From PostEverything: Free Tuition? Programs Should Focus on Students Who Started and Had To Stop.

A recent blog post by Sanford J. Ungar in The Washington Post discusses the need to focus policy conversations around increasing college enrollment to those who have some college education, but no degree.

Inside Higher Ed: Results from Survey of College and University Business Officers

According to the 2017 Inside Higher Ed Survey of College and University Business Officers, half of campus chief budget officers (CBOs) have significantly modified their budget model in recent years. The rationale: seven in 10 CBOs agree that media reports saying that higher education is in the midst of a financial crisis are accurate.

Study: Food Insecurity a Major Concern for Community College Students

report released this week by The Urban Institute finds that the food insecurity rate is 13.3 percent for households with students enrolled in two-year colleges. This means that nearly one in five two-year college students lives in a food-insecure household. By contrast, for households with students enrolled in four-year colleges, the rate of food insecurity is 11.2 percent.

Competency Frameworks: Blueprints for Strong Learning Structures

A recent blog post from the Lumina Foundation discusses how frameworks act as blueprints to ensure all credentials are of high quality.

Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility

In their recently updated working paper, Mobility Report Cards: the Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility, authors Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner, and Danny Yagan analyze the role colleges play in upward income mobility.

Major Matters Most: The Economic Value of Bachelor’s Degrees from the University of Texas System

The University of Texas System and the Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce have released a study examining the earnings patterns of UT System graduates and the economic impact of earning a UT System degree.

New From the American Association of Community Colleges: Fast Facts Infographic

The American Association of Community Colleges has released its annual Fast Facts infographic, which covers data on community colleges including headcount enrollment, demographics of students enrolled, employment status and financial aid information.

The Impact of Year-Round Pell Grants on Academic and Employment Outcomes of Community College Students

Year-round Pell Grants were recently reinstated, having previously been implemented for academic years 2009-2010 and 2010-11. A timely working paper released by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University examines the effect of year-round Pell Grants on the likelihood of completing an associate degree.

New Evidence on Integrated Career Pathways

The Urban Institute, in partnership with The George Washington University, recently released an impact analysis of the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative across four states. The program, created by Jobs for the Future, helps students and adults enroll in integrated career pathway programs at community and technical colleges.

From the Brookings Blog: The For-Profit Student Debt Dilemma

A recent blog post from The Brookings Institution discusses findings from their report on trends in student borrowing across sectors. Overall, the authors found that patterns for borrowing in the for-profit sector are similar to the private nonprofit sector in that students enrolled in these institutions are much more likely to borrow, tend to borrow larger amounts, and supplement federal funding with money from non-federal sources.

Podcast: How Is the Current Political Climate Affecting Higher Education?

ACE’s Senior Vice President Terry Hartle and former Sen. Mark Begich (D-AK) discuss the current political environment and higher education under the Trump administration.

An Updated Look at Student Loan Debt Repayment and Default

Penn Wharton’s Public Policy Initiative recently released an issue brief highlighting the state of student debt repayment and default. The brief, An Updated Look at Student Loan Debt Repayment and Default, aims to provide insight on these issues for policymakers as amendments to the Higher Education Act are currently being considered.