College Promise Campaign:

Affordable Pathways to Our Nation’s Future

The Free College Movement

Dr. Martha J. Kanter

Executive Director, College Promise Campaign

Advancing the Public Higher Education Agenda in a New Era

Marriott Marquis & Marina

December 8, 2017

2

Background

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Past Versus Future

4

A Brief History of the

Free College Movement

The Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944

known as the “G.I. Bill” provides tuition and living

expenses for veterans. By 1956 more than 2

million veterans had attended a college or

university and nearly 6 million had attended some

form of training program.

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A Brief History of the

Free College Movement

www.collegepromise.org

Dec. 27, 1982

System was

allowed to

grow too large

in the 1960s

Difficulty

adapting to the

falling birthrate

State fiscal

crisis

Changing

demands from

students.

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1980s – Present

• Burgeoning post-Vietnam War immigrant communities

• Growth of state and federal oversight

• Fluctuating local, state & federal financial systems

• Dramatic expansion of underserved populations, immigrants & first-

generation students

• Questioning of the public purpose, investment in & funding of

American education

Imperative to strengthen the

wavering national commitment to

Growing Opportunity for All

Historical Context

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Higher Education Today

7.0 Million Attend a Community College

13.4 Million Attend a 4-Year College or University

18-24 Years: 12.0 M 58%

25+Years: 8.2 M 40%

Female 11.7 M 57%

Male 8.8M 43%

Source: http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372

White

58.0%

Black

14.5%

Hispanic

16.5%

Asian

6.6%

American Indian <1.0%

International 3.3%

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State Funding Declined

9

Tuition at Public Institutions

Increases

Average tuition at a

public 4-year

college has

increased by more

than 250% in the

last three decades.

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Every State Shares this

Workforce Challenge

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Every State Shares this

Student Preparedness Challenge

• 93 million adult Americans have little or no college

educations (> 45%)

• 75 million of these adults are functioning at basic or below

basic literacy levels

• Students from low-income families by age 24 earn

bachelor’s degrees at one-eighth the rate of their more

advantaged counterparts — 9% compared with 75%

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Every State Shares this

Equity & Achievement Gap Challenge

80% of high-income students enroll in college

29% of low-income students enroll in college

<1 in 10 low-income students graduate

50% of high-income students graduate

Students from low-income families earn bachelors’

degrees at one-eighth the rate of their more

advantaged counterparts —

9% compared with 75% by age 24!

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College Degree and/or Certificate Completion

is Essential for Our Nation’s Future

www.collegepromise.org

• Too many students aren’t finishing their degrees or

transferring from community colleges to a 4-year college or

university.

• When they do, most earn their bachelor’s degrees.

• About half of undergraduates attend a community college.

• Increasing academic preparation is key to degree completion.

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Preparation is Key to Earning a

College Degree and/or Certificate

www.collegepromise.org

• More than half of entering freshmen need remediation for

college success.

• More high school students are completing college prep

requirements and graduating, but the achievement gap

persists.

• Accelerated remediation and redesigned assessment and

placement efforts are on the rise.

Bottom Line

A college degree is a worthwhile investment that yields

significant returns over one’s lifetime –

economic, social & civic!

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Higher Education’s Value Proposition

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Higher Education’s Value Proposition

• The probability of being employed is 24% higher.

• The likelihood of being out of the labor force (neither employed nor

unemployed) is 74% less.

• College graduates contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars more

over a lifetime in local, state and federal taxes.

• College graduates utilize about 39% fewer government resources

(e.g., emergency assistance and jails)

• College graduates report having “good” or “very good” health 44%

more than high school graduates

• College graduates are nearly 5 times less likely to be jailed or

imprisoned than those who have no college experience.

Lessons from the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

Lessons from the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence

1 2 3 4 5

Strong Leadership and Culture

Guided Pathways to Continuing Education and Well-Paying Jobs

Intentional Focus on Improving Teaching and Learning

Strategic Data Use to Improve Practice and Close Equity Gaps

Partnerships and Structures Aligned to Defined Student Outcomes

Characteristics of Great Community

Colleges, 4-Year Colleges & Universities

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Our Nation’s Colleges and

Universities are Increasing Student

Equity & Success 1. First Year Experience

2. Learning Communities

3. Developmental Education/Remediation Redesign

4. English as a Second Language Preparation Redesign

5. Bridge Programs

6. Accelerated Delivery/Use of Technologies/Distance Learning

7. Transfer/Articulation

8. Promise Scholarships/Aid Like a Paycheck/Financial Literacy

9. First Generation/Underrepresented/Low SES Support Programs

10. Student Engagement/High Impact Experiences/Civic Learning

11. Dual Enrollment

12. Mentoring/Advising

13. Encouraging Completion Leadership

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The College Promise

Movement

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Looking Back

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What is a College Promise?

• A 21st Century promise to fund 1-4 years of college, making higher

education as universal, free, and accessible as public high school.

• A promise to prepare students for the 21st Century workforce and the

pursuit of the American Dream without the burden of exorbitant college

debt.

• A commitment to fund a college education for every eligible

hardworking student advancing on the path to earn a college degree or

certificate.

