The Big Fix: Rethinking Education and Workforce
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…
Read MoreA Rainy Day Fund for College Affordability
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. Funding the Pell…
Read MoreState Leaders Press for Student-Centered Higher Education Policies
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’s Students”, policymakers and higher education advocates were able…
Read MoreWalmart’s Big College Tuition News: How Employers Are Stepping Up to Help More Working Adults Earn a Degree
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…
Read MoreJose Luis Cruz’s Fight to Expand Opportunity for Today’s Students
Dr. José Luis Cruz has a national reputation as a powerful voice for equity, opportunity and accountability in higher education. As an innovative administrator and advocate for low-income students, he has been at the forefront of efforts to enact effective policies that can deliver a high-quality college education for all of today’s students. Dr. Cruz…
Read MoreAn Advocate for Student Outcomes Shares What Higher Ed Can Learn from Health Care Administration
Barbara Damron was not only the first in her family to go to college, she was the first to go to high school. Driven by a passion for public policy-making and a calling for helping others, Secretary Damron’s health care career spanned more than 25 years, including work as an advanced practice nurse, educator, scientist,…
Read MoreMichele Siqueiros: A Leading Voice for Affordability, Access, Success and Equity in Higher Education
Policy matters, and it played an important role in Michele Siqueiros’ life. Effective college affordability policies provided her with an opportunity to go to college and ultimately get her master’s degree. This kickstarted a series of life-altering experiences that led her down a career dedicated toward improving policy and social mobility through higher education. “I…
Read MoreFrom the 101st Airborne to Tennessee’s State Higher Education Leader: Meet Mike Krause
Like many of “today’s students” who are working adults and come from diverse backgrounds, Mike Krause had to fight for a degree. An eighth generation Tennessean, Mike joined the U.S. Army at age 18 after spending six months attending a local community college. He served a total of eight years in the U.S. Army and…
Read MoreDefining Quality: What Should Quality Look Like in Higher Learning?
In today’s higher education landscape, quality has become the most important watchword as institutions navigate new accountability policies and regulations while new providers hope to demonstrate their efficacy and impact with students. For today’s students, quality is much more than an abstract concept: it translates to their prospects for career, financial and personal success after…
Read MoreMarch News & Updates
Policy Update: HEA Recommendations We are just two full months into 2018, and critical conversations around postsecondary education are moving forward at the federal level. Higher Learning Advocates has continued its efforts to advance common-sense policy reforms designed to improve outcomes, upgrade quality, and build a system of higher learning that is more affordable and…
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