Resource Library

Today’s learners accumulate college credits from more sources and in more forms than ever before. However, the challenge is that postsecondary institutions lack mechanisms to integrate credit for those experiences, disproportionately affecting learners from low-income backgrounds. The formal recognition of such varied ways to learn can bring learners closer to their postsecondary education goals. Ithaka S+R’s holistic credit mobility framework supports solutions that mitigate credit loss by focusing on learning outcomes rather than where the learning occurred.

The Urban Institute uses data from the College Scorecard to take a closer look at short-term Career and Technical Education programs overall and in the six fields of study with the most students. The resulting report examines return on education investment for learners, especially learners from low-income backgrounds. It explores debt, earnings two years after graduation, overall debt burden and how each outcome is shaped by program, institution and labor market characteristics.

The final report in the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s series shows overall declines in both transfer enrollment and continuing enrollment post-transfer during the COVID-19 health crisis. Transfer students over 20 years old were among those whose enrollments declined most. In addition, community college enrollments dropped sharply, aligning with a drop in transfers from two- to four-year institutions, otherwise known as upward transfer.

In their first report, the University of Washington describes key components of a successful STEM transfer program that centers student success through an interconnected system, rather than several siloed systems. Using data from the first six months of their STEM Transfer Partnerships program, they are hopeful this resource will begin a dialogue on how practitioners and researchers think about STEM and student transfer.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has released its eighth report in a series which analyzes undergraduate transfer enrollment and pathways throughout the COVID-19 health crisis. This report examines data from the spring 2022 term, with numbers indicating transfer enrollment dropped another 6.9% over last year.

An evaluation of the Military Credentialing Advancement Initiative (MCAI), this scaling guide by DVP-PRAXIS outlines three cases for approaching military-to-civilian learning for postsecondary systems, institutions and training organizations. By supporting new pathways between military competencies and high-quality civilian credentials, we hope to encourage broader recognition of individuals with military training and experience upon entering the workforce.

This report from the Institute of Higher Education Policy shares key findings from Degrees When Due, a three-year, nationwide completion initiative to re-engage learners and build institutional capacity. Structural barriers to re-enrollment, persistence and completion are identified and recommendations are offered for policymakers at the institutional, state and federal level.

This framework provides an example of how Next Generation Sector Partnerships work to address the workforce and needs of a targeted industry within the region. Using the framework, positive impacts may be achieved across a number of areas, including students, jobseekers, business partners and the regional economy.

This field guide captures insights and lessons learned from a cohort of eight rural regions participating in Next Gen Sector Partnerships. This cohort worked together to understand factors behind successful partnerships in rural communities, producing practical tools and strategies for building those partnerships.

In 2021, we saw the impact partnership and collaboration can make in helping transform the lives of learners from low-income backgrounds. Our report tells the story of our philanthropy during 2021 and what can be achieved when organizations work together.

The Coleridge Initiative engages postsecondary, workforce and state agencies by providing applied data analytics training so that staff can better understand their own data. In this final brief, broader lessons from Coleridge partners for data sharing and evidence-based policy are shared.

Tennessee is one of the Coleridge Initiative’s most recent state partners, completing applied data training and serving as a model for other agencies that are interested in empowering staff with the ability to leverage data securely and effectively. This is the second of three briefs that documents a state’s experiences in the initiative.