The current downturn has the potential to be more severe and longer lasting than the recessions of the 1970s, '80s, '90s, and early 2000s. By now, rivers of ink have been spilled documenting the financial and economic crisis afflicting the United States and much of the globe. While numerous articles have examined the impact on higher-education…

As part of a multiyear initiative to explore the dimensions of the "college cost crisis," Lumina Foundation, in collaboration with the James B. Hunt, Jr. Institute for Educational Leadership and Policy, called together more than 350 participants for a national summit in Washington, DC, on November 2, 2005. The summit brought together…

Since the early 1990s, state governments have distributed billions of dollars in financial aid through merit-based college scholarships, most of which have no means tests. The model for most of these programs is Georgia's Helping Outstanding Pupils Educationally (HOPE) scholarship. Given the high correlation between precollege academic achievement…

"Open Doors" is a comprehensive information resource on the 690,923 international students in the United States in 2009/10 and on the 260,327 U.S. students who studied abroad for academic credit in 2008/09. The Institute of International Education (IIE), one of the largest and most experienced higher education exchange agencies in the…

"The Achiever" is a bi-monthly publication for parents and community leaders. Each issue contains news and information about school improvement in the United States. Highlights of this issue include: (1) President Urges Congress to Reauthorize Law; (2) Standing on Solid Ground: New Orleans School Reopens to High Demand; (3) Secretary's…

Considering accountability, affordability, and access through the experiences in Chile, East Asia, Australia, Croatia, and the United States offers a clear reminder that trends and issues in higher education are often more similar across national contexts than they are distinct. Across higher education, institutions and systems are responding to…

If higher education is a right, and distance education is the avenue for making higher education universally available, then who shall pay? This article asks (1) can state governments in the United States afford to fund this initiative and (2) can public higher education institutions in the U.S. fund this effort through capitalizing on…

The "International Student Guide to U.S. Community Colleges" is the only publication of its kind that targets prospective international students. Published annually, the Guide is designed to inform, advise, assist, and influence postsecondary students in other countries who plan to pursue education options in the United States. The Guide…

The United States Department of Education's "Annual Performance Report" (APR) for fiscal year (FY) 2009 provides detailed information on how the outcomes of the strategic performance measures identified in its "FY 2007-2012 Strategic Plan" and updated in the "Fiscal Year 2008 Performance and Accountability Report"…

Women's studies programs, multicultural centers, and organizations to support gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students are campus fixtures. Few now question diversity's contribution to the education of all students. Jennifer Duffy suggests that it's time to acknowledge, support, and celebrate one more form of diversity that is mostly…

State public policy has been an important tool for improving the educational preparation and opportunity for many communities. However, without concerted statewide efforts it will continue to be difficult to substantially expand opportunities to accelerate higher education attainment and workforce preparation. Over the next 15 years, the states…

Open Doors is the only long-standing, comprehensive information resource on international students and scholars in the United States and American students studying abroad for academic credit. Open Doors features graphic displays, data tables and policy-oriented analysis and is the essential resource for those concerned with U.S. international…

As part of a larger effort to fund public universities, variable fees at the graduate and undergraduate levels are a topic of discussion in the United States and increasingly throughout the European Union. This essay describes the relatively new shift to have students pay for a significant portion of their university education, emerging fee…

When the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education (subsequently referred to as the commission) convened in fall 2008, the educational landscape was facing a number of issues that the commission's members recognized as formidable challenges to those students who aspire to enroll and succeed in college. Summarizing the…

Russia has been in a constant state of reforms since 1985. The purpose of the reforms was supposed to be that of improving the production and non-production spheres of society. In actuality, things are a bit different. The losses in the economy in the years of the reforms have turned out to be greater than during the Great Patriotic War. At that…