As of 2023, 43.6 million borrowers owe more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. However, there is another, often overlooked, institutional debt that students may owe their former institutions after stopping out. It is estimated that 6.6 million students owe $15 billion in unpaid balances to their institutions. This institutional debt stems…

Dual enrollment policies and programs, where students earn both high school and college credits, have been scaled up across the United States in the last two decades. In this mixed methods study, we survey high school principals in Ohio and Texas, two states with robust dual enrollment policies. The study addressed one broad research question:…

College Credit Plus (CCP) is a dual enrollment program allowing high school students to obtain both high school credit and college credit by participating in college courses at a local higher education institution. CCP courses can be taken at a college or university, at the student's high school, or online. This research seeks to find if CCP…

A growing number of postsecondary institutions and systems have begun offering or scaling stackable credential programs. These structured education and training pathways--in fields such as health care, information technology, and manufacturing and engineering technology--provide individuals with opportunities to earn certificates, postsecondary…

This brief describes work done by RAND Education and Labor and the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor and documented in "Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio. Research Report. RR-A2484-1" [ED627835]. The brief…

This study used a survey conducted from September 2021 - November 2021 to examine the perceptions of College Credit Plus (CCP) educator credentialing for college in high school programs known as dual enrollment. Over 400 responses were received representing educators from southwest Ohio. Respondents spanned roles in public schools of…

The guided pathways model, comprising 14 different practices, is a framework for comprehensive, whole-college reform undertaken by community colleges to help all students choose, enter, progress through, and complete a program of study that enables them to secure sustaining-wage employment or transfer with junior standing in a major. Since its…

Throughout the United States, dual enrollment programs enable high school students to earn college credit by completing college classes while in high school. In 2015, the State of Ohio expanded grade-level eligibility to participate in the state's dual enrollment program, College Credit Plus, to seventh- and eighth-grade students. The purpose of…

Although 80% of entering community college students express a desire to earn a bachelor's degree, only about 30% transfer to a four-year institution and even fewer complete a bachelor's degree within six years. The Loss/Momentum Framework (LMF) is a tool for identifying interactions between an institution and its students that can either propel…

Some education programs' early positive effects disappear over time. Other programs have unanticipated positive long-term effects. Foundations warn of the dangers of putting too much weight on in-program effects, which, they say, often fade after a program ends. This Issue Focus tackles the topic of post-program effects in postsecondary education.…

The state mandated College Credit Plus (CCP) program in Ohio has grown significantly for several years. Many general education core courses are being offered to high school students, on-premises or in a partnering university. In mathematics, students can complete pre-calculus courses while in high school. In forming the partnerships with high…

Background: Early Colleges (ECs) are a type of rapidly growing dual enrollment program proven to be successful in helping underrepresented students get a jumpstart on their postsecondary education. To date, the most rigorous evidence on the impact of ECs has come from two lottery-based natural experiments conducted by the SERVE Center (Edmunds et…

Situated in the northwestern corner of Ohio, Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is reengaging adult students with "some college, but no degree" (SCND), promoting equitable attainment, and improving students' workforce outcomes. BGSU is a residential four-year university with a vibrant campus culture, NCAA Athletics, and over 200…

The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) and MHEC were awarded a competitive grant from the American Institutes for Research in 2019 as part of its National Research Collaborative on Postsecondary Competency-based Education and Learning (cberesearch.org). The grant objective was to specifically identify state policies…

Aligned with the American Association of Community College's 21st Century Initiative for community college completion, coaching has emerged in higher education as a promising practice for student support. Although hundreds of community colleges have implemented coaching programs, few studies have explored the practice of coaching and its…