Library

Reports: Post-secondary education

Undermeasuring: College and Career Readiness Indicators May Not Reflect College and Career Outcomes
Alliance for Excellent Education, February 2023, 4 pp.
This report compares statewide college and career readiness rates with college enrollment and college remediation rates for a cohort of high school students for all 50 states and Washington, DC. This comparison shed light on racial disparities in readiness and enrollment rates, and gaps between post-secondary readiness and outcomes, some of which are related to how readiness is measured.   more info >

Toward Ending the Monolithic View of "Undererpresented Students:" Why Higher Education Must Account for Racial, Ethnic, and Economic Variations in Barriers to Equity
Western Interstate Commisssion for Higher Education, September 2022, 68 pp.
This report synthesizes commentary, research, and programmatic activity on how higher education has grappled with disaggregating and using student data to confront and close equity gaps for particular student populations in order to advance high-level evidence-based conversation about equity and learning in U.S. colleges and universities.   more info >

State of Black America
National Urban League, June 2022
Annual report presenting the National Urban League's Equality Index. Focuses on unemployment and income equality, but also includes measures of education, health, civic engagement, housing, transportation, and public safety for Hispanic, Black, and White populations. Includes metropolitan area rankings of unemployment and income equality. Requires a free registration to download full reports.   more info >

The Condition of Education 2022
National Center for Education Statistics, May 2022, 46 pp.
Annual report that summarizes trends in education. Indicators include educational attainment, earnings and unemployment rates by educational attainment, families living in poverty, early childhood education participation, English language learners, children and youth with disabilities, and postsecondary enrollment.   more info >

Midwestern Higher Education Compact: Annual Report to the Member States, 2020-2021
Midwest Higher Education Compact, February 2022, 10 pp.
Annual report including performance indicators for postsecondary education in Minnesota, North Dakota, and other midwestern states. Includes data on rates of enrollment, degree completion, and state investments in postsecondary education.   more info >

Why Expanded Student Supports Can Improve Community College Outcomes and Boost Skill Attainment
Brookings Institute, April 2021, 10 pp.
This brief explores the idea that expanded student supports might be the key to improving student outcomes at community colleges. A growing body of evidence showing that comprehensive student support programs lead to increased persistence and completion among low-income students at community colleges.   more info >

Evidence-Based Practices to Support College and Career Readiness in High School Early-College High School
American Institutes for Research, September 2019, 6 pp.
This brief is part of a series by the College and Career Readiness and Success Center highlighting evidence-based practices that promote college and career readiness in high schools.   more info >

Lessons for Employer-School Partnerships to Provide Meaningful Youth Employment Opportunities
Child Trends, June 2019, 6 pp.
Examines an initiative to promote career- and college-readiness among high school students and improve student outcomes. This brief focuses on lessons learned in providing students with real work experiences and exploring the role that employer partners play in implementation.   more info >

State of the Heartland: Factbook 2018
Brookings Institute, November 2018, 110 pp.
This report benchmarks the performance of the 19-state American “Heartland” on 26 socioeconomic measures and is intended to help Heartland leaders and citizens better comprehend the region’s current trajectory at a time of rapid economic and social change.   more info >

Stepping on the Gas: Community Colleges as Engines of Economic Mobility
Urban Institute, U.S. Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, February 2018, 25 pp.
This paper examines the role community colleges play in enhancing the upward mobility of their students. The study looks barriers as well as specific solutions to improve academic and economic outcomes for community college students.   more info >

Race for Results: Building a Path to Opportunity for All Children
The Annie E. Casey Foundation, October 2017, 52 pp.
Presents the Race for Results Index, a collection of data presented by racial and ethnic groups and by state. Indicators address early childhood, academic achievement, teen parenting, higher education, and family characteristics.   more info >

Boosting College Success Among Men of Color: Promising Approaches and Next Steps
MDRC, December 2016, 12 pp.
This brief catalogues strategies commonly used in interventions at post-secondary educational institutions aimed at improving outcomes for male students of color and charts the way forward for future evaluative work.   more info >

America's Young Adults: Special Issue, 2014
Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, July 2014, 100 pp.
Detailed report that provides data on young adults, ages 18-24. Includes demographic characteristics, living situation, and overall well-being.   more info >

The Rising Cost of Not Going to College
Pew Research Center, February 2014, 65 pp.
Presents results from a survey and study comparing college graduates to those with less education. The study found that young college graduates are outperforming their peers with less education on a number of economic and career attainment measures.   more info >

Predictors of Postsecondary Success
College and Career Readiness and Success Center, November 2013, 16 pp.
Identifies student skills, behaviors, and other characteristics that predict future academic and workplace success.   more info >

Beyond Completion: Enabling Governors to Evaluate the Outcomes of Postsecondary Education
National Governors Association, September 2013, 8 pp.
Suggestions for more advanced measures to use when evaluating a state's postsecondary education system.   more info >

What Does It Really Mean to Be College and Work Ready? The Mathematics and English Literacy Required of First Year Community College Students
National Center on Education and the Economy, May 2013, 24 pp.
A study of the English and math required for success in the first year of community college.   more info >

Eduployment: Creating Opportunity Policies for America's Youth
Youth Transition Funders Group, April 2013, 16 pp.
This paper introduces the concept of "eduployment," a term recognizing learning and work are inextricably linked and opportunity policies for youth must prepare young people for postsecondary success, rather than the outmoded college or career.   more info >

Women in America: Indicators of Social and Economic Well-being
U.S. Department of Commerce Economics and Statistics Administration, March 2011, 97 pp.
This report provides a statistical picture of women in America in five critical areas: demographic and family changes, education, employment, health, and crime and violence.   more info >

Web sites

Education Commission of the States
Educational information covering early learning, K-12, and postsecondary. The issue sites include summaries of the facts, what states are doing, programs and practice, and sources of additional information on topics such as school readiness, assessment, at-risk students, charter schools, child abuse, educational attainment, mentoring, teaching, and many more.   more info >

ERIC Database (Education Resources Information Center)
Database of education research.   more info >

Jobs for the Future
Research on the educational and economic advancement of youth and adults.   more info >

MDRC
A social policy research organization that works to improve the well-being of low-income people. Many reports are available on-line.   more info >

Prosperity Now Scorecard
Ranks the 50 states and the District of Columbia on performance measures in the areas of Financial Security, Business Development, Homeownership, Health Care and Education.   more info >

Make a recommendation

Have you read a recently published report or discovered a useful web site on this topic? Let us know and we will add it to our collection.

North Dakota Compass

Center for Social Research
North Dakota State University

Compass created by:
Wilder Research

© 2024. All rights reserved.