In the context of a tight labor market with more jobs than workers to fill openings, and as young people increasingly seek alternatives to college, apprenticeships have become more important than ever. While the "earn and learn" model of apprenticeship seems to be the obvious choice to address labor market needs, it remains underutilized…

The Expelled and At-Risk Student Services (EARSS) program provides funding to implement educational and support services to expelled students, students at risk of being expelled, chronically absent and/or habitually truant students. Funds are annually appropriated to the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) for the purpose of making grants…

Despite the relative increase in early care and education (ECE) investment over recent decades, access to infant and toddler care continues to be a hurdle for countless families across the nation. While access is a multifaceted issue, main contributors include a lack of available slots and the high cost of providing care to infants and toddlers.…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) annual survey of tuition and fees collects data on resident and nonresident tuition and fees at public two- and four-year institutions in the WICHE region for undergraduate and graduate students. WICHE administered the most recent survey to state higher education executive offices,…

Significant interruptions to in-person learning due to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to potentially long-lasting negative impacts on student achievement, impacting every part of Colorado education. As cited by the National Student Success Accelerator (NSSA) at Stanford University, a meta-analysis reviewed tutoring interventions that were…

State funding for higher education in the United States has long followed the broader economic cycle--expanding during periods of growth and contracting during downturns. State fiscal health and political priorities have further amplified this financial volatility, resulting in uneven and unpredictable funding landscapes across the country. These…

The resources that federal financial aid, state financial aid, and federal public benefits programs provide, when they operate effectively, are critical to older students and students with children. This report seeks to shed light on how these programs are functioning by analyzing data and policies across four states--Colorado, Missouri, North…

Policymakers commonly assert that Broad Access Institutions (BAIs) cannot be "all things to all people" when cutting their funding. BAIs were founded with comprehensive missions to generate postsecondary access through low barriers for admission and affordable tuition and promote student-centeredness through institutional foci on…

The Foster Care Success Act (House Bill 22-1374) provides funds to both the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) and the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) to improve the educational attainment of students in out-of-home placement. The Act requires CDE to identify specific goals for its Foster Care Education Program (FCEP) to achieve…

In a dedicated effort to build high-quality, equitable career pathways Advance CTE, in partnership with Education Strategy Group through JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s "New Skills ready network," released "Braiding Funding To Support Equitable Career Pathways." This policy brief is the fourth in a series designed to help build…

The most recent data on tuition, appropriations, and state grant aid present an economic outlook that appears favorable in the West. Tuition rates remained relatively flat for the past decade, total state funding to higher education increased across the region in the past year, and state grant aid continued to increase since 2010-11. Despite these…

This report details the activities of the Educator Recruitment and Retention Financial Assistance Program (ERR Program) created pursuant to Senate Bill 21-185 (C.R.S. 22-60.3-201 et seq.). Developed in response to persistent educator shortages across the state, the ERR Program removes or reduces a potential barrier to entry into education: the…

Senate Bill 19-190 created the Teacher Mentor Grant Program within the Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE). The purpose of this program is to provide funding to educator preparation programs (EPP) that partner with local education providers (LEP), including school districts, boards of cooperative services, and charter schools to provide…

Discussion of the rising price of higher education and associated student debt in America has been a key feature of political discourse in recent memory, with renewed interest sparked by the announcement of the student loan forgiveness plan. Federal student debt has increased by 756% since 1995, and total student debt tripled from 2007 to 2022.…

The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) entitles students with disabilities to a free appropriate public education. Students with disabilities often require additional support to enable them to achieve academic and functional goals relative to their nondisabled peers. These legally protected supports and services all add up…