The Missing Element in Education Reform: State-Based Policies to Improve Postsecondary Outcomes

Overview & Synopsis

Education reformers have spent decades doggedly working to improve student outcomes in K-12 education by championing policies spanning federal, state, and local jurisdictions. Higher education is a much different story. Policy ideas at the federal level are plentiful; however, state- or institution-level policies are examined and implemented far less frequently. Higher education reformers should align their efforts with the lessons they have learned in the K-12 space--namely, promoting meaningful competition and market-based accountability, aligning educational pathways with other parts of the education and training equation, and ensuring students are empowered to make informed choices among diverse, high-quality providers. Together, these lessons can bolster improved higher education policymaking where it is most lacking: the states.