Strada collaborates with students, policymakers, educators, and employers across the U.S. to strengthen the link between education and opportunity.
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We prioritize policies, practices, and programs that help ensure postsecondary education provides equitable pathways to opportunity.
We advance our mission through research, grantmaking, social impact investments, public policy solutions, Strada-supported nonprofit organizations, and strategic initiatives.
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This report provides initial insights and sets a foundation for additional research about how postsecondary leaders, policy makers, educators and employers can help students most effectively and efficiently achieve their economic and personal goals.
More than half of Americans (51%) would change at least one of their education decisions if they had to do it all over again
Those with some college but no degree are the most likely to say they would change a decision
Individuals who complete a vocational, trade or technical program are more positive about their education decisions than are individuals with an associate or bachelor’s degr
Individuals who attended a for-profit institution at the sub-baccalaureate level or who attended a private, nonprofit institution at the two-year level are more likely to regret their decisions thatn those who earned credentials from other institutions.
Bachelor’s degree holders who completed their education later in life reflect more positively on their education choices than do those who completed at a younger age.
STEM graduates at all education levels are the least likely to report they would make different education decisions.
This report provides initial insights and sets a foundation for additional research about how postsecondary leaders, policymakers, educators and employers can help students most effectively and efficiently achieve their economic and personal goals.
About half of all U.S. adults would change at least one of the decisions they made along their education path, whether that be choosing a different major of field of study, a different institution, or another degree type.
Those with some college but no degree are the most likely to say they would change at least one of these three education decision, which may not be surprising given that many may feel that they have little to show for their time and financial investment.
The desire to make different education decision varies by the type of institution individual attended. Individuals who received their degree from the most selective public and private four-year schools are the least likely to indicate they would change their education decisions. Meanwhile, adults who attended for-profit, certificate-granting institutions, private nonprofit two-year schools and for-profit two-year schools are most likely to say they would change at least one of their education decisions.
As might be expected, the relationship between a desire to change education decisions and student loan amount is concentrated among those who would change which institution they attended – since the cost of attendance varies substantially across different higher education institutions.
Regardless of their age at the time of graduation, few bachelor’s degree holders would pursue a different degree. However, those aged 30 or older at the time of their graduation are less likely than those under age 30 at the time of their graduation to say they would pursue a different field of study.
Most notably, those who studied STEM fields to earn an associate or bachelor’s degree are the least likely to report they would choose another major, while those who studied liberal arts are the most likely to say they would change their field of study.
Though more than half of U.S. adults say they would make at least one different education decision, about four in five adults who completed a credential or a degree either agree or strongly agree that they received a high-quality education.
When it comes to education after high school, Americans know what they value and why. At Strada Education Network, we are listening to what they have to say and leveraging their insights about experiences and outcomes to forge more purposeful pathways between education and careers.
Gallup strategically partners with institutions to conduct custom research and implement best practices that create environments in which students and employees thrive.
Strada’s newest report, Building Better Internships, looks at the latest findings from the National Survey of College Internships (NSCI), a survey developed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions.
The State Opportunity Index was developed to help states build a stronger connection between education after high school and equitable pathways to opportunity so students realize the full value of their education and employers have the workforce they need to fill high-demand jobs.
New research highlights what states and institutions can do to help more graduates secure college-level jobs.
To better understand the value community colleges provide to individuals and communities, we need to acknowledge the range of needs they serve.
A wide range of experiences prepare students for success beyond the completion of their college degree. The evidence for the value of interning on students' future careers is strong.
In an era of student enrollment declines, tight labor markets, rising college costs, and a growing lack of confidence in the value of a postsecondary education, community colleges and employers have ample reasons to partner together.
Partnerships between community colleges and employers have the opportunity to address local and regional economic needs through a range of tools, including supporting student success through resources and services, integrating work-based learning, and building career pathways.
The list of benefits associated with earning a college degree is extensive and oft-repeated. It includes higher average lifetime earnings, employment security, greater self-esteem, and better health, among many others.
Amid all of this disruption, the number of U.S. workers leaving or changing their jobs sharply increased. Known variously as the Great Resignation, Reshuffle, or Realignment, the trend has been cast in the cultural imagination as a collective desire on the part of the American workforce for more rewarding or meaningful work.
Over the past 80 years, our nation has made great strides in improving access to college, and then ensuring that many more students could complete a college degree.
Spring 2022 enrollment numbers from the National Student Clearinghouse reveal a fifth straight semester of enrollment declines, with more than 1 million fewer students enrolled compared to spring 2020
Higher education’s measurement of student success is in the midst of an evolution. For nearly five decades, success efforts focused on access, then two decades with completion as the horizon for success, and now the focus is extending to student outcomes beyond completion.
Applied connections between education and work are increasingly a part of undergraduate education in the United States.
Two centuries after the first historically Black colleges and universities were founded, the 101 accredited HBCUs in operation today continue to deliver on their legacy of expanding educational opportunity for Black students that leads to successful and fulfilling lives.
As a field, higher education has experienced a continuing evolution in how to measure success. For nearly five decades success efforts were focused on access, followed by the past decade and a half pursuing completion, and the field now has a growing focus on the value of a degree and student outcomes beyond completion.
Strada’s prior research on undergraduate perceptions of the value of their education demonstrates that students value their education most when they receive support to connect their education and career interests.
In the wake of historic pandemic-related enrollment declines, postsecondary institutions have responded by developing and expanding innovative approaches to engaging learners.
The baccalaureate degree remains the surest path to economic mobility, employment stability, and a host of associated social benefits.
Steep declines in undergraduate enrollment during 2020 and 2021 threaten to widen existing equity gaps in college completion and career opportunities.
Nondegree credentials have been growing rapidly for decades. During the COVID-19 economic crisis, interest in nondegree credentials and skills training options was especially high. Questions about their quality and value, however, remain.
The high school classes of 2020 and 2021 have endured massive disruption to their education.
From its onset in early 2020, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has upended life across the world, leading to uncertainty around health, work, finances, education, and a host of other issues.
The pandemic has led to a national crisis of widespread disruption to both work and education for millions of adults in the U.S., especially those from historically marginalized groups.
We asked alumni nationwide who had borrowed money to go to school if their loans were worth it. Strada Education Network and Gallup surveyed a nationally representative sample of more than 6,000 student loan holders.
Our mission is to improve lives by forging clearer and more purposeful pathways between education and employment.