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In 2000, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopted its “Closing the Gaps” report that defined goals for improving the performance of higher education in our state.

The first goal would increase “participation” in Texas higher education by 500,000 students by 2015. Current growth patterns will increase college enrollment by 200,000 over that time, but an additional 300,000 Texans will need to attend college to meet the Coordinating board’s goal.

But just attending college is not enough. The Coordinating Board’s second goal is to increase “success” by 50% as indicated by the number of degrees, certificates and other identifiable student successes from high quality programs.

The following table shows the magnitude of this challenge.

Degrees and Certificates – Current and “Closing the Gaps “ Goals for 2015
Bachelors’ Degrees	57,000	104,000
Associates’ Degrees	23,000	34,600
Doctoral Degrees	2,200	3,300
Certificates	12,800	21,100
TOTAL	95,000	163,000

 

“Closing the Gaps,” of course, also means increasing the participation and success of those groups that have been historically under-represented in higher education as well as producing more graduates in critical shortage areas, such as nursing, teaching and engineering.

Some students have difficulty in college because they did not take the rigorous academic courses in high school that are needed for success in higher education. Through TBEC’s Texas Scholars initiative and the Legislature’s enactment of the TEXAS Grant Program student completion of the Recommended High School Program has increased dramatically. Many school districts, however, are having difficulty finding enough qualified teachers to meet the increased student demand for the math, science and foreign language courses of the Recommended Program.
Students who might want to pursue a post-secondary technical certificate find that their high school has limited course offerings that support their aspirations. This limits student participation and success in certificate programs that would produce the technicians needed by business and many important public services (such as Emergency Medical Technicians).

Other students experience difficulty with the transition from high school to college for many different reasons. College is particularly challenging for students whose families have no history of a successful college experience, and families of disadvantaged students (and probably many others) experience difficulty with the paperwork associated with college applications and financial aid requirements.