Other Report

This report seeks to define and recommend changes to the federal role in ensuring that students not only enter college but graduate. The authors describe the current state of college matriculates, discern their goal of "increasing degree production and decreasing inequality", and discuss five strategies that need to be implemented to reach their goal. The authors conclude that the federal role, in terms of both funding and oversight, should further expand their reach to increase the number of degree holders.

This guide addresses the question: "Is the demand for 'college jobs' growing?" The author approaches the question by breaking relevant issues and the research into four areas: 1) evidence on the trajectory of the demand for skill; 2) sources of rising skill needs; 3) are the benefits real; and 4) moving forward. The author concludes that increasing access to higher education is beneficial in "social, civic, and economic terms."

This report details an Annenberg Institute for School Reform study in which leading indicators, as inspired by those used by economists, are explored at four school districts prominently utilizing leading indicators to discern student progress prior to the availability of high stakes testing data.

This resource from the Center for American Progress discusses the results of a forum held in March 2008 that explored the question, "What is driving these poor results in higher education?" The results of this forum concluded with the Center for American Progress recommending that federal policy be enhanced with a stronger focus on postsecondary completion and student and college readiness. Specific recommendations focused on two key areas: (1) college-ready student strategies, and (2) student-ready college strategies.

This report describes an AYPF-hosted field trip to Indianapolis, Indiana in order to showcase cross-system linkages aimed at increasing the number of students prepared for, attending, and succeeding in postsecondary education and the world of work.

This resource from American Youth Policy Forum examines the impact that career academies have had over the past 40 years. The author discusses the need for action and the research that shows career academies improve educational and labor market outcomes. Additionally, the author suggests several policy issues that must be addressed in order for career academies to be expanded.

This resource from the ACT surveys teachers’ educational practices and expectations in English/writing, reading, mathematics, and science. The purpose of the survey is to determine the skills and knowledge that are currently being taught, in addition to those considered important for success for college readiness. It found that the skills rated most highly by postsecondary instructors across the content areas included reading, English and language arts, writing, communication skills, mathematics, science, and critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

This annual report from the Center on Education Policy uses the results of a survey of state department of education officials to examine state policies regarding high school assessment requirements. These include high school exit exams, college entrance exams, and college and career readiness assessments. The paper reports on recent changes to state policies regarding exit exams, and discusses the impact of the national and state focus on college readiness standards, such as the Common Core state standards, on such policies.

This resource from CLASP was developed with the purpose of helping interagency state teams identify and use federal resources to support career pathways. The toolkit was specifically designed to help these teams identify and facilitate "braiding" of federal resources to design and develop career pathways and bridges into them for adults and out-of-school youth. A Funding Options Worksheet is provided with sample tasks for the state teams, though CLASP does encourage the teams to customize the tasked based on their local context.

This resource from the Everyone Graduates Center at Johns Hopkins discusses what progress is being made on a range of education reforms, policies, and practices that help ensure more students graduate from high school and ready for college and productive work. The authors talk about what is taking place at the national level and examine the challenges faced by different racial and ethnic groups.