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Postsecondary Education

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.

Commentary

How Community Colleges Can Establish Better Partnerships with Employers

Career and technical education programs give students a chance to engage in learning relevant to their chosen fields and apply immediately for jobs. A strategic vision of collaboration between industry and community colleges can benefit all parties.

Jun 6, 2019
Commentary

Dual Enrollment for High Schoolers Can Expand Access to College—with Some Caveats

Targeted federal investments in high school and college dual enrollment programs can boost postsecondary access for students currently underrepresented in postsecondary education. But thoughtful implementation could be key to ensuring those students are successful in college.

Jun 6, 2019
Commentary

Federal Policy Might Encourage Innovation to Cut the Cost of College

A big factor in the rise of college costs is the traditional seat-time model requiring undergraduate students to spend a specified amount of time in classrooms, frequently with doctorally qualified faculty. But there are alternative models that could enable colleges and universities to offer degrees more efficiently and affordably.

Jun 5, 2019
Commentary

Income Share Agreements: What's Risky, What's Promising, and What We Still Need to Know

While policymakers debate options to address college affordability and the nation's mounting student loan debt, an alternative education financing model has been gaining ground in a handful of schools and state legislatures: the income share agreement. While terms vary from institution to institution, they are all based on the same premise: The more income a graduate makes, the more they will pay back.

Jun 5, 2019
Tool

Tools for Improving Corequisite Models: A Guide for College Practitioners

This toolkit acts as a guide to improvement strategies for teams of practitioners at colleges, providing them with the knowledge and tools they need to carry out rapid cycles of data-driven improvement to address issues they face on the ground.

May 28, 2019
Blog

Iran, Prison College Programs, Fentanyl: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on Iran's nonstate partners, lessons from a prison college program, what a fentanyl ban in China means for the U.S. opioid crisis, and more.

May 24, 2019
News Release

Creating Prison-Based College Program That Continues After Release Presents Challenges, but Can Have Success

Creating a prison-based program where incarcerated individuals can take college classes and then work toward a degree upon release can be successful, but many obstacles challenge the success of such efforts.

May 22, 2019
Report

Lessons from a Prison-Based College Program That Continues After Release

A prison-based program offered individuals college classes during the final two years of their incarceration and support for another two years after release to help them achieve their degree or certificate goal. How well did the program work?

May 22, 2019
Commentary

Addressing the College Completion Problem

More than half of students who enter college end up dropping out without ever completing a degree or certificate. Time and money are wasted without the benefits of a degree. While colleges are experimenting with novel techniques to boost completion rates, strategic support from the federal government could further these efforts.

May 9, 2019
Journal Article

Market Power and Price Discrimination in the US Market for Higher Education

We estimate an equilibrium model of private and public college competition and pricing using the NPSAS. We find substantial exercise of inefficient market power and, importantly, sizable variation by both college quality and student characteristics.

Feb 15, 2019
Research Brief

Educators and Employers Could Align Efforts to Fill STEM Jobs

Middle-skills STEM workers are in high demand in the oil and natural gas industry, but they need the proper training and credentials. Better collaboration between employers and colleges could bridge the gap between the skills and knowledge employers seek and what instructors emphasize.

Feb 7, 2019
Report

Supporting Middle-Skills STEM Workforce Development: Analysis of Workplace Skills in Demand and Education Institutions' Curricular Offerings in the Oil and Gas Sector

In this report, researchers examine the alignment of college STEM education with the needs of employers in the tri-state region of Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, as well as STEM areas in which college students need more support.

Feb 7, 2019
Blog

Federal Workers, Afghanistan, Sectarianism: RAND Weekly Recap

This weekly recap focuses on the critical roles of federal workers, withdrawing from Afghanistan, countering sectarianism in the Middle East, and more.

Jan 18, 2019
Essay

Pardee RAND Reimagines the Future of Public Policy Problem Solving

The Pardee RAND Graduate School is taking a new approach to public policy education. Three new streams of study and action will better align with today's policy needs. Faculty and students will shift the focus from coming up with solutions to actually implementing them.

Jan 7, 2019
Report

Using Technology to Promote Postsecondary Success and Savings

In 2013, the University of Texas at Tyler began the implementation of the PATSS program, an initiative that seeks to increase the use of online technologies for instruction. What are the academic outcomes in PATSS courses relative to traditional courses?

Dec 13, 2018
Report

A One-Stop Approach to Supporting the Nonacademic Needs of Community College Students: An Evaluation of Single Stop's Impact in North Carolina

This report examines the impact of using Single Stop (a program that connects college students to governmental, community, and institutional resources) on postsecondary outcomes for students at four community colleges in North Carolina.

Nov 12, 2018
Dissertation

Choose Wisely: A Study of College Major Choice and Major Switching Behavior

This dissertation explores the college major decision-making process, both for initial and subsequent major choices, and analyzes the associations between major choice behaviors and student outcomes such as time to degree and probability of graduation.

Aug 31, 2018
Dissertation

Financial Education among Financially Vulnerable Populations in the United States

Examines if state-mandated financial education improves debt-related and college-going behaviors among economically vulnerable young adults.

Aug 29, 2018
News Release

Student-Run Mental Health Education Efforts May Help Improve Mental Health Climate on College Campuses

Getting college students to engage with peer-run organizations that focus on mental health awareness can improve college students' knowledge about mental health, reduce stigma, and may play an important role in improving the campus climate toward mental health.

Jun 27, 2018
Commentary

The Case for Corequisites: What Are the Ingredients of Success?

More than two-thirds of community college students and 40 percent of four-year college students take at least one developmental education course. States and colleges across the United States are experimenting with innovative approaches to developmental education to improve graduation rates for struggling students.

May 23, 2018

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RAND Topic:
Postsecondary Education

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