Higher Education: Where Are We Going and What Can We Do About It?

Education | November 14, 2018

By Susan Pendergrass | Read Time 1 minute minutes

Across the country, and particularly in Missouri, higher education is in crisis. Increasing numbers of prospective students (and their parents) feel that a college degree is no longer worth the required time and expense. Many of those who want to attend college simply can’t afford it, and many who do attend college drop out before earning a degree.

But the career prospects for someone entering the workforce are still highly dependent on his or her educational attainment. So how can Missouri reverse these unhealthy trends—poor perceived value, lack of affodability, and low completion rates—in higher education? Susan Pendergrass explores the problems and offers possible solutions. Click on the link below to read the entire essay.

About the Author

Susan Pendergrass

Before joining the Show-Me Institute, Susan Pendergrass was Vice President of Research and Evaluation for the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, where she oversaw data collection and analysis and carried out a rigorous research program. Susan earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business, with a concentration in Finance, at the University of Colorado in 1983. She earned her Masters in Business Administration at George Washington University, with a concentration in Finance (1992) and a doctorate in public policy from George Mason University, with a concentration in social policy (2002). Susan began researching charter schools with her dissertation on the competitive effects of Massachusetts charter schools. Since then, she has conducted numerous studies on the fiscal impact of school choice legislation. Susan has also taught quantitative methods courses at the Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies, at Johns Hopkins University, and at the School of Public Policy at George Mason University. Prior to coming to the National Alliance, Susan was a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education during the Bush administration and a senior research scientist at the National Center for Education Statistics during the Obama administration.

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