Affirmative Action for the Rich

Breaking News: The Supreme Court will hear a pair of cases that challenge the race-based affirmative action policies for admissions at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina. What does this mean for higher ed equity? Catch up with Michael Dannenberg’s op-ed from the New York Daily News, which ran on January 20. American colleges practicing

ERN Highlights: 2021 in Review

Strengthened Relationships to Push Education Equity We were pleased by the confirmation of US Secretary of Education Dr. Miguel Cardona, and we have been proud to work with him—both in his previous role as Connecticut’s Commissioner of Education through our Connecticut chapter and post-appointment in his current office—to ensure equitable access to education and resources

ERN Assessments Bootcamps – Key Findings

By Charles Barone and Nicholas Munyan-Penney From July to September, ERN hosted a series of webinars that we dubbed “assessment bootcamps” that focused primarily on statewide, summative assessments and their role within the broader context of state and local assessment systems. This first session was designed to provide advocates and policymakers with a shared language

The Long View on Free College

By Michael Dannenberg The Biden free community college plan is out of the Build Back Better reconciliation plan, according to media reports. While we supported the Biden plan, there was always a better design option. A debt-free college promise that is: (1) extended to two and four-year public colleges; (2) targeted on deserving and needy

It’s Pelloween! America’s Most Horrifying Colleges When It Comes to Access for Low-Income Students

America’s Most Horrifying Colleges When It Comes to Access for Low-Income Students By James Murphy Halloween is right around the corner, so in the spirit of the season we wanted to highlight something really scary. Forget ghosts and goblins. If you want to see something really frightening, look at the share of freshmen with Pell

Congressional Action on the Biden College Completion Fund

By James Murphy The Biden administration and Democrats in Congress are proposing a paradigm shift in how the federal government supports Americans pursuing postsecondary degrees. In the past, federal support for students was aimed at increasing college access and affordability through individualized student grants and loans. The federal government did little, however, to address the

The Higher Ed Reconciliation Challenge

By Michael Dannenberg Didn’t get a chance to read our latest report on Virginia’s “separate and unequal” public higher education system? Here’s a handy PowerPoint summary of that report that focuses on the unequal portion. A summary of our first report that focuses on Virginia’s de facto segregated higher ed system can be read here. After viewing

Assessments 101: Assessment Types, Their Uses, and Building Balanced Assessment Systems

By Nicholas Munyan-Penney and Charles Barone On July 27, ERN hosted “Assessments 101: Assessment Types, Their Uses, and Building Balanced Assessment Systems,” the first in a series of three webinars that we’re calling the Assessment Bootcamp. This first session was designed to provide advocates and policymakers with a shared language and knowledge base about different

Liberty University: Bigger Problems than Jerry Falwell’s Actions 

By: Katlyn Riggins  Liberty University is no stranger to scandal. Former university president, Jerry Falwell Jr., resigned in August 2020 after years of controversy finally caught up to him. In years past, Falwell was criticized for racist remarks and his public support for President Trump during the 2016 campaign. In the months leading up to

The College of William & Mary: Low Access, But High Taxpayer Support

By: Katlyn Riggins  The College of William & Mary (W&M) is a public university in Williamsburg, Virginia, that enrolls some 6,000 undergraduate students. It was founded in 1693 by King William III and Queen Mary II, making W&M the second-oldest college in the United States. William & Mary holds another record: when data is averaged