Blurring Boundaries: Transforming Place, Policies, and Partnerships

By 2020, more than six out of ten U.S. jobs will require postsecondary training. Despite a slight increase in college attainment nationally in recent years, the fastest-growing minority groups are being left behind. Only 25 and 18 percent of Blacks and Hispanics, respectively, hold at least an associate’s degree, compared with 39 percent of Whites. Without substantial increases in educational attainment, particularly for the nation’s already underserved groups, the United States will have a difficult time developing a robust economy. In this context, the Institute for Higher Education (IHEP) sought to follow up on its previous work examining metropolitan statistical areas –MSA- educational attainment rates by further exploring policies that either inhibit or facilitate degree production, and identifying metropolitan-level, cross-section collaborations that help local leaders contribute to national completion goals.