Education Policy Commons^™

Four Year Reflection: Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (Stamp), Benjamin Boer, Rouzbeh Rahai

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This data brief presents a four-year cumulative reflection on the Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways (STAMP) initiative, tracking student participation, industry credential attainment, and projected long-term economic impacts across 19 participating Illinois school districts. Authored by Rouzbeh Rahai and Benjamin Boer of the Education Systems Center at Northern Illinois University (EdSystems) in partnership with the Illinois Manufacturers' Association (IMA) Foundation, the report examines student-level data from 10,424 unique participants. Findings highlight that students with high economic needs out-attain their peers—representing 69% of credential earners—and that earned credentials account for $57.8 million in potential additional lifetime earnings.

Average Earnings Of Undergraduate Certificate Graduates In The Mountain West, 2024, Devin Streuter, Kahlen Coss, Kevin Yang, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data on the average earnings of undergraduate certificate program graduates in 2024 dollars compared to the average earnings of high school (HS) graduates in five Mountain West states: Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The fact sheet reports information on the number of undergraduate certificate programs, number of graduates, the most popular certificate programs, and earnings premiums for each state. Published by Open Campus in collaboration with The Higher Education Analytics (HEA) Group, the fact sheet reports data originally published through the “Certificate Earnings Explorer."

Illinois Model Programs Of Study: Overview Guide (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Digital Technology (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Education (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Illinois Model Programs Of Study Guide: Physical Health (Draft For Public Comment), Education Systems Center

Practitioner Toolkits and Resources

This draft is available for public comment through September 30, 2026. Share your public comment at:

https://forms.gle/VDKeCdf5HycEerMr7

Unpacking Treatment Effect Heterogeneity In A Large-Scale Dropout Prevention Experiment, Thomas Dee, Chloe R. Gibbs, Rebecca Margolit-Chan, Lillian Morrell, James X. Sullivan

Upjohn Institute Working Papers

Timely high school completion is a critical step in successful transitions to post-secondary schooling and the labor market. This randomized controlled trial, deployed in two urban, disadvantaged school districts, tests the effectiveness of a mature and comprehensive student-support program on an unusually large scale (n=2,528). While overall effects on graduation rates are small and statistically insignificant, exploratory analyses reveal notable variation by site and over time, mirroring heterogeneity in treatment timing and program implementation. These findings highlight the challenges of scaling interventions and raise concerns about generalizing results from small-scale, single-site evaluations.

20 Years Of The Kalamazoo Promise: A Visual Guide To Selected Highlights, Kathleen Bolter

Reports

No abstract provided.

System Leadership For Sdg-Aligned Research Security In Ireland, Seán Lacey

Publications

What is new?

Research security has rapidly emerged as a priority in research governance across Europe and internationally. However, discussions frequently frame research security primarily in terms of national security or geopolitical risk, with limited attention to how security measures intersect with sustainable development objectives. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the relationship between research security and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using the emerging Irish research security framework as an illustrative context. It argues that research security and sustainable development are not inherently in conflict; however, aligning them requires coordinated system leadership to ensure that security measures protect …

The Unintended Consequences Of International Student Shortage: Evidence From South Korea, Chung-Yoon Choi, Syngjoo Choi, Seonghoon Kim, Jongkwan Lee

Research Collection School Of Economics

We study the role of international students in the higher education sector and the local economy by exploiting a policy reform in South Korea that restricted the admission of foreign students to local universities. By comparing the pre- and post-reform differences across universities with different pre-reform shares of international student enrollment, we show that an international student shortage resulting from this policy reform significantly worsened the financial outcomes of universities and consequently led to reduced investment in their students. We also document that a reduction in the number of international students in local areas decreased native employment, mainly in low-skilled …

Bearcat Advantage: Year Two Evaluation Report, Michelle Miller-Adams, Kyle Huisman, Bridget Timmeney, Kevin Hollenbeck

Reports

No abstract provided.

Degrees And Certificates Awarded To Native American Students In Nevada, 2010-2022, Devin Streuter, Kevin Yang, Caitlin J. Saladino, William E. Brown Jr.

