Legislators are looking to enshrine the Postsecondary Student Success Grant (PSSG) program, a student outcomes-centered federal effort, into law through new legislation this March. Although the effort has received support generally, some higher ed scholars and advocates have levied some criticisms and concerns about it.
Dr. Jhenai Chandler
The Postsecondary Student Success Act – a bipartisan effort that seeks to solidify the ongoing existence of the grant program, which gives funds to higher ed institutions striving towards improving student success, particularly for “high-need” students.
The PSSG – it was first funded in 2022 via the Consolidated Appropriations Act – recognizes and awards funds to institutions that propose to use the grant for evidence-based reforms and practices in pursuit of bolstering student participation, retention, transfer, and completion rates.
Efforts implemented by awarded institutions in prior years have included services such as counseling, tutoring, childcare, community-building activities, targeted outreach, financial assistance, technology provision, and transportation.
“By codifying the program, it gives institutions something to look forward to annually as a source that they may be able to tap, assuming they qualify, for much needed resources,” said Kelly Leon, vice president of communications and government relations for the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP).
The legislation has received support from organizations in higher ed and civil rights circles, including the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU), the Association of Community College Trustees, the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS), and Latino civil rights organization UnidosUS.
Cementing the program into law will make the existence of the higher ed support effort less uncertain, said Dr. Jhenai Chandler, senior director of college completion policy at TICAS.
