Massachusetts Praised as Model in College Completion Efforts

Dec. 2011

New England News

Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray.

A recent College Board report, The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report, shows that as of 2009, 41.1 percent of 25- to 34-year-olds nationwide hold an associate degree or higher, significantly short of the goal of 55 percent. The percentage of adults ages 25 to 34 with an associate degrees or higher increased marginally from 2000 (38.1 percent) to 2009 (41.1 percent). If the U.S. rate continues to follow this sluggish rate of growth, it is projected that the nation will only reach a 46.0 percent completion rate by 2025.

These and other findings were released at a College Completion State Capitals Campaign event in Boston earlier this month. The College Completion Agenda 2011 Progress Report is a comprehensive report that includes rigorous indicators (aligned to 10 interdependent recommendations). It charts the progress of the nation and each of the 50 states toward the goal of 55 percent by 2025. The report highlights areas of progress in states, but the report also cites formidable challenges that remain at every level of the education system for students who aspire to enroll and succeed in college.

Even the five states that have the highest percentage of residents with college degrees — Massachusetts (53.7 percent), North Dakota (50.5 percent), Minnesota (49.4 percent), New York (49.2 percent) and New Jersey (46.2 percent) — have still not reached 55 percent.

“Increasing the number of Americans with a postsecondary degree must be one of our highest priorities over the next decade,” said College Board President Gaston Caperton. “Education is strongly tied to economics, and our future prosperity will depend on how well we balance this relationship. Reports like The College Completion Agenda Progress Report shed critical light on these efforts, and they should be studied by anyone interested in understanding where we are and how we can get where we need to be.”

Massachusetts is the leading state in the nation, with 53.7 percent of young adult residents holding an associate degree or higher.

“Massachusetts is a model for how the United States can successfully improve college readiness and participation among all students,” Caperton said. “I want to commend Gov. Deval Patrick, his fellow state leaders and all of the advocates who are committed to education and raising the level of student achievement in the Bay State. Your work is laying a critical foundation for future prosperity, and I hope to see the rest of the country follow in your footsteps.”

The 10 recommendations outlined in the report are as follows:

1. Provide a program of voluntary preschool education, universally available to children from low-income families so that all children enter school ready to learn.
2. Improve middle and high school college counseling by meeting professional standards and involving colleges and universities in college planning.
3. Implement the best research-based dropout prevention programs to identify students at risk of dropping out, and then provide them with a safety net.
4. Align the K–12 education system with international standards and college admission expectations so that all students are prepared for college, work and life.
5. Improve teacher quality and focus on recruitment and retention because an educational system can only be as good as its teachers.
6. Clarify and simplify the admission process to encourage more first-generation students to apply.
7. Provide more need-based grant aid while simplifying the financial aid system and making it more transparent.
8. Keep college affordable by controlling college costs, using available aid and resources wisely, and insisting that states meet their obligations for funding higher education.
9. Dramatically increase college completion rates by reducing dropouts, easing transfer processes and using data-based approaches to improve completion rates.
10. Provide postsecondary opportunities as an essential element of adult education programs.

Massachusetts has implemented a major public higher education campaign for academic excellence called the Vision Project, which will increase the proportion of Massachusetts residents who hold college credentials by: (1) improving college readiness and participation of high school graduates; (2) increasing campus graduation rates; (3) promoting STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) degrees; and (4) closing achievement gaps. Taken as a whole, the Vision Project will produce even more degree holders in Massachusetts in order to meet the needs of that state’s knowledge-based economy.

“In our knowledge-based economy, it is imperative that Massachusetts be at the forefront of educating our young people to high levels,” said Education Secretary Paul Reville. “From our pre-K focus up through the Vision Project in higher education, we are committed to ensuring that every young person is prepared for success in the 21st-century economy.”

“Massachusetts has always been a state that values educational achievement,” said Richard M. Freeland, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. “These are exciting times for those of us working in public higher education; our state’s knowledge-based economy requires us to be at the top of our game. Through the Vision Project, our 29 public campuses are pushing forward with an ambitious set of academic goals. We aim to produce the best-educated citizenry and workforce in the nation.”

Other Key Findings of the Progress Report:

• There has been an increase in the number of 3- and 4-year-olds who are enrolling in preschool and kindergarten programs.
• The student-to-counselor ratio has declined slightly, giving children greater access to counselors.
• High school graduation rates are increasing, and fewer students are dropping out of school.
• Thirty-one states now have alignment between high school standards and college and workplace expectations (up 15.8 percentage points).
• Although persistence rates are up for full-time students, there has been relatively no change in the three-year graduation rates of associate degree–seeking students and the six- year graduation rates of bachelor’s degree–seeking students across the country.

“Our Commonwealth’s and our nation’s collective future prosperity are linked to how well we prepare our children to become productive citizens,” said Department of Early Education and Care Commissioner Sherri Killins. “Enriching learning environments in high-quality early education and care programs support brain development that provides a solid foundation for long-term achievement and success.”