The State of American Higher Education Outcomes in 2023

Is the US higher education system providing a baseline level of quality for college students? To answer that question, Third Way has been regularly examining institutional outcomes in three key areas: completion, post-enrollment earnings, and student loan repayment. These metrics are informative in their own right, and they are also closely intertwined. Leaving college with Read more about The State of American Higher Education Outcomes in 2023[…]

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Getting Real About Sustainability & ESSER Funding

A new 90-second video can be used to help school systems explain their efforts to invest ESSER funds with a sustainable “Do Now, Build Toward” approach. It begins by walking through three approaches to ESSER spending and then digs into what sustainability looks like in this moment — thinking beyond using ESSER dollars for one-time Read more about Getting Real About Sustainability & ESSER Funding[…]

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How to Learn What’s Working in Your Setting

The Regional Educational Laboratories Program has released a new video series that explains how schools, districts, states, and their research partners can use a cost-effective approach, known as “opportunistic experiments,” to test the effectiveness of programs. Under the right circumstances, this type of research study can generate evidence for informing your education decisions. What is Read more about How to Learn What’s Working in Your Setting[…]

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California’s Common Core aligned High School Exams Save Money

In California, high school exams that are aligned with the Common Core are being accepted as proof that high school students are ready for college level work. These exam results are also saving students from having to take individual placement tests and remedial not-for-credit courses before being allowed to take for-credit classes. One of the Read more about California’s Common Core aligned High School Exams Save Money[…]

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How a Bachelor’s Degree could Cost $10,000

This blog typically covers topics related to helping students finish their K-12 education successfully, but what about after that?  Can American students, once they are college-ready, afford that college tuition? Anya Kamenetz of Third Way offers 6 straightforward ideas for how the cost of a bachelor’s degree could be $10,000. That is the cost for Read more about How a Bachelor’s Degree could Cost $10,000[…]

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How much does Standardized Testing actually cost?

The Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution has recently released a report on the current cost of standardized testing in United States.  The purpose of the study is to shed light on current costs so that there will be an accurate baseline upon which to compare new statistics once Common Core testing Read more about How much does Standardized Testing actually cost?[…]

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The “New Normal”

While the economy may be showing signs of life, local school districts nationwide continue to struggle mightily. The “new normal” of tougher budget times is here to stay for American K-12 education. So how can local officials cope? This Fordham Institute released a policy brief earlier this month, authored by Executive VP of the Institute, Read more about The “New Normal”[…]

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