New England’s state lawmakers in 2020 sessions focused almost exclusively to COVID-19-related legislation and state budget concerns. In 2021, COVID-19-related legislation continues to be a major focus, but other issues are also taking center stage. These include:
Expanding Work-Based Learning Opportunities
HB.6227 (Connecticut): Would establish a task force to identify high-growth, high-...
5 takeaways from NEBHE's Legislative Advisory Committee meeting ...
At its peak, the COVID-19 pandemic forced 55 million American children temporarily out of school. While many education systems have attempted varying degrees of remote learning, many researchers accept that the closures will produce substantial losses in learning, according to recent research by the World Bank Group and by Me...
The New England states set new records for voter turnout in the 2020 presidential election. A significant percentage of absentee, mail-in ballots were cast in each state, ranging from 20% to 50% of the total vote. City and town clerks attributed the rising share of absentee, mail-in ballots to COVID.
In the race for president, Democrat Joe Biden won all six New England states. Members of the re...
The 2020-21 academic year was a year like no other as a pandemic caused unprecedented disruptions on college campuses. New England colleges and universities responded with agility as they worked to ensure safe campus operations for students, faculty and staff, while continuing to offer their programs through hybrid, in-classroom and remote formats.
COVID-19 had a significant impact throughout t...
NEBHE offers a regional analysis of national Counting Credentials report ...
The U.S. is in the midst of one of the most severe economic recessions in history, and now more than ever, it is important to acknowledge all possible pathways to gainful employment. On Feb. 10, 2021, Credential Engine released its third Counting Credentials report, which compiled and described the array of available c...
NEBHE explores higher education and incarceration ...
Congress voted in December to lift the 26-year-old ban on Pell Grants for incarcerated students.
A bipartisan effort to direct Pell Grants to a population that has long been deprived of federal funding for higher education reflects the growing desire for increased education in our prisons and jails across the U.S., especially in this time...
NEBHE announced that 16 Massachusetts four-year independent institutions, along with all of the state’s 15 community colleges, have signed onto the Massachusetts Independent College Transfer Guarantee.
Supported by a grant from the Teagle Foundation and the Davis Educational Foundation, the "Massachusetts Guarantee" is a statewide effort to establish systematic transfer pathways between Massa...
The number of students nationwide enrolled in distance education programs rose to nearly 3 million in fall 2019, a 7.5% increase over 2018 enrollment data, according to a new report by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA). And that’s before the COVID-19 pandemic prompted an unprecedented shift to virtual course delivery.
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Decline from 2019 to 2020 in number of high school graduates who went to college immediately after high school: 22% The National Student Clearinghouse
Decline from 2019 to 2020 in college enrollment rates for students from high-income high schools: 17% The National Student Clearinghouse
Decline for students from low-income high schools: 29% The National Student Clearinghouse
Of associat...
The number of new high school graduates in New England is expected to shrink by nearly 13% by 2037, according to the 10th edition of Knocking at the College Door: Projections of High School Graduates, released this week by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).
Published by WICHE every four years, Knocking at the College Door is a widely recognized source of data and pr...