Finney, Joni E

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  • Publication
    Much Accomplished, Much at Stake: Performance and Policy in Maryland Higher Education
    (2012-02-01) Perna, Laura W; Finney, Joni E; Callan, Patrick
    The challenge: To maintain an internationally competitive work force, Maryland aims to increase the share of its adult population that holds at least an associate degree from 44% to 55% by 2025. To achieve this goal, the state must improve the performance of its higher education system, ameliorating its weaknesses and building on its strengths. The bottom line: Maryland’s higher education system is leaving poor, urban, black, Hispanic and native-born Marylanders behind. But a strong record of marshaling resources to achieve higher education goals and the state’s relative wealth put Maryland in a good position to do something about this problem, if it so chooses.
  • Publication
    Why the Finance Model for Public Higher Education is Broken and Must be Fixed
    (2014-06-01) Finney, Joni E
    In order for the U.S. to remain competitive in the 21st-century economy, more individuals are going to need to earn workforce credentials and college degrees. At the same time, however, state governments have been facing financial challenges wrought by chronic structural budget deficits and rising Medicaid expenses, translating into reduced support for higher education. Instead, families now are hard-pressed to shoulder more of the burden of paying for higher education. The current system for financing higher education is broken and needs to be fixed.
  • Publication
    State Policy Leadership Vacuum: Performance and Policy in Washington Higher Education
    (2012-01-01) Perna, Laura W; Finney, Joni E; Callan, Patrick
  • Publication
    2016 College Affordability Diagnosis: National Report
    (2016-01-01) Finney, Joni E
    College Affordability Diagnosis is the most comprehensive state-by-state study of college affordability since 2008, when the last Measuring Up report was completed by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education.
  • Publication
    Driven to Perform: Tennessee's Higher Education Policies & Outcomes: A Case Study
    (2017-04-01) Finney, Joni E; Leigh, Elaine W; Ruiz, Roman; Castillo, Wendy; Smith, Edward; Kent, Daniel C
    This report presents a picture of how multiple converging state policies affect higher educaton performance in Tennessee as the state pursues an aggressive plan to improve the educational attainment of its residents. Policy is a powerful lever for advancing—or hindering—a state's higher education attainment agenda. By taking into account Tennessee's particular state context, we can better understand the factors influencing the content, formation, implementation, and ultimate success of higher education policy intended to improve performance and meet state attainment goals (Perna & Finney, 2014).
  • Publication
    Perpetuating Disparity: Performance and Policy in Georgia Higher Education
    (2012-05-01) Finney, Joni E; Perna, Laura W; Callan, Patrick
    At a time when postsecondary education is more important than ever, Georgia’s higher education policies and priorities are putting up barriers that make it harder for black, Hispanic and poor Georgians to get a college education. Higher education in Georgia lags below the national average on most key measures of performance, threatening the state’s ability to compete economically. Georgia ranks 29th among states in the share of adults 25 and older who have earned at least an associate’s degree, at 34%. Yet by 2018, about 58% of Georgia jobs are projected to require at least some postsecondary education or training. The state’s college-age population (ages 18 to 24)is projected to increase by 40% by 2030, creating pressure on the state’s K-12 and higher education institutions to serve more students. Most of this growth will be among Latinos, a fast-growing minority, as well as among blacks, in a state with the nation’s largest black population. To produce enough college-educated citizens to compete for skilled 21st-century jobs, Georgia must find a way to reduce huge disparities in educational attainment between minorities and whites. But at present, Georgia’s higher education policies have the unintended consequence of perpetuating these disparities.
  • Publication
    State of Attainment: Three Ways That States Can Help More Students Access Higher Levels of Education
    (2014-11-01) Perna, Laura W; Finney, Joni E
    Fourteenth place. That's where the United States ranked in the proportion of 25- to 34-year-olds who achieved postsecondary degrees, according to a 2012 report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Unless the U.S. increases the share of the population that has completed a college degree, the country will lack the educational skills and training required to meet the workforce demands of a global economy. Sixty-three percent of job researchers predict, will require education beyond high school in 2018. For the U.S. to be competitive on a global scale, it must devote more effort to closing the considerable gaps in degree attainment that persist across demographic groups. The groups least likely to earn a degree are students from lower-income families, blacks, Hispanics, and those whose parents have not attended college.
  • Publication
    Maryland's Higher Education Gains at Risk
    (2012-02-20) Perna, Laura W; Finney, Joni E
    This Op-Ed described the struggles that Maryland's higher education is currently facing, outlining several solutions.
  • Publication
    A Failing Safety Net: Declining Community College Affordability
    (2016-12-01) Williams, Ben; Finney, Joni E; Torres, Sarah
    The nation’s community colleges serve as the educational safety net for millions of students. While the safety net is showing signs of wear, it can be restored within current state and federal policies guiding higher education. Bipartisan support can and should be developed for this agenda because it cuts across the desire within both major political parties to create opportunities for those left behind.
  • Publication
    A Story of Decline: Performance and Policy in Illinois Higher Education
    (2011-11-01) Perna, Laura W; Finney, Joni E; Callan, Patrick
    In the mid-and late-1990s, Illinois was a top-performing state in preparing students for college, enrolling residents in college, and keeping college affordable: • Compared with residents of other states, large percentages of Illinoisans earned a high school diploma or a General Education Development (GED) diploma by age 24; earned high scores on college entrance exams; and enrolled in college immediately after high school. • Illinois led the nation in the proportion of young adults (ages 18 to 24) and working-age adults (ages 25 to 44) who were enrolled in college. • Illinoiswas a leader in keeping higher education affordable for families, as measured by (1) the share of family income required to attend the state's public two-year and four-year institutions and (2) the availability of state need-based financial aid. During the past decade, however, the state has experienced substantial declines in higher education performance. At the same time, the state has made no progress toward ameliorating a persistent pattern of inequity in higher education.