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Primary tabs
FY 16-17: Agency Priority Goal
Increase College Degree Attainment in America
Priority Goal
Goal Overview
GOAL OVERVIEW
Dramatically boosting completion rates for postsecondary certificates and degrees is essential for the United States to successfully compete in a global economy. The President set a goal in 2009 that, by 2020, the U.S. will have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Meeting this goal will require millions of additional Americans to earn a postsecondary degree by the end of this decade—a 50 percent increase in the college attainment rate nationwide. The Department of Education (ED) is implementing new initiatives from the President’s Value and Affordability Agenda to help increase the college attainment rate, and has proposed several new programs which, if enacted and/or funded, will significantly accelerate progress toward the goal.
Starting from a baseline college degree attainment rate of 44.0 percent in 2012, to reach the President’s goal in 2020, ED set targets projecting the annual increase to grow progressively each year above the four-year historical average of 0.7 percentage points: 0.7, 0.9, 1.2, 1.6, 2.1, 2.8, 3.2, and 3.5. This variation in annual increase reflects the fact that, at the time targets were set, we had few programs that directly impacted the attainment rate, and the impact of newly proposed programs would take several years to play out if funded. Since the data for any given year are reported in the following year, the growth will lead to 60% of all Americans having an associate’s degree or higher (as reported in 2021, which will reflect 2020 data; note that certificates are not included since the U.S. currently is not able to measure attainment of certificates in the population).
To meet annual targets, by September 30, 2016, 46.8% of adults ages 25-34 will have an associate’s degree or higher, which will keep the nation on track to reach the President’s goal of 60% attainment by 2020. The President’s focus on the educational attainment among ages 25-34 allows us to assess progress in preparing the next generation of U.S. workers and to benchmark for international comparisons. Nonetheless, college completion for all ages is important, including unemployed, under-skilled and older workers, veterans and other underrepresented student categories.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
Success will depend in large part on the extent to which states reinvest in higher education and on whether both states and institutions (a) implement policies and programs to increase college access and success, (b) reduce costs and time to completion, (c) support accelerated learning opportunities, including dual enrollment, (d) develop and adopt effective and innovative practices and reforms that improve student outcomes, and (e) promote seamless transitions from secondary to postsecondary education and among higher education institutions. Despite two years of per-student funding increases nationally, state higher educational appropriations per student are still below 2008 pre-recession levels (down by 15.3 percent as of 2015). Although forty states increased their funding in 2015 over prior-year funding, few are even meeting the levels they funded at the start of the recession; 45 states invested less per student in 2015 than they did in 2008.[1] ED will use its available resources and programs, administrative action, bully pulpit, technical assistance, and ability to convene stakeholders to drive collaboration and best practices, but has limited leverage to influence state policies and institutional practices without new programs that are specifically structured toward this goal, such as the proposed America’s College Promise and College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus programs.
College enrollment rates typically decrease during times of improving economic conditions, as is currently occurring. While increases in high school graduation rates (one of the factors that feed into the attainment rate) are growing, data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show that fewer high school graduates are opting for college than they were in 2009—65.9 percent in 2013, 68.4 percent in 2014, and 69.2 percent in 2015, compared with a high point of 70.1 percent in 2009.[2] Total fall enrollment has declined as well, falling by an estimated 3.6 percent in 2015 from an enrollment surge in 2010.[3] This could make it more challenging to achieve the accelerated growth in the college attainment rate that is projected in the annual targets, unless there is a significant increase in the percentage of students who complete their programs of study. In fact, after two years of achieving attainment rate targets, ED missed the 2016 target by 0.3 percentage points—a small amount, but one that hints of the challenge going forward. ED can continue to facilitate college access while incenting and supporting institutions to increase completion rates, but large-scale programs such as those proposed by the Administration will be even more impactful.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
Students and their Families, States, Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), Accrediting Agencies, Businesses, Philanthropy, Not-for-Profit Organizations, and other Federal Departments and Agencies (particularly the Departments of Defense, Health and Human Services, Justice, Labor, Veterans Affairs, and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau).
