In Fall 2014, 7.3 million students matriculated at community colleges across the United States. Many were first-time freshmen who faced a number of important decisions: whether to enroll full- or part-time, what course of study to pursue, which classes to select. As the semester unfolded, they were confronted with smaller but still consequential choices: Should […]
by ideas42
This week, ideas42’s Executive Director Piyush Tantia and Managing Director Alissa Fishbane joined President Obama, the First Lady, and Vice President in Washington, D.C. for a College Opportunity Day of Action. In addition to making our own commitment to improving outcomes for thousands of former, current, and future college students around the country, Alissa and Piyush […]
As regular readers of this blog will know, a big focus of our work at ideas42 is helping to tackle difficult problems in postsecondary education. During an interactive webinar last week, we shared our insights on the behavioral bottlenecks we believe are contributing to two of our first projects in this space: reducing drop-off between […]
by ideas42
On a recent weekday morning, a group of entrepreneurs, teachers, computer programmers, and college administrators from all over the country assembled with behavioral experts from ideas42 in pursuit of a venerable mission: identifying a way to double three-year degree completion rates among U.S. community college students. This mission, earnestly accepted by all members of the […]
by ideas42
After a spring and summer spent building partnerships and gathering data, ideas42 is excited to be rolling out a series of nudges in postsecondary education that focus on the financial aid system. Our initiative “Nudging for Success: Breaking Behavioral Barriers in the Financial Aid System,” supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the […]
A recent report from the Brookings Institution has caused quite a controversy in the postsecondary education space. Authors Matt Chingos and Beth Akers presented new survey evidence suggesting that the economic impact of student loans nationwide may be less than the popular narrative indicates. David Leonhardt drills down into this topic in the New York […]
We’re excited to announce that ideas42 is working with the Robin Hood Foundation on a new $5 million prize challenge to address the critical problem of low college completion rates. The Robin Hood College Success Prize will identify innovative solutions that provide first-time, full-time community college students who must take remedial courses with the tools they […]
Over the past several months, ideas42 engaged in a competitive ‘Request for Problems’ process to gather the most pressing behavioral problems in the postsecondary education sector. The team received 56 applications from a variety of organizations, including four-year institutions, non-profits, national networks, high schools, and education technology start-ups. The problems submitted fell across the postsecondary […]
People are presented with many choices throughout their day, from what to have for lunch to where to go on vacation to how much money to save for emergencies. In many situations, this ability to choose enhances our lives. However, having too many choices can sometimes feel like a burden, especially if the choices are […]
Why would anyone choose not to go to college? According to the US Census Bureau, college graduates earn almost twice as much as those with only a high school diploma over the course of their lifetime, and are significantly more likely to be employed. But the reality is that not everyone finds it easy to make the most […]
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