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Colleges across the United States are now placing most or all students directly into college-level courses and providing supplementary, aligned academic support alongside the courses, also known as "corequisite remediation." Developmental education reforms like corequisite remediation could advance racial and ethnic equity in postsecondary education by facilitating early academic progression. However, there is limited evidence available on differential impacts of corequisite models by race and ethnicity. To better understand the potential for differential impacts of English corequisites for Latinx students, this study leverages data from a randomized control trial across five large urban community colleges across Texas. We also utilize student survey data to develop a deeper understanding of how corequisites shape the experiences of Latinx students in their college-level English courses. Latinx students in our study colleges saw larger benefits from taking corequisite English than non-Latinx students in terms of gateway course completion. The survey findings suggest that corequisites provided an environment where Latinx students felt less academically overwhelmed and less bored relative to patterns observed for traditional DE course enrollees. However, Latinx students in corequisites also reported being less likely to participate in class discussions and ask questions relative to their non-Latinx peers.

Traditionally colleges have relied on standalone non-credit-bearing developmental education (DE) to support students academically and ensure readiness for college-level courses. As emerging evidence has raised concerns about the effectiveness of DE courses, colleges and states have been experimenting with approaches that place students into credit-bearing coursework more quickly. To better understand which types of students might be most likely to benefit from being placed into college-level math coursework, this study examines heterogeneity in the causal effects of placement into college-level courses using a regression discontinuity design and administrative data from the state of Texas. We focus on student characteristics that are related to academic preparation or might signal a student's likelihood of success or need for additional support and might therefore be factors considered for placement into college-level courses under "holistic advising" or "multiple measures" initiatives. We find heterogeneity in outcomes for many of the measures we examined. Students who declared an academic major designation, had bachelor's degree aspirations, tested below college readiness on multiple subjects, were designated as Limited English Proficiency (LEP), and/or were economically disadvantaged status were more likely to benefit from placement into college-level math. Part-time enrollment or being over the age of 21 were associated with reduced benefits from placement into college-level math. We do not find any heterogeneity in outcomes for our high school achievement measure, three or more years of math taken in high school. [This is the online version of an article published in "Research in Higher Education."]

Until recently, many colleges provided academic support to students by requiring students to complete one or more developmental education courses in a subject area before they could enroll in college-level coursework. Now colleges have been experimenting with new approaches that accelerate students into college courses, including corequisite remediation. Corequisite remediation requires that students who are identified as requiring additional academic support be placed immediately into a college course while receiving aligned academic support during that same semester. Research has shown that corequisite remediation has positive impacts on academic outcomes relative to the traditional approach of requiring students to take developmental education courses. However, little is known about how student experiences differ in corequisite remediation relative to developmental education courses. In this report, researchers use student survey and administrative data from a randomized control trial at five community colleges in Texas and qualitative data to examine contrasts in student experiences between college students who were assigned either to corequisite remediation or to standalone developmental education courses. Findings indicated that corequisites improved student experiences in many areas, including: early opportunities to gain momentum; intensity and compression of academic practice; rigor of coursework and expectations; alignment of academic remediation with college coursework; and opportunities for peer learning. Findings also indicated that corequisites reduced student exposure to stigma. Our measures of opportunities for student-centered learning and support for success skills indicated no differences or favored traditional developmental education.

This brief describes work done by RAND Education and Labor and the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor and documented in "Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio. Research Report. RR-A2484-1" [ED627835]. The brief discusses what states and institutions can do to: (1) support stackable credential development across fields and institutions; (2) improve the information students have on stackable credential programs; and (3) improve noncredit-to-credit stacking.

