This report seeks to answer four questions about data used every day in comparing higher education in the United States with that in other countries, particularly the 30 advanced post-industrial democracies, including the United States, that are members of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). These questions are: (1)…

The Obama Administration has helped articulate the important role community colleges play in educating the nation's workforce and boosting the economy. With a large share of projected job openings requiring college education of less than a bachelor's degree and offering family-supporting wages, the nation's community colleges can make a huge…

The Obama Administration has once again demonstrated the important role community colleges play in educating the nation's workforce and boosting the nation's economy with its recently proposed Community College to Career Fund. This $8 billion fund is aimed at forging partnerships between colleges and businesses to train workers for good-paying…

American Indian students face numerous barriers to higher education. Yet enrollment of native students continues to increase, in large part due to the success of Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs) in creating a culturally relevant and supportive atmosphere in which students learn and grow. Organizations such as the American Indian College…

After decades of focusing on expansion and access, California's institutions of higher education are now being handed a more difficult charge: to dramatically increase the number of college graduates with diminishing state funding. There is a growing consensus that the United States needs to ratchet up its production of college graduates to turn…

The California Community Colleges (CCC) are committed to increasing the rate at which entering students persist to completion of a certificate or degree or transfer to a university. Recent research suggests that efforts to increase student success in community colleges need to focus on helping new students choose and enter a program of study. Too…

The Career Technical Education (CTE) mission of California's community colleges is not well understood by policymakers in comparison to the transfer mission of the colleges. This exploratory study, to be followed by a more comprehensive research agenda, is motivated by the belief that CTE is a vital piece of the college completion agenda but is…

California lawmakers have found it increasingly difficult to protect the state's investment in its colleges and universities over the last decade despite the growing evidence that the state needs far more of its citizens to earn postsecondary credentials. Additionally, California higher education continues to operate without effective coordination…

For the graduating class of 2006, the average ACT score for all test takers in West Virginia was 20.6. While the rate is below the national average, scores have increased significantly for the second consecutive year. Research demonstrates that the best predictor of college success is a rigorous high school curriculum, and it is anticipated that…

The tables in this report present certificates and degrees conferred during the 2005-06 academic year by the public and independent institutions of higher education in West Virginia, as well as trends in selected areas. Contents include: (1) Certificates and Degrees Awarded by Level, 2005-06, Public and Independent Institutions; (2) Certificates…

The New Jersey Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) requested that the Institute for Higher Education Policy evaluate the outcomes of the state's Outstanding Scholar Recruitment Program (OSRP). In particular, HESAA asked that the Institute determine the program's effectiveness in increasing the enrollment and retention of…

This annual report includes the following information presented in tabular form: (1) Location of West Virginia Public Institutions of Higher Education; (2) Location of West Virginia Independent Institutions of Higher Education; (3) Freshmen Headcount Enrollment, by Attendance Status, Early Fall 2005; (4) Headcount Enrollment by Residence,…

In this document, the West Virgina Higher Education Policy Commission provides a statistical evaluation of enrollment rates, academic achievement, scholarships and loans, training, and recruitment of students at major health sciences and rural health schools in West Virginia. Some of the highlights from this 2005 Report Card include: (1) Almost…

In recent years, West Virginia high school students have improved their performance on the ACT exam and have been steadily approaching the national average on ACT composite scores. In 2001, the gap between West Virginia test-takers and the national average was eight-tenths of a point. As of 2005, the gap was at six-tenths of a point.…

The West Virginia Higher Education Facilities Information System was formed as a method for instituting statewide standardization of space use and classification; to serve as a vehicle for statewide data acquisition; and to provide statistical data that contributes to detailed institutional planning analysis. The result thus far is the production…