Quality high-school advising is essential to ensuring access to higher education. However, while efforts are being made in a number of areas to improve access to higher education, there has not yet been enough work done to assess the impact of DEI initiatives on post-secondary advising and, in turn, on college access for underserved students.…

The rising cost of college and demands for accountability have increased interest in providing students with information about the earnings of college graduates by school and major. However, no consensus exists over how to display that information in a way that is most beneficial for students. Some researchers advocate displaying median earnings…

States, programs, and schools have long focused on the inputs of teacher preparation--the rules for candidates and the preparation programs they attend--because inputs were thought to predict teacher effectiveness, and because they were often the best option available. But in the early 2000s, policymakers began trying to evaluate preparation…

An estimated 46 million adults have some college education but have not completed their degrees. For many, especially those who have accumulated several years' worth of credits, the inability to finish college remains a frustration. If the United States is to achieve its ambitious education attainment goals, many more adults with such experience…

This book brings together distinguished scholars, community college practitioners, and emerging leaders to expand upon existing theories, provide reflection on practice, and demonstrate the dynamic nature of community college internationalization. There is a special challenge for United States community colleges to move from selected international…

In 2004, the New Jersey Department of Education mandated that all leadership preparation programs in the state align with the Interstate School Leadership Licensure Consortia standards. In response, 17 preparation programs established a chapter of the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration. In this article, we describe how…

"Policy and Performance in American Higher Education" presents a new approach to understanding how public policy influences institutional performance, with practical insight for those charged with crafting and implementing higher education policy. Public institutions of higher learning are called upon by state governments to provide…

Autonomy is the right of self-determination and self-governance of higher education institutions by independent academic boards without state government control. In "Sweezy v. New Hampshire," the U.S. Supreme Court defined a college's four essential freedoms: to determine who may teach, what may be taught and how, and who may be admitted…

Until 1985, higher education was a growth industry, and new programs were a by-product of that growth. Now, new programs must be justified by extensive data analysis. This trend and others indicate governing boards are taking the new-program approval process seriously. (MLW)

Describes the current dissention between the New Jersey Department of Higher Education (DHE), and the faculty and administration of the state's colleges and universities. The DHE contends that university research should be carefully scrutinized. Rutgers University administrators argue that the DHE is intruding on academic decision making and does…

In many of the 40 states where assessment is required by state law or policy, faculty members and administrators have shaped assessment programs so that colleges have the flexibility to use several kinds of measurements, not just tests. Some of the political controversy brought about by assessment requirements are described. (MLW)

This 1999 New Jersey systemwide report updates several key data indicators (systemwide characteristics, student outcomes, fiscal indicators, and extent of student assistance) examined in earlier reports and adds new ones (number of transfer students, credits, and academic performance of transfer students). Previous enrollment trends continued…

The challenge in university governance is to provide sufficient autonomy to sustain academic vitality while ensuring that this energy is directed toward the broad public interest. Maine and New Jersey, two very different states, have been experimenting with structural changes, primarily decentralization, to balance autonomy with accountability.…

More public institutions are now required to assess student learning outcomes. A look at Virginia and New Jersey shows these requirements vary, but mandated assessment may not produce needed improvements. Inadequate assessment methodologies, faculty resistance, and a lack of clarity about the use of results make this movement uncertain.…

This report examines costs of higher education in New Jersey, comparing the state's system of higher education and its individual sectors with national counterparts. The comparison takes into account such factors as differences in the cost of living and the size and relevant structural characteristics of a state's higher education system. In…