Resources
Today’s Students Coalitions’ federal policy resources include the most current data on adult students, parenting students, college affordability, equity, and more. Our work has resulted in positive change for today’s students, including access to discounted broadband for Pell students, the establishment of emergency aid funds, and increased financial aid for parenting students.
101: Public Awareness: Racial Disparities in Higher Education
Public Awareness A national survey conducted by Higher Learning Advocates suggests that the public lacks awareness of achievement gaps in postsecondary education. When asked whether Hispanic and Black college students attending four-year public institutions were less likely to complete their degree than their white peers, a majority (51%) of survey respondents answered “no.” The truth…
Higher Learning Advocates Submits Public Comment on Accrediting Agencies
WASHINGTON (July 9, 2019) — Today, Higher Learning Advocates submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Education on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking regarding the Secretary’s recognition of accrediting agencies. Higher Learning Advocates urged the Department to ensure any regulatory changes governing accreditors and their actions focus on students having an expectation of quality no…
Backgrounder: Evolving Models of Postsecondary Learning
Author: India Heckstall Today’s students—who are more likely to be workers, parents, returning adults, veterans, and more—may have postsecondary education experiences and pathways that don’t fit traditional molds. They no longer follow a single and consistent pathway to a degree. Today’s students need access to more flexible higher learning pathways and delivery models, as well…
101: Career and Technical Education
What is Career Technical Education? Career Technical Education (CTE) prepares learners for college and careers by providing academic and technical skills needed to succeed in the workforce at the secondary and postsecondary levels. CTE aligns education and the workforce to ensure that today’s students are learning the skills needed in the competitive job market. Nearly…
101: Equity Gaps in Higher Education
What is an Educational Equity Gap? An educational equity gap is where there is a significant and persistent disparity in educational attainment between different groups of students. The equity gap that exists between white students and students of color begins in K-12 education — where 87 percent of white students graduate high school on-time compared…
101: FAFSA
What is the FAFSA? The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is a federal application that will determine a student’s eligibility for federal grants, loans, and work-study programs. All students who wish to participate in Title IV federal financial aid programs must complete the FAFSA. Many states and most institutions of higher education require…
Recommendations to Support Students of Color
Today, Higher Learning Advocates submitted proposals in response to a request from Senator Doug Jones (D-AL), Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), and Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) on empowering students of color and ensuring their success in postsecondary education. Today’s students, and in particular today’s students of color, often face significant challenges…
101: Negotiated Rulemaking
A Quirk of Federal Higher Education Policy: Negotiated Rulemaking The Higher Education Act (HEA) requires the U.S. Department of Education (ED) to use a process called “negotiated rulemaking” in order to make any changes to programs authorized under HEA’s Title IV, the section that houses federal financial aid programs and affects more than $130 billion…
State Profiles
State profiles feature key data points, visual infographics, and brief explanations of all 50 states, and are a quick and easy resource for policymakers, analysts and media.