In a year defined by a deadly pandemic, economic crisis and racial injustice, colleges and universities were forced to reevaluate their practices, structures and delivery models.
As the United States transitions to a recovery phase, New America and the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) sought to further understand the overall impact of these crises on the education sector.
Through a culmination of interviews with over 100 college leaders and students, blog posts and focus groups, the “Crisis to Recovery” report details policy recommendations for federal and state governments and higher education institutions. The year-long research project—funded by the Bill Gates Foundation and Ascendium Education Group—focuses on the areas of college affordability, accountability, transparency, access and student support systems.
“There is so much urgency to just bring people back and it is going to be really easy to fall back on what we know because we know is not working,” said Alejandra Acosta, policy analyst for the Higher Education Initiative at New America. “I hope that this report serves as a guide, as an inspiration and [provides] ideas to move forward and come out of this crisis better than before.”
After the shift to online learning, students faced housing insecurity, limited access to broadband and technology and the inability to afford their education.
To ease the burden on both students and their institutions, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act was passed by Congress on March 27, 2020. Higher education received $14 billion. Shortly after, two other relief packages followed.
However, little information was made available on how funding was allocated by each institution. In an effort to be more transparent, the report suggested making the information public on an online searchable database.
