Does public policy matter when when it comes to college access and completion? Are these concerns rooted in the adequacy of public funding for higher education, the preparation of K-12 students and adults to succeed in postsecondary education, the focus and potential of curriculum to support student access and completion, or the nature of research to assess access and completion outcomes? A new book edited by Laura Perna, Professor, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania and Anthony Jones, Deputy Director & Director of Policy Research, Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, tackles these issues. The book, titled The State of College Access and Completion: Improving College Success for Students from Underrepresented Groups was recently published by Routledge.
Chapter authors include Debra Bragg, OCCRL Director, University of Illinois; as well as David Conley, University of Oregon; Jim Hearn, University of Georgia; Don Heller, Michigan State University; Don Hossler, University of Indiana; Bridget Terry Long, Harvard; Tatiana Melguizo, University of Southern California; and others. Dr. Bragg’s chapter examines public policies attempting to expand pathways for underserved student populations, recommending further support for program development and rigorous research on pathway programs for diverse learners into, through, and beyond community college to university education, including discussion of applied baccalaureate degree pathways.
Referring to the recent release of this book, co-editor, Anthony Jones, indicated that there are extensive plans to present this work in upcoming venues, including the first World Congress on Access to Postsecondary Education, as well as the College Board’s Annual Forum.
To secure a copy of the book, consult the Routledge website at
http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415660464/.
Your comments on the book’s contents are encouraged. Are the authors on target? What did they get right, what did they get wrong? What questions and concerns are left unaddressed?