Multiple Pathways and State Policy: Toward Education and Training Beyond High School.

This paper discusses the policy dimensions to increase the nation's educational capital by providing at least two years of education beyond high school for almost every young and working-age adult who is motivated and able to benefit. It focuses on creating multiple pathways resulting from collaborative efforts across educational sectors or redesigned structures. Section 1 describes the economic and social imperatives for significantly increasing higher education access and attainment in the population. Section 2 addresses public policy challenges to achieving this goal. Section 3 identifies the elements of the public policy infrastructure needed for large-scale educational reform, with particular attention to accountability systems and finance and governance changes. It suggests these three characteristics to make state-level accountability more effective: provide a diagnosis, monitor progress, and use information for improvement. Examples are provided of successful governance and decision making initiatives and of allocation and reallocation of resources. The final section makes observations on the political challenges that must be addressed to extend access to postsecondary education to all. (Contains 16 references.) (YLB)