By Catherine Brown, Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy
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The National College Attainment Network (NCAN) is very pleased to announce receipt of a $342,930 one-year grant from Strada Education Foundation to build a resource library to support our members
engagement in state policy. “This investment will allow us to build a set of tools, resources, and learning opportunities to accelerate our members’ impact on college affordability,” Kim Cook, NCAN CEO said.
NCAN members are working in state capitals across the country to educate policymakers and key stakeholders about the rising cost of college and the negative effects on students of color and those from low-income communities. “NCAN’s mission is to reduce
the substantial equity gaps in college completion rates by race, ethnicity, and income,” Cook said. “Strada’s investment will help us to create one-pagers, how-to guides, student stories, and original analysis that our members can leverage to drive
state-level policy change.”
Most states are still spending less on higher education in real dollars than they were before the Great Recession, according to the State Higher Education Executive Officers association. As a result,
tuition is rising and students are bearing a higher share of the cost of college than at any point in history. This grant will enable NCAN to:
Develop a simple dashboard of key state higher education facts that can be used by our members in advocacy, such as:
State higher education expenditures and how they compare with other states.
State financial aid investments and key program design features.
Contributions of higher education to state economies.
Create a series of how-to guides on key policy and advocacy skills, such as policy design and development, benefit-cost analysis, coalition-building, communication strategies, and building relationships with policymakers.
Publish a series of issue briefs or op-eds on state financial aid and state higher education investments in consultation with academics and policy experts and highlighting our members’ experience working on these issues on topics including:
The limitations of the high-tuition, high-aid approach.
A framework for equitable state financial aid programs.
Key policy considerations when designing state universal Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)/college completion policies.
Why “merit-based” programs aren’t very meritocratic.
This support will transform our members' ability to make college more affordable and accessible in states across the country. By building our members’ knowledge and skills and providing them with key research and advocacy tools, we will mobilize a powerful
and authentic force for change that will impact state policy long past the grant period. We are grateful for the investment and look forward to using it to accelerate change.
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