The College Competition Agenda 2010 Progress Report

The United States is not keeping pace with other industrialized nations: Once a world leader in the proportion of adults ages 25 to 34 with postsecondary credentials, the United States ranks 12th.

The Progress Report is a report of indicators aligned to 10 interdependent recommendations that charts the progress of the nation and each of the 50 states toward this goal. It points to areas of progress in states, yet formidable challenges remain at every level of the system for students who aspire to enroll and succeed in college.

Despite research that suggests preschool programs help better prepare children for success in school, just 47 percent of 3- to 5-year-olds from low-income families are enrolled in these programs, compared to 60 percent from high-income families. Just 45 percent of states (23 states) have achieved alignment between K - 12 and higher education standards.

College counseling programs are critical to building a college-going culture and helping students navigate the college admission process, particularly for first-generation college students. Yet public secondary school counselors spend just 22.8 percent of their time on postsecondary admission counseling; nationally, the student-to-counselor ratio is 467:1, when the maximum recommendation is 250:1.

No state has 55 percent of its citizens with an associate degree or higher. (MFW note: Minnesota ranks 4th in the nation at 43.1 percent.)

An interactive website combines the data with the policy strategies from the reports and allows the information to be easily accessed and customized by state. Visit.

"The initial report issued by the College Board Advocacy & Policy Center underscores both the critical challenges and the vital importance of advancing the college completion agenda. The United States' downward drift among industrialized nations in postsecondary completion threatens our nation's future economic well-being as well as our position of global leadership.

The College Completion Agenda 2010 Progress Report and State Policy Guide are part of the CBAPC's efforts to provide the best data and information with the potential to inform and shape education policy to improve college success. (MFW note: Minnesta's ranking)

Source: The College Board, 7/22/2010