College Completion Agenda State Policy Guide

Each of the commission’s recommendations is the focus of a chapter in the State Policy Guide. The ten recommendations are:
 

• Provide a program of voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families
• Improve middle and high school college and career counseling
• Implement the best research-based dropout prevention programs
• Align the K–12 education system with international standards and college admission expectations
• Improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention
• Clarify and simplify the admission process
• Provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying and making financial aid processes more transparent
• Keep college affordable
• Dramatically increase college completion rates
• Provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs

Each chapter includes:

• Brief background information on the topic;
• A list of questions that state legislators need to ask about conditions in their own states;
• An overview of current and relevant research;
• Specific strategies for dealing with the problems;
• The cost implications of the policy strategies (including low- , medium- and high-cost options);
• Examples of policies that are currently being implemented in the states; and
• Short- , medium- and long-term action steps state legislators can take.

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