Iowa

Overview

Iowa is a national leader in degree production among young adults. However, the state might consider leveraging these successes to increase production of high-demand credentials and participation among adults over 35. With the college attainment gap between young and older adults the second largest, boosting college completion rates for the older population could significantly improve wages and the state’s economic competitiveness.

While most young Iowans seek bachelor’s degrees, the single greatest need is for associate degrees. With retirements causing an intermediate demand for associate degrees, the state could leverage its community college capacity to meet future needs for credentials in high-growth fields. Increasing the size of the middle-skill workforce could be the best strategy for retaining high-skilled graduates.

Data

How does Iowa rank compared to the national average?

• Adults 25-64 with college degrees: 17th (40.1% vs. 38%)
• Gap in college attainment between young and older adults: 2nd (9.9% vs. 2.0%)
• High school graduates going directly to college: 22nd (64.3% vs. 63.3%)
• 25- to 49-year-olds enrolled in college: 26th (6.2% vs. 7.0%)
• STEM credentials awarded per 1,000 STEM employees: 7th (78.2% vs. 54.4%)
• Workers with college degrees earning low wages: 37th (26.3% vs. 22.9%)

For more information, please see the following documents:

Iowa Data Profile

Iowa Data PowerPoint

Iowa excels in several education indicators, such as overall degree attainment, young adult participation, and postsecondary productivity. However, policymakers should consider the impact of credential production on wages and labor market demand. Specific strategies to produce high-demand, high-wage credentials in business, STEM and the health sciences could have dramatic effects on overall wages for college graduates and job growth in these industries. Targeted investments in postsecondary education could sustain completion gains made by young adults, while providing increased access to older adults and minorities. Leveraging state funds in this way might propel Iowa into the upper echelon of states. However, lack of action could produce the opposite effect: a situation where Iowa loses its economic comparative advantages.

To achieve economic growth, the state might leverage higher education productivity and high net migration to create job density in high-demand fields.

Policies

Analysis

Boosting College Completion has developed a policy profile for Iowa based on an analysis of data and policies related to college completion and workforce development.

Iowa Policy Profile

Iowa is a national leader in degree production among young adults. Nearly 46% of workers age 25 to 34 hold a college degree, which compares well to the New England states and Minnesota. However, the state might consider leveraging these successes to increase production of high-demand credentials and participation among adults over 35. With the college attainment gap between young and older adults the second largest in the nation at 9.9%, increasing college completion rates for the older population could significantly improve wages and the state’s economic competitiveness.

To address the need for postsecondary credentials and to increase economic opportunity, Iowa should develop a strategy for leveraging state postsecondary investments to both increase college completion rates and meet workforce needs. The strategy should include ambitious statewide goals and identify metrics for measuring progress toward those goals. While Iowa graduates high school students at the fourth highest rate in the nation, increasing college retention could lead to improvements in already-high young adult completion rates.

To improve college attainment rates among recent high school graduates and older adults in a manner that positively impacts the economy, the general assembly might:

1. Develop statewide goals for increasing college completion in high-demand fields and identifying goals and metrics for measuring progress towards those goals
2. Provide incentives for institutions to redesign programs of study so that they accelerate learning, reduce time in college and increase productivity
3. Connect education and workforce data to find out what college graduates are earning, the fields they are employed in, the value of their degrees in relation to their wages and if they stay in state
4. Study the impact of career pathway programs and whether targeted investments would improve the advancement of low-income workers into middle-skill jobs through structured, accelerated certificate and associate degree programs
5. Structure financial aid to encourage students to graduate on-time, with less debt, and complete degrees in high-demand fields.

News & Updates

Boosting College Completion is tracking bills during the 2012 legislative sessions that relate to college completion and workforce development. Check out the measures we are keeping on in Iowa:

Rep. Josh Byrnes has introduced the following legislation:

• H.F. 2241 — Remedial Education Early Assessment and Intervention
• H.F. 2174 — Reduced Tuition for Transfer Students

Policy Leaders

Sen. Herman C. Quirmbach, Chair, Education Committee

Rep. Greg Forristall, Chair, Education Committee

Sen. Brian Schoenjahn, Chair, Education Appropriations Subcommittee

Rep. Cecil Dolecheck, Chair, Education Appropriations Subcommittee

Initiatives

Iowa is participating in the following national initiatives that are related to college completion and workforce development:

Common Core Standards Initiative

SMARTER Balanced Assessment Consortium

Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training Program (TAACCCT)

Resources

The following resources were produced by Boosting College Completion, state agencies and postsecondary systems.

Iowa Data Profile

Iowa Data PowerPoint

Iowa Policy Profile