Resources

No one’s trajectory in life should come down to a coin flip; but for black, brown, and low-income students at approximately 7,000 high schools across the United States, chances of successfully enrolling in higher education—and opening the doors to economic...

The economic upheaval caused by the COVID-19 pandemic has left millions of Americans out of work and entire industries disrupted. Low-skilled individuals and those without any postsecondary credentials are particularly vulnerable to economic shifts and limited in their options for...

Earning a postsecondary credential—a certificate with labor market value or an associate or bachelor’s degree—opens doors to employment with family-sustaining wages. Every individual in this country should be able to access postsecondary education and be supported along the way to...

College in high school programs such as dual enrollment, concurrent enrollment, and early college high schools are popular and effective tools to improve college access and success. In 2019 alone, 18 governors discussed earning college credit prior to high school...

Community colleges play a critical role in our education ecosystem by providing open-access education to a substantial majority of the country’s high school graduates that are first-generation, low-income and/or racial and ethnic minorities. Promising models from across the country show...

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presented a vital collaborative opportunity for K–12 and higher education leaders to make college and career readiness a priority and build seamless postsecondary transitions. After reviewing ESSA plans from all 50 states and the...

  Free college. It’s now a reality for high school graduates in New York and Rhode Island, which recently joined Tennessee, Oregon, Minnesota and more than 200 communities in instituting “college promise” programs to help any high school graduate who qualifies pay...

Student supports offered in high school provide opportunities to speed up by earning college credit through dual enrollment and catch up to fill learning gaps to ensure that students are prepared for credit-bearing coursework when they arrive on campus. This policy brief presents a...

With the national spotlight on community colleges, we have a unique opportunity to seize the moment and collaborate with K–12 to increase student success. Efforts to increase community college access and open doors to more students must include a complementary...

With its focus on supporting state efforts to prepare all students for college and career, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presents K–12 and postsecondary systems the opportunity to invest in meaningful partnerships that provide targeted supports and acceleration opportunities...

The new Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) provides a tremendous opportunity for states to deepen and catalyze the partnerships between their K–12 and higher education systems. This new legislation explicitly focuses on improving the college and career readiness of all...

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) presents a critical opportunity for state leaders to establish aligned K–12 and higher education goals to increase the number of youth who successfully attain a postsecondary credential of value. Getting more students prepared for...