Research, Policy & Evaluation: Complex Intersections: Navigating the Waters of Policy, Research and Practices to Best Serve Underrepresented Students

Complex Intersections: Navigating the Waters of Policy, Research, and Practice to Best Serve Underrepresented Students NPEA April 2010 PRESENTED BY The Institute for Higher Education Policy Lorelle Espinosa, Ph.D. Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives Institute for Higher Education Policy Anne Bowles, M.A. Policy and Outreach Associate Institute for Higher Education Policy

About IHEP
Independent, non-profit organization whose mission is to increase college access and success in postsecondary education around the world through unique research and innovative programs
Committed to equal opportunity for ALL, with a special emphasis on historically underrepresented populations, such as low-income, minority, and first-generation college students
Primary audiences for IHEP are those who make or inform decisions about education: policymakers, senior institutional leaders, researchers, funders, private sector leaders, and the media
Key activities include policy research reports and studies, seminars and convenings, network- and capacity- building efforts, as an intermediary for various organizations, and presentations

About the Pathways to College Network
Alliance of nearly 30 national organizations that advances college opportunity for underserved students by raising public awareness, supporting innovative research, and promoting evidence-based policies and practices across the K-12 and higher education sectors
Pathways promotes the use of research that is both rigorous and actionable, and the alignment of efforts across middle school, high school, and higher education in order to promote college access and success for underserved students
Primary audiences for Pathways are researchers, policymakers, and practitioners at the secondary and post-secondary levels
Key activities include research-based publications, network convenings, e- newsletter, issue briefs, online tools and resources, and presentations

Intersections Policy Research and Evaluation Federal Policy State Policy Institutional Policy and Practice Programmatic Activities

Higher Education Policy Environment PRESENTED BY Institute for Higher Education Policy

Student Aid Bill What’s In / What’s Out Chronicle of Higher Education with modifications What’s In What’s Out Automatic annual increase in maximum Pell Grant, by rate of inflation Automatic annual increase in maximum Pell Grant, by rate of inflation plus one percentage point $2-billion for community-college grant program to improve educational and career-training programs $10-billion for community-college grants $750-million for College Access Challenge Grants $3-billion for College Access and Innovation Fund $2.55-billion for historically black colleges and minority-serving institutions Expansion of Perkins Loan program, from $1-billion per year to $6-billion $1.5-billion to increase income-based repayment benefits for student-loan borrowers

Pell Grants
Adds $36 Billion for Pell Grants
Appropriation for Pell Grant Shortfall: The bill appropriates $13.5 billion to fund projected short-falls in Pell appropriation levels through fiscal year (FY) 2012.
Mandatory Pell Add-Ons
Pell Grant maximums in future years would be changed to reflect an appropriated base with a mandatory add-on. From 2014-15 through 2017-18, increases to the mandatory add-on would be based on estimated changes to the consumer price index (CPI). The add-ons would be calculated as follows.
For 2012-13 , the bill reduces the previous mandatory add-on from $1090 to $690 (the $690 add-on is maintained for 2010-11 and 2011-12).
For 2013-14 , the bill establishes a mandatory add-on equal to:
[Greater of $5550 or prior year's maximum (i.e., total of appropriated amount + mandatory add-on)] minus [Greater of $4860 or prior year's appropriated maximum, rounded to the nearest $5, with a minimum add-on of $690].

Loans
Income-Based Repayment (IBR): Beginning on July 1, 2014, new borrowers will qualify for IBR if the borrower's standard repayment exceeds 10% of discretionary income and the income-based repayment amount is lowered to 10 percent of the borrower's discretionary income. Loan forgiveness occurs after 20 years of repayment.
Elimination of the Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFELP): No new Stafford, PLUS, or consolidation loans may be disbursed through the FFEL program after June 30, 2010.
Assistance to Institutions Participating in the DL Program: The Secretary is required to provide technical assistance to institutions of higher education participating or seeking to participate in the Direct Loan Program and is given $50 million for fiscal year (FY) 2010 in funding to provide such assistance.

Access & Success Initiatives
College Access Challenge Grant Program : Funding for the program is increased annually from FY 2010 through FY 2014.
Community Colleges : Appropriates $500 Million a year for fiscal years 2010 through 2014 in the Community College and Career Training Grant program for community colleges to develop and improve educational or career training programs. Ensures that each state receives at least 0.5 percent of the total funds appropriated.

Pathways to College Network
Pathways can serve as a resource
Online libraries
Online tools
e-newsletter
Issue briefs
Presentations
Access to broad network of partner organizations working in the college access and success space

Points of Intersection
Research that informs federal policy: GEAR UP
Research that informs state policy: Dual-enrollment programs and early college high schools
Research that informs practice: College Goal Sunday
Practice that informs research: Private loan phenomenon
Practitioners are on the front line of identifying the next big research and policy issue (e.g. longer learning days)

Key Takeaways
In the ‘evidence-based’ era, practitioners are wise to use research to inform practice
Use data to demonstrate the effectiveness of your program and to drive the research questions
Research findings can in turn influence both practice and policy
There are gaps in the continuum: Call to action

Small Group Discussion
How have you made use of research in your work? (e.g. to inform proposals, programming, etc.)
Where/how do you access research?
Have you seen research inform policy in your program, school, or state?
What day-to-day challenges could be served by research?
How can you and your colleagues (i.e. practice) better inform research and policy?
How can Pathways help close the gaps?

Contact Information
Lorelle Espinosa, Ph.D.
Director of Policy and Strategic Initiatives
Institute for Higher Education Policy
[email_address]
Anne Bowles, M.A.
Policy and Outreach Associate
Institute for Higher Education Policy
[email_address]
IHEP website: www.ihep.org
Pathways website: www.pathwaystocollege.net

Research, Policy & Evaluation: Complex Intersections: Navigating the Waters of Policy, Research and Practices to Best Serve Underrepresented Students

by Marissa Lowman on Apr 12, 2010

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Research, Policy & Evaluation: Complex Intersections: Navigating the Waters of Policy, Research and Practices to Best Serve Underrepresented Students — Presentation Transcript