In the December 2016 edition of "Knocking at the College Door," Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) projected that the U.S. is headed into a period of stagnation in the overall number of high school graduates it produces, and that high school graduates from private religious and nonsectarian schools would decline.…

2017 saw every legislature in the West in session--including the 15 Western states, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam--with legislators addressing a diverse array of higher education topics and dealing with an equally wide variety of budgetary outlooks. As in past years, Western states featured some of the largest…

For nearly 40 years, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has produced projections of high school graduates. The purpose of "Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates" is to equip decision-makers at all levels with information about how the numbers of high school graduates are likely to…

This report provides comprehensive data about the tuition and fee prices published by the public higher education institutions in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) region for 2017-18, including changes over the past one-, five- and 10-year periods. For the first time, this annual series also displays the one-, five-,…

This issue of "Policy Insights" reviews the results of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education's (WICHE) annual survey of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in the WICHE region and discusses related policy implications. Overall, tuition and fees in the WICHE region increased relatively little in 2015-16…

In 2016, there was an increasingly dramatic divergence between state economies in the West. Most states in the region benefited from an ongoing economic recovery, but states reliant on the energy sector for tax revenues were hit hard by the global decline in oil prices. This resulted in varying budget situations in legislatures across the…

Challenges to closing the gap between findings from academic research and effective policymaking are not new, and they will not be solved overnight. However, as the entire education sector faces mounting pressure to provide high-quality education under tightening fiscal constraints, all while demonstrating improving student outcomes, the time may…

This brief provides an overview of the implementation and impact of near peer mentoring programs in Alaska and Idaho from the standpoint of both existing research and the near peers themselves. While progress is being monitored as part of state College Access Challenge Grant (CACG) program implementation and activity, only limited data on the…

This issue of "Policy Insights" reviews the results from the annual survey, conducted by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), of tuition and fees at public colleges and universities in the WICHE region, and discusses related policy implications. The WICHE region includes 15 states--Alaska, Arizona, California,…

This brief describes major challenges ahead for states, institutions, and most importantly, students as the standards and assessments from the Common Core Standards (CCSS) are implemented. It also offers recommendations to create a network structure that would assist K-12 and higher education leaders in addressing those challenges. To begin the…

The Adult College Completion Network--funded by Lumina Foundation and facilitated by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)--brings together and supports entities working to increase college and certificate completion by adults with prior postsecondary credits but no degree. The network was founded in part on the premise…

The term "outcome evaluation" has become one of the most popular terms among human service providers and those whose job it is to evaluate the impact of human service programs. In the public sector alone, there are over a hundred instruments in use to evaluate the impact of state human service programs. Most states, many providers, and…

This report covers fall 2014 enrollments for WUE [Western Undergraduate Exchange], WRGP [Western Regional Graduate Program], and PSEP [Professional Student Exchange Program]. It details the funds that flow between students' home states and the enrolling PSEP institutions that receive them. This newly expanded format gives detailed enrollment for…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 16 member states and territories work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for their citizens. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions to social, economic, and…

The Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) and its 16 members work collaboratively to expand educational access and excellence for all citizens of the West. By promoting innovation, cooperation, resource sharing, and sound public policy among its members and their institutions, WICHE strengthens higher education's contributions…