Institute For Higher Education Policy

SEE PART III, LINE 1.

BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION ADVOCATING FOR TIMELY, ACCESSIBLE, AND COMPLETE POSTSECONDARY DATA FOR STUDENTS, POLICYMAKERS, AND POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONSTHE UNITED STATES' POSTSECONDARY SYSTEM IS DATA-RICH BUT INFORMATION-POOR. RECOGNIZING THE POWER OF HIGH-QUALITY DATA AND THE NEED FOR TIMELY, ACCESSIBLE, AND COMPLETE INFORMATION TO ENSURE EQUITABLE ACCESS AND SUCCESS IN HIGHER EDUCATION ALL WHILE RIGOROUSLY PROTECTING INDIVIDUAL PRIVACY IHEP LEADS A COALITION OF DIVERSE ORGANIZATIONS CALLED THE POSTSECONDARY DATA COLLABORATIVE. KNOWN SIMPLY AS "POSTSECDATA," THE COALITION CONVENES REGULARLY TO IDENTIFY ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT IN THE DATA THAT GUIDES STUDENTS AND FAMILIES IN MAKING COLLEGE CHOICES, INFORMS FEDERAL, STATE, AND INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES, AND SUPPORTS COLLEGE ADMINISTRATORS AND FACULTY. THROUGH IMPACTFUL RESEARCH, TARGETED ADVOCACY EFFORTS, AND ENGAGEMENT WITH POLICYMAKERS, INSTITUTIONS, AND OTHER KEY PARTNERS, POSTSECDATA IS IMPROVING FEDERAL DATA COLLECTIONS, STRENGTHENING STATE DATA SYSTEMS, AND BUILDING A FOUNDATION FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS OF STUDENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES TO MAKE FULLY INFORMED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR INVESTMENTS IN HIGHER EDUCATION.

PROMOTING CLEAR TRANSFER PATHWAYS FOR EVERY 100 STUDENTS WHO ENROLL IN COMMUNITY COLLEGES, 31 STUDENTS TRANSFER TO A FOUR-YEAR INSTITUTION. OF THOSE, ONLY 14 COMPLETE A BACHELOR'S DEGREE WITHIN SIX YEARS. TOO MANY STUDENTS ARE DERAILED FROM THEIR HIGHER EDUCATION GOALS BY UNEXPECTED, UNAFFORDABLE, AND UNTENABLEYET SOLVABLECHALLENGES ALONG THEIR TRANSFER JOURNEY. RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR CLEAR SUPPORTS AND EQUITABLE PATHWAYS TO COMPLETE A DEGREE ACROSS MULTIPLE INSTITUTIONS, IHEP LED TRANSFERBOOST, (BACHELOR'S OPPORTUNITY OPTIONS THAT ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD AND TRANSPARENT), AN INITIATIVE FUNDED BY ECMC FOUNDATION TO ENSURE TRANSFER POLICY AND PRACTICE MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S STUDENTS, TO ELEVATE TRANSFER COMMITMENTS, AND TO REACH STUDENTS WITH SIMPLE, CLEAR MESSAGING ABOUT AFFORDABLE TRANSFER PATHWAYS. BEGINNING IN 2021, TWENTY-FOUR POSTSECONDARY INSTITUTIONS IN ARIZONA, ILLINOIS AND VIRGINIA JOINED TRANSFERBOOST TO ADDRESS CHALLENGES WITH TRANSFER STUDENT RECRUITMENT AND PATHWAYS TO DEGREE COMPLETION. INSTITUTIONS WITHIN EACH STATE PARTNERED TO BETTER REACH STUDENTS WITH SIMPLE, CLEAR MESSAGING ABOUT AFFORDABLE TRANSFER PATHWAYS. THEY ANALYZED THE RETURN ON INVESTMENT OF IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY FOR TRANSFER STUDENTS, AND EXAMINED TRANSFER POLICIES AND PRACTICES TO ENSURE THEY MEET THE NEEDS OF TODAY'S STUDENTS, MOST OF WHOM WORK FULL- OR PART-TIME, AND MANY ALSO BALANCE THEIR STUDIES WITH CARING FOR CHILDREN OR OTHER LOVED ONES. THE FULL RECOMMENDATIONS ARE OUTLINED IN THREE BRIEFS THAT WERE PUBLISHED IN APRIL 2023

ACCELERATE STUDENT SUCCESS PLANNINGTO SUPPORT GRANTEE INSTITUTIONS IN THE "ACCELERATE STUDENT SUCCESS PLANNING GRANT" OPPORTUNITY, THE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY (IHEP) DEVELOPED A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE STRUCTURE TO ENSURE THAT INSTITUTIONS HAD ACCESS TO SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS AND RESEARCH AS THEY DEVELOPED ACTION PLANS TO CREATE OR ENHANCE PROGRAMS THAT ADVANCE STUDENT SUCCESS. FUNDED BY A CONTRACT FROM THE TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION COORDINATING BOARD THIS APPROACH SUPPORTED CAPACITY-BUILDING THROUGH A STATEWIDE COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE, CONNECTIONS TO COACHES WITH EXPERTISE IN THEIR TOPIC AREA, AND WORKSHOPS THAT BUILT A SOLID EVIDENCE-BASE FOR ACTION PLANS. AS A RESULT OF IHEP'S COACHING, REGULAR COMMUNICATION, AND PROJECT FACILITATION OF THIS PLANNING PHASE, 69 INSTITUTIONS SUBMITTED ACTION PLANS TO THE COORDINATING BOARD AFTER BEING REVIEWED BY COACHES. THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE COORDINATED BY IHEP IN THE PLANNING PHASE OF THE "ACCELERATING STUDENT SUCCESS" GRANT OPPORTUNITY CREATED A SOLID FOUNDATION FOR THESE GRANTEES TO DEVELOP OR EXPAND PROGRAMMING THAT WILL POSITIVELY IMPACT STUDENTS' LIVES.