Career Technical Education (CTE) and career readiness have become a national priority, reshaping high school curricula across the country. Once primarily centered on college preparation, college and career readiness now emphasizes career pathways as a key component of learner success, with 43 states including at least one career-focused indicator…

Non-traditional students disproportionately enroll in institutions with weaker graduation and earnings outcomes. One hypothesis is that these students would have made different choices had they been provided with better information or supports during the decision-making process. We conducted a large-scale, multi-arm field experiment with the U.S.…

For 20 years, "Excelencia" in Education has led the way through innovative, collaborative, and actionable efforts to accelerate Latino student success in higher education throughout the United States. "Excelencia" is nationally recognized for leveraging data to conduct research with a Latino lens, reshaping the understanding of…

The Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) provided states with newfound flexibility on accountability measures and school improvement strategies. Many policy experts have analyzed states' ESSA plans, which explain how states use their federal funds under various provisions of the new law, as well as the approaches states take to identify and rate…

For all the attention student loans have received in the media and from policymakers in recent years, there is still remarkably little information on why and how borrowers struggle to repay them. Rising college prices and debt levels explain some of the troubles borrowers have with their loans, as does a slow economic recovery that has caused…

This study examines the role of financial aid variables, namely, student loan and grant amounts, expected family contribution, and financial need, on the decision to study abroad among students in the University System of Georgia. Findings indicate that, generally, student loans negatively influence the likelihood of a student studying abroad…

This study used data from online focus groups collected from November 2014 to April 2015 to understand college students' decision-making processes when borrowing money to finance their education. Data were collected using an online course management system. Results suggest that (a) students relied heavily on advice from parents, guidance…

Each year, millions of college students borrow money to help bridge the gap between college costs and available income, savings, and grants. Experts all agree that, for those who need to borrow to pay for college, federal student loans are the safest and most affordable option. Unfortunately, some colleges choose not to participate in the federal…

As the nation's student-loan debt surpasses the $1-trillion mark, alarming students, parents, and politicians, few are thinking about the effects it is having on people like Michael J. Trivette, a 28-year-old graduate student in higher education at the University of Georgia. Two-thirds of Ph.D. and other doctoral students and nearly three-quarters…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) The Credit Crisis Goes to College: Upheaval in the Student-Loan Business Leaves Students and Parents Scrambling (Susan C. Thomson); (2) The Engaged University: Northern…

In this study on financial aid to students in higher education, descriptive data are provided on differences found among states, institutional sectors, and income groups with respect to student costs and sources of funding, the reduction in cost of attendance due to the distribution of aid, and the resulting amount of overmet or undermet financial…

The primary purpose of "National CrossTalk" is to stimulate informed discussion and debate of higher education issues. This issue contains the following articles: (1) A Legacy to Overcome: The University of Georgia Hopes to Become a More Desirable Destination for Black Students (Don Campbell); (2) Oklahoma's Brain Gain: A Comprehensive…

The "Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Fact Book on Higher Education" is one of the nation's most comprehensive collections of comparative data on higher education. For decades, state leaders, policy-makers, researchers and journalists have used the "Fact Book" to find useful data quickly--and to learn more about…