Short Takes

A recent study conducted by McKinsey & Company explores students’ perspectives on incorporating online experiences into the learning process. The study offers valuable recommendations for institutions seeking to enhance existing programs or expand them to effectively address their students’ needs

Student parents comprise over 20 percent of today’s college-going population; however, they face substantial barriers to their persistence and degree completion, including mental health challenges. In their new publication, Ascend at The Aspen Institute and The Jed Foundation (JED) present the culmination of their three-year partnership focused on improving higher education’s understanding and support of student parents’ mental health and emotional well-being.

In a new issue brief, Louis Soares, the chief learning and innovation officer at ACE, explores the concept of a learning ecosystem for postsecondary education, with a focus on alternative providers. Alternative providers are positioned in terms of their potential advantages, such as short credential pathways, low costs, flexibility, and connections to the labor market.

A new report from The Urban Institute highlights racial disparities in the distribution of state need-based aid. Using state enrollment data to assess patterns, researchers found consistent disparities existed in 11 states.

A new report from the George W. Bush Institute’s Stand-To Veteran Higher Education Task Force recently released a report focuses on the often-underestimated returns that institutions of higher education receive by enrolling student veterans.

A new report from the Brookings Institution Center on Children and Families examines how college enrollment is impacted by academic preparation, race, gender, and socioeconomic status.

Highly mobile students (students who experience multiple entries or withdrawal points at one or multiple institutions) face degree completion barriers regarding the transfer and acceptance of credentials due to inconsistent institutional and state policies, according to a new report from Ithaka S+R.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center recently released a report on progress and outcomes for “some college, no credential” (SCNC) students, the 36 million adults who have some postsecondary education but have yet to earn any type of degree or credential and are no longer enrolled.

U.S. workers and employers increasingly recognize the value of alternative credentials, according to a new report by the Society for Human Resource Management. This research surveyed samples of 500 U.S. executives, 1,200 supervisors, 1,129 HR professionals, and 1,525 U.S. workers.

Education, business, and government and other sectors increasingly are finding new ways to integrate digital technologies to better serve employees. A new report from Digital Promise explores how Learning and Employment Records can be used for greater equity in education and the workforce.

Today, more than 36 million individuals have completed some college but have not received their degrees. To address the barriers to completion that these students face, the Institute for Higher Education Policy launched the Degrees When Due initiative, a three-year project to help institutions reengage stopped out students.

As enrollment remains a primary concern among institutional leaders, reports from the National Student Clearinghouse and the National Association of System Heads provide insight on trends in transfer enrollment and strategies for transfer student success.