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The Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy (Penn AHEAD)

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  • Publication
    An International Visitors Guide to Understanding University Governing Boards in the United States of America
    (2019-02-27) Eckel, Peter D
    This document describes the structure and forms of governing boards in the United States. It provides an overview of the related higher education context and then describes board structure, composition, leadership, and scope of work.
  • Publication
    Is a College Promise Program an Effective Use of Resources? Understanding the Implications of Program Design and Resource Investments for Equity and Efficiency
    (2020-10-19) Perna, Laura W; Wright-Kim, Jeremy; Leigh, Elaine W.
    Also known as “free tuition,” college promise programs are emerging across the United States as a potential mechanism for improving college access and affordability, Whether these initiatives are an effective use of resources depends on whether programs advance societal goals for equity and efficiency. Although some emerging research explores the role of program design, few studies have probed how program design and resource investments influence program outcomes, efficiency, and equity. To address this knowledge gap, this study draws on case studies of programs that offer free tuition to attend four community colleges. Findings illustrate how program outcomes, efficiency, and equity may be influenced by the criteria used to determine program eligibility and the resources invested in the financial award and other program components. We hope the findings are useful to policymakers and institutional leaders, as they strive to allocate resources to advance both efficiency and equity.
  • Publication
    Market Analysis for Law School Admissions
    (2017-01-15) Zemsky, Robert; Burch, Patricia; Morgan, Richard
  • Publication
    The Diffusion of Education Policy in the 21st Century: Lessons from Other Fields
    (2020-10-21) Ruby, Alan; Li, Aisi
    The ways information about national education policies is exchanged and interpreted is a field of comparative education that is under-developed. What discussion and analysis there is seems to ignore the insights and models prevalent in other domains. We looked to fields like political science, and economic and social development for concepts to strengthen the analysis of education policy mobility between nations. We found an abundance of metaphors most of which fail to capture key elements of policy diffusion including the notion that ideas change as they cross cultural boundaries. We observe that policy transfer can be purposefully initiated by the host as well as a product of coercion or external incentives. Our principal conclusions are that common framings of traveling education policies are linear, one-directional and marked by an air of beneficence. They overlook the importance of context and the actions of sovereign nations in policy formation.
  • Publication
    Government Models for Financing Higher Education in a Global Context: Lessons from the US and UK
    (2018-09-13) Villarreal, Pedro; Ruby, Alan
    This paper reviews common funding approaches/models found in the US and UK as well as the philosophical, political, and economic rationales underpinning their use, and the policy environments that contributed to their adoption in the hope of informing substantive policy discussion, decision-making, and implementation. It finds that different funding approaches/models may be appropriate based on the contextual realities and current circumstances of a country. Thus, incremental approaches might reflect government interests, but may not serve the public good. Enrollment based approaches (per capita and per credit) have advantages and remain viable options for adoption for nations seeking to expand access to higher education. Performance funding options may be appropriate when a robust system of higher education exists, and government seeks performance outcomes as a tool in promoting special projects or government priorities. However, those nations considering performance-based models may need a fair warning. The performance-based approach has yet to be proven to be the panacea it was purported to be, at least in the US and UK.
  • Publication
  • Publication
    Sequential Flow. Excerpt from unpublished manuscript, Life cycle of a million MOOC users.
    (2014-05-12) Perna, Laura W; Ruby, Alan; Boruch, Robert
  • Publication
    What to Consider When Closing an Academic Program
    (2017-11-12) Eckel, Peter D
  • Publication
    Questioning the Calculations: Are Colleges Complying with Federal and Ethical Mandates for Providing Students with Estimated Costs?
    (2019-03-27) Perna, Laura W; Wright-Kim, Jeremy; Jiang, Nathan
    This study uses web sphere analysis to examine the usability and usefulness of information that selected four-year colleges and universities are providing about the costs of attendance via their Net Price Calculators (NPCs) and cost-related websites. The analyses show that some colleges and universities are not only failing to comply with federal NPC mandates but also ignoring their ethical responsibility, as noted by the National Association of College Admission Counseling, “to provide complete, factual, and readily accessible information that will allow students and their counselors to make informed college comparisons and choices.”
  • Publication
    What’s AHEAD Poll # 8: Sexual Violence on Campus
    (2016-01-01) Perna, Laura W