WILLIAMS RESPONDS TO 2006 NATIONAL REPORT CARD ON HIGHER ED.

 HARRISBURG, NOV. 15 – State Sen. Connie Williams in looking at Measuring Up 2006, The National Report Card on Higher Education said that Pennsylvania is making progress, but can do more to ensure everyone has access to higher education.

 "Pennsylvania compares favorably with other states in preparing students for college and seeing that students complete college, but there is more that we can do to ensure that all students have the opportunity to choose to participate in some form of higher education and to make education more affordable," Williams said. "Higher education continues to be a wise investment in not only an individual's future earning potential, but also in the viability of Pennsylvania's economy today and for the future."

 Measuring Up 2006 is the fourth report card released in the past six years. The report compares and evaluates states based on key benchmarks that The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education believe illustrate performance in higher education.

 The six categories considered are:

• Preparation -- How adequately a state prepares its students for higher education

• Participation – Do residents have sufficient opportunities to enroll in education and training beyond high school

• Affordability – How affordable is higher education for students and their families

• Completion – Do students make progress toward and complete certificates and degrees

• Benefits – What benefits does the state receive from having an educated population

• Learning – What is known about student learning as a result of education and training beyond high school

 Based on the categories, Pennsylvania received a "B" for preparation and for participation, an "F" for affordability, an "A" for completion, an "A-" for benefits, and an "incomplete" for learning. Compared to other states, Pennsylvania is a top performer in preparation and a consistent performer in participation, although there hasn't been an increase in the number of Pennsylvania students enrolling in college since the 1990s.

"Affordability continues to be a problem area for Pennsylvania and for most states," Williams said. "If you look at the national report card, only seven states earned a grade of D or C. All of the rest failed. This is indicative of a larger policy problem, which is going to take the concerted efforts of not only policy leaders on a state and federal level to look at how we provide financial aid to students and fund our schools of higher education, but also parents who need to see higher education as a important investment, and the institutions of higher education that need to look at innovative ways to rein in education costs."

 According to the report, even after financial aid, Pennsylvania families must commit a large share of their family income to pay for higher education.

 "This report is a good tool, but unless it is viewed cumulatively, it will not accurately provide a real picture of higher education in Pennsylvania or in the nation," Williams said. "As we prepare to begin a new two-year legislative session, I am calling on my colleagues in the Senate and in the House to come together to address the issues that are significantly impacting higher education and to remove barriers that prevent some Pennsylvanians from accessing education and training beyond high school."

 Measuring Up 2006 – The National Report Card and the State Report Card – are available on The National Public Policy and Higher Education Web site www.highereducation.org.