As states reckon with racial enrollment and attainment gaps in higher education, some have made efforts to address them through their higher education funding. Two common approaches are outcomes-based funding (OBF) and Promise programs, as each can be designed with an explicit race equity lens. This report summarizes a two-year study examining the…

Many empirical studies have established that financial aid improves college attainment. Few have been able to test why. This study used administrative records of employment and earnings to get a more complete picture of students' finances during college and test one potential mechanism, that financial aid buys students time by allowing them to…

The College Bound Scholarship (CBS) program is a key state financial aid program that connects with low-income students in middle school, which is a critical stage in their education journey, to encourage and support them in continuing their education beyond high school. It combines financial aid with effective communication strategies to provide…

This 11th update of the Community College League of California's (CCLC) biennial Tenure and Retention Report includes late summer/early fall 2022 to July 31, 2024. This period witnessed perennial California CEO challenges: economic volatility, burdensome laws and regulations, dysfunctional boards of trustees, State legislative and policymaker…

"The State of Career Technical Education: Credentials of Value" report draws on a 2024 national scan of state practices, a 50-state survey, and interviews with state leaders to gather insights and strategies for improving the identification, validation, incentivization, and data collection related to credentials that support learners'…

Five years after the worst pandemic in a century, America's students continue to face significant learning losses resulting from the disruptions. In Michigan, students also continue to feel the impact of the pandemic. And today, their learning outcomes lag behind leading states in key subject areas. Michigan's lackluster performance has been the…

Senate lawmakers found the revenue to support a tax cut that will send $1.68 billion over the biennium to the highest paid 20% of Ohioans who make at least six-figures. Lawmakers made the bold step of closing tax loopholes to offset the cost of this tax cut, rather than spending it on schools, which could directly benefit every community in Ohio.…

The per-student data included in the State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) report provide useful information about revenues relative to the need to fund higher education and are important for examining the impact of funding differences on public institutions and students across states and over time. However, examining state support on a full-time…

In this follow-up to our 2021 report, we again focus on the world of charter schools run for profit, a world both hidden and misunderstood. We focus on how for-profit operators expanded their reach and enrollment during the Pandemic years so that one in every five charter school students attends a school controlled by a for-profit corporation. We…

College affordability is a significant factor in student access, retention, and completion. Tuition and fee rates are a component of affordability, as is the availability of financial aid programs from federal, state, institutional and private sources, among other factors. Strategically designed approaches to college affordability can better…

Summary: In spite of a large literature on the causal effects of financial aid, the impact of funding on college outcomes remains an area of ongoing research with important unanswered questions. Studying the impact of financial aid presents the ongoing challenge of how to identify causal effects, as aid receipt is rarely random and at least partly…

This study examines charter school funding equity in 18 cities using 2019-20 data, the most recent available. The study uses official school district and state budget documents to capture every dollar flowing to schools, including in-kind services. The study answers the following questions: (1) What is the difference in per-pupil revenue between…

Each year, school systems and lead agencies plan for how to improve student learning in the coming year. This process involves reviewing student achievement and progress data, establishing priorities, aligning budgets to these priorities, and implementing plans with support. Ensuring students receive the supports they deserve will require ongoing…

After being sued for inequity and inadequacy in school funding, many states in the US have reformed their education aid formulas but have still faced many criticisms. Using Connecticut as an example, this paper shows how to design a more equitable and adequate aid formula with tools to win broad support from communities and lawmakers. It develops…

This year marks the 20th year of National Access and Finance Survey (NAFS) studies of access and funding issues in public higher education. National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges (NCSDCC) members are surveyed because of their broad knowledge of access and finance issues across education sectors and state government as well. For…