A new brief from FirstGen Forward explores how first-generation college students navigate the transition from college to career, highlighting insights from a national survey and focus groups with higher education professionals—most of whom are first-gen graduates themselves.
Author: Laurie Arnston
How State Policies Can Support Dual Enrollment Students
A new report published by Bellwether examines dual enrollment programs and policies among four states, finding common themes related to both cost-sharing and access that states can replicate to further promote equity in dual enrollment participation.
Mobility Isn’t a Choice: How Higher Education Can Better Serve Military Learners
Military learners don’t get to choose when or where they move—but they still show up in college classrooms ready to succeed. Abby Kinch and Michele Spires explore how institutions can support their path forward.
Supporting Student Wellbeing in Uncertain Times
Colleges are facing a volatile mix of policy shifts, polarization, and fiscal pressure, and student wellbeing is on the line. The Action Network for Equitable Wellbeing shares three proven strategies to help campuses move from guesswork to insight through real-time data, empathy interviews, and regular check-ins.
Improving State Longitudinal Data Systems
A new publication from the Data Quality Campaign highlights the current landscape and challenges of state data systems for postsecondary education and offers recommendations to align state and institutional data systems.
Navigating Anti-DEI in Higher Education
A new report from the University of Michigan’s National Center for Institutional Diversity examines how 40 chief diversity officers are navigating anti-DEI policies and offers strategies to sustain civil rights leadership amid growing political opposition.
Pell Grant Dollars Are Left Unclaimed: What That Means for Students and States
A new NCAN report finds that nearly $4.4 billion in Pell Grants went unclaimed in 2024, as about 830,000 eligible high school graduates failed to complete the FAFSA—missing a crucial opportunity for students and state economies.
Renewing the Social Contract for Higher Education
With public confidence in colleges at a crossroads, Ted Mitchell and Timothy Knowles call for a new social contract centered on student success—and offer the Carnegie-ACE classification as a path forward.
Dual Enrollment’s Long-Term Effects on Student Earnings
A recent working paper reveals many dual enrollment students experience long-term economic benefits, although outcomes vary based on race and socioeconomic status.
No, Endowments Are Not the Answer to Federal Attacks on Higher Ed
Misunderstanding how endowments work puts scholarships, research, and students’ futures at risk—and distracts from the real threat facing higher education today.
How Can Institutions Best Support Their Online Learners?
After examining success coaching practices at three State University of New York institutions, the authors of new analysis from MDRC offer several policy recommendations to support online learners.
Strengthening America’s Regional Public Universities
A new Third Way report urges tailored federal and state support for regional public universities—rural and urban alike—that educate the majority of four-year public college students and drive local workforce development.