Category: economic competitiveness & workforce development

  • What First-Generation Students Need for Career Development

    What First-Generation Students Need for Career Development

    Title: First-generation College Students’ Career Entry: College Perspectives

    Authors: Melinda Mechur Karp, Suzanne Lyons, Nancy Stalowski, and Mary Fugate

    Source: FirstGen Forward and Phase Two Advisory

    First-generation college students experience the transition from high school to college and enrollment in higher education in a unique way. While there is significant research on first-generation students’ postsecondary pursuits and how they cross the boundary from the K-12 system into colleges and universities, less attention has been dedicated to exploring first-generation students’ career development and movement into the workplace.

    A new brief by FirstGen Forward helps to close this knowledge gap, drawing on a national survey from 411 colleges and universities across 47 states and Washington, DC, and six focus groups with higher education professionals. Eighty-nine percent of those interviewed work directly with first-generation initiatives and programs, and 72 percent of respondents identify as first-generation graduates themselves.

    Additional highlights and insights include:

    First-generation college student career development is highly unique. First-generation students rely heavily on institutional resources and mentors to help them progress through unfamiliar environments, which include institutions. Focus group participants indicated that students often need additional mentorship and support in understanding how their experiences as first-generation students can be career assets and how they can be reframed in job applications.

    First-generation respondents frequently indicated they need exposure to individuals who share their identities who can help them explore their future career pathways. When asked what students need for future career support, 20 percent of survey respondents said opportunities to build social capital, including networking, mentoring, and internship opportunities.

    Institutional approaches to promoting first-generation career development differ. First-generation students indicated they rely on both general university career services and programs tailored to them. Thirty-six percent of respondents reported their postsecondary institution offers career services tailored to first-generation students, 43 percent stated their institution does not, and the rest were unsure. Of 201 written survey responses about specific knowledge first-generation students need, the most commonly mentioned skill was interview preparation. However, the survey responses indicate that only 66 percent of respondents’ institutions offer this.

    First-generation College Students’ Career Entry: College Perspectives is the first of six research and policy briefs that will make up a national landscape analysis. Additional briefs will be released over the coming months.

    To read the full report from FirstGen Forward, click here.

    —Austin Freeman

     

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  • Renewing the Social Contract for Higher Education

    Renewing the Social Contract for Higher Education

    Higher education is at a crossroads.

    Most Americans recognize that our nation’s colleges and universities contribute enormously to the nation’s economy and the welfare of its people. For over a century, the sector has been an essential driver of innovation, discovery, job creation and economic mobility.

    There is unambiguous evidence linking postsecondary education to increased lifetime earnings, better health outcomes and greater participation in civic life. Higher education is not only a valuable commodity, it is an American treasure.

    And yet, none of these arguments seem to gain purchase in the American imagination.

    There are myriad reasons for this, many of which came along well before the administration put research universities in the crosshairs. The cost of college has been out of reach for many families for decades. Student debt has soared to excessive levels. Legacy acceptances advantage wealth and bloodlines, making a mockery of “merit-based” admissions. Most problematic, only 60 percent of students who start a degree actually complete one.

    As a result, public confidence in the sector has dropped precipitously over the last decade.

    So, what might be done?

    If colleges and universities are to remain relevant in the 21st century, we need a renewed social contract between institutions of higher education and the American people, focused on student success. Put another way, student outcomes should be at the center of the way we understand an institution’s place in the landscape.

    To these ends, the Carnegie Foundation and the American Council on Education last week announced the new Student Access and Earnings Classification, a unique approach to describing the contributions of postsecondary institutions nationwide.

    Specifically, we will compare similar institutions across the nation, identifying whether they provide access to students in communities they serve, and whether those students go on to successful, wealth-generating careers in the regions in which they live and work. Importantly, the Student Access and Earnings Classification tracks both students who complete their degrees and those who do not, so institutions are accountable for all students, not just those who graduate.

    We have identified 479 Opportunity Colleges and Universities nationwide, places that are engines of the American Dream. They come in all sizes and types, and they can be found in all four corners of the nation. They include institutions long recognized for their contributions to economic mobility—places like Arizona State University, Spelman College, Texas A&M and Xavier University. They also include institutions that receive little fanfare—places like Ball State in Indiana, Texas Southmost College, Utah Valley University, Wheeling University in West Virginia and Blackfeet Community College in Montana.

    Looking forward, the Carnegie Classifications for Institutions of Higher Education—the nation’s gold standard for organizing the postsecondary sector—will determine institutional excellence not simply based on prestige, student selectivity or degrees awarded, but based on how well schools set their students up for success in the real world.

    Whether you are a parent, student, policymaker or institution leader, Opportunity Colleges and Universities warrant recognition, understanding and investment. For if we establish more places like them in the years ahead, and ensure that the postsecondary sector is accountable for student success, we will create more opportunities for everyone. And that, we think, is something most Americans will rally behind.

