When it comes to improving the outcomes of public higher
education, do states know where they are trying to go and have they a
plan for how and when they will get there? State policymakers—and the
public—want to know what benefits their educational investment is
yielding: Are more students earning postsecondary credentials that
allow them to support themselves and their families and contribute to
economic growth?
By the Numbers addresses an important state-level
approach to assessing—and increasing—the value of public higher
education: setting and publicizing clear, numerical goals for expanding
student access and success. The report is based on JFF’s 50-state
survey of state higher education plans, conducted in 2005 to determine
which states have set numerical targets for enrollment and completion
and how they set, measure, and publicize these goals to institutions,
the public, and policymakers. By the Numbers was prepared for Double
the Numbers, JFF’s national initiative to advance public policies that
can significantly increase the number of young people who make it to
and through college.
