AJ Blackston & Associates, LLC’s Post

A concise framework for how to spot institutions in distress. Take this into consideration if you advise students and their families in accessing higher education.

Higher education should be more accessible and affordable for students and families. Learn how some states are introducing programs to expand access and support college completion. Read more from Matt Gandal: https://lnkd.in/gD6ckhvv #SallieMakesSense

MIT free tuition for families making $200k or less follows an increase in the trend for elite US schools with big endowments to lower costs. It will likely continue and that will be good for so many. Community colleges are also increasingly free. But finding a similar low-cost path for the middle tier will be rough. Smaller private schools lack an endowment to support lower tuitions. More will fail financially. Most legislatures lack resources or an appetite to broadly support free and lower tuitions across state schools (with some notable exceptions but often with continued institutional budget challenges). Disruptions in higher ed continue. https://lnkd.in/e57ybKXs

State funding formulas have historically directed significantly more money toward four-year institutions than to community colleges — a trend that has continued even as community colleges are increasingly relied upon to train and educate students for high-demand jobs. In most states, community colleges receive lower levels of per-student state funding than their four-year institution peers, but unlike four-year institutions, they commonly receive funding from local tax revenue. In the latest Regional Matters, our blog that examines local, regional and national data that matter to the Fifth District economy and our communities, Laura Ullrich, a senior regional economist, and Stephanie Norris, a senior research analyst, explore state and local funding and what this looks like across the Fifth District. Learn more here: https://bit.ly/3wUNuLH #Regional Matters #CommunityColleges #Education

"Is higher education worth the cost of attendance?" "We know people pay a lot to attend University of X...where does that money go?" These are questions on many peoples' minds OUTSIDE OF higher education and is the subject of this article written about Northwestern University (https://lnkd.in/gRYBXzak). People inside higher education are usually silent (maybe even defensive) on this issue. Now, regardless of what the article says, we need to face up to the fact that the public is becoming very skeptical of the rising costs of attending a university. I can already hear some responses... "Inflation is to blame" or "Declining state support of higher education is to blame" or "Companies aren't held to the same standards." So many good points out there that do make the issue a complex one. Bottom line for me, though: Universities and colleges have not done a good job of building public trust, so we shouldn't be surprised people are fed up with the rising costs of attendance. Can we have an honest discussion about what we can do to reduce the cost? AND talk about investing in true community engagement?

“Some colleges will soon charge $100,000 per year.” While it’s a shocking headline, this isn’t the core issue in accessing higher education. As Ron Lieber explains in @New York Times most students will pay nowhere near that, thanks to generous merit and need-based aid at public and private universities. Rather than worrying about what wealthy families at elite colleges are paying, he argues we should focus on ensuring all students have access to an affordable education that enables economic mobility. I agree, especially as health outcomes are inextricably linked to education and socioeconomic status. David Leonhardt also shares insights from Baruch College on offering a path toward accelerated socioeconomic mobility: 1. Recalculate merit aid to consider merit and financial need 2. Recruit more students from community colleges 3. Help students navigate the bureaucracy of higher education Let’s work towards a future where every student has a fair chance to pursue higher education to achieve socioeconomic mobility and good health.

Our policy priorities are based on the need to address the issues within the higher education system from a student-centered and solutions-orientated perspective. There is no one or two policies or actions that will achieve the kinds of impactful reforms that we need. Rather, we need to address all of the issues - including college affordability, higher education quality and accountability, completion and success, and student basic needs and anti-poverty - from a holistic and comprehensive viewpoint to understand how each intersects and impacts with one another. Read more from TICAS President Sameer Gadkaree about our Federal Policy Agenda in this excellent article from Diverse: Issues In Higher Education.

Trump’s Plans For Higher Education In His Second Term, Explained LINK:https://lnkd.in/eKdrSQar #Education #Policy #Legislation #HigherLearning #Schools #Students #Teachers

College Finances in a Rapidly Changing Sector Via @Higher-Ed-Dive Higher ed is bracing for a demographic cliff as a projected decline in high school graduates threatens to change what a financially viable college will look like in 2025. Many institutions have closed in recent years, and those that remain are fighting to balance their educational missions with financial sustainability. https://bit.ly/4e98i2o

Trump’s Plans For Higher Education In His Second Term, Explained LINK: https://lnkd.in/eNUTTS9p #Education #Policy #Legislation #HigherLearning #Schools #Students #Teachers