Measuring Up 2004: The State Report Card on Higher Education. Arkansas
Author: National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education
Date: 2004-00-00
Type: Reports - Descriptive
Subjects: Higher Education,Comparative Analysis,Performance Factors,Educational Improvement,Educational Change,College Preparation,Enrollment,Access to Education,Paying for College,Student Costs,Academic Persistence,Graduation Rate,Educational Attainment,Outcomes of Education,Education Work Relationship,Economic Impact,Academic Achievement,Achievement Rating,Educational Indicators,Educational Assessment,Postsecondary Education,Time to Degree

This state report card is derived from &quot;Measuring Up 2004,&quot; the national report card for higher education. Its purpose is to provide the public and policymakers with information to assess and improve postsecondary education in each state. &quot;Measuring Up 2004&quot; is the third in a series of biennial report cards. The report card grades states in six overall performance categories: (1) Preparation: How adequately are students in each state being prepared for education and training beyond high school?; (2) Participation: Do state residents have sufficient opportunities to enroll in education and training beyond high school?; (3) Affordability: How affordable is higher education for students and their families?; (4) Completion: Do students make progress toward and complete their certificates and degrees in a timely manner?; (5) Benefits: What benefits does the state receive as a result of having a highly educated population?; and (6) Learning: What is known about student learning as a result of education and training beyond high school? This state report card begins by summarizing the state's performance today compared with ten years ago, and by presenting key policy questions that these results suggest for the state. Next, the state's performance in each category is described in greater detail, followed by additional contextual information. Findings for Arkansas include: (1) Despite substantial improvement over the past decade, high school students in Arkansas are poorly prepared for college compared with students in other states. This year Arkansas receives a C in preparation; (2) Over the past decade, the proportion of Arkansas students enrolled in higher education has increased substantially, but the state remains among the weakest performers in this category compared with other states. This year Arkansas receives a C- in participation; (3) Over the past decade, Arkansas has made no notable progress in making higher education affordable. This year Arkansas receives an F in affordability; (4) The proportion of students in Arkansas who complete their higher education studies in a timely manner has risen substantially over the past decade. This year Arkansas receives a C in completion; (5) Although Arkansas has seen improvement over the past decade, the state continues to struggle to reap the benefits of a more highly educated population. This year Arkansas receives a D+ in benefits; and (6) Like most states, Arkansas received an Incomplete in learning because there are no comparable data that would allow for meaningful state-by-state comparisons in learning. The Incomplete in this category highlights a gap in the ability to measure each state's educational capital--the reservoir of high-level knowledge and skills that benefit each state. [For &quot;Measuring Up 2004: The National Report Card on Higher Education,&quot; see ED508096.]