[1] State Higher Education Finance Report 2015, State Higher Education Executive Officers:http://www.sheeo.org/sites/default/files/SHEF_FY15_EMBARGOED_%20PR_04221...
[2] Bureau of Labor Statistics, College Enrollment and Work Activity of High School Graduates News Release, April 22, 2014, April 16, 2015, and April 28, 2016: http://www.bls.gov/news.release/hsgec.htm
[3] National Center for Educational Statistics, Digest of Education Statistics 2015, “Table 303.10. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by attendance status, sex of student, and control of institution: Selected years, 1947 through 2025”: https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d15/tables/dt15_303.10.asp
Strategies
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY
To increase educational attainment rates, ED will implement the President’s College Value and Affordability Agenda, first outlined in his speech on August 22, 2013. Then-Sec. Arne Duncan echoed these goals in his July 27, 2015 speech, in which he argued that “[t]he degree students truly can’t afford is the one they don’t complete, or that employers don’t value.” One central strategy for fostering college completion is the promotion of innovation (such as in course redesign and student services, remedial education reform, accelerating time to degree by fostering dual enrollment, and competency-based education). A second major strategy is to foster wiser investment in college education, and to hold institutions and students accountable for completion through competition, evidence, and renewed transparency efforts like the College Scorecard that provide students and families with information to select colleges that best meet their goals and needs.
ED will continue to spotlight model state programs, such as performance-based funding and free community college, and draw on them to shape Federal policy. Furthermore, ED is shifting to an evidence-based approach for institutional grants in order to fund proposals that have evidence of successful outcomes. The President’s proposal for free community college, announced in January 2015 and introduced in Congress in July 2015, would make college more affordable and promote state reforms and institutional innovation. States would need to commit to maintain higher education investments and promote secondary-postsecondary alignment and other reforms to improve student outcomes. In addition, schools would need to adopt promising and evidence-based institutional reforms and innovative practices to improve student outcomes. Another program proposed by the President, the American Technical Training Fund, would help more community colleges and other postsecondary institutions develop and scale tuition-free, high-quality training programs aligned with the needs of employers in high-demand industries. The Administration expects these strategies will boost completion rates and, by extension, educational attainment.
EXTERNAL FACTORS THAT ED CAN AND CANNOT INFLUENCE
External factors that ED can influence
- Information available to inform student decision-making to attend and choose a college
- IHE awareness of and implementation of evidence-based strategies
- Accreditor awareness of outcomes-based approaches to improve institutional quality and increased rigor of Departmental reviews of accrediting agencies to promote better enforcement and monitoring
- Enforcement of Gainful Employment qualifications for institutional eligibility to participate in Title IV federal student aid programs
- Institutional accountability, such as through FSA’s Enforcement Office operations and the FSA Feedback System
External factors that ED cannot influence
- State policies and investment in higher education (without a relevant Federal program)
- Socio-economic trends affecting college enrollment
Progress Update
- Announced final borrower defense regulations on October 28, 2016 (subsequently published in the Federal Register on November 1), which provide new protections for borrowers and taxpayers against fraud, deception, and other misconduct by postsecondary institutions. The new regulations take effect July 1, 2017 for most provisions.
- Published a proposed rule for state authorization of distance education programs on July 22, 2016, designed to ensure accountability for institutions serving students across the country through online programs.
- Released final regulations on teacher preparation on October 12, 2016 (http://www.ed.gov/teacherprep). The regulations aim to bring transparency to the effectiveness of teacher preparation programs, provide programs with ongoing feedback to help them improve continuously, and respond to educators across the country who do not feel ready to enter the classroom after graduation. On September 22-23, the Department convened deans of schools of education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions to discuss culturally-competent teaching and high-quality preparation programs; the group will produce two white papers in December 2016.
- Released updated data for the College Scorecard on September 14, 2016 (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/). The Department also produced a College Scorecard toolkit and informational video, which were sent to state school officers and posted on the Scorecard website (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/assets/College-Scorecard-Toolkit.pdf and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyYsUrW9OTA&feature=youtu.be). The Office of the First Lady produced a Reach Higher back-to-school video that featured the Scorecard.
