Governments must balance political and financial pressures while striving for lasting reforms that require cultural as well as technical change. Success hinges on building shared purpose, nurturing alliances, and managing power dynamics among stakeholders. Clear short-, medium- and long-term aims, alongside open communication, can secure support.…

College-going rate indicates the portion of public high school graduates who seamlessly enroll (i.e., immediately after high school) in postsecondary education. This year's college-going rate report focuses on the class of 2023. College going is up for the class of 2023 by 2.4 percentage points over the class of 2022, for a statewide college-going…

That some form of education beyond high school will be essential to future economic prosperity--both individually and collectively--is widely accepted. It is not lost on students and families, who consistently cite the need to be prepared for the workforce as the most important factor in choosing to enroll. And it is not lost on policy makers, as…

In 2018, the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research launched a major research initiative into place-based strategies for local prosperity. Place-based strategies are nothing new. For decades, cities, regions, and states have sought to increase the number of jobs available to residents, expand their tax base, and promote amenities and…

While community colleges promote American ideals of democracy, opportunity, and social mobility; provide a vital accessible and affordable education for nearly 12 million first-generation, economically-disadvantaged, and minoritized students; are engines of local workforce and economic development; and enroll nearly half of all students who go on…

College-going rate indicates the portion of public high school graduates who seamlessly enroll (i.e., immediately after high school) in postsecondary education. This year's college-going rate report focuses on the class of 2024. College going is slightly down for the class of 2024 by 0.7 percentage points compared to the class of 2023, for a…

The number of children in poverty looks set to rise and the gap in outcomes between the most disadvantaged children and their peers is likely to widen. Many families will face challenges of poverty, ill health, bereavement and unemployment, with knock-on effects for children's health and wellbeing. There are fears that children will miss out on…

Workforce development in the United States today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public two-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions, and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be, especially among disadvantaged students and…