The Hunt Institute Announces “Attainment for All” Policy Brief Series

September 17, 2019

Durham, N.C.– Now that nearly every state has set a postsecondary attainment goal to increase the number of adults who earn some form of high-quality credential or degree beyond a high school diploma, policymakers must examine strategies to make progress toward these goals.

Over the next six months, The Hunt Institute will release a series of policy briefs, “Attainment for All: Postsecondary Pathways,”that will highlight scalable state-level strategies to boost postsecondary attainment rates among specific student subpopulations including recent high school graduates, first-generation students and adult learners.

“As states look to make progress toward higher education attainment goals, it is imperative that policymakers focus their efforts on proven strategies that support not just traditional college students, but also the non-traditional students, who are often underserved,” said The Hunt Institute President & CEO Dr. Javaid Siddiqi. “By elevating innovative postsecondary strategies, this series will help state leaders determine what works best in their states and communities to help all students reach their desired potential.”

The first of three briefs, released today, is focused on theearly college high school model, which allows students to earn a significant amount of college credit, and in some cases an associate degree or credential, by the time they graduate from high school.

One unique aspect of the early college high school model is that it can be a mechanism for making progress on a number of important education policy goals, including:

  • Achieving a state’s postsecondary attainment goal;
  • Narrowing equity gaps in higher education;
  • Reducing student loan debt; and
  • Creating meaningful and lasting partnerships between institutions of higher education and high schools.

The issue brief provides policymakers with a roadmap for how they can identify aspects of their state’s policy framework that may be preventing their state from adopting, strengthening, or scaling the early college high school model. These potential barriers include funding structures, educator licensure requirements or a lack of credit transfer agreements. Additionally, the brief examines two states – North Carolina and Texas – that have created a framework that has allowed for the widespread implementation of the early college high school model.

The second policy brief will be released in the upcoming months and focus on reverse transfer, while the third and final brief, focusing on data-driven student interventions,will be published in late spring of 2020.

 

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