The AFT higher education department outlined key findings of its recent report, "Student Persistence: More Than Counting Caps and Gowns, " for Congressional staffers and other higher education organizations at a Capitol Hill briefing on April 14.

Based on U.S. Department of Education data, the AFT report analyzes the factors affecting college graduation rates and concludes that policymakers should not reward or punish institutions on the basis of their six-year graduation rates because of the range of factors beyond the institutions' control. As part of the upcoming reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, some have proposed linking federal financial aid policy to institutional performance indicators such as graduation rates and time spent obtaining a degree.

The briefing, which packed the small hearing room, was sponsored by U.S. Rep. Dale Kildee (D-Mich.) and featured a presentation by one of the researchers who prepared the report, John Lee of JBL Associates Inc., accompanied by AFT higher education department director Larry Gold and AFT lobbyist Gabriella Gomez.

College-by-college graduation data present a misleading picture of student persistence, notes the report. The data fail to take into account student circumstances such as switching from full-time to part-time attendance, changing majors or attending multiple colleges. Using these data to make funding decisions would inevitably punish colleges and universities that serve large numbers of at-risk students because these students in particular take longer to complete their education.

Persistence problems, the report shows, are based not on institutional performance but on student characteristics--students in difficult financial circumstances take longer to complete college and are more likely to drop out, as are first-generation-in-college students, students who did not take a rigorous high school curriculum and students with families to support.

The presenters outlined AFT recommendations to improve persistence through greater financial aid, new support for college advisement and counseling, greater school-college collaboration on curriculum, "bridge" programs between high school and college and strengthened research.

"It may be attractive to pretend that persistence is an accountability issue and look for a nonfinancial solution to the problem," said AFT's Larry Gold, "but punishing colleges that serve at-risk students is not a solution. It will not help these students stay in school."

Download "Student Persistence: More than Counting Gaps and Gowns" (PDF, 3244K)[Lindsay Albert]

[April 15, 2004]