Kimberly Hetrick

This document provides an overview of the Washington Postsecondary Food Security Pilot, a three-year initiative launched by the 2023 Washington State Legislature to address high levels of food insecurity among college students. The pilot involves six institutions implementing preventative approaches such as declining-balance cards, enhanced meal plans, and food budgeting education. The program aims to improve student food security, persistence, and academic completion, with initial data from Western Washington University demonstrating significant positive impacts on food security and student retention.

The Postsecondary Food Security Pilot, established under Washington's 2023 Student Basic Needs Act, aims to develop and evaluate proactive, preventative strategies to address food insecurity among college and university students, particularly those with low incomes. Six institutions are implementing diverse approaches, including providing direct food or financial assistance, connecting students to community resources, enhancing campus food environments, and offering wraparound services such as financial literacy workshops. Key outcomes include improved academic persistence and retention rates, reduced food insecurity among participants, and the catalyzing of broader campus-wide food security initiatives. The pilot seeks to create a blueprint for future scalable and equitable support systems for students.

This document provides an overview of strategic efforts and opportunities to advance postsecondary success for parenting students in Washington. It identifies significant challenges faced by parenting students, including high childcare costs, limited childcare availability, conflicting schedules, and administrative burdens. Key strategies discussed include enhancing data collection on parenting students, streamlining educational processes and support systems (such as creating child-friendly campus environments and offering flexible scheduling), and expanding state-funded direct subsidies for childcare. The overarching goal is to increase economic opportunity, promote stable careers, and foster upward mobility for parenting students, thereby improving retention and completion rates to benefit families and communities across the state.

This document provides technical notes and detailed data on high school graduation rates across Washington state for the 2024-2025 academic year. It defines key indicators like the high school graduation rate, specifies data sources, and outlines data suppression rules. The core content is a comprehensive table presenting graduation data across various demographic groups and individual school districts.

This policy brief outlines a comprehensive Direct Admissions State Strategy for Washington, aimed at increasing postsecondary enrollment by simplifying the admissions process and addressing cost barriers, primarily through leveraging the WA Grant program. The strategy focuses on key features such as governance, partnerships, eligibility criteria, data flow, intake processes, and coordinated communication. It advocates for a unified state approach that integrates financial aid and admissions to create seamless enrollment pathways for all high school students.