Postsecondary Participation and State Policy: Meeting the Future Demand (review)

The purpose of Postsecondary Participation and State Policy: Meeting the Future Demand is to spark debate and arouse new thinking regarding public policies to maximize access and opportunity in higher education. Demographic statistics and data analysis form the bases to discuss current and future patterns of postsecondary participation. The impact of these demographic trends is linked to economic issues to demonstrate the opportunities and challenges for states to increase postsecondary participation for all Americans.

Chapter 1 provides an historical perspective of public and private benefits of postsecondary education. During the colonial period, only the elite were privy to higher education. Over the years, however, changes in national legislation and state policy opened higher education access to a larger cross section of Americans. Consequently, the populations to be served by postsecondary education have dramatically changed, are changing, and will continue to change.

A college degree is thought to profoundly affect the quality of life of people in the United States. In general, a postsecondary education holds many promises—personal development, success in life and a means for intergenerational social mobility—for those who partake of the opportunity. Additionally, postsecondary participation is viewed as essential to society's overall social, democratic and economic well-being.

The profits of higher education to the individual and society are illustrated in chapter 1 through pragmatic examples and statistical data. This information helps to build the case that access is the precursor to achieving benefits from postsecondary participation. Individuals and society profit even more when participation leads to graduation.

Whether looking to the future, forecasting trends, or predicting outcomes, an analysis of postsecondary participation requires an understanding of its current state. Chapter 2 explores the present profile of postsecondary participation using U.S. Year 2000 decennial census data to illustrate participation patterns for 18 to 24-year-olds and those 25 and older. The census indicates that over one-third of the traditional age (18 to 24-year-old) population participates in postsecondary education. Future predictions are that several states will experience large increases in the traditional age student population and a tremendous influx of students 25 years and over. These demographic influences will have an impact on the states' roles of providing higher education opportunity, especially given that states have been cutting back sharply on their higher education investment efforts.

In chapter 3, projected demographic shifts in the two age groups (18 to 24-year-olds and those 25 and older) are linked with current participation rates to emphasize the future challenges states will face to provide for higher education accessibility in 2015. State variations in demographic shifts will influence factors such as participation rates, service levels, and funding amounts. Additionally, factors such as state policy, institutional behaviors and economic trends as well as technology will be influenced by these shifts. The author suggests that these factors are tremendously complicated to forecast and measure; therefore, there is no systematic way to account for the influences they will have on future enrollment demand across the states.

Chapter 4 discusses additional scenarios of future demand for higher education in 2015 to offer alternatives for policy makers to consider in responding to increased enrollments. A number of factors (e.g., demographic growth, educational improvements and policy alternatives) will influence higher education demand. The challenge for states will be whether they are able to meet the demand and improve participation rates.

To illustrate the implications of public policy on enrollment growth, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act is used as an example of new legislation that is calling for improvements in elementary and secondary education. If K-12 academic preparation improves, however, so will the demand for postsecondary education. Unfortunately, "renamed the No Child Left Untested Act by its critics, the NCLB Act has been charged with not only draining schools financially, but also implementing both high stakes testing and zero-tolerance policies which have served to push out or kick out Black and Latino youth in disproportionate numbers" (Giroux...