Federal, state, and local initiatives have encouraged education and training providers to build stackable credentials, a series of postsecondary credentials that can be earned over time and that build on each other to prepare individuals for different needs for knowledge and skills throughout a career. By offering flexible pathways that allow individuals to earn credentials incrementally and work as they earn credentials, stackable credentials can advance economic and educational opportunity for low-income individuals and other groups that have not been well served in traditional degree programs. However, there is limited evidence on whether low-income individuals are benefiting from stacking credentials and whether low-income individuals face systemic barriers to equity within stackable credential pipelines. In this report, the authors take a mixed methods approach to examining stackable credential equity in Colorado and Ohio, two states pursuing stackable credential initiatives. The authors analyzed administrative data to describe patterns in credential-stacking and in earnings for low-income individuals relative to middle- and high-income individuals. They identify four potential systemic barriers to equity within stackable credential pipelines and interview key stakeholders to learn more about factors contributing to these barriers and discuss options to ensure equitable opportunities to stack credentials across fields of study and institutions.

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. Without adequate mental health support, college students, including those at community colleges, may be at risk for a variety of academic and nonacademic consequences that negatively affect their overall well-being, including lower college completion rates, higher rates of substance use, and lower lifetime earning potential. This research brief describes a study examining eight community colleges from across the United States which found that, although the institutions did offer mental health services, most lacked a clear organizing framework for those efforts, and that financial challenges limited the support offered to students. The research also highlighted the importance of community college leaders explicitly prioritizing student mental health, as well as broad staff buy-in to the effort. [For the full report, "Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Community College Students. Research Report. RR-A2552-1," see ED627480.]

The United States faces an unprecedented mental health crisis, with youth and young adults at the center. Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly 50 percent of college students reported at least one mental health concern. The COVID-19 pandemic notably exacerbated these issues and underscored the urgent need to identify and implement ways to ameliorate the youth mental health crisis. In 2021, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine called on the field of higher education to address growing concerns about student mental health by identifying and elevating emerging and promising approaches that offer a more holistic way to support students' mental health. Serving as the main entry point for more than 40 percent of students seeking a postsecondary degree, community colleges represent a tremendous and untapped opportunity to better address mental health in the United States, particularly for students who have been traditionally underserved (e.g., students of color, first-generation students, and low-income students). However, community colleges have limited evidence and guidance to inform the implementation of multilevel, holistic approaches to support students with varying mental health needs. To address this knowledge gap, this report shares a descriptive study of eight community colleges at the forefront of implementing multilevel approaches (a combination of prevention, early intervention, and treatment services) to support student mental health, as well as key facilitators for and barriers to their success. [For "How Community Colleges Can Support Student Mental Health Needs. Research Brief. RB-A2552-1," see ED627489.]

A growing number of postsecondary institutions and systems have begun offering or scaling stackable credential programs. These structured education and training pathways--in fields such as health care, information technology, and manufacturing and engineering technology--provide individuals with opportunities to earn certificates, postsecondary credentials that require less time to complete than an associate's degree, typically between several weeks and a year of coursework and training to complete. These initial certificates provide individuals with immediate job possibilities. Stackable credential programs may be especially helpful for individuals from historically underserved communities. These programs offer greater flexibility to simultaneously navigate education, employment, family, and other responsibilities. Using administrative data from Colorado and Ohio, this study examined differences in credential stacking and labor market returns from stacking for low-income individuals versus middle- and high income individuals (combined). This report describes this study's approach, its key findings, and the implications of those findings. This report also describes work done by RAND Education and Labor and the Center for the Study of Higher and Postsecondary Education at the University of Michigan--Ann Arbor and documented in "Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals: Evidence from Colorado and Ohio. Research Report. RR-A2484-1" (ED627835).

In 2013, the NYC Leadership Academy (NYCLA) developed a leadership intervention--the Targeted Intensive School Support (TISS) program--in collaboration with the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) to support schools that were facing particular challenges. NYCLA asked the RAND Corporation to provide an independent evaluation of the program's implementation and effects, and those findings are detailed in this report. The TISS program consisted of five key components: (1) teaming and collaborative training in aligned preservice preparation programs for a principal and assistant principal (AP); (2) coplacement of a principal and AP into an NYC DOE school; (3) team-based coaching to support the principal and AP; (4) 328 hours of extended coaching over the first three years after placement; and (5) use of a diagnostic process to guide goal setting and coaching according to school needs. Implementation findings suggest that only two of the five key components were implemented with fidelity. A propensity weighting approach was used to compare schools with TISS principals to other schools with new principals trained through residency-based preservice programs who did not participate in TISS. Findings suggest no statistically significant differences between TISS schools and comparison schools on measures of student achievement, school culture, and principal retention. TISS schools underperformed relative to comparison schools on the measure of chronic student absenteeism. [Sponsored by NYC Leadership Academy through a subgrant from the U.S. Department of Education.]

