From community college courses to doctoral programs, postsecondary education encompasses all forms of schooling after completion of high school or its equivalent. RAND's research on postsecondary education programs and institutions throughout the world has been influential; research in Qatar, for instance, led to reform of the National University and a realignment of postsecondary education to societal needs.
REPORT
Veterans choose for-profit colleges because their tuition rates are set to match allowable GI Bill benefits; they have adult-oriented, career-focused programs with flexible schedules; they accept military transcripts; courses are available when needed; and students can attend the same institution in multiple states if they relocate.
REPORT
The ChalleNGe program seeks to alter the life course of high school dropouts ages 16-18. A rigorous evaluation has shown that the program has positive effects on educational attainment and employment. A cost-benefit analysis supports public investment in the program as currently operated and targeted.
RESEARCH BRIEF
A cost-benefit analysis of the National Guard Youth ChalleNGe program, a program serving high school dropouts, indicates that every dollar invested in the program yields $2.66 in social benefits, an estimated return on investment of 166 percent.
PROJECT
UK Higher Education Funding Councils will begin using a new Research Education Framework in 2014 to assess the quality and impact of a university's research before providing further funding. RAND Europe's ImpactFinder can help UK higher education institutions evaluate their research impact.
REPORT
Pittsburgh instituted a new college scholarship program to encourage eligible students to continue their education. An assessment of the program offers recommendations for improving its short- and long-term effectiveness.
RESEARCH BRIEF
To deal with the challenges of struggling public schools, declining populations, and diminishing quality in the local workforce, Pittsburgh instituted a new college scholarship program to encourage eligible students to continue their education.
PROJECT
The standard model of educational decisions predicts no (or minimal) effects of deferral on educational attainment, but this model may not tell the whole story. A study of those who were not accepted by lottery to a Mexican college shows that labor market effects must also be considered.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
We investigate how much value college enrollment adds to students' critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills, and the role college inputs play in developing these competencies, using data from a 2009 collegiate assessment pilot study in Colombia.
REPORT
In this summary of the efforts to reform Qatar University, the authors describe the motivation for reform, the design of the reform agenda, and the early stages of the implementation effort, with an eye toward identifying the challenges that remain.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Describes the effort, begun in 2003, to reform Qatar University, including the impetus for reform, the design and implementation of the reform agenda, and a review of challenges that have been overcome and those that remain.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Describes the effort, begun in 2003, to reform Qatar University, including the impetus for reform, the design and implementation of the reform agenda, and a review of challenges that have been overcome and those that remain.
RESEARCH BRIEF
Describes a method that institutions can use to develop their own standards for scores on the Collegiate Learning Assessment, which measures students' critical thinking skills.
REPORT
The Collegiate Learning Assessment (CLA) is a measure of how much students' critical thinking improves after attending college or university. This report illustrates how institutions can set their own standards on the CLA using a method that is appropriate for the CLA's unique characteristics.
JOURNAL ARTICLE
Using two measures of job opportunities -- local unemployment rates and the percentage of local workers employed in jobs that require a bachelor's degree -- I find support for the warehouse hypothesis.
RESEARCH BRIEF
This research brief summarizes the results of an evaluation of Qatar's post-secondary scholarship system and describes proposed and implemented reforms outlined in that assessment.
RESEARCH BRIEF
This research brief summarizes the results of an evaluation of Qatar's post-secondary scholarship system and describes proposed and implemented reforms outlined in that assessment.
REPORT
Since the 1970s, Qatar has complemented in-country post-secondary education with scholarship programs and study-abroad opportunities, but the system may benefit from organization and other changes. This report summarizes the results of an evaluation of Qatar's scholarship system and describes proposed reforms drawn from comparative assessments of countries with similar characteristics and interviews with a wide-ranging group of…
NEWS RELEASE
Chicago's multi-grade charter high schools (those serving students in grades 7-12, 6-12 or K-12) appear to improve their students' chances of graduating and attending college, as compared with the city's traditional public high schools.
REPORT
The Brain Korea 21 Program (BK21), which seeks to make Korean research universities globally competitive and to produce more high-quality researchers in Korea, provides funding to graduate students and professors who belong to research groups at top universities. The authors develop quantitative and qualitative models to evaluate how well BK21 is fulfilling its goals and make suggestions for further stimulating Korean university research.
REPORT
The Brain Korea 21 Program (BK21), which seeks to make Korean research universities globally competitive and to produce more high-quality researchers in Korea, provides funding to graduate students and professors who belong to research groups at top universities. The authors develop quantitative and qualitative models to evaluate how well BK21 is fulfilling its goals and make suggestions for further stimulating Korean university research.
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