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  • Dual Enrollment’s Long-Term Effects on Student Earnings

    Dual Enrollment’s Long-Term Effects on Student Earnings

    Title: Do Dual Enrollment Students Realize Better Long-Run Earnings? Variations in Financial Outcomes Among Key Student Groups

    Authors: Navi Dhaliwal, Sayeeda Jamilah, McKenna Griffin, Dillon Lu, David Mahan, Trey Miller, and Holly Kosiewicz

    Source: The Research Institute at Dallas College and University of Texas at Dallas

    Dual enrollment partnerships between school districts and colleges and universities provide an opportunity for high school students to enroll in college courses, often saving them time and money. However, the long-term impacts of dual enrollment have not been studied in depth, and the existing body of research offers mixed results. A recent working paper reveals many dual enrollment students experience long-term economic benefits, although outcomes vary based on race and socioeconomic status.

    In the study, students from the 2011 graduating class across 22 Texas school districts were tracked and examined, contrasting the outcomes of students that participated in dual enrollment against those that did not. Ultimately, by the sixth year after graduation, dual credit students were earning more than their peers. Students earned 4 to 9 percent more annually between year six and year 12.

    Additional highlights from the working paper include:

    • Many dual enrollment participants benefited from higher earnings than non-participants in years six through twelve after high school graduation, but not all student subgroups saw significant benefits.
    • African American, Hispanic, and limited English proficient students experienced smaller increases in long-term earnings outcomes.
    • Economically disadvantaged and African American students that enrolled in dual credit programs also reported higher levels of student loan debt compared to non-participants. For example, there was an $831 to $855 increase in student debt from year three to four for economically disadvantaged dual credit students, and a $1,231 to $1055 increase in student debt from years one to four for African American dual credit participants.

    To read the full report, click here.

    —Austin Freeman

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  • Strengthening America’s Regional Public Universities

    Strengthening America’s Regional Public Universities

    Title: Regional Public Universities: Expanding Higher Education’s ROI for Student and Communities

    Authors: Cecilia M. Orphan and Mac Wetherbee

    Source: Third Way

    A new Third Way report urges tailored federal and state support for regional public universities (RPUs)—rural and urban alike—that educate the majority of four-year public college students and drive local workforce development.

    RPUs are “regionally-focused colleges and universities that education 70 percent of all students (nearly seven million annually) attending four-year public institutions in the United States each year,” according to the report. They offer accessible education to individuals throughout their adulthood while also training students to enter economically important jobs in a particular region.

    While there are different types of RPUs (e.g., regionally-focused HBCUs, master’s degree-granting RPUs, urban-serving MSIs, and Puerto Rican Hispanic-serving RPUs), about 49 percent of RPUs are considered rural-serving.

    Yet RPUs face low funding under broad policies and programs that also fund non-RPUs. As such, report authors Orphan and Wetherbee suggest the following policy recommendations:

    Develop a federal Region-Serving Institution designation. Creating an RPU designation that is akin to what already exists for MSIs could create a new wealth of opportunities for the institutions. Subsequent funding and opportunities could potentially serve students in more effective ways.

    Build funding partnerships between state and federal government. States can reassess their funding and find ways to invest in RPUs, and the federal government should encourage states to invest more in these institutions. Doing so can foster better statewide economic outcomes, as well as improved success metrics for students.

    Revise federal programs with RPUs in mind. Institutions are often required to provide matching funds to access certain Department of Agriculture and Department of Labor grants, an obstacle for many RPUs. The government should consider waiving these requirements for RPUs, as well as encouraging federal agencies to offer more programming supporting applied research at RPUs.

    Differentiate policies based on type of institution. Given the diversity of RPUs, multiple types can exist in the same district. Thus, policymakers should consider adapting policies to target the different types of RPUs and their needs.

    To see the full report, click here.

    —Kara Seidel

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  • State Dashboards Help Students See Higher Education’s Long-Term Value

    State Dashboards Help Students See Higher Education’s Long-Term Value

    Title: Bridging Education and Opportunity: Exploring the ROI of Higher Education and Workforce Development

    Author: Paula Nazario

    Source: HCM Strategists

    New insights from HCM Strategists highlight how continued state investments in higher education are creating pathways to economic mobility, with the majority of degree programs delivering increased earnings and a solid return on investment (ROI). However, despite the continued success and quality of many degree programs, both students and the public have increased concerns about whether postsecondary credentials are worth the time and money.

    If consumers do not understand the ROI of their credentials, this can contribute to decreased enrollment, funding, and research, which would in turn produce broader economic and social consequences. While the data are clear that a majority of postsecondary programs do pay off, there are many degrees that fail to provide a measurable ROI. HCM Strategists’ recent analysis of College Scorecard data shows that the average student at over 1,000 institutions earns less 10 years after they first enrolled than the typical high school graduate. While nearly two-thirds of these institutions are certificate-focused, for-profit institutions, there are still many private nonprofit and public colleges that do not provide strong economic outcomes.

    To help students and the public understand the differences between institutions and degree programs that provide positive and negative value, the author of the brief urges states and policymakers to provide clear data on post-graduation outcomes. Some states have already advanced initiatives to help consumers see in real time the differences in earnings for those that enroll in higher education.

    The author highlights several states initiatives that help students see the value of their credentials including California Community Colleges’ Salary Surfer tool, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s student outcomes dashboards and reports, and the Virginia Office of Education Economics’ College and Career Outcomes Explorer. Ohio and Colorado are also highlighted for their investments in employer partnerships to expand graduates’ opportunities for well-paying and workforce relevant jobs.

    To read more on these new insights from HCM Strategists, click here.

    —Austin Freeman

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