Higher Education

This fact sheet presents data on certificates and degrees awarded to Native Americans from the Nevada System of Higher Education’s (NSHE) teaching institutions —College of Southern Nevada (CSN), Great Basin College (GBC), Nevada State University (NSU), Truckee Meadows Community College (TMCC), University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), and Western Nevada College (WNC)— from 2010 to 2022. Additionally, the fact sheet reports data on degree type, gender, and the most common majors pursued by Native American certificate and degree earners in Nevada. The data are derived from the Nevada P-20 Workforce Research (NPWR) Data System.

Big Fish Or Little Pond? National Evidence On The Relationship Between Transferring And Athletic Performance Within Division I Men's College Basketball, Kendall Cole, Francis A. Pearman Ii, Saurabh Khanna

Journal of Issues in Intercollegiate Athletics

Beginning with the introduction of the transfer portal in 2018, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has made several policy changes that have made transferring both easier and more desirable among student athletes, particularly in Division I (DI) revenue-generating sports. Yet, little is known about the relationship between transferring and student athletes’ athletic performance. Using individual- and team-level data on all DI men’s college basketball student athletes from the 2018-19 season through the 2023-24 season, we examine the relationship between transferring and athletic performance, specifically one’s points per game, minutes per game, and number of games started per season. Results …

Higher Education Institutions In U.S. Blockchain Innovation Governance Documents, Clarissa Terracciano

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Blockchain technologies have attracted growing attention as an evolution of digital recordkeeping, prompting interest in higher education governance, credentialing, and data management. Yet, no systematic analysis exists on how U.S. government blockchain documents define institutional roles and governance authority within higher education institutions. As the national blockchain innovation system expands through governance infrastructure, the inclusion of higher education institutions as governing actors is imperative for coherent and equitable deployment. This qualitative study examines what roles the U.S. government blockchain documents assign to higher education institutions within the national blockchain innovation system.

Using innovation systems theory, particularly the triple-helix model of …

Making Data Usable For Schools And Colleges: The Regional Data Collaboratives Approach, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This white paper outlines a strategic initiative by the Education Systems Center (EdSystems) to establish regional data collaboratives that improve how schools and colleges use information. Unlike traditional top-down accountability models, these collaboratives focus on longitudinal data sharing to help administrators understand student transitions from ninth grade through postsecondary completion and into the workforce. The framework relies on four core competencies: legal data agreements, secure management, linking analytics, and meaningful presentation of results. By examining factors like dual credit, pathway participation, and 9th-grade performance, these partnerships aim to identify and eliminate educational inequities. Ultimately, the initiative seeks to create a …

Solving Affordability Challenges In Education, Housing And Childcare, Brad J. Hershbein, Michelle Miller-Adams, Brian J. Asquith, Chloe R. Gibbs

Presentations

These three presentations emphasize that affordability challenges across education, housing, and childcare stem from structural market and policy frictions, and that effective solutions require coordinated public investment, simplified systems, and attention to both supply and demand. The first presentation argues that while college tuition growth has slowed and aid has increased, affordability challenges persist due to complexity, misperceptions, and uneven costs, and it advocates for simple tuition-free programs combined with investments in advising, streamlined pathways, and stronger school-to-work connections. The second presentation highlights a growing housing affordability crisis in the Rust Belt driven by aging housing stock and limited supply, …

Gme As A Healthcare And Economic Driver In Southern Nevada, Tripp Umbach

Policy Briefs and Reports

In early 2025, the Nevada Health and Bioscience Corporation (NHBC) commissioned Tripp Umbach to conduct a comprehensive study examining the current state and future expansion of physician training and retention in Southern Nevada. The approach recommended in this report is rooted in strategic partnerships among medical institutions, proven funding approaches, and needed policy changes. Tripp Umbach, a nationally renowned private consultancy specializing in medical education expansion strategies, reviewed data, conducted interviews, and developed recommendations to expand GME, highlighting its profound economic impact in Southern Nevada.

