Background Materials

WICHE Stat Alert, CCRC finds benefits to completing an Associate degree before transferring, July 18, 2013

The Community College Research Center published a report earlier this month that suggests it is actually more beneficial for students initially enrolled in a community college to graduate with an associate’s degree before transferring to a four year institution. The author analyzed multiple data sources including transcript data from the North Carolina Community College System for students enrolled between 2001 and 2010 and data from the National Student Clearinghouse and IPEDS. Findings indicate students who complete an associate’s degree before transferring to a four year institution not only save money in tuition costs but will make just about as much as their peers who enroll directly in a four year institution. This report made apparent the detrimental path of students transferring to a four year institution from a two year institution without receiving a degree along the way. These students are more likely to drop out of the four year institution, leaving them with no degree at all.


How Gates Shapes State Higher-Education Policy - Special Reports - The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Gates Effect - Special Reports - The Chronicle of Higher Education
Outsourcing and new revenue are dominant themes at annual business officers‘ meeting | Inside Higher Ed
Competency-Based Transcripts

WICHE Stat Alert, OCED releases report on US CTE programs, July 11, 2013

Over the past 15 years, the numbers of high school graduates in the US obtaining certificates (associated with shorter career and technical programs) has nearly tripled from 300,000 in 1994 to one million in 2010. Earlier this week, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development released a report discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the United States’ system for providing career related postsecondary training. They found several strengths including: multiple and diverse programs that serve many types of learners, a wide range of policies that involve both state governments and non-government organizations, and strong research and data analysis that can aid policy makers. Yet, the OECD found several areas in which the US could improve their career-related postsecondary training system. Suggestions included: improving the basic skills of US high school graduates, making it easier for individuals to understand and pick between the multitude of programs that can lead them to an occupation, and being aware of the cost of programs and the financial risks that students take when investing in postsecondary education.


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Credit Creep
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Report: Community College Funding Stratifying Higher Ed
MOOCs Morphing Into a Path for College Preparation
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How to Build Foolproof Strategic and Operational Plans
Liberal Education Key to Business Success

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The Technology Outlook for Community, Technical, and Junior Colleges 2013-2018
On Teaching – Transitioning to a Sustainable, Integrated General Education Curriculum
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Changing Lives, Building a Better Workforce – Preparing Community College Students for Jobs and Careers
Why a College Degree May Not Be Worth It
Contradictory studies show college is, and isn't, worth it
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http://projectonstudentdebt.org/
Nearly Half of College Grads are Overqualified for Current Jobs
Fewer parents can pay college tuition
How America Pays for College 2013: A national study by Sallie Mae and Ipsos
21st Century Commission – On the Future of Community Colleges
AAC&U Valid Assessment of Learning in Undergraduate Education (VALUE)

WICHE Stat Alert, Georgetown CEW Annual Report on College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings, June 13, 2013

The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce has released the second annual edition of Hard Times: College Majors, Unemployment and Earnings. The report indicates that recent college graduates continue to have difficulty finding jobs in the sluggish economic recovery, but that their unemployment rates have dropped to 7.9 percent (2010), compared to the 8.9 percent (2009) unemployment rate in the first edition of Hard Times. The report includes data on unemployment rates and earnings for various college majors, and is also available in a Spanish version.

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In our opinion: College trends
Michigan lets community colleges issue four-year degrees, amid controversy | Inside Higher Ed