- Implemented further simplification for the 2017-2018 FAFSA (https://www.regulations.gov/document?D=ED-2016-ICCD-0036-0076) that allows students to complete and submit a FAFSA earlier (beginning in October, rather than January), and report income from two years prior so they do not need to wait for new IRS tax data. These changes will allow students to learn about their Federal financial aid eligibility earlier and help families have a more accurate picture of college costs sooner in the college selection process. Preliminary data on application volume for the 2017-2018 cycle show an increase over the same period last year.
- Collected public comment on accreditor terminology reporting guidance, a new information collection system for Accrediting Agencies Reporting Activities for Institutions and Programs. The notice, published in April 2016 and published for a second public comment period in October 2016, was related to the establishment/design of a new information collection system for accrediting agencies to submit required information to the Department. Currently, the Department’s Office of Postsecondary Education receives notification of accrediting agency actions via email or regular mail, and then forwards to Federal Student Aid and other internal offices as required. This new electronic reporting system will reduce staff workload, reduce errors, and prevent mishandling of this critical information. The Department also re-constructed the accreditation home page to better inform the public regarding the Secretary’s recognition process and to provide a one-stop information repository for accreditation-related information (http://www.ed.gov/accreditation/)..
- Announced the second annual convening of minority-serving community colleges “communities of practice,” to be held November 1-2, 2016. The communities of practice share practices to improve student success. The Department secured a contractor to assist with the November convening as well as additional technical assistance via webinars and virtual communities of practice throughout FY 2017.
- With the Department of Labor, published the final joint Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) regulations on August 19, 2016 related to unified and combined state plans, performance, and the one-stop system (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/08/19/2016-15977/workforc...). Each agency also issued Title-specific regulations. Since then, the Departments continue to collaborate on issuing joint guidance and technical assistance to support successful implementation. Joint guidance on performance accountability, the one-stop system (general operational as well as specific infrastructure costs), and privacy protection and data sharing are in various stages of development and clearance. A series of WIOA virtual technical assistance events has been scheduled to accompany the release of the guidance. Additionally, the Departments have collaborated on an Adult Education and Family Literacy Act (AEFLA) program memorandum to provide guidance to states on the requirement surrounding the competition for AEFLA funds. That program memorandum is expected to be released in mid-October. WIOA reforms adult education training and services, including in the areas of English language acquisition and vocational rehabilitation for individuals with disabilities.
- Conducted a meeting on September 23, 2016 of community college leaders who are implementing promising practices in the alignment of adult education and developmental education in support of student success and completion. Meeting participants provided the Department with suggestions for dissemination approaches and strategies for sharing lessons learned from the Department’s Supporting Student Success national leadership activity. Final product development and dissemination is underway.
- Invited eight institutions of higher education (IHEs) to continue to Phase 3 of the selection process for the EQUIP (Educational Quality through Innovative Partnerships) experiment. In Phase 3, these IHEs will begin to set up their proposed programs and apply to the Department for final approval, which is expected during FY 2017.
- Published a notice on August 15, 2016 announcing a loan counseling experiment under the Experimental Sites Initiative (https://ifap.ed.gov/fregisters/FR081516.html). Under this experiment, participating institutions will have the flexibility to develop and require additional loan counseling for student borrowers beyond the statutorily required one-time entrance and one-time exit counseling, and will test the results of that counseling in improving borrowers’ academic and repayment outcomes.
- Developed a report on Advancing Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education, subsequently released in tandem with a White House convening on November 18, 2016. The report presents data showing educational inequities and opportunity gaps, along with key trends in the challenges that underrepresented students—particularly students of color—face in accessing and completing a high-quality postsecondary education. The report also draws upon research and case studies to describe evidence-based and promising practices that postsecondary institutions across the nation are effectively using to increase, retain, and graduate underrepresented students.
- Advised the Department of Defense on changes to the Accessing Higher Education (AHE) curriculum that is offered to service members as they transition out of the military and apply for college. The AHE now includes training on the use of College Scorecard. The Department also is developing an Education Counseling for Veterans online landing page that summarizes Department programs that support Veterans (Veterans Upward Bound, Education Opportunity Centers, and Centers of Excellence for Veteran Student Success), and is working with Veterans Affairs and Defense to provide links to this resource in order to promote these programs to the Veterans community.
