PERC’s policy research empowers stakeholders to inform local, state, and national higher education policy. Research partners range from the Tennessee Higher Education Commission and Board of Regents, to The University of Tennessee System, educational foundations, and state and federal agencies.
Click each dropdown below to browse recent projects, or view the list of policy reports and research publications.
PERC state policy research focuses heavily on access and completion, especially as related to Tennessee’s Promise, Reconnect, and Drive to 55 initiatives. Projects inform the effectiveness and scalability of policies related to workforce development and completion goals on the state and national levels.
- Tennessee Reconnect – Adult Learner Research: Building the Policy Framework for Tennessee. This longitudinal qualitative study captures the experiences of TN Reconnect participants to enable more direct practice and policy-based interventions to support recruitment, retention, and degree attainment.
- Tennessee Promise Policy Report. Pathways to Success: How Cumberland University increased college access, retention and completion through Tennessee Promise, 2015-2018.
- Tennessee Promise Policy Brief. Tennessee Promise achieves 30.1% three-year graduation rate at Pellissippi State Community College.
PERC national policy research focuses heavily on access and completion as pertaining to community colleges, technical schools, student engagement, and student debt. Projects have informed policies related to the scalability of free community college programs, the future of fraternities and sororities, and national student debt.
- Serving Low- and Middle-Income Students. A case study of ways in which land-grant institutions balance access and success to serve low- and middle-income students.
- North-American Interfraternity Conference Health & Safety Policy Evaluation. Assessment of the pilot phases of North American Interfraternity Conference’s (NIC) new Enhanced Health and Safety Policies.
- Open Educational Resource (OER) Policies that Address Barriers to Student Success. Review of state-level policies geared toward solving issues related to the high cost of course materials.
Partner with PERC. In addition to access and completion, the center invites projects that inform local, state, and national policy in other areas of higher education need that align with team expertise.
Click here to learn about partnering with our team.