Trends Among Young Adults Over Three Decades, 1974-2006 - This report describes patterns of continuity and change over time in four areas of the transition to adulthood among young adults as measured 2 years after their senior year of high school. The four areas are postsecondary enrollment, labor force roles, family formation, and civic engagement. The analysis population is spring-term high school seniors in 1972, 1980, 1992, and 2004. The data come from four separate NCES sponsored studies: the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS:72), High School and Beyond (HS&B), the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88), and the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). (NCES, July 2012)...

Minorities and the Recession-Era College Enrollment Boom - This report shows freshmen enrollment of Hispanics at postsecondary institutions grew by 15% from 2007 to 2008. In the same period, freshmen enrollment for blacks increased by 8%, by 6% for Asians and 3% for whites. The minority postsecondary students tend to be concentrated in community colleges and trade schools more than four-year institutions. The report also characterizes the increase as a "recession-era boom." (Paul Taylor, Richard Fry, Gabriel Velasco and Daniel Dockterman, Pew Research Center, June 2010)...

Cost, Commitment, and Attainment in Higher Education: An International Comparison - This report moves away from the more traditional approach of comparing countries on the basis of college entry rates and focuses instead on completion rates. The authors look at the amount that countries spend on tertiary education per student; the share of GPD a country spend on tertiary education; and the share of working-age adults holding a tertiary education degree. They conclude by recommending more resources for community colleges, more attention to developing strategies to improve completion rates, and increasing enrollments to moderate costs. (Arthur Hauptman and Young Kim, Jobs for the Future, May 2009)...

Promise Lost: College-Qualified Students Who Don’t Enroll in College - The importance of promoting college access for all college-qualified students will continue to grow as the United States grapples with the challenges and opportunities of a global economy. This report provides an overview of the key factors in college access. The report presents the results of the national survey of non-college-goers. College-qualified students who enrolled in college are compared with those who did not enroll. There is discussion of differences among groups of non-college-goers. A secondary survey of counselors discusses counselors’ perceptions of the barriers to college enrollment. Finally, there is discussion of the results of the surveys, the policy implications and suggestions for further research. (Institute for Higher Education Policy, Ryan Hahn and Derek Price, November 2008)...