"Stackable credential programs" are designed to make it easier for students to earn multiple postsecondary certificates or degrees in a field as they advance in their careers. To examine the stacking of credentials in Ohio and inform ongoing efforts to scale stackable credential programs, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the RAND Corporation formed a research partnership. In May 2020, RAND released "Stacking Educational Credentials in Ohio: Pathways Through Postsecondary Education in Health Care, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology," and Information Technology, a report that documented how students were moving through stackable credential pipelines in Ohio postsecondary institutions between 2005 and 2015. This toolkit is intended to be a companion document to that report, providing a how-to guide for practitioners who are overseeing stackable credential programs to identify issues in their stackable credential pipelines and make data-driven improvements. Using three stackable credential pipeline issues identified in the 2020 report--i.e., improving rates of stacking for Black students and adult learners, increasing stacking opportunities among students who earn a certificate at an Ohio Technical Center, and reducing excess credit hours--the toolkit illustrates how practitioners can use a four-step process to (1) take high-level statewide findings and collect additional evidence to explore these issues in their context, (2) narrow in on specific levers for change, (3) identify improvements and a framework for assessing them, and (4) carry out rapid cycles of improvement. [For "Stacking Educational Credentials in Ohio: Pathways through Postsecondary Education in Health Care, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, and Information Technology," see ED613709.]

Stackable credential programs--that is, programs that facilitate students' ability to earn multiple postsecondary certificates or degrees--have been a priority for Ohio, which has a long history of legislation, state and regional initiatives, and institution-led efforts to build more-effective pathways to address the needs of employers and students. To assess progress and inform ongoing efforts to scale stackable credentials, the Ohio Department of Higher Education and the RAND Corporation established a research partnership. In this report, RAND researchers examine students who earned postsecondary certificates in health care, manufacturing and engineering technology (MET), or information technology (IT) fields at Ohio institutions between the 2004-2005 and 2012-2013 academic years and went on to earn (or stack) additional educational credentials. The authors descriptively examine the completion of credentials over time, the types of students who are earning certificates and going on to stack credentials, the subfields and levels of credentials earned, the types of institutions students earned credentials from, and the credit accumulation and terms of enrollment for students earning different types of credentials. The findings indicate increased numbers of students earning certificates and stacking credentials in Ohio. Certificate-earners were diverse, but rates of stacking were lower for Black students and adult learners (i.e., ages 25 and older). Most of the students who stacked credentials had earned a degree within four years, and most stacked within the same field.

RAND partnered with Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and American Institutes for Research to support the state's developmental education reform efforts through a combination of continuous improvement support and analysis of statewide data on implementation. One of the reforms examined through the study was the state's recommendation that colleges should offer targeted academic support to students who tested at the lowest levels on the state placement exam (i.e., below the ninth-grade level) beginning in fall 2015. To support colleges, Texas policymakers offered resources and guidance in three areas: (1) new, detailed assessment scores that were developed to better identify students entering at the lowest levels of readiness; (2) course offerings and funding that allow colleges to offer concurrent academic support alongside entry-level courses; and (3) guidance and funding to support the referral of students into to adult and continuing education programs. In addition to describing these reform efforts and the students they targeted, this report provides findings from case studies and statewide survey data regarding how institutions responded to the state's recommendations and the challenges colleges faced. The report also highlights lessons learned for colleges in Texas and across the nation as they explore options for serving students who test at the lowest levels of readiness.

