The news is full of growing doubt about the ability of the higher education systems to provide people with paths to a good life. Crushing loan debt, low completion rates, and an uncertain return on investment are among the concerns. Low-income young people, who have the most to gain in earnings from a college degree, fare the worst. Since 2002, an…

Jobs for the Future (JFF) set out a little over a year ago to create such models for bridging the secondary-postsecondary divide, developing strategies for high schools and colleges to build paths from the 12th grade through critical milestones of success in the first year of college. These partnerships of school districts and community colleges…

As demand for a highly educated and skilled workforce grows, many governors have made student college and career readiness a priority in 2012. In their State of the State addresses, governors in Mississippi, Missouri, Virginia, and Wisconsin promoted the expansion of dual enrollment programs as a key strategy for strengthening academic…

Across the country, increasing numbers and more varied students are taking part in accelerated learning options that provide college-level credit during high school. These options increase the likelihood that students currently underrepresented in higher education will enroll in postsecondary education. Community colleges lead the way in making…