The Progress of Education Reform: Producing Quality Credentials PDF - This issue of The Progress of Education Reform presents emerging research on the value of credentials and highlights ways that states can leverage data and accompanying strategies to strengthen the fit between the production of postsecondary credentials and workforce demand. (Matthew Smith, ECS, October 2012)...

From the ECS State Policy Database: Postsecondary Success--Completion - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

From the ECS State Policy Database: Postsecondary Success--Completion--Completion Rates (Statistics) - This policy database—updated weekly—is made possible by your state's fiscal support of the Education Commission of the States....

Completing College: A National View of Student Attainment Rates - This report measures college success outcomes by rates of first completion. This measure encompass postsecondary credentials of all levels and types at any institution in any state, whether it is the first, second, third, or more, college attended. This report draws near-census national coverage of enrollments and awarded degrees to explore the six-year outcomes of a cohort of first-time-in-college degree-seeking students. (National Student Clearinghouse Research Center and Project on Academic Success, Indiana University, November 2012)...

Fact Book Bulletin: Minority Enrollment Gains Show Region’s Progress Toward College Completion Goals - This report provides data that show that increases in minority student enrollment accounted for almost two-thirds of the total growth in college enrollment in the SREB region from 2005 to 2010. About 700,000 more minority students and 412,000 white students enrolled over the period, the report notes. This is encouraging progress toward meeting the nation’s and SREB states’ college completion goals for all groups of students, which many experts believe is needed to meet work force demands and increase international competitiveness. (SREB, June 2012)...

Latino College Completion in 50 States - This site details the current status of Latino college attainment in all 50 states and the country. (Excelencia in Education, 2012)...

Making it Happen: Increasing College Access and Participation in California Higher Education--The Role of Private Postsecondary Providers - By 2025, California will face an estimated shortfall of one million workers with skills learned in college. The state's fiscal resources have evaporated and the postsecondary and community college systems are over capacity. This report looks at how private postsecondary providers can help the state address the problem. The authors of this report suggest eight changes which, in combination, will greatly improve the situation. (National University System Institute for Policy Research, March 2011)...

A Longitudinal Study of the Illinois High School Class of 2002: A Six-Year Analysis of Postsecondary Enrollment and Completion - The authors provide a focused analysis of initial college enrollment and the attainment of intended outcomes for those enrolling at two-year and four-year institutions. They explore the participation and completion outcomes by several student characteristics in addition to select characteristics of the students' respective high schools, as well as the postsecondary institutions in which they enrolled. Overall, 79% of the students had enrolled in postsecondary education for at least one semester before the end of the spring semester of 2008. They found that nearly all (97%) of the students who initially enroll at a two-year institution are doing so at an Illinois community college. (Illinois Education Research Council, November 2010)...

Divided We Fail: Improving Completion and Closing Racial Gaps in California's Community Colleges - Educational attainment in California has been declining with each younger generation - a statistic that bodes poorly for the state's economic competitiveness. It is essential to increase educational attainment among the Latino population. (Colleen Moore and Nancy Shulock, Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy, October 2010)...

Open-Access Colleges Responsible for Greatest Gains in Graduation Rates - The largest gains in graduation rates over the past decade have been accomplished at open-access or nearly open-access colleges and universities. In addition, states could see even bigger increases if they directed their policies and supports toward improving graduation rates at these non-selective institutions. (William Doyle, National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, February 2010)...

Measuring Up: A Midwestern Perspective on the National Report Card--2002 to 2008 - This report enables Midwestern states to make comparisons regionally and nationally in the following areas: preparation for college, participation, affordability, completion and benefits. The report is created to provide policymakers and the public with non-partisan information about state progress in higher education. (Educational Policy Institute, October 2009)...

Several Universities Have Improved Systems to Track Student Progress - Have the Board of Governors and universities addressed the findings and recommendations included in the 2006 report on student tracking systems used by state universities. (Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, Report 09-22, March 2009)...

California Higher Education Accountability - The California postsecondary Education Commission has released this report concerning the trends in enrollment in the University of California and California State University. The enrollment trends show that part-time enrollment has been decreasing. The impact of this decrease has a potential impact on gender and racial groups, and part-time students themselves due to increased costs. (California Postsecondary Education Commission, March 2007) ...

Rules of the Game: How State Policy Creates Barriers to Degree Completion and Impedes Student Success in the California Community Colleges - California’s community colleges are providing broad access to college, but that access is not translating into degree completion. In fact, only 60% of first-time community college students are seeking a degree or certificate, and only about one-fourth of these transfer to a university and/or earn an associate’s degree or a certificate within six years. Without big gains in educational attainment, especially among the Latino population, the state’s per capita income will soon fall below the national average and the education level of the workforce will decline, conclude the authors. This policy brief describes the role that current policies play in impeding completion, and offers recommendations for policy change to better the prospects for students and the state. (Nancy Shulock and Colleen Moore, California State University – Sacramento, February 2007) ...

Adding It Up: A State and National Imperative - This report - comprised of key indicators and projections related to postsecondary attainment - is designed to help institutional, system and state leaders advance a conversation about the urgent need to increase college access and success for all students. The profiles show that while states vary considerably in their current and expected performance in producing a college-educated population, all states must strengthen their postsecondary pipelines to be internationally competitive, meet emerging workforce needs and promote social mobility and equity of opportunity. (The National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and Jobs for the Future for Making Opportunity Affordable, 2007)...

By the Numbers: State Goals for Increasing Postsecondary Attainment - This report is based on a 2005 50-state survey of state higher education plans to determine which states have set numerical targets for enrollment and completion and how they set, measure and publicize these goals to institutions, the public and policymakers. The report addresses an important state-level approach to assessing – and increasing – the value of public higher education: setting and publicizing clear, numerical goals for expanding student access and success. [Free registration required to access report.] (Michael Collins, Jobs for the Future, January 2006)...