The earnings of individuals who participate in education and training after high school can provide information about the value of those credentials. This Perspective provides a review of the evidence on earnings gains associated with various types of postsecondary credentials, including college credit--bearing degrees and certificates, noncredit training and certificates, apprenticeships, and occupational credentials (i.e., licenses and certifications). The evidence suggests that most types of postsecondary credentials can lead to improved earnings, though longer-term credentials tend to be associated with higher returns, and credit-bearing credentials may offer higher returns than noncredit credentials. When individuals go on to earn additional credentials (or "stack credentials"), they can see additional earnings gains beyond those that they receive for the initial credential. There is wide variation in the returns to credentials across different fields. Returns to postsecondary credentials vary for individuals by demographic characteristics; women see larger gains across credentials, while racial and ethnic differences vary by credential types.

Instead of enrolling for four or more years to get a bachelor's degree, what if individuals could work their way toward a degree gradually? First, they would attend college or a trade school for six months or a year and earn a certificate that prepares them for an entry-level job in various fields. Then, they would pursue additional knowledge and skills at the time they need them to advance their careers, reenrolling in college to continue progress toward a second certificate or degree. This might allow these individuals to invest their time and tuition dollars more strategically, and they might come away with training that better fits their needs. This approach to education and training is often referred to as "stackable credentials." Stackable credentials are most common in fields that offer many "middle skill" jobs--those that require some postsecondary education and training below the bachelor's degree level--such as health care and information technology. Ohio has been a leader in scaling stackable credential programs. It established statewide agreements that require credits to be awarded for certain blocks of coursework that previously were not eligible for credit, and it increased the funding allocated to certificate programs. Have institutions changed the programs that they offer? Are students stacking credentials, and, when they do, are they seeing an increase in earnings? Researchers at the RAND Corporation and the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) established a multiyear partnership to answer these questions and others. To find the answers, the team examined the state's stackable credential offerings and student outcomes in three fields: health care, manufacturing and engineering technology (MET), and information technology (IT). This brief describes work in the reports "Stacking Educational Credentials in Ohio: Pathways Through Postsecondary Education in Health Care, Manufacturing and Engineering Technology, and Information Technology" (ED613709); "Making Improvements to Stackable Credential Pipelines: A Toolkit on Using Data to Drive Improvement in Ohio Postsecondary Institutions" (ED613757); and "Stackable Credential Pipelines in Ohio: Evidence on Programs and Earnings Outcomes" (ED613593).

This document provides the technical appendix that accompanies the study, "Student Experiences in English Corequisite Remediation versus a Standalone Developmental Education Course: Findings from an Experimental Study in Texas Community Colleges. Research Report. RR-A810-1" (ED612531). Between fall 2016 and fall 2018, the authors conducted an evaluation of English corequisite models in five Texas community colleges. Students were randomly assigned to corequisite remediation (a college-level English composition course paired with one to three hours of weekly academic support) or to a standalone developmental education course (an integrated reading and writing course that did not offer students transferrable credit). The authors collected student-level administrative and survey data to examine contrasts in experiences quantitatively, and we also gathered qualitative data to shed light on these experiences. In this technical appendix, the authors provide a description of the randomized control trial and the data sources that were used for the report to examine student experiences. They also provide more-detailed findings on the key measures from the student-level administrative and survey data and some of the results from the faculty survey to supplement the findings present in the report.

Individuals in the United States can pursue a variety of different types of postsecondary education credentials. This Perspective describes four common types: degrees, certificates, industry certifications and licenses, and apprenticeships. Bachelor's degrees are the most commonly awarded postsecondary credential in the United States (approximately two million each year), though at least one million each of associate degrees, graduate degrees, and certificates are also awarded annually. Programs such as apprenticeships and dislocated worker programs also provide training to hundreds of thousands of adults each year, and these programs often result in industry-recognized credentials. In national surveys, 47 percent of Americans report holding some type of degree, and approximately one-fifth report holding a license or certification. While those earning postsecondary credentials are diverse, disparities by race and ethnicity remain. White individuals are more likely to have earned bachelor's and graduate degrees and more likely to hold licenses and certifications relative to Black and Hispanic individuals. Women are slightly more likely to earn postsecondary education credentials of all types relative to men. [This research was conducted within the RAND Lowy Family Middle-Class Pathways Center.]

