Community colleges are vital to our country's future, enrolling 42% of the nation's undergraduates and awarding the majority of all associate degrees and undergraduate certificates. Yet, despite their key role, they are the only sector that is increasingly asked to do more with fewer resources. This article discusses the important role that…

Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

The United States is becoming less globally competitive as other nations move aggressively to educate their populations. To lead the world once again in educational attainment--President Obama's goal by 2020--more Americans will need to enter college. But the biggest challenge isn't college going; it is college completion. Around the country,…

A large survey of postsecondary students in California was used to test the sensitivity of alternate definitions of the independent student population on the number and proportion of independent students, to trace the cost implications of these alternate definitions, and to offer conclusions about the effects of these definitional changes. (MLW)

College enrollment trends include higher full-time enrollment at two-year colleges, lower part-time enrollment, increased black-college enrollments, increased Hispanic enrollment (but less than for other ethnic groups), higher minority enrollment at predominantly white colleges, continuing budget woes in California state institutions, and…