New Report: The College Completion Agenda

Posted by on August 20, 2010

Ten steps to regain our footing

As America’s aging and highly-educated workforce moves into retirement, the nation must rely on young Americans. A report from the College Board finds that among developed countries, the U.S. ranks 12th in college completion for citizens aged 25 to 34, where once we ranked first. For this key demographic, Canada, Korea, the Russian Federation, Japan, New Zealand, Ireland, Norway, Israel, France, Belgium, and Australia surpass us. To achieve the goal of 55 percent college attainment by 2025, growth in degree attainment must increase significantly over the next 15 years. Toward achieving this, the commission recommends a 10-part action agenda. First, provide a program of preschool education universally available to children from low-income families. Second, improve middle and high school counseling. Third, identify students at risk of dropping out early and provide a safety net. Fourth, align K-12 with international standards and college admission expectations. Fifth, improve teacher quality, focusing on recruitment and retention. Sixth, clarify and simplify the college admission process to encourage first-generation students. Seventh, provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying financial aid processes. Eighth, keep college affordable by controlling costs and insisting that state governments meet funding obligations. Ninth, increase college completion rates by reducing dropouts, easing transfer processes, and using data-based approaches to improve completion rates at both two- and four-year institutions. And finally, provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs, supplementing basic skills training with a new “honors GED” and with better coordination of adult education, veterans’ benefits, outreach programs, and student aid.

See the report: http://completionagenda.collegeboard.org/reports