Voting vs. Activism: Black College Students Weigh In
Read moreThe 2018 midterm elections are almost here, and early voting has already begun in some states. Voter enthusiasm is at an all-time high—many are calling it the most significant midterm in decades—with the outcomes falling squarely on the shoulders of America’s youngest generation of voters.Traditionally, young people don’t show…
Q&A with Erika McConduit, Louisiana Director, The Education Trust
Read moreWhy are you so passionate about social justice in education?Social justice is something that has been a part of me throughout my life. I grew up in New Orleans. My mother was a children’s book writer, and my father was a lifelong educator, so education was ingrained in me.…
10 Key Takeaways on Degree Attainment for Latino Adults
Read moreAs we stated previously, there are many benefits to having a college degree, both on an individual and societal level. Noting the economic and social benefits of a more educated community, more than 40 states over the past decade have adopted some sort of degree attainment goal — that…
7 Key Takeaways on Degree Attainment for Black Adults
Read moreThe individual benefits of earning a college degree are well known, but the larger social benefits that are associated with a better educated population are often overlooked. Generally, people with higher incomes contribute more to federal, state, and local tax revenues, which provide more money for schools, colleges, public…
3 Ways States Can Improve Degree Attainment for Blacks and Latinos
Read moreIn the U.S., if you are Black, you are two-thirds as likely to hold a college degree as someone who is White; if you are Latino, you are half as likely. While there have been gains in degree attainment since 2000 (9.1 percentage points for Black adults and 7.2…
Supporting Queer College Students of Color
Read moreAs we celebrate Pride Month, LGBTQ advocates continue to challenge the actions of the U.S. Department of Education. This advocacy should not be surprising as educational systems in K-12 and higher education have long been criticized for not being a welcoming space for individuals who identify as part of…
The PROSPER Act Is About to Make College More Expensive
Read moreLast Saturday, I proudly joined thousands of students on college campuses throughout the country who are walking across the graduation stage to receive their diplomas this spring.And in the coming months, I will join many of these same students as we begin to pay back our federal student loans.Like…
Free College Can Be a Good Idea, But Only if It Helps Students Who Struggle the Most to Pay
Read moreLast week, Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced the Debt-Free College Act of 2018, which would establish a voluntary state-federal partnership and make public college debt-free. This bill is the latest in a growing trend of local, state, and federal policies that, in response to the student-debt crisis and…
Reauthorizing HEA: Alexander’s Approach to Accountability Misses the Mark on Equity
Read moreLast week, Senator Lamar Alexander (R-TN) released a white paper that provided his early thinking on the approach the federal government should take regarding accountability in higher education.One thing is clear: The higher education system needs to be improved as students struggle to graduate and repay their student loans.…
HEA: Equity Must Be At the Core of the Higher Education Act
Read moreAt The Education Trust, we believe equity must be at the core of any accountability policy. So, as Congress works to reauthorize the Higher Education Act, we will work to ensure that efforts to incentivize and hold campuses responsible for student outcomes prioritize the experiences of students of color…
Reporte nuevo: Un estudio del éxito de estudiantes universarios latinos
Read moreThe Education Trust lanza un reporte nuevo que examina las tasas de graduación en las universidades americanas. Mientras que hayan mas estudiantes latinos que están matriculando en las universidades más que nunca, y las tasas de graduación van en aumento, solamente 54 por ciento de estudiantes universitarios latinos que…
New Report: A Look at Latino Student Success
Read moreThe Education Trust just released A Look at Latino Student Success: Top- and Bottom-Performing Institutions, a report examining graduation rates for Latino students at U.S. colleges. While more Latino students are enrolling in four-year colleges and universities than ever before, and graduation rates are on the rise, only 54 percent…
The PROSPER Act Would Move Our Nation’s Higher Education System Backward
Read moreA bill proposed last week by Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) to renew the Higher Education Act (HEA) undermines its historical role in advancing civil rights and falls far short of ensuring that low-income students and students of color will have equal access to a high-quality college education.The bill, known…
The ASPIRE ACT: Improving Student Outcomes and Equity in Higher Education
Read moreColleges and universities are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their value to an increasingly skeptical public. Low graduation rates, rising college costs, and huge debt loads leave many Americans wondering if our higher education system is working as it should. Policymakers are under pressure to respond to this scrutiny,…
Can Equity Be Bought? Five Components of a Smart Outcomes-Based Funding Policy
Read moreWhile performance- or outcomes-based policies emerged in the late 1980s as an opportunity for colleges and universities to earn additional or bonus funding for improving student outcomes, they have evolved over the years into requirements for campuses to receive all of their expected or base funding. And while more…
Can Equity Be Bought? Advocating for Equity Focused Performance Funding in Kentucky
Read morePolicymakers in Kentucky, like other states across the nation, have an opportunity through the adoption of a performance based funding formula to encourage their colleges and universities to not only become more focused on college completion, but to also prioritize equity. In Kentucky, less than a fourth of students…
Can Equity Be Bought? Minority-Serving Institutions and Outcomes-Based Funding
Read moreMost performance- or outcomes-based funding (POBF) models seek to address accountability and not equity, so they do not always account for the additional resources that minority-serving institutions (MSIs) require to serve their students. We found this to be the case in Texas and Washington, two states that have adopted…
Can Equity Be Bought? HBCUs and Outcomes-Based Funding
Read morePerformance- or outcomes-based funding is intended to drive more equitable opportunities and outcomes in higher education. But in our research, we’ve found the opposite. Instead of diverting more money to under-resourced colleges and universities, these institutions tend to get less in states with POBF policies — and the effects…
Can Equity Be Bought? A Look at Outcomes-Based Funding in Higher Ed
Read moreMore than 30 states now have adopted or are in the process of adopting a formula that divvies out funding to public colleges and universities based on their outcomes for students. Called performance- or outcomes-based funding (POBF), these policies are inconsistent in their design, and in many cases, perpetuate…
The Dream Act: Lifting Limitations on Students’ Unlimited Potential
Read moreNearly two months have passed since the Trump administration announced plans to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) and called on Congress to act to protect undocumented children of immigrants. What Congress should do is clear: Pass the Dream Act. Doing so would create a pathway…
