prior to 2020, often referred to the overwhelming demand on campus mental health centers and their frequent inability to meet that demand. Waiting lists and inadequate staffing levels to support student mental health needs were often at the center of the discussion. Along came the COVID-19 pandemic, whi...

Nicole Lynn Lewis is the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Generation Hope, which works to surround motivated teen parents and their children with mentors, emotional support, and financial resources they need to succeed in higher ed, as well as supporting their children through school. Nicole, a former teen parent who worked while pursuing her...

“Today’s college students are not who you think they are. One-third of them are more than 25 years old, according to data released last summer by Higher Learning Advocates, a nonprofit supporting student success. Nearly two in five are part-time students, that report said, and only about one in six live on campus. What’s more,…

Julie Peller and Jamie Merisotis discuss how using the Pell Grant for short-term programs could build a different kind of bridge—one that links training, education and employment. “Just like America’s roads and bridges, building the nation’s talent for the future requires strategic investment, careful planning and partnerships. Investin...

As the country works toward economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are at least 10 million unemployed Americans, many of whom are looking to higher education as a pathway to their next career step. Now more than ever, adult learners are keenly aware of the return of investment they receive from…