In 2013, the Washington Student Achievement Council proposed a statewide goal for educational attainment that called for 70 percent of the state's 25-44 year olds (i.e., early and mid-career residents) to have a postsecondary credential. The goal was adopted by the state legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee. In 2019, the…

In 2019, the Washington Student Achievement Council adopted a Strategic Framework to better understand how state higher education policy contributes to campus and student success. The framework organizes the policy work into four areas deemed essential to achieve the 70 percent goal: (1) Affordability; (2) Enrollment; (3) Completion; and (4)…

This study synthesizes lessons learned about the promising role of "career navigators" at community colleges to aid students in the transitions through disjunctures in their careers. Career navigators are student support personnel who follow students from recruitment, through their studies or training programs, to job placement. Findings…

In 2005, the Washington State Legislature significantly changed the role of the State Board of Education (SBE). While the Board retains some administrative duties, SBE is now mandated to play a broad leadership role in strategic oversight and policy for K-12 education in the state. This paper presents the strategic plan of Washington State Board…

Most of the recent expansion in public higher education can be attributed to demands for increasing the variety and number of educational programs, demands stemming from rapid population growth, and a clamor for innovation and alternatives in education. In meeting these demands, particularly in an environment of economic growth and an atmosphere…

The 2004 Strategic Master Plan for Higher Education identified clear and measurable goals that focused on outcomes rather than inputs alone. To reinforce this outcomes-based approach, the plan proposed that the state develop a new funding method to reward public colleges and universities for student success. Specifically, it proposed that the…

This report includes analysis of student enrollment behavior, employment outlook and training needs, and community needs to understand the supply and demand for postsecondary education in Washington State. The assessment will specifically respond to criteria laid out in state legislation: (1) Projections of student, employer, and community demand…

BASED ON WASHINTON STATE ENROLLMENT REPORT INFORMATION FOR THE YEARS 1963, 1964, AND 1965 AND FROM THE OPENING OF TACOMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE IN 1965, IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT A NEW COLLEGE WILL CREATE ADDITIONAL ENROLLMENT IN ITS IMMEDIATE AREA AND WILL HAVE NO MEASURABLE EFFECT ON THE ENROLLMENT OF OLDER INSTITUTIONS. IN THE CASE OF TACOMA,…

This report proposes a Washington state long-term higher education goal of achieving upper division and graduate enrollment equal to the 70th percentile of national participation rates by the year 2010 (from a current 16th percentile in upper division enrollment and 24th percentile in graduate enrollment). The study details how enrollment…

In January, 1991, the Higher Education Coordinating Board established a Policy on Minority Participation and Diversity for the public postsecondary education system in the State of Washington. Included in this policy were short- and long-term goals for increasing participation and success by people of color and cultural diversity. Five areas are…

This report presents a 25-year plan to raise academic achievement levels and to create a seamless system of lifelong learning in postsecondary schools in the state of Washington. A focus is placed on access in terms of learning, individual enrichment and economic advancement for the people of Washington State. Factors such as increased enrollment,…

This policy statement is established to achieve equitable levels of participation for people of color and to create higher education environments in which diversity is valued and promoted within the state of Washington. It presents recommended activities directed at four-year institutions to increase their minority participation, as well as…

This report concerns the status of postsecondary education within the state of Washington, the major challenges that exist, and proposals for meeting the needs of its current and future students. Planning priorities are discussed as well as a series of recommendations that address those priorities. The report notes that the 1991 recession has…

This year 2000 master plan submitted by the Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board proposes a realignment of higher education priorities that would place the interests of learners at the center of higher education decision making. The opening sections of the report reaffirm the state's commitment to expanding higher education…

While most community and technical colleges individually offer courses by distance learning, they are increasingly challenged to provide the full range of instructional and student support services needed for expanding distance education programs. To address this issue, Washington and Oregon community and technical colleges formed distance…