Year: 2024

Rethinking First-Generation Status

The Common App’s third research brief in its series on first-generation status explores the complexities of detailed parental education levels and their implications for applicants’ college readiness, socioeconomic status, and application behaviors. The report highlights the limitations of focusing on the binary classification of first-generation and continuing-generation status and argues for more granular examination of parental degree attainment.

Strengthening Education and Workforce Connections in Rural Communities

College and career pathways are integral to individual and regional socioeconomic mobility and stability. Jobs for the Future’s “Pathways to Prosperity” framework consists of five levers that can be connected to create school-to-career pathways: secondary-postsecondary integration, career navigation systems, work-based learning, intermediaries, and leadership and policy.

Unpacking the FAFSA Simplification Act’s Impact on Federal and State Aid Eligibility

The last two decades in higher education policy have seen a push for a more streamlined and less time-consuming version of the FAFSA, which culminated in the FAFSA Simplification Act of 2020. The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association has published a report unpacking many of the changes to FAFSA and how they will impact students pursuing postsecondary education.

Strategic Presidential Leadership and Wrap-Around Student Services

Presidents who set a clear vision for a thriving community where every student feels they belong will set in motion an ecosystem where faculty and staff assume shared responsibility for student success, from recruitment through graduation, writes Devorah Lieberman.

Underemployment and Its Long-Term Effects for College Graduates

While higher education is often seen as a key to social mobility and economic opportunity, translating a college degree into a successful career is not automatic. A new report from the Strada Institute for the Future of Work and the Burning Glass Institute finds that many students struggle with this transition, with only about half of graduates with a bachelor’s degree securing employment in a college-level job within one year of graduating.

How Public University Libraries Are Defending Academic Freedom

Academic libraries at public research universities find themselves at the center of controversy in an increasingly polarized political environment. To examine the impacts of this polarization, Ithaka S+R interviewed 10 library leaders from states with restrictive DEI policies and five library leaders from states without such policies.

Opportunities and Challenges for Higher Ed’s Tech Leaders

EDUCAUSE conducted a survey of over 400 IT professionals in roles ranging from director to chief information officer to provide insights into the state of the higher education technology leader workforce. The report illuminates challenges and opportunities that can inform efforts to fortify the workforce and advance higher education in the future.

The Prevalence of Legacy Preference in College Admissions

recent Brookings Institution report, using data from the 2021-22 academic year, provides valuable insights into the prevalence of legacy admissions at U.S. institutions and the intersection of these policies with race-in-admissions policies.

Rural America’s Resilient Workforce

Disparities in educational attainment and job opportunities persist between rural and urban areas, with traditional rural industries in decline but certain blue-collar sectors still thriving. A new report highlights that rural regions offer viable job opportunities meeting defined income thresholds, emphasizing the need for ongoing education and training efforts for sustained economic prosperity.