- Announced seven grant competitions that encouraged evidence-based strategies. The TRIO Talent Search competition included competitive preference priorities for moderate evidence of effectiveness and evidence of promise regarding mentoring and tutoring strategies that successfully transition students into postsecondary education. Under Talent Search, the Department made awards to 478 successful applicants, all proposing strategies that met the standard for Moderate Evidence of Effectiveness. The TRIO Educational Opportunity Centers (EOC) competition included evidence (strong theory) as a selection criterion. The Department made 160 awards to successful applicants in the EOC competition. In the Minority-Serving Institutions (MSI) program competitions, the Department offered applicants competitive preference points to connect strategies to the moderate evidence or evidence of promise standard. A total of 122 awards were made across four MSI programs (Hispanic Serving Institutions–STEM, Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Alaska Native and Native-Hawaiian-Serving Institutions, and Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions). In addition, the Department funded additional applicants from the FY 2015 Strengthening Institutions Program (SIP) (moderate evidence) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (strong theory) slates. The Department made 47 and 30 awards in those programs, respectively.
- Co-hosted a two-day event with associations, philanthropic organizations, and other federal agencies on July 26-27, 2016, titled "Strengthening Work-Based Learning in Education and Transitions to Careers.” This event explored how work-based learning experiences can integrate young people into long-term career pathways and academic success, and is the fifth in a series of six workshops that are part of a research and technical assistance project being conducted by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This workshop was co-hosted by U.S. Federal agencies, national associations, and philanthropic organizations, and focused on the need for work-based learning in skill development to achieve better economic and social outcomes. Participants reviewed initial analytical work by the OECD on the topic of work-based learning and school-to-work transition for at-risk youth; reviewed other research and promising practices on work-based learning in the US and participating countries; and facilitated dialogue among countries on program and policy solutions for expanding work-based learning.
- Awarded a $2 million Career Technical Education (CTE) Pay for Success (PFS) grant. This grant will conduct the first two of three phases of a PFS project: a feasibility analysis in four local CTE sites, and transaction structuring for those local sites where a PFS project is deemed feasible. PFS means that the government (or another entity like a hospital) only pays once an intervention achieves certain positive outcomes, as determined by a rigorous evaluation. The results of testing a PFS funding model will help the Department determine whether higher levels of performance can be achieved in terms of student outcomes in CTE programs.
- In collaboration with the White House, announced the grand prize winner in the Reach Higher Mobile App Challenge. The winner, ThinkZone Games, will further develop its mobile app solution to help students navigate education and career pathways in planning for their future.
- Prepared the public notice to announce the Ed Sim Challenge. The Challenge calls upon the gaming, developer, and educational technology communities to design simulated environments that prepare students for a more competitive world through high-quality career and technical education. The Challenge was announced in conjunction with White House events on November 2.
- As part of the Interagency Working Group on Federal Supports for Postsecondary Access and Success, drafted a joint letter by six Secretaries (ED, Agriculture, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, and Treasury), which was subsequently released on November 15. The letter addresses state agencies, colleges, and stakeholders, showing the latest guidance and resources that clarify how existing provisions within federal programs can be better aligned for postsecondary access and completion. The working group plans additional joint activities in support of access and completion for low-income students in the future.
- Published a notice on August 15, 2016 inviting applications for the third round (FY 2016) of the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth (P3) (https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/08/15/2016-19294/applicat...). The deadline for applications is October 31, 2016. To publicize the opportunity, the Department sent an email announcement to nearly 1,000 project directors of Department grants that are eligible to be included in a P3 pilot and participated in conference calls with Promise Zone liaisons and My Brother’s Keeper communities. The Department encouraged its six partner agencies to be assertive in marketing the opportunity to their stakeholders as well. During September 2016, the Department also awarded $1.3 million in supplemental funds to eight of the round one pilot projects that had sought funds to strengthen their evaluations or to enhance other aspects of their projects. P3 tests innovative strategies to achieve better outcomes for disconnected youth.
