Effective recruitment initiatives for underrepresented student populations interested in pursuing degrees in agricultural-related sciences have the potential to diversify colleges of agriculture while also increasing enrollment. In the current study, we used a qualitative case study approach to examine the effectiveness of the recruitment…

Only 3% of the young people with refugee backgrounds are enrolled in Higher Education. Barriers remain extremely high when it comes to access, participation and success: recognition of qualification, language barriers, financial, legal and administrative burden, lack of social interaction, access to decent living conditions and (mental) health…

As districts and schools struggle with persistent teacher shortages, many states have attempted to bolster the supply of teachers by loosening credentialing requirements or implementing fast-track programs that quickly bring new teachers into the classroom, often without student teaching or robust coursework about how to teach. Some states,…

Teacher residencies represent important opportunities to address teacher shortages while improving teacher preparation. Viewed as highly effective pathways by program graduates and their employers, residencies also provide robust financial and educational support, enabling them to attract diverse candidates who stay in teaching. California has…

Investing in community colleges is a central part of the Biden administration's education agenda, with the goal of strengthening America's middle class and opening the benefits of education to all Americans. CCRC has conducted 25 years of research on how community colleges can more effectively educate students and set them up to successfully…

The second annual implementation report for the Accelerating Opportunity (AO) initiative in four states finds that: (1) colleges aligned pathways and supports with local needs; (2) students were satisfied with AO; (3) AO instructors grew more adept at team teaching; (4) colleges struggled to recruit adult education students; (5) states and…

Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training (I-BEST) is an innovative program and strategy developed by the Washington (WA) State Board for Community and Technical Colleges (SBCTC) in conjunction with the state's 29 community colleges and five technical colleges. Its goal is to increase the rate at which adult basic education and…

The demand for workers (employers, self-employed people and employees) having research training extends beyond the researcher workforce itself and is increasing. The research workforce is not uniform but segmented according to disciplines and the economic and sectoral contexts in which researchers work. The growth of cross-disciplinary and…

The proceedings of a conference on the status of Higher Education Opportunity Programs are presented in this volume. The main concern throughout the conference was the loss of identity of the special programs that would come with their mainstreaming or institutionalization within the college. Counselors complained about the enormous paperwork and…

An analysis of the federal Stafford Student Loan Program summarizes its successes, limitations, and numerous problems and explains why reform has not yet occurred. A policy stalemate in Congress, lack of a well-developed reform alternative, and newly professionalized and mobilized interest groups are seen as making change unlikely. (Author/MSE)

This introductory article describes current research on student loans in developing countries and concludes that student loans in these countries are feasible, can promote wider cost sharing, and can help to generate additional resources for higher education but only if loan programs are well designed and efficiently managed. (Author/DB)

This report by the Department of Education examines the progress made by the Student Financial Assistance (SFA) program in reaching its objectives. The report notes that for objective 1, customer satisfaction, more than 4 million direct loan records have been processed and over 1 million updates applied since winter 1999; that 84 percent of school…

Essentially an application of installment purchase concepts to higher education, the Zero Cash Plan allows students without cash from family resources for room, board, and tuition to attend Cazenovia College (New York) by deferring parent contributions until after graduation. The program has evolved to meet changing student and institution needs.…

This guide to standards and measures for compliance with the Perkins Act was developed by and for 29 community colleges in Michigan in order to provide accountability for planning and program improvement. The Perkins Act requires recipients of Perkins funds to evaluate the effectiveness of programs based upon a statewide system of standards and…

A discussion of the Canada Student Loans program argues that it lacks vertical and horizontal equity and creates a work disincentive, program rules need updating to reflect inflation and tax rate changes, and the government is controlling the cost of program interest subsidy inefficiently. An alternative program design is proposed. (Author/MSE)