Improving higher education access and persistence: New directions from a "systems" perspective

Finding effective ways of increasing college access and persistence require s that proposed solutions be evaluated according to how they individually a nd collectively interact with the broad goals of higher education. Only the n is it possible to estimate the overall impact of any particular solution. This article illustrates a "systems" approach, based on the quality functi on deployment model, for examining the direct and interaction effects of mu ltiple solutions aimed at improving access and persistence. The results of applying this approach indicate the necessity of quality and access policie s that support the entire educational system's capacity to improve. Rather than simply more student aid, the "high leverage" solutions that emerge arg ue for improving the academic achievement of K-12 students and enhancing th e quality of K-12 schools. The article concludes by outlining how researche rs and stakeholder groups can jointly use an approach similar to the one we have illustrated to broaden consensus on how to improve access and persist ence.