One Faculty, One Mission: A Unified Faculty Model For California Community Colleges, Debbie Klein

Journal of Collective Bargaining in the Academy

This article advances a unified, non-tiered faculty model as essential to fulfilling the mission of the California Community Colleges (CCC) system. Although the system is charged with realizing open access and educational equity, nearly 70% of faculty serve in part-time or contingent roles—often without proportional compensation, institutional stability, or meaningful participation in governance. Drawing on research demonstrating that faculty working conditions shape student learning conditions, the article argues that structural employment inequities undermine the system’s democratic promise. Situating the proposal within national “One Faculty” efforts and recent legislative attention to pay parity in California, it demonstrates that reform is both …

Considering Moderating Forces As A Critical Lens For Understanding The Internationalization Of Higher Education, Jonah M. Otto

Critical Internationalization Studies Review

No abstract provided.

Understanding And Evaluating The Impact Of Pathway Programs, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

A brief by Educatoin Systems Center (EdSystems) on the outcomes and lessons learned from the data collection processes and analysis for the Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative, including an overview of the scaling of IT college and career pathways in the participating school districts, an understanding of the “milestones” that students meet prior to graduation, and how these milestones can be used to evaluate the program and assess longer-term outcomes. Additionally, the summary explores the challenges faced in collecting data and how EdSystems is adapting its data collection and analysis approach to improve understanding and evaluation of …

The Impact Of The Accelerated Model Pathways For Information Technology (Amp-It) Initiative, Meagan Mitchell Phd

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This report from Education Systems Center details the impact and strategic outcomes of the Accelerated Model Pathways for Information Technology (AMP-IT) initiative. Launched to strengthen Illinois' IT talent pipeline, the initiative focuses on expanding dual credit coursework, work-based learning, and strategic partnerships between school districts, higher education, and industry.

The Hypocrisy Of The Wizards—A Proposal To Correct Incentives In Higher Education Loan Financing, Caden Benedict

School of Public Policy Capstones

This paper explores the origins of the student loan debt crisis and proposes tying university incentives to graduates' repayment plans and disclosing median earnings for degrees before students apply. Specifically, while there are numerous factors explaining why the price of education has increased dramatically since the 1970s, this paper proposes solutions that will specifically target university moral hazards by requiring universities fund: (1) the current subsidies to federal student loan repayments under income-driven plans as the House of Representatives intended before the Senate removed "risk-sharing," and (2) bankruptcy law discharge amounts. Moreover, requiring universities to disclose the median earnings of …

Beyond The Tour: Designing Graduate Library Orientations That Build Research Confidence And Belonging, Megan York

Transforming Libraries for Graduate Students

Graduate student orientations often lean heavily on logistics: where to find resources, how to log in, and which services the library offers. While this information is important, it rarely addresses the deeper needs of graduate learners. Many of the students I work with arrive on campus already balancing careers, families, and demanding academic programs. At the University of Arkansas, graduate orientations in the College of Education and Health Professions frequently take place on weekends, serving students who travel from out of state and receive an overwhelming amount of information in a short time. For them, orientation is not simply a …

Flex, Pivot, Sustain: Adaptive Design Of Promise Programs, Michelle Miller-Adams, Jennifer Iriti

Reports

The design of a Promise program or place-based college scholarship requires community partners to make three key decisions: 1) Which students are eligible, 2) Where can students use the scholarship?, and 3) How should the scholarship be structured? Changes in available funding may affect all three decisions. This practice brief, developed in conjunction with the Kresge Foundation, lays out key principles for redesigning Promise programs when available funding changes, providing three case study examples to illustrate how program officials navigated redesign choices.

Religious Higher Education Institutions In Ukraine: The Evolution Of The Problem And The Collision Of The "Secular–Religious" Dichotomy, Serhii Kostiuchkov, Vadym Slyusar, Lesya Chervona, Mykola Slyusar

Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe

The article is devoted to institutional, legislative, philosophical and communicative analysis of the activities of religious higher education institutions in modern Ukraine, taking into account political, social, legal, religious and communicative contexts. The authors examine the demand for religious education in modern Ukraine, which demonstrates high internal dynamics and promising prospects for the development of the domestic religious educational space. It is emphasised that the functioning of religious higher education institutions in Ukraine is regulated by the principle of constitutional separation of education from religion, while at the same time basic legal norms create specific conditions for the functioning of …

Submission To The Decadal Plan For Australian Education Research Consultation Paper, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Shaping educational policy

