A substantial body of research shows that when families can use state-sanctioned funds to pay for private school and other academic experiences, everyone wins. Students graduate high school and attain college degrees at higher rates, schools improve academic achievement and become more diverse, parents are satisfied, and taxpayers save money. A…

Indiana's economy needs a skilled talent pipeline, which requires students to pursue and complete degrees or credentials that are affordable, high-quality and relevant to students' future careers and the state's economy. It starts with ensuring students have what they need to get their foot in the door. But right now, fewer students are choosing a…

Since 1990, Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program has been leading the way as a model for early college promise programs across the country. It is Indiana's promise to students that no matter life's circumstances or obstacles, college is an option for them. In this report, students are broken out into three groups by income level: scholars,…

The purpose of this quantitative research study was to focus on student enrollment in courses taught in the areas of construction, manufacturing, and transportation in Indiana high schools, regional vocational centers, and community colleges. High school data were taken from the 2008-2009 to the 2017-2018 school year and every year between.…

The purpose of this study was to explore the rural schooling experience of ten high school students attending a small high school located in a rural county in Indiana regarding college and postsecondary aspirations. Specifically, do they have a positive, negative, or neutral view of college? Who or what is influencing their perceptions, values,…

Betsy DeVos, the new U.S. secretary of education, is a strong proponent of allowing public education dollars to go to private schools through vouchers, which enable parents to use public school money to enroll their children in private schools, including religious ones. Vouchers are advanced under the rubric of "school choice"--the…

The Indiana Commission for Higher Education has for years acknowledged and addressed the equity and achievement gaps that exist in the state's education pipeline. In 2013, the Commission passed a resolution to close Indiana's educational achievement gaps by 2025. In 2021, gaps are closing, but not quickly enough. Data must be the driving force…

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) developed the Adult Learner Leaders for Institutional Effectiveness (ALLIES) Framework to help guide institutional policies and practices in their work to support adult learners. This document begins by describing the Framework's series of planning and operational domains through which…

In Indiana and Minnesota the state education agency, state higher education agency, and the state workforce agency have collaborated to develop career and technical education courses intended to improve high school students' college and career readiness. These agencies partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest to examine whether…

In Indiana and Minnesota the state education agency, state higher education agency, and the state workforce agency have collaborated to develop career and technical education courses intended to improve high school students' college and career readiness. These agencies partnered with the Regional Educational Laboratory Midwest to examine whether…

In Indiana and Minnesota, career and technical education programs are intended to provide pathways to both postsecondary education and careers after high school. Each state's education agency, higher education agency, and workforce agency collaborated to develop career and technical education courses. These agencies partnered with the Regional…

These are the appendixes for the report "Indiana and Minnesota Students Who Focused on Career and Technical Education in High School: Who Are They, and What Are Their College and Employment Outcomes? REL 2021-090." This study examined the college and employment outcomes of Indiana and Minnesota students who focused on career and…

In 2013, the Indiana Commission for Higher Education passed a resolution to cut the achievement gap in half by 2018 and close the achievement gap by 2025. The College Equity report provides a snapshot of Indiana's college achievement gap progress -- measured by the college-going rate, early success in college and college completion -- for…

Dual credit courses offer high school students the opportunity to earn both high school and college credits in the same course. Indiana law requires each Indiana high school to offer a minimum of two dual credit courses (as well as two Advanced Placement (AP) courses) to expand opportunities for students to gain college-level experience while…

Many states are passing "free" college plans, and policymakers at both the state and federal level continue to debate the merits of national "free college" or "debt-free college" proposals, also known as Promise programs. Both federal and state "free" college proposals are geared toward a policy objective of…