• A commitment to redesign scholarships that incorporate evidence-

based educational interventions and incentives with sustainable

financing mechanisms for the 21st Century

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Key Features of the College Promise

• “Place-based”

- College, City, Region, State

• Guarantee Financial Support

• Performance-Based

• Financially Sustainable

• Cross-sector Leadership

• Robust Infrastructure

• Evidence-based

www.collegepromise.org

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College Promise Movement

Why is this resonating with more than 200 cities and

towns and 16 entire states, with more than 30 states

preparing College Promise legislation?

• To increase college access, student learning and

college completion:

• Increase students’ aspirations.

• Leverage evidence and performance-based

educational interventions and incentives

• Optimize local, state and federal funds.

• Produce more educated Americans to drive our

social, economic and civic prosperity.

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Tennessee Promise

Vance Granville Community College

Florida State College at Jacksonville

Promise

• Serves all public high school

graduates from Florida’s

Nassau and Duval Counties.

• Launched Fall 2017

• Last dollar program funding

tuition, fees, and books.

• Students must maintain a 2.0

GPA while in the program.

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What is the purpose of the

College Promise Campaign?

• To build widespread support for free community college, the Campaign uses three strategies: - Communications and Advocacy - Cross-sector Leadership Development - Research, Policy and Practice

Why?

• To increase college access, student learning and college completion: - Optimizes local, state and federal funds - Leverages and promotes evidence and performance-based

incentives and interventions.

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CollegePromise.org

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200+ College Promise Programs

www.collegepromise.org

College Promise:

The “Free College” Movement

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College Promise Programs

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California Legislative Actions

California Promise Grants

for Community Colleges

$1.5 M awarded: $750,00 awarded:

Grossmont-Cuyamaca CCD Barstow CCD

Kern CCD Butte-Glenn CCD

Los Angeles CCD Contra Costa CCD

San Jose-Evergreen CCD Long Beach CCD

San Mateo CCD Santa Clarita CCD

State Center CCD Shasta Tehama-Trinity CCD

Sierra Joint CCD

West Valley-Mission CCD

31 www.collegepromise.org

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2017 State Legislation

Source: https://www.ecs.org/

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Criticisms to Address

• College is not for everyone

• Low community college graduation rates

• Further racial, ethnic, & income stratification

• Limits choice for students who qualify for more selective

colleges & universities

• Could push up the cost for the junior & senior year

of college

• Public universities might be forced to limit access for

qualified community college transfer students

• Fiscal cost & sustainability

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Program Design

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College Promise Goals:

Design Challenges

• Increase graduation rate

• Close the achievement gap

• Increase college readiness for entering freshmen

• Leveraging cognitive science and technological tools to

increase access & success

• Give every student 24 x 7 advising, mentoring, tutoring, and

counseling

• Create and sustain a long-term, stable financial model

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Types of Expenses Covered

in College Promise

19

12

3

12

4

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Full tuition Other fees Transportation Books Non-restrictedfunding

Courtesy of Dr. Mary Rauner, WestEd, August 2016

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How is the College Promise

funded? Funding Sources:

• College operating budgets

• College foundations

• K-12 school district budgets

• City operating budgets

• County operating budgets

• Individual donors

• Foundations (state & local)

• Business & industry

• State allocations

• Federal allocations

• Native American tribal funds

The majority of College

Promise programs have

multiple funding sources.

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Early Outcomes

• Significant increases in enrollment of first generation,

underrepresented, underserved

student populations

• Persistence from semester to semester

• Increased college aspirations in youth

• Reduction in number and size of college loans

• Number of College Promise programs in 42 states

more than doubled in two years

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What are the Right Elements?

Over the last 26months, we found that College Promise leaders

are working to implement the right combination of:

• Cross-Sector Stakeholder Leadership

• Evidence-based Educational Interventions

• Evidence-based Behavioral Incentives

• Robust Infrastructure

• Sustainable Financial Support

These elements can be leveraged to increase economic

prosperity, social inclusion, and civic opportunity and stability in

the lives of their residents.

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Local Promise Leadership

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• Today, local communities like Greenville, NC, Jacksonville, FL,

Houston, TX, Barstow, CA, and Detroit, MI are building on

what Long Beach, CA, El Dorado, AR and Kalamazoo, MI

have already put in place over the past decade.

• The challenge is to design a reasonable, sustainable College

Promise that includes the right combination of financial and

behavioral incentives that can be leveraged to increase college

opportunity and completion.

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Next Steps

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How We Help Local Communities

• Connect you to the national network of College Promise

leaders, experts, scholars, & practitioners.

• Work with you to engage education, business, government,

non-profit, and student leaders to support and invest in the

College Promise.

• Support digital and earned media coverage about the College

Promise in your local community.

• Provide research, advice, and help to launch or expand the

College Promise.

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We Pay for What We Value

Our challenge is to implement a reasonable, sustainable

College Promise that includes the right combination of:

• Stakeholder Leadership

• Educational Interventions

• Behavioral Incentives

• Infrastructure

• Financial Support

that can be leveraged to increase economic, social and civic

opportunity in the lives of all Americans!

Thank You!

Get started building a Promise program:

CollegePromise.org/start

Join our email list:

HeadsUpAmerica.us/join

Donate:

CollegePromise.org/donate

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Contact Us:

Outreach:

James Schuelke

James@civicnation.org

(530) 680-8375

Policy & Research:

Angela Cammack

Angela@civicnation.org

(202) 670-0878