The California Community Colleges (CCC) system has adopted an equity-imperative approach to systemic reforms. As part of this effort, and to meet the state's workforce demands of the future, the system has focused on better serving the needs of adult learners, those between the ages of 25 and 64 with some college but no degree. The current impact…

Context: Competency-based education (CBE) has been in existence in the landscape of educating health professionals since the 1970s. Despite this, there is significant variability in how CBE is defined in publication, practice, and conversation. This variability has likely contributed to common misconceptions about what it means for an educational…

As conservatives consider ways to crash through the growing choke hold that college degrees have held in employers' hiring processes, one idea that has gained currency is allowing federal student aid to follow students to unaccredited providers of education. Conservatives have also shown interest in funding competency-based programs--in which…

The education reforms called for in 21st century education initiatives have been characterized as radical. International efforts to reformulate education for 21st century teaching and learning are well-funded initiatives by coalitions including governments, not-for-profit organizations, and large corporations. This article is a critique of the…

With the cost of college soaring and the national six-year completion rate below 60 percent, the federal government's support for higher education faces heightened scrutiny. What kind of regulation and accountability should Congress impose on Washington's hefty funding of Pell grants and subsidized loans? As legislators turn their attention to…

Russ Poulin is director of policy and analysis for Western Cooperative for Educational Telecommunications (WCET), the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) Cooperative for Educational Technologies. He has been an outspoken advocate of treating distance education fairly in state and federal regulations. In recent years, he has…