The Institute for Higher Education Policy

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.

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.

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

Reengaging returning adult students and awarding earned degrees across The united states, 39 million adults have completed some college, but stopped out before earning a degree. In many cases, students are left with debt but without The economic and non-economic benefits a credential should provide. To identify, reengage, and support these students, ihep's degrees when due (dwd) initiative engaged nearly 200 institutions both two- and four-years in 23 states. Over The course of three cohorts, ihep has built institutional capacity to award degrees to students who have earned them, reengage former students who have stopped out, and equip students with degrees that help them get ahead in today's workforce. This year's effort was funded by ascendium and kresge and ecmc foundations.

Evaluation-set aside research ihep has a history of advancing student-focused, data-informed, and equity-driven Policy solutions and mobilizing The field of Higher Education around them. Our work spurs innovative research, sparks transformational change, engages dedicated experts and impacted communities, and develops Policy solutions that further racial and socioeconomic equity. Beginning in 2022, ihep partnered with results for america (rfa) to develop recommendations for The u.s. department of Education (ed) for implementing The evaluation set-aside authority granted to The u.s. secretary of Education in The fy22 omnibus appropriations package that became law in march 2022. Ihep worked with rfa to: investigate prior evaluations and frameworks that focus on equitable research practices to better understand The field's needs regarding rigorous research and evaluations and inform our recommendations; convene leading experts in Higher Education Policy to build consensus around a set of equity-focused recommendations to inform ed's implementation of The set-aside authority; and distill insights gained through The first two phases into a set of five equity-focused recommendations for decision-makers at ed. Drawing on The recommendations, ihep organized a response to ed's related request for information that was co-signed by 37 other organizations. It offers three recommendations for how to best leverage this authority to improve postsecondary outcomes for all students, with a particular focus on students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Resources from ecmc foundation, coupled with support from ascendium, enabled ihep to fill a critical and time-sensitive field need to leverage a new federal funding stream for investing in building The evidence base on what works in Higher Education, for whom, and under what circumstances.

Action now initiative (ani) generous support from ani has helped ihep advocate for federal policies that would improve data quality and transparency about student outcomes, especially through passage of The college transparency act (cta). Momentum around The college transparency act has grown in recent years as more and more policymakers voice support for this commonsense solution. During The 116th congress, cta garnered bipartisan support from 36 senators and 234 representatives, and in The 117th congress, cta passed The house of representatives in an amendment to The america competes act of 2022. Cta was recently reintroduced in The 118th congress with continued bipartisan and bicameral sponsorship. This overwhelming support is matched outside of congress as well. Cta has been endorsed by nearly 170 organizations representing Higher Education associations, researchers, non-profits, civil rights groups, and The business community. Alongside this coalition building, we continue supporting other data and transparency efforts, including offering recommendations to enhance The college scorecard and The integrated postsecondary Education data system, improve net price calculators, and standardize financial aid award letters. Alongside our advocacy for The college transparency act (cta), ihep also partnered with organizations to better understand what research and input The u.s. department of Education (ed) and national center for Education statistics (nces) will need to develop a student level data network (sldn) which would be created if cta were enacted. In partnership with rti international, ihep engaged a diverse array of stakeholders and used these insights to inform how nces should design and structure governance, technology and data definitions for a federal sldn.

Racial wealth gap study within Higher Education, we often examine inequities by income, but rarely by wealth. Two families with identical incomes, but different levels of wealth enter Higher Education with very different opportunities and constraints. But wealth is not often incorporated into Policy mechanisms because it is difficult to measure, and The field of Higher Education has not reached consensus about an appropriate and practical way to capture this complex outcome. With funding and support from The joyce foundation, ihep is analyzing existing data to answer Policy research questions about The relationship between race, wealth, and postsecondary Education nationally and for The great lakes region. Those research-driven insights can support The development of state and federal Policy solutions for addressing inequities in our current Higher Education system. Additionally, ihep is also developing recommendations for data improvements that would allow for more nuanced measurements and analysis in The future.

Leading The equitable value movement postsecondary institutions have The power to deliver valuable opportunities to students, drive economic and social mobility, boost communities, build a stronger workforce, and benefit our country. Students who complete credentials are more likely to be employed, earn Higher wages, have greater access to retirement and healthcare plans, have better physical health, and engage in more civic-minded behaviors when compared with those who did not complete a credential. Unfortunately, these transformational credentials and their associated returns are not distributed equitably; institutions are not delivering The value they could and should to many populations, including black, hispanic and/or latinx, indigenous, underrepresented asian american, native Hawaiian, and pacific islander (aanhpi) students, students from low-income backgrounds, and women. As managing partner of The postsecondary value commission, a role for which ihep was selected in 2019 by The funder, The bill and melinda gates foundation, ihep oversaw The commission's research and convenings. In 2021, ihep released The commission's findings, including a value definition, measurement framework, action agenda, and foundational research. In addition, ihep developed an online, interactive tool (equitable value explorer) to put The power of The framework into The hands of media, researchers, and policymakers at every level. In 2022, ihep launched The value data collaborative to implement The framework in selected states across The country and released a case study featuring northern Arizona university's strategies for improving equitable value. Ongoing developments include The continued management of The value data collaborative, and collaboration with key partner organizations also working to catalyze The equitable value movement