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MCC Daily Tribune Archive

President's Wednesday Message


Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the ACCT Legislative Summit in Washington, DC.  In addition to meeting with members of our federal delegation, I was able to attend several presentations in which staff from the Department of Education and the Department of Labor set forth elements of their agenda for higher education.  Given that this agenda will drive much of the national discussion and grant funding in the coming years, I thought I would share some of the key points:

1)      The Department of Education conveys its priorities in short-hand as the 3 A’s: student success thru alignment, articulation, accountability.  The alignment is between K12 and college curriculum, articulation between various sectors (e.g., community colleges and universities), and accountability comes in the form of standardized performance measures (including student persistence and completion).

2)      There is a consistent and insistent focus on completion: both degree and certificates that can be “stacked” to create, over time, a degree.  Though the future of the American Graduation Initiative is still unclear, the goal of dramatically increasing the percentage of Americans with a  two- or four-year degree from 40% to 60% by 2020 remains in place.

3)      The discussion about completion includes a critique about the current inability of colleges and universities to assure that all students receive a consistent, quality educational experience.  (This is where the call for increased accountability typically appears.)

4)      Accelerated and/or targeted programs for nontraditional students are seen as key to increasing US economic growth and competitiveness.  Currently, 49 million 18-34 year olds have a high school diploma or less, and 93 million adults do not have the literacy skills necessary to compete for middle skilled jobs—those that require some college or advanced training.  These populations need access to fast-track training.

5)      Grant funding decisions will increasingly be made based on “evidence-based practice,” i.e., programs in which outcomes can be documented and success replicated and scaled up. 

6)      The Department of Labor, in particular, has a growing interest in “contextual learning,” i.e., workplace education programs that may lead to an industry-based credential or an opportunity to “earn and learn” through co-op or apprenticeship. 

7)      The dire state of the US economy continues to influence and shape all higher education discussions.  The American Association of State Colleges and Universities identified its top policy issue as states' fiscal crises.  The scope of the economic impact seems to be expanding each day.  For example, the unfortunate fate of the American Graduation Initiative was in many ways determined by the cost of the growing Pell grant deficit: the number of students participating in Pell has almost doubled since the economic downturn and is anticipated to approach 9 million.

Clearly, some of these items are controversial, especially the definition and use of accountability measures.  And, others are a reflection of the difficulties currently facing the US, both in terms of the economy and competitiveness.  However, for me, the overarching takeaway from the Summit was a positive one:  investment in higher education is increasingly seen as an investment in the country’s economic future.  Unfortunately, the gray underside to this silver-lined cloud is that the current recession is making it very difficult for the US to find the funds to invest at the very moment they are most needed. 

What are your thoughts about the federal higher education agenda?  What would you add or remove from this slate? Let me know on the blog, <<https://www.monroecc.edu/blogs>>

Anne Kress
President's Office
03/17/2010