Stackable credential initiatives aim to build education and training pipelines in applied fields that allow individuals to earn educational certificates or other industry-recognized credentials and then build on these short-term credentials to earn additional certificates and degrees throughout their careers. Stackable credentials have the potential to provide more flexible education and training options for individuals and align better with employer needs. Stackable credentials are a priority for Ohio and a national trend in postsecondary institutions, yet little research has been conducted on whether institutions are scaling stackable programs, how students are stacking credentials, and whether these programs benefit individuals and employers. In this report, the authors examine Ohio's stackable credential pipelines in three fields--health care, manufacturing and engineering technology, and information technology--during the period between 2005 and 2019. They explore two areas: (1) growth in short-term education programs offered by Ohio public institutions and the degree to which programs incorporated features that characterize stackable credentials; and (2) earnings outcomes for certificate-earning students who went on to stack postsecondary education credentials. [For the technical appendix to this report, see ED613594.]

This final report presents findings from data collection and analysis conducted during a five-year study by the National Dropout Prevention Center (NDPC) at Clemson University, in conjunction with colleagues from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education (NRCCTE) at the University of Louisville. This project was one of three NRCCTE studies intended to increase knowledge about Perkins IV-defined Programs of Study (POS) and their development; how best to organize a POS to meet the needs of students, parents, schools, and the community; and the impact of POS on student outcomes. This study examined a statewide K-16 school reform act, the "Personal Pathways to Success Initiative," which was designed to focus on college and career readiness through a combination of high academic standards with career-focused education. The study's goals were to measure specific impact related to the state policy and the development of POS. This study examined the policy in its early implementation years and in the context of high school. The report begins with a summary of some of the relevant research on career-focused education, CTE reform, and counseling and guidance in CTE and programs of study. Then, it offers a brief overview of the South Carolina policy framework. The design of the study and the study sites are then described, followed by a discussion of statewide policy implementation and outcomes. The bulk of the report describes in detail observations across sample schools and contains five sections that focus on: (1) policy implementation and student outcomes, (2) evidence found at sample schools on programs of study and their influence on student outcomes, (3) possible relationships between the policy and development of programs of study, (4) the influence of local economic resources on both policy and programs of study implementation, and (5) school-level graduation rates and their relationships to policy or programs of study implementation. Next, there is a brief description of challenges the team faced in trying to "count" Perkins IV-type programs of study at sample schools. The final two sections summarize major findings and the key themes that emerged from these, as well as implications of study findings for further research, for practitioners, and for policymakers. "Resulting Papers and Presentations on Study Findings" can be found in Appendix C.

Single Stop U.S.A.'s Community College Initiative was designed to improve the well-being of low-income communities by connecting individuals to public benefits and other institutional and community resources to address nonacademic barriers to college completion. Through offices located on community college campuses, Single Stop provides students with a range of free services, including screenings and applications for public benefit programs; tax services, financial counseling, and legal services; and case management with referrals to a wide variety of resources and support programs across the institution and community. This report presents an evaluation of the Single Stop program and its impact on students' postsecondary outcomes. The authors examined the Single Stop program at four community college systems: Bunker Hill Community College, City University of New York, Delgado Community College, and Miami Dade College. The analysis indicates that use of Single Stop was associated with improved postsecondary outcomes. The findings suggest that access to alternative financial resources from government benefit programs alongside a network of institutional and community support programs can offer valuable support to college students. [This report supersedes ED570946.]

This large-scale effectiveness trial found a significant positive effect for high schools using Cognitive Tutor Algebra I (CTAI) in their second year of implementation, relative to similar schools that continued to use existing textbook-based algebra curricula. This positive result is important for educators and policymakers seeking ways to improve algebra achievement, and it is particularly notable because it was obtained in an effectiveness trial, in which a broad range of schools implemented the curriculum under normal conditions.

