Research Round-up: Postsecondary Edition

Creating a Data-informed Campus Culture: The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the need for a new, innovative shift to a data-informed campus culture, according to a new report from the Institute of Higher Education Policy. According to the authors, the way to overcome some of challenges brought on by the pandemic is to create and strengthen a culture of data usage to support students most in need of social mobility and economic security, especially student groups that have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic--Black, Latinx, Indigenous, Asian American and Pacific Islander students and low-income students. The report provides multiple approaches to create a data culture, which were created from interviews of institutional experts on developing data-informed interventions that close gaps in access and completion.  

Survey Results on COVID-19 Impacting Community College Students’ Plans: The Center for Community College Student Engagement surveyed students entering community college to understand the impact of the pandemic on learners’ postsecondary decisions. The results from the survey show that some student groups were impacted more greatly than others, however, most students' plans about the postsecondary institution they attended, whether they attended part-time or full-time, and their chosen pathway of study, did not change due to COVID-19.  

Examining the Needs of Community College Students: The Community College Academic and Student Support Ecosystems project examined academic and student support services at associate degree granting postsecondary institutions to find the most effective ways to advance student success. The project shed light on new organizational strategies colleges are employing to align supports with student needs, challenges and success factors in connecting students with appropriate resources, the impact of COVID-19 on student support needs and service provision, as well as additional considerations.  

Analyzing Why Men Stopped Out of Community Colleges: As part of a larger series examining the reasons for the steep decline in enrollment at community colleges during the pandemic, New America released a recent report on why men decided against going to community college during the pandemic. Some of the key findings include: 

• Men were more likely than women to be worried about taking an in-person class, less likely to take an online class, and had more issues with unreliable internet access. 
• Men in computer and information science and manufacturing and construction programs were more likely than women to dropout. 
• A higher percentage of men of color respondents were more likely than white men to cite work as the reason for stopping out of school and felt that the pandemic more negatively impacted their career choice, and they had a higher response rate of not wanting to taking online classes.

Research on Increasing Community College Enrollment: Community college enrollment has drastically declined. However, the percentage of work-age adults, 25- to 64-year-olds, who intend to enroll within the next two years has not declined; therefore, continuing to invest in community colleges to help provide resources for these potential learners will provide a pathway toward economic mobility, according to a new report from Strada. The report provides overall data on enrollment trends, best practices for encouraging learners to move from intending to apply to enrolling in a community college, and strategies for implementing solutions for enrollment, completion and careers. Spotlights from Florida, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina and Texas are also provided for an in-depth look at state specific data and potential solutions to increase community college enrollment. 

Understanding Community College Enrollment Trends: New America conducted interviews with postsecondary leaders from 20 community colleges to understand the effects of the pandemic on enrollment. From their interviews, the researchers found four main takeaways: 

• Community college enrollment has declined across the country. 
• Declining enrollment varies depending on the student group such as differing patterns in enrollment by age. 
• Decline in programs varied among colleges, such as some schools were seeing declines in academic programs while CTE programs remained steady. 
• Meeting students' basic needs—food, shelter, internet, technology—is a shared challenge among the colleges. 

Families Want More Alternatives for Postsecondary Education: 46% of parents want their children to have alternatives to four-year college, according to new survey results from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and Gallup. Though many parents still hope their child will receive a bachelors degree, many are interested in skills and work-based learning opportunities such as apprenticeships and internships. According to the researchers, the barriers to alternative postsecondary paths include lack of information about available programs or local access to a desired program. These can be overcome by providing better guidance to students as they consider next steps after graduating high school, and creating a seamless pathway between high school and postsecondary education and to the students’ first job.