ACT
ACT is an independent, not-for-profit organization that provides more than a hundred assessment, research, information, and program management services in the broad areas of education and workforce development.

American Diploma Project (ADP)
ADP helps states restore value to the high school diploma by connecting what it takes to earn a diploma to what it takes to compete successfully beyond high school.

American Educational Research Association (AERA)
AERA is concerned with improving the educational process by encouraging scholarly inquiry related to education and by promoting the dissemination and practical application of research results. AERA Research Points recently released a report on Closing the Gap: High Achievement for Students of Color in 2004.

American Youth Policy Forum (AYPF)
AYPF is non-profit, non-partisan, professional development organization providing learning opportunities for policymakers on youth policy issues at the national, state, and local levels.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is committed to raising the high school graduation rate and helping all students—regardless of race or family income—graduate as strong citizens ready for college and work.

Center for Occupational Research and Development (CORD)
Founded in 1979, CORD is a national nonprofit organization providing innovative changes in education to prepare students for greater success in careers and higher education.

College is Possible
College Is Possible is the American Council on Education’s K-16 youth development program that motivates middle- and high school students from underserved communities to seek a college education.

College Board
The College Board is a not-for-profit membership association whose mission is to connect students to college success and opportunity. Among its best-known programs are the SAT, the Advanced Placement Program (AP), and the College Level Exam Program (CLEP).

Community College Research Center (CCRC)
CCRC at Teachers College, Columbia University, is the leading independent authority on the nation’s more than 1,200 two-year colleges. Its mission is to conduct research on the major issues affecting community colleges in the United States and to contribute to the development of practices and policies that expand access to higher education and ensure success for all students. The CCRC has been involved in the study of transition from high school to college, Accelerating Student Success through Credit-Based Transition Programs, funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

Council for Opportunity in Education (COE)
COE is a nonprofit organization, established in 1981, dedicated to furthering the expansion of educational opportunities. Through its numerous membership services, the Council works in conjunction with colleges, universities, and agencies that host TRIO Programs to specifically help low-income Americans enter college and graduate.

Education Commission of the States (ECS)
ECS is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization involving key leaders from all levels of the education system. It creates unique opportunities to build partnerships, share information, and promote the development of policy based on available research and strategies.

Education Trust
The Education Trust was established in 1990 by the American Association for Higher Education as a special project to encourage colleges and universities to support K-12 reform efforts. The Ed Trust has grown into an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to make schools and colleges work for all of the young people they serve.

Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP)
IHEP is a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose mission is to foster access and success in postsecondary education through public policy research and other activities that inform and influence the policymaking process.

Jobs for the Future (JFF)
JFF is a nonprofit organization that conducts research, analysis, and policy development on the challenges that prevent many people from succeeding in a family-sustaining career. One of their programs, Creating Successful Transitions for Youth, is aimed at preparing young people to pursue education beyond high school and to enter a rewarding career path.

KnowledgeWorks Foundation
The KnowledgeWorks Foundation is committed to furthering universal access to high-quality educational opportunities for individuals to achieve success and for the betterment of society in general.

Lumina Foundation for Education
The Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based, private, independent foundation, strives to help people achieve their potential by expanding access and success in education beyond high school.

National Centers for Career and Technical Education (NCCTE)
The National Center for Research in Career and Technical Education headquartered at the University of Minnesota and the National Center for Dissemination in Career and Technical headquartered at The Ohio State University lead a consortium involve both schools plus the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Oregon State University and Pennsylvania State University, with partnerships with the Academy for Educational Development and Johns Hopkins University. The Centers are funded by the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, USDE to do research, development and dissemination work related to career and technical education throughout the U.S.

National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education (NCPPHE)
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education promotes public policies that enhance Americans’ opportunities to pursue and achieve high-quality education and training beyond high school. The new national report card on higher education, Measuring Up 2004, was released in 2004.

National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
NCES is a primary federal entity for collecting and analyzing educational data and runs the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), known as Nation’s Report Card.

National College Access Network (NCAN)
The mission of the National College Access Network (NCAN) is to improve access to and success in postsecondary education for disadvantaged, underrepresented, and first-generation students. NCAN does this by supporting a network of state and local college access programs that provide counseling, advice, and financial assistance; sharing best practices among the network; providing leadership and technical assistance; and helping establish new college access programs.

National Commission on the High School Senior Year
This commission is examining how to improve the senior year as a transition to postsecondary education and the workforce.

Pathways to College Network
The Pathways to College Network is a national alliance of organizations committed to using research-based knowledge to improve postsecondary education access and success for the nation’s many underserved students, including underrepresented minorities, low-income students, those who are the first in their families to go to college, and students with disabilities.

Southern Regional Education Board (SREB)
SREB is the nation’s first interstate compact for education, founded in 1948 by visionary Southern leaders who recognized the impact of education on the economic life of the region.

State Graduation Requirements
This site from the National Center on Educational Outcomes includes links to state web sites with information on graduation requirements.

State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)
SHEEO is a non-profit, nationwide association of the chief executive officers serving statewide coordinating and governing boards of postsecondary education.

State Policy Inventory Database Online (SPIDO)
SPIDO, a joint project between WICHE and the Pathways to College Network, is designed to provide state and national policymakers, education leaders, practitioners and education consumers with an inventory of state-level policies and resources in key policy domains related to student achievement, access, and success in higher education.

The Educational Resources Institute (TERI)
TERI, a nonprofit organization, is committed to helping families plan and pay for college.

Transition to College
The Transitions to College Project examines the extent to which conditions for opportunity and success are available to all American adolescents as they attempt to navigate the transition from secondary school to college and beyond. The site also features a list of over 150 websites related to the transitions and an extensive, searchable database that includes reports, policy briefs, journal articles and other records on transition issues.

U.S. Department of Education
The mission of the Department of Education is to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence for all Americans. Their web site offers a growing collection of information about the Department, including their initiatives and priorities, grant opportunities, offices, publications, as well as research and statistics.

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
WICHE is a regional organization and an interstate compact created by the Western Regional Education Compact. Fifteen states are members of WICHE.