Addressing Higher Education Requires a Bipartisan Vision and Collaborative Approach

Addressing Higher Education Requires a Bipartisan Vision and Collaborative Approach

Press Room

Members of the NCSL Higher Education Task Force and Event Panelists. From L to R: Rep. La Shawn K. Ford (Illinois), Sen. Briggs Hopson (Mississippi), U.S. Department of Education Under Secretary James Kvaal, Sen. Ann Millner (Utah), Sen. Michael Dembrow (Oregon), Cheryl Oldham (Bipartisan Policy Center), and Mark Becker (Association of Public Land-Grant Universities)

WASHINGTON, D.C.-Since 2006, the collective student debt in the U.S. has tripled, reaching nearly $1.8 billion, making it the second-largest form of debt after mortgages. Amid growing concerns over the affordability and value of higher education, a bipartisan task force of state legislative leaders from over 30 states convened earlier today in Washington, D.C., to release a comprehensive three-part report, outlining a broader vision on higher education policymaking and a coordinated strategy to improve the value of college degrees.

The report is divided into three topic areas:

• Trends in Higher Education: Understanding Policy and Outcomes
• The State-Federal Relationship in Higher Education
• A State-Led Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees

The National Conference of State Legislatures Task Force on Higher Education is the first bipartisan group of state legislators to examine the U.S. higher education system in nearly two decades. Its recommendations come at a pivotal time for higher education, as public confidence in colleges and universities has waned, and college enrollments continue to decline.

The report calls for a collaborative approach between state governments, institutions and federal partners, including urging Congress to reauthorize the Higher Education Act.

Key takeaways from the report include:

• Proposing a "State-Led Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees" which includes over 30 actions that states, institutions, and federal partners can either collaborate on or individually implement to ensure more students receive degrees of value.
• Examining the performance of the U.S. higher education system and calling on higher education institutions to adapt to the reality of today's students who may benefit from being served outside of the traditional model of higher education.
• Explaining the task force's perspective on the state-federal relationship in higher education and expressing a preference for a federal approach that emphasizes transparency and improvement to support state goals, rather than an expanded federal role in affordability and accountability.
• Highlighting trends in higher education affordability and student outcomes, along with recent and historic developments in state and federal policy.

As the task force continues its work, it hopes to inspire action at both the state and federal levels to implement policies that ensure better outcomes for more students in the nation.

For more information or to download a copy of the report, please visit A State-Led Strategy to Enhance the Value of Degrees: The Findings of the NCSL Task Force on Higher Education.