This submission to the Decadal Plan for Australian Education Research Consultation Paper recognises a critical role for education research is to equip educators, leaders and systems with robust information, tools and practices to confidently inform decision-making about teaching, learning, and leadership. The submission highglights the importance of First Nations-led research, and an inclusion mindset for education research and AI as a tool for learning as key to justice, quality and equity for all. ACER understands that the field of education is highly interconnected and draws on evidence from multiple disciplines; it follows that collaboration in education research is the key …

Linking Illinois High School To College Data And Beyond, Benjamin Boer

Reports, Analyses, and other Publications

This brief examines the challenges and opportunities in linking high school, postsecondary, and workforce data in Illinois. Despite significant investments in education pathways, career programs, and dual credit initiatives, there is no central source of data showing whether Illinois high school graduates are enrolling in college, persisting through their programs, and securing quality employment. The brief explores why data linking is technically and structurally challenging, reviews existing efforts at state and national levels, and provides specific recommendations for improving data infrastructure. Using the STAMP (Scaling Transformative Advanced Manufacturing Pathways) program as a case study, the authors demonstrate how linked data …

Examining Alumni Engagement Policies Among R1 Universities: A Comparative Analysis Of Best Practices, Howayda Ackleh

Doctoral Dissertations

This study explores the need to update policies and enhance practices for alumni engagement in higher education institutions. Current alumni strategic plans require evaluation and refinement, while new approaches must be developed to strengthen alumni involvement. By analyzing the challenges institutions face in maintaining alumni connections, this review seeks to identify gaps and establish effective best practices. By examining the questions, how do alumni associations at select public R1 institutions apply Utilization-Focused Evaluation (UFE) principles to assess and improve their alumni engagement strategies, and how does this impact their alignment with institutional goals and objectives? This study aims to evaluate …

Grant-O-Thon: A Designathon-Informed Grant Writing Program To Enhance Research Grant Writing Skills In Low- And Middle-Income Countries, Yusha Tao, Gifty Marley, Lauren Fidelak, Bin Yu, Yusuf Babatunde, Anita N. Walker, Anthony A. Attama, Andrea L. Conroy, Esther K. Afolabi, Dimitrios N. Vatakis, Iheanyi Omezuruike Okonko, Shyngle K. Balogun, Hongyun Fu, Xin Peng, Ijeoma M. Ifeorah, Patience Kukundakwe, Alexandra Cossio, Ifeoma M. Obionu, Ángela Patricia Beltrán López, Matthew Idowu Olatubi, Ucheoma C. Nwaozuru, Yuanyi Chen, Huachun Zou, Eneyi E. Kpokiri, Daniil Wu, Oliver Ezechi, Juliet Iwelunmor, Meredith Labarda, Jason J. Ong, Weiming Tang, Joseph D. Tucker

Department of Pediatrics Faculty Publications

Problem

Early career researchers in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) face substantial barriers when writing research grants and have limited writing support. A designathon approach was applied to organize a grant writing workshop (grant-o-thon) tailored for early-career LMIC researchers. This study describes the planning, implementation, and participant-reported outcomes of the grant-o-thon as a participatory training approach.

Approach

Grant-o-thons were organized in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Consistent with the designathon model, the grant-o-thon was structured in three stages: preparation using co-creation with end-users, intensive collaborative teamwork supported by mentor feedback and weekly writing deliverables, and structured follow-up. Each grant-o-thon consisted of …

From Deference To Dialogue: How International Gtas From High Power Distance Cultures Adapt To U.S. Classroom Dynamics, Deborah Akua Afi Appiah

Theses and Dissertations

International graduate teaching assistants (GTAs) from high power distance cultures play a significant role in undergraduate education at U.S. universities, yet they face challenges that go well beyond language proficiency. Coming from educational backgrounds where teacher authority is unquestioned and hierarchical, these GTAs must navigate American classrooms that operate on fundamentally different assumptions, where authority is earned rather than assumed, informality is the norm, and students expect to question, negotiate, and be personally known by their instructors. The present study examined how eighteen (18) international GTAs from seven (7) high power distance countries perceived and adapted to these differences while …