Purposes, Policies, Performance Higher Education and the Fulfillment of a State’s Public Agenda

Abstract

In the United States, the primary responsibility for education lies with individual states. To be sure, the federal government plays an enabling role, particularly in higher education; its programs of financial aid and assistance create opportunity for millions of Americans, helping ensure that those who seek a higher education can do so regardless of their financial circumstance. But it is states that create the particular environment for education, not just in the primary and secondary levels but also in the domain of higher education. This report examines the policy environments in two states in the United States: New Jersey and New Mexico. Through an extensive series of interviews with state policy officials as well as data collection and analysis, this report analyses the relationship between the higher education policy environment and the grades these two states attained on the report card’s measures.