- So far, Congress has not funded the proposed America’s College Promise initiative, which would provide free community college in return for state reforms that would support college completion. Nor did Congress provide funding in FY 2016 for a third competition of the innovative, evidence-based First in the World grant program. While the Senate introduced an appropriations bill that would implement the Department’s proposed Pell for Accelerated Completion reform, it did not introduce the accompanying On-Track Pell Bonus program to encourage students to take enough credits to graduate on time, and the House did not introduce either provision. These programs would provide the Department key leverage to impact completion in significant ways.
Next Steps
NEXT STEPS
ED's strategy to implement the President's College Value and Affordability Agenda comprises two areas of focus: (1) promoting evidence-based innovation and competition that lead to increased completion so that colleges offer students a greater range of affordable, high-quality options than they do today, and (2) fostering institutional and student accountability in tandem with better consumer awareness. These strategies aim to support college attainment by reducing the cost and amount of time necessary to attain a degree, by measuring college performance and providing consumer information about cost and outcomes, by supporting the use of open educational low-cost textbooks, and by incentivizing state, institutional and student behavior.
Next steps in promoting innovation and competition in the postsecondary education sector include:
- Continuing to convene and develop communities of practice with minority-serving community colleges in an effort to share and scale up evidence-based best practices, especially in providing efficient remedial education that leads to completion.
- Announcing approved participants for Experimental Sites pilots in student loan counseling, Educational Quality Through Innovative Partnerships (EQUIP), and Competency-Based Education in FY 2017.
- Announcing awards in the third competition in the Performance Partnership Pilots for Disconnected Youth program.
Next steps for fostering institutional and student accountability include:
- Publishing final regulations on state authorization of distance education programs by December 2016, with implementation going into effect in 2018.
- Continuing to work with institutions to collect and validate institutional program data under the Gainful Employment regulations, working toward publication of the first report in early 2017. The regulations ensure that institutions improve their outcomes for students in occupationally-oriented programs (and inform prospective students of program outcomes), or risk losing access to federal student aid.
- Considering further enhancements of the College Scorecard to help students make informed college choices, including additional cautionary flags that consumers should be aware of before deciding to enroll in an institution. Longer-term goals include expanding completion data to include outcomes for part-time students and returning or transfer-in students, and developing program-level earnings information.
- Continuing to highlight the practices of institutions of higher education that are doing noteworthy work to enroll and graduate low-income students, such as by regular postings on the “Completion Chronicles.”
- Announcing awards in December 2016 for the Scalable Strategies to Support College Completion Network, funded by the Department’s Institute of Education Sciences. The grants will fund up to three new Research Teams to join the existing teams, and will fund a Network Lead.
- Highlighting institutions of higher education that are implementing best practices that support Veterans and Service members and which have strong student outcomes.
- Creating a new Accrediting Agencies Reporting Activities for Institutions and Programs information collection system.
- Publishing two white papers from convened group of deans of schools of education at Hispanic-Serving Institutions in December 2016 that address high-quality teacher preparation programs.
- Continuing to add priorities focused on evidence, student success, and completion in grant competitions where appropriate.
- Working with Congress on the pending reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and the Perkins Career and Technical Education Act to advance the Administration’s priorities on advancing college access and success, including improving student outcomes such as on-time completion.
- Looking to FY 2017, the Department expects to offer new awards via 11 grant competitions. Eight will include evidence (Upward Bound, GEARUP State and Partnership, Upward Bound Math/Science, SIP, Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement, Developing Hispanic-Serving Institutions, and Veterans Upward Bound).
Contributing Programs & Other Factors
CONTRIBUTING PROGRAMS & OTHER FACTORS
Major Programs Supporting this Goal:
- Federal student aid programs, including Pell Grants, loans, and work-study assistance
- Adult basic and literacy education State grants
- CTE state grants
- Federal TRIO programs
- GEAR UP program
- First in the World
- Title III and V MSI and Strengthening Institutions grants
Proposed Programs and Policies
- America’s College Promise
- American Technical Training Fund
- College Opportunity and Graduation Bonus
- Reform of Campus-Based Financial Aid Programs
- Pell Grant Policies: Making the annual Pell CPI increase permanent; Year-round Pell for full-time students to accelerate degree completion; On-track Pell bonus to incentivize completion for students who take at least 15 credits per semester; Second Chance Pell for certain incarcerated individuals.
