Policy News & Updates
National News
State Policy Priorities, Accomplishments, and Plans, 2007-08 Program Year
These materials were distributed at the February 2008 Achieving the Dream state policy meeting in Atlanta. They summarize the work of the 15 state policy teams as they try to advance policy agendas in their states that are supportive of community college student success. The documents are:
A National Unit Record Data System: State Experience Can Strengthen this Proposal: Pat Windham of the Florida Community Colleges and Workforce Education, Chad Wick of KnowledgeWorks Foundation (OH), and Keith Brown of the North Carolina Community College System submitted testimony to the Secretary's Commision on the Future of Higher Education on August 6, 2006. In their testimony, they said, "We believe that a well-designed and implemented national system can generate more complete and useful data on outcomes for more postsecondary students than the current IPEDAchieving the Dream: Trends in State PolicyS system or the existing patchwork of fragmented, incomplete, and incompatible state-by-state unit record systems-and that this can be done while protecting individual student's confidentiality." Read the Statement to The Secretary's Commission on the Future of Higher Education. 
Testimony on Using Student Outcome Data to Improve Retention: Richard Kazis, Senior Vice President of Jobs for the Future, presented testified at the April 7 meeting of the Commission of the Future of Higher Education. Speaking on “Articulation, Alignment and The Challenge of College-Readiness,” he presented four policy recommendations from the Achieving the Dream experience: (1) strengthen longitudinal student data systems; (2) encourage additional indicators of student progress, particularly for underprepared students; (3) remove obstacles Read Kazis' testimony.
State Updates - New Mexico l North Carolina l Virginia
New Mexico - Need-based College Affordability Act Funded, March 2006
In 2005, the New Mexico Legislature passed the College Affordability Act. This is a new, need-based aid program established to encourage New Mexico students with financial need to attend and complete educational programs at in-state public postsecondary institutions. Because of the focus on the New Mexico lottery scholarship, need-based aid had slipped as a priority for higher education in New Mexico. (The National Report Card for Higher Education, Measuring Up gave New Mexico an "F" grade in 2004, down from a rating of "B" in 2000 and "C-" in 2002.) In 2005, following the recommendation of a Higher Education Task Force formed by Gov. Richardson, the College Affordability Act was enacted, with an endowment fund created in the state treasury, but it went unfunded.
In the 2006 legislative session just concluded, the state decided that $49 million would be allocated to the fund (pending the Governor's signature). The goal is to have $250 million in the fund; until this goal is reached, half of the income from the investment of the fund will be applied to the corpus of the fund, and half will be distributed annually by the New Mexico Higher Education Department for scholarship awards of up to $1,000 per semester. The funds are targeted to New Mexico residents with demonstrated need: returning adults enrolling at any time later than the first semester following high school or attainment of a GED, enrolled at least half-time (six credit hours) for eight semesters of eligibility.
North Carolina - Lottery Pays Off: North Carolina's new Education Lottery, March 2006
North Carolina's new Education Lottery, which Gov. Mike Easley signed into law in August 2005, made an early start in April 2006. Although controversial, the lottery legislation has earmarked at least 35 percent of total proceeds for education programs. The General Assembly has estimated that $425 million will be produced by the Education Lottery for education purposes in the 2006-2007 fiscal year. Distribution of net proceeds include a provision for 10 percent of the proceeds to be used for college scholarships for students who qualify for the federal Pell Grant.
Virginia - Legislative Amendments for Undocumented Students, March 2006
The undocumented alien issue has been a point of contention in the last three General Assembly sessions in Virginia. In the current session, bills were introduced again to limit access to undocumented aliens. Additionally, bills were introduced to require out-of-state tuition for undocumented aliens who are admitted to institutions of higher education. Both bills have now been amended for afford access to students who: graduated from a Virginia high school; resided in the state for the last three years; and are pursuing citizenship status. The amended language represents a significant shift in perspective on the House side of the General Assembly. Virginia's community colleges are credited with playing a significant role in molding this language.