Policy Leadership Trust for Student Success

JFF established The Policy Leadership Trust for Student Success in 2015 to promote policy approaches for increasing college completion that are informed by the perspectives and experiences of postsecondary practitioners implementing evidenced-based reforms, such as guided pathways. 

Through the Trust, JFF is deliberately culling institutional knowledge and evidence to develop policy positions for how colleges and communities can help more students attain credentials and succeed in the labor market. 

The Trust currently comprises two dozen institutional and systems leaders drawn from JFF's Postsecondary State Network. 

Our Work

• Strategic outreach to state and federal policy makers and influencers
• Dialog with the field of postsecondary practitioners and stakeholders
  
• Thought leadership in the media
  
• Consultation and support of members of JFF’s Postsecondary State Network, including Student Success Centers

These eight design principles exemplify what practitioners on the Trust believe makes for good policy. The principles underlie the policy approaches recommended by the Trust in the state policy framework. For good policy, keep in mind:

The Trust has crafted a framework for how state policy can catalyze systems change, improve student success, and build a postsecondary-trained workforce. 

The framework emphasizes the role of state policy makers in creating the conditions, incentives, and structures needed to foster clear pathways to credentials and careers for students and ensure their financial stability to achieve their goals. 

SETTING CONDITIONS FOR STUDENT SUCCESS

First and foremost, the framework calls for a focus on policy issues related to metrics, money, and systems integration, rather than prescribing specific academic and student affair practices.

Establish meaningful metrics for increasing attainment rates of credentials of value, for ensuring equity and economic mobility of low-income and under-served students, and for building a skilled workforce.

Provide adequate resources and appropriate incentives for institutions and systems to transform practices and help more students achieve their education and career goals.

Forge alignment across secondary and postsecondary systems to make seamless and affordable pathways to credentials and high-demand careers for all students. Streamline paths from high school and adult education through associate and baccalaureate degree completion in students’ desired program of study.

Foster collaboration between postsecondary and human services systems to maximize access and coordination of wraparound services, financial supports, and public benefits to bolster the financial stability of students and alleviate their financial hurdles to completion and career success.

Deepen responsiveness to business and industry needs through meaningful engagement of employers in programmatic decisions and in widening access to work-based learning opportunities to ensure students have the skills and experiences for work.

SUPPORTING INQUIRY AND IMPROVEMENT

With these essential incentive structure in place, the Trust recommends that policymakers should build state and institutional capacity to identify key barriers to student success and implement key solutions, related to guided pathways.    

Enhance data systems to encourage a culture of inquiry in which institutions and systems apply data to identify barriers to student success and drive their decision-making on implementation of sound practices. Establish/enhance state-level longitudinal data systems to track student progress across K–12, workforce, and higher education systems and institutions.

Invest in institutional capacity to implement evidence-based reforms by defraying upfront costs of implementing guided pathway practices, enhancing professional development of faculty and staff in support of student success efforts, and strengthening institutional capacity for data analysis and use of technology.

Build statewide infrastructure for scale by developing state-level capacity to convene institutions to facilitate peer exchange and deliver expert consultation regarding evidence-based student success practices, as well as inform practitioners about the implications and opportunities of adopted policies.

Remove policy barriers to implementing guided pathway practices by providing institutions with flexibility to experiment with implementing evidence-based practices.

SUSTAINING SOLUTIONS

Only after institutions and state systems have sufficiently scaled pathway reforms would the Trust recommend that codifying practices into policy may be appropriate. Doing so would help to sustain and scale momentum. In each of the three phases, the Trust recommends that policymakers actively engage practitioners in the design of policy to ensure that policy is informed and supportive of good practice on the ground.    

Evaluate efficacy and viability of scaling reforms before codifying into policy.

Provide formal opportunities for practitioners to inform policy design and rule-making.