For additional programs see Appendix D of the Department’s FY2015 Annual Performance Report and FY2017 Annual Performance Plan, available here: http://www2.ed.gov/about/reports/annual/2017plan/2015-2017-apr-app-plan-...
Expand All
Strategic Goals
Strategic Goal:
Postsecondary Education, Career and Technical Education, and Adult Education
Statement:
Increase college access, affordability, quality, and completion by improving postsecondary education and lifelong learning opportunities for youths and adults.
Strategic Objectives
Statement:
Close the opportunity gap by improving the affordability of and access to college and/or workforce training, especially for underrepresented and/or underprepared populations (e.g., low-income and first-generation students, English learners, individuals with disabilities, adults without high school diplomas, etc.).
Description:
Statement:
Foster institutional value to ensure that postsecondary education credentials represent effective preparation for students to succeed in the workforce and participate in civic life.
Description:
Statement:
Increase degree and certificate completion and job placement in high-need and high-skill areas, particularly among underrepresented and/or underprepared populations.
Description:
Statement:
Increase STEM pathway opportunities that enable access to and completion of postsecondary programs.
Description:
Agency Priority Goals
Statement:
We will measure the overall college attainment goal, and the effectiveness of the college value and affordability initiatives that foster higher attainment rates, by focusing on the critical 25-34 year old cohort. By September 30, 2015, 45.6% of adults ages 25-34 will have an associate’s degree or higher, which will place the nation on track to reach the President’s goal of 60% attainment by 2020.
Description:
GOAL OVERVIEW
Dramatically boosting completion rates for postsecondary certificates and degrees is essential for the United States to successfully compete in a global economy. The President set a goal in 2009 that, by 2020, the U.S. will have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Meeting this goal will require millions of additional Americans to earn a postsecondary degree by the end of this decade—a 50 percent increase nationwide. New initiatives from the President’s College Value and Affordability Agenda are being implemented to help increase the college attainment rate, and the Department has proposed several new programs which, if funded, will significantly accelerate progress toward the goal. Starting from a baseline college degree attainment rate of 44.0 percent in 2012, we set annual targets projecting the annual increase to grow progressively each year above the four-year historical average of 0.7 percentage points: 0.7, 0.9, 1.2, 1.6, 2.1, 2.8, 3.2, and 3.5. (The curve reflects the results of the intensified efforts, which have a future impact given the length of postsecondary programs.) Since the data for any given year are reported in the following year, the growth will lead to 60% of all Americans having an associate’s degree or higher (as reported in 2021, reflecting 2020 data; note that certificates are not included since the U.S. does not currently have a way to measure attainment of certificates in the population). The 45.6% rate in 2015 represents two years of growth from the baseline.
The President’s focus on educational attainment of American between the ages of 25-34 allows us to assess progress in preparing the next generation of U.S. workers and to benchmark for international comparisons. Nonetheless, college completion for all ages is important, including unemployed, under-skilled and older workers, veterans and other underrepresented student categories.
KEY BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES
Success will depend in large part on the extent to which states reinvest in higher education and on whether both states and institutions (a) implement policies and programs to increase college access and success, (b) reduce costs and time to completion, (c) support accelerated learning opportunities, including dual enrollment, (d) develop and adopt effective and innovative practices that improve student outcomes, and (e) promote seamless transitions from secondary to postsecondary education and among higher education institutions. The Department will use its available resources and programs, administrative action, bully pulpit, technical assistance, and ability to convene stakeholders to drive collaboration and best practices, but has limited leverage to influence state policies and institutional practices without new programs that are specifically structured toward this goal.
EXTERNAL STAKEHOLDERS
States, Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), Students and their Families, Businesses, Philanthropy, Not-for-profit Organizations, and other Federal Departments and Agencies.
