Preliminary Results, 11/30/23, (910 Responses)
CommonSense Americans
Strongly Support Workforce Pell
Broad Endorsement of Greater Funding for Career-Connected Learning
Robust Support for Career-Connected Learning
88
Support
CommonSense Americans overwhelmingly endorse greater federal support for Career Connected Learning (CCL). The support is similarly high among Republicans, Democrats, and Independents, although members of each party don’t recognize how much the other party agrees with them. They also strongly agree that the $7 billion in support given to the more than 60% of Americans who don’t attain a four-year degree is too little relative to the $110 billion in support for the fewer than 40% of Americans who do attain a four-year degree.
Republicans and Democrats both underestimate the other side’s support
58
GOP Perception of DEM Support
92
Actual DEM Support
42
DEM Perception of GOP Support
84
Actual GOP Support
Most Americans Believe Career-Connected Learning Gets Too Little Support Relative to College
Weighted average % results for too little/about right/too much
How $117B Dollars of Federal Support for Education and Training After High School are Spent
Overwhelming Majority Supports Workforce Pell
In the questionnaire related to the brief, CommonSense Americans were asked:
Do you support or oppose extending the Pell Grant program to cover short-term workforce education programs?
There is widespread agreement among everyday Americans that Workforce Pell is an appropriate way to increase support for those who would benefit most from workforce education programs. Again on the question of Workforce Pell, Americans don’t realize how much they agree that Workforce Pell would significantly boost thousands of Americans ability to attain higher paying and more meaningful jobs.
Republicans and Democrats both underestimate the other side’s support
56
GOP Perception of DEM Support
90
Actual DEM Support
43
DEM Perception of GOP Support
88
Actual GOP Support
88
Support
Concern that Quality Requirements
May be Too High
Want Quality Requirements that Don’t Overly Limit Access
Strong Majorities Support Three of Five Approaches to Quality
Members of CommonSense American strongly agree that it’s crucial to ensure that Pell Grants only support programs that cost-effectively place them higher paying jobs