This is the final technical report from the National Research Center for Career and Technical Education's (NRCCTE's) five-year longitudinal study of South Carolina's Personal Pathway to Success initiative, which was authorized by the state's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) in 2005. NRCCTE-affiliated researchers at the National Dropout Prevention Center at Clemson University investigated the extent to which EEDA facilitated the creation of programs of study/career pathways and whether these programs led to improved student high school and postgraduation preparation and planning. The study followed two student cohorts from a sample of eight high schools from economically and culturally diverse regions of the state. To create a broader understanding of EEDA's influence on schools, teachers, students, and the creation of programs of study (POS), various quantitative and qualitative data were collected and analyzed. Quantitative data included student outcome and survey data from the Classes of 2009 and 2011 and survey data from guidance personnel. Overall, researchers found that EEDA was having some positive impacts, including increasing career-focused activities at all schools and enhancing roles for guidance personnel. Surprisingly, schools with more challenging economic situations were more likely to embrace and fully implement programs of study/career pathways than schools with more resources. Researchers found mixed or contradictory results on associations between the development of programs of study/career pathways and student outcomes. The full technical report includes two technical appendices and recommendations for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers interested in transforming CTE--and future iterations of Perkins--through sector strategy-responsive collaborations between secondary, postsecondary, and business and systemic reforms of state policies and practices. [For the executive summary, see ED574465. For Technical Appendix A: Implementation of the Education and Economic Development Act, see ED574467. For Technical Appendix B, see ED574466.]

This executive summary outlines key findings from the final technical report of a five-year study of South Carolina's Personal Pathways to Success Initiative, which was authorized by the state's Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA) in 2005. The Personal Pathways initiative is a K-16, career-focused school reform model intended to improve student achievement and preparedness for postsecondary education and high-skill, high-wage, and high-demand jobs. EEDA was designed to achieve these results through a focus on career awareness and exploration at all school levels and through the creation of locally relevant career pathways and programs of study (POS). The goals of EEDA are closely aligned with those of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006, otherwise known as Perkins IV, which allowed researchers to conduct an examination of the effects of the Perkins Act in the context of a highly supportive state policy. The study's goals were to measure specific impacts related to the state policy and the development of POS; the study examined the policy in its early implementation years and in the context of high school. [For the full technical report, see ED574462. For Technical Appendix A: Implementation of the Education and Economic Development Act, see ED574467. For Technical Appendix B, see ED574466.]

Single Stop U.S.A.'s Community College Initiative was designed to improve the well-being of low-income communities by connecting individuals to public benefits and other institutional and community resources to address nonacademic barriers to college completion. Through offices located on community college campuses, Single Stop provides students with a range of free services, including screenings and applications for public benefit programs; tax services, financial counseling, and legal services; and case management with referrals to a wide variety of resources and support programs across the institution and community. This report presents an evaluation of the Single Stop program and its impact on students' postsecondary outcomes. The authors examined the Single Stop program at four community college systems: Bunker Hill Community College, City University of New York, Delgado Community College, and Miami Dade College. The analysis indicates that use of Single Stop was associated with improved postsecondary outcomes. The findings suggest that access to alternative financial resources from government benefit programs alongside a network of institutional and community support programs can offer valuable support to college students.

Higher-education institutions in Texas are increasingly exploring innovative approaches to structuring and delivering degree programs. Several institutions have developed competency-based degree programs, which aim to offer new pathways for students to obtain postsecondary credentials and to reduce higher-education costs for students by focusing on mastery of competencies rather than on seat time. These programs often differ from traditional degree programs in a variety of ways; typically they include self-paced movement through courses, online course delivery, the exclusive reliance on assessments to demonstrate mastery of competencies, reorientation of faculty roles, enhanced student supports, and movement away from tuition structures that are tied to credit hours. This report aims to describe existing competency-based degrees and certificate programs in Texas; to summarize the national landscape for competency-based programs, including the perceived benefits and limitations; and to suggest some potential areas for focus as the state of Texas and higher-education institutions explore the possibility of further expanding these programs. While this report was specifically written for Texas state policymakers and administrators at institutions in Texas, it may be informative to policymakers and higher-education leaders across the nation. Interview protocols are appended and a list of abbreviations is included.

