Success in today’s knowledge and innovation economy depends on education and skills development beyond high school, in postsecondary education. This is as true for individuals as it is for the nation, as PSE is correlated with higher personal income, economic growth and innovation.
America is now tenth in the OECD rankings for college attainment among young adults ages 25 – 34, with 39 percent of the population with an associate degree/technical certificate or a bachelor’s degree. Both developed and developing nations continue to gain ground on America’s once global leadership in higher education attainment.
To regain our global leadership in postsecondary attainment, the Center for American Progress has set a bold goal, in the College Ready Students, Student Ready Colleges policy agenda, of increasing the number of 25 – 34 year olds with postsecondary education to 50 percent.
As part of its ongoing series of higher education research, CAP will release two papers that explore the challenges enhancing academic preparation and creating a college-going culture in America’s high schools.
Featured Speakers:
Jenny Nagaoka, co-author, Barriers to College Attainment: Lesson from Chicago; Associate Director for Postsecondary Studies, Chicago Consortium on School Research
Robin Chait, co-author, Improving Academic Preparation for College, What We Know and How State and Federal Policy Can Help; Senior Education Policy Analyst, Center for American Progress
Jennifer Engle, Assistant Director of Higher Education, The Education Trust
Richard Kazis, Senior Vice President, Jobs for the Future
Derek Canty, Co-Founder and Vice President of Alumni and Diversity, College Summit
Moderation and Opening Remarks by:
Louis Soares, Director of the Economic Mobility Program, Center for American Progress