Good Policy, Good Practice

Improving Outcomes and Productivity in Higher Education: A Guide for Policymakers

International comparisons reveal that the United States is losing ground in student achievement and graduation. While other nations have responded to the knowledge economy by aggressively seeking out more opportunities for their citizens, the United States has stagnated in the educational attainment of its population.

This report aims to provide state leaders with promising new ideas about how to increase college access and success while limiting costs. These ideas show that educational rationing—that is, limiting educational opportunity for certain groups—is not inevitable. Demonstrations of cost-effective policies and practices to expand educational opportunity can be found in many states, but they need to be expanded and sustained.

Download the report (270K pdf)

Adding It Up

For years, the United States has led the world in the percentage of adults possessing a college degree. This leadership has propelled the national economy to unprecedented levels, harnessing knowledge to drive innovation and improve social mobility. But the nation¹s competitive advantage is slipping away. Our educational attainment beyond high school is leveling off while other nations race ahead, and significant inequities in college access and success persist across racial, ethnic and income lines.

This compendium of key indicators gauges each state¹s readiness to meet the demand for a more educated population. The conclusion that emerges is that while states vary greatly in their current and projected performance in producing a college-educated population, all states must address educational and demographic challenges to compete in the world that is taking shape.

Read more or download the report (9MB pdf).

Squeeze Play

How Parents and the Public Look at Higher Education Today

Americans believe that college opportunity is more important than ever, but, increasingly, they are concerned that qualified and motivated students are being denied that opportunity. The public is also beginning to raise doubts about whether increased institutional spending is resulting in more learning. The majority of Americans believe that colleges and universities are not doing enough to control spending and believe that institutions can expand access without compromising quality or increasing costs.

This report, prepared by Public Agenda and the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education for Making Opportunity Affordable, updates and analyzes more than a decade of research on public attitudes about higher education. It concludes that while the American people still have a good deal of confidence in their colleges and universities, they are increasingly worried–and wary–about quality, cost, and the chance for more Americans to receive a degree.

Download the Report (pdf)

Hitting Home

Quality, Cost, and Access Challenges Confronting Higher Education Today

The United States needs to increase its production of postsecondary education degrees and reduce gaps in achievement among racial and socioeconomic groups. Otherwise, the country will not be able to meet workforce needs, maintain international economic competitiveness, and improve the quality of life for all Americans.

If current production patterns in postsecondary education persist, the nation will face a significant “degree gap” that puts it at a disadvantage relative to other leading developed nations. In fact, the size of this gap—the difference between degrees produced in the United States and those produced by nations who are among our top competitors—could reach almost 16 million degrees by 2025, according to new data prepared for the Making Opportunity Affordable initiative.

Download the Report (pdf)

Course Corrections

Experts Offer Solutions to the College Cost Crisis

America is wasting human resources because of runaway college costs, and it’s time to do something about it. To that end, Lumina Foundation for Education has generated a major policy initiative, College Costs: Making Opportunity Affordable.

As part of a multiyear initiative to explore the dimensions of the “college cost crisis,’’ Lumina Foundation, in collaboration with the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, called together more than 350 participants for a national summit in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 2, 2005.

Download the Report (pdf)

Seeking Solutions: A Gathering at the Summit (pdf)

Summit Proceedings (Audion and Video)

Focused feedback: Highlights from our evaluation of the College Costs summit (pdf)

Individual Papers

• Table of Contents, Foreword (pdf)
• Outsourcing of non-mission-critical functions (pdf)
• Seven steps (pdf)
• Improving quality and reducing costs (pdf)
• Shared solutions (pdf)
• Avoiding a collision course (pdf)
• A question of effectiveness (pdf)
• Approaching the dilemma from both sides (pdf)
• Tipping point (pdf)
• Other ideas of note (pdf)
• Toward a new way of thinking (pdf)
• National Editorial Advisory Panel (pdf)