The Institute for Higher Education Policy has launched PolicyDirect with support from the Lumina Foundation. PolicyDirect is a new website for an education policy focused audience that contains cutting edge postsecondary education research. It contains more than 300 accessible summaries of academic research highlighting critical findings on the important issues in higher education. These include research on financial aid, student success and college preparation. PolicyDirect is targeted to be a one-stop online research for all those interested in higher education research, including higher education organizers, media, researchers and policymakers.

“The need for timely and trusted information on postsecondary education opportunity is crucial,” says Michelle Asha Cooper, Ph.D., president of IHEP. “Unlike other resources, PolicyDirect was created intentionally to provide immediate access to evidence-based research that addresses key issues in higher education.”

The research summary content of PolicyDirect is generated via a dynamic, evaluative process that takes account of multiple selection criteria such as methodology, cost-effectiveness and scalability. The best research is summarized to provide bottom line, easily digestible information. The research on the site can be searched by topic and criteria.

“Timely access to good research is absolutely critical in the effort to increase Americans’ attainment of high-quality college degrees, certificates, and other credentials,” said Jamie Merisotis, president and CEO of Lumina Foundation. “We’re proud to support PolicyDirect because of its great potential to put reliable, actionable research into the hands of those who need it most.”

PolicyDirect will also offer other resources in addition to its online research summaries. There will be informational online seminars and a series of research to policy events for interested parties to convene and discuss issues affecting college attainment and higher education.

The Institute for Higher Education Policy is a nonprofit organization devoted to promoting access to higher educations and increased attainment for all students. It is based in Washington, DC and provides policy research to aid policymakers and educators in their development of high impact policies to address the education challenges of now and the future.

The Lumina Foundation is a private foundation based in Indianapolis which aims to increase the number of students enrolling in and graduating from college. They have a particular focus on low-income disadvantaged or minority students, first generation students and adult learners. Lumina has a stated goal of increasing the percentage of Americans holding high quality degrees to 60% by 2025. The aim to complete this goal by identifying effective practice, public policy advocacy and building the public will for change.