Council on Postsecondary Education partnering with Ithaka S+R to improve adult learner re-enrollment

April 25, 2024

The Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) is collaborating with Ithaka S+R, a non-profit educational research and consulting organization, to identify and reduce barriers that prevent adults from completing a postsecondary education.

Many Kentucky students have stopped out of college at some point and cannot return due to administrative policies and practices. Through this new engagement, CPE and Ithaka S+R hope to better understand administrative practices in Kentucky that hamper the ability of students to continue their education if they have stopped out due to family obligations, financial concerns or other issues. The effort is part of a national realignment of processes around administrative holds and past due balances.

“This important work will help us understand how to better serve adult learners with some college but who have not finished their programs,” Dr. Aaron Thompson, CPE president, said. “The success of adult learners is critical to improving both the prosperity and wellbeing of our citizens and of our commonwealth.” 

Ithaka S+R is working with CPE to accomplish four primary goals:

• Understand the impact of administrative holds and past due balances on students and administrators
• Explore policy opportunities to improve support for adult learners with some college and no credential
• Assess the readiness of Kentucky institutions to implement programs or collaborative solutions for stopped-out students 
• Host a convening to share research findings, recommendations and develop strategies for future action.

“This timely collaboration with Kentucky CPE and institutions of higher education across the state will build on existing adult learner initiatives and amplify the opportunity to better support returning students with some college and no credential,” Liz Looker, senior program manager at Ithaka S+R, said. “Ithaka S+R looks forward to identifying data-informed solutions that benefit students, institutions, and the workforce.”