Home > Current Initiatives > The Vision Project > College Participation Study Group > Charge
Charge to College Participation Study Group
The College Participation Study Group is charged as follows:
- Become informed regarding the metrics that will be used by the Department of Higher Education to track college participation rates by graduates of Massachusetts high schools.
- Study available data regarding current outcomes and recent trends with respect to each of the metrics identified in #1.
- Complete an analysis that answers the following questions:
- How does Massachusetts currently compare with other states with respect to overall college-going rates, and what has been the trend in this area over the past five years?
- How does Massachusetts currently compare with other states with respect to college-going rates by various subpopulations, especially those defined by racial and ethnic groupings, socioeconomic status, and gender, and what have been the trends in these patterns over the past five years?
- Are there significant regional variations within Massachusetts with respect to overall college-going rates or participation by various subpopulations?
- Are there signification variations among subpopulations with respect to the types of institutions attended by high school graduates (in-state versus out-of-state, public versus private, two-year versus four-year versus university, selective versus non-selective)?
- Where does the Department of Higher Education most need to focus attention to ensure national leadership in overall college-going rates?
- Where does the Department of Higher Education most need to focus attention to eliminate the most significant disparities in college-going rates among subpopulations?
The Study Group is asked to present its report to the Commissioner of Higher Education no later than July 30, 2010.