In May 2013, the Texas Legislature passed House Bill 1296, requiring a report on Texas's future workforce needs that would help inform decisions to develop or expand postsecondary education programs. Educators and policymakers in Texas and elsewhere have a wide variety of quantitative and qualitative workforce information available for planning degree and certificate programs in colleges and universities. Such information can serve at least three major purposes: (1) strategic review of program alignment at the state or institutional level; (2) a broader strategic scan of occupations and fields of study where new programs may be needed; and (3) institutional proposal development for the opening and closing of programs, and the subsequent review of these proposals by the state. To guide the use of these data resources and to respond to the legislative requirement, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board asked the RAND Corporation to describe current practices in using workforce information for degree program planning in Texas and elsewhere; analyze options for using workforce information and recommend promising practices; develop data tools, where feasible; and apply these tools and describe findings. One of the major tools the project develops is a matrix that allows convenient comparisons of occupational supply and demand at the state and regional levels. This report is the result of that project. Appended are: (1) Workforce Modeling Approaches; and (2) Computation of Standard Errors.

Technology literacy plays an important role in a child's ability to succeed in school and later life. Yet, despite rapid growth in society's use of digital technology, many children in low-income families in the United States are not able to access and use technology in the same ways as their more-advantaged peers. This means they have fewer opportunities to learn, explore, and communicate digitally, and fewer chances to develop the workforce skills they will need to succeed in later life. Early childhood education can play a valuable role in ensuring that low-income children can access technology and learn how to use it. However, there are a number of important issues that need to be addressed. This Perspective frames a discussion on these subjects by exploring the role of early childhood education in bridging the digital divide. We highlight five key questions that need to be considered in the discussion of integrating technology into early childhood education. Key findings include: (1) Early childhood education prepares children for school and provides an opportunity to address disparities; (2) Technology literacy opens the door to many of life's opportunities; (3) Technology can also open the door to new learning opportunities for young children; and (4) Supports are needed to realize the benefits of technology in ECE.

In 2009, the City of New Haven and New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) announced a sweeping K-12 educational reform, New Haven School Change. The district had three primary goals for School Change: (1) close the gap between the performance of NHPS students' and Connecticut students' averages on state tests, (2) cut the high school dropout rate in half, and (3) ensure that every graduating student has the academic ability and the financial resources to attend and succeed in college. Concurrent with School Change, in 2010 the City of New Haven partnered with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, NHPS, and Yale University to create New Haven Promise, a scholarship program that aims to improve the college-going culture in the city and postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates of NHPS graduates as a way to enhance the economic development of the city, attract more residents to New Haven, reduce crime and incarceration, and improve residents' quality of life. The 2010-2011 school year marked the first year of a staged implementation for both efforts. In June 2013, the New Haven Promise Board of Directors asked the RAND Corporation to conduct a study to document and describe baseline conditions and early progress of these programs. Researchers worked with state and district data and conducted interviews with Promise Scholars and parents to document early trends and possible areas for improvement. This volume contains the study's supporting appendixes: (1) School Learning Environment Survey Data and Methodology Description; (2) Comparing New Haven Public Schools with Similar Districts in Connecticut: Synthetic Control Group Approach; (3) Analysis of NHPS Student Educational Outcomes Over Time; (4) Focus Group Analytic Approach and Protocols; and (5) Analysis of New Haven City's Community Well-Being. [The Board of the New Haven Promise program sponsored this project. For the full report, "Transforming an Urban School System: Progress of New Haven School Change and New Haven Promise Education Reforms (2010-2013). Research Report," see ED561147; for the brief, "Transforming an Urban Public School District: Tracking the Progress of New Haven Public Schools' Educational Reforms and the New Haven Promise Scholarship Program. Brief," see ED561142.]

Many workforce-development needs, particularly those requiring baccalaureate degrees, remain unmet in some areas of Texas. Employers and students are calling for additional programs to develop workplace skills and to provide opportunities for career advancement. On May 22, 2013, the Texas Legislature approved a bill mandating a study on whether community college baccalaureate degree programs should be expanded in Texas. The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board asked the RAND Corporation to partner with the Texas Higher Education Policy Initiative to conduct the study. In this report, the authors assess unmet workforce-development needs in nursing and the applied sciences, assess the arguments for and against baccalaureate expansion, and recommend potential activities to support implementation of any new policies undertaken to expand community college baccalaureate programs. They find significant need for more baccalaureate nurses, although rapidly growing distance learning programs may be able to meet this need. The authors find varying needs for the four applied science occupations they examined: computer and information technology, management of fire sciences, management of production/operations technicians, and health information technology. While expanding community college baccalaureate degree programs could help meet unmet needs and increase degree attainment among students, there are concerns about costs, mission creep at community colleges, counterproductive competition between community colleges and universities, and a decline in the overall quality of a Texas baccalaureate. The authors discuss the inherent trade-offs that policymakers face in this regard. Interview Protocols and Survey are appended. [The research in this report was produced for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board by RAND Education, a unit of the RAND Corporation, and the Texas Higher Education Policy Initiative (HEPI).]

In 2009, the City of New Haven and New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) announced a sweeping K-12 educational reform, New Haven School Change. The district had three primary goals for School Change: (1) close the gap between the performance of NHPS students' and Connecticut students' averages on state tests, (2) cut the high school dropout rate in half, and (3) ensure that every graduating student has the academic ability and the financial resources to attend and succeed in college. Concurrent with School Change, the City of New Haven partnered with the Community Foundation for Greater New Haven, NHPS, and Yale University in 2010 to create New Haven Promise, a scholarship program that aims to improve the college-going culture in the city and postsecondary enrollment and graduation rates of NHPS graduates as a way to enhance the economic development of the city, attract more residents to New Haven, reduce crime and incarceration, and improve residents' quality of life. The 2010-2011 school year marked the first year of a staged implementation for both efforts. In June 2013, the New Haven Promise Board of Directors asked the RAND Corporation to conduct a study to document and describe baseline conditions and early progress of these programs. Researchers worked with state and district data and conducted interviews with Promise Scholars and parents to document early trends and possible areas for improvement. This report and its companion volume document the resulting study. [The Board of the New Haven Promise program sponsored this project. For the companion report, "Transforming an Urban School System: Progress of New Haven School Change and New Haven Promise Education Reforms (2010-2013). Technical Appendixes," see ED561149. For the brief, "Transforming an Urban Public School District: Tracking the Progress of New Haven Public Schools' Educational Reforms and the New Haven Promise Scholarship Program. Brief," see ED561142.]

New Haven Public Schools (NHPS) is an urban school district in Connecticut serving approximately 21,000 students in 46 schools, with nine high schools. Concerned that only about one-half of its students were meeting state proficiency standards in reading and math tests or graduating within four years of starting high school, NHPS and the City of New Haven set out to design and implement new measures to improve the school system with the hope of producing skilled, critical thinkers ready for careers and strengthening New Haven's economic development and sense of community. The School Change Initiative (School Change), announced in 2009 by the City of New Haven and NHPS, set out to eliminate the achievement gap, cut the high school dropout rate, and ensure that students are prepared for and financially able to attend and succeed in college. School Change's efforts are being implemented incrementally over five years, with the goal of having a fully established education reform in the 2015-2016 school year. This report takes a look at the progress so far in the education reform. Although it is too early in the programs' implementation to fully assess the impact, the preliminary analysis suggests that students are making progress on key indicators, while critical challenges remain. [For the full report, see ED561147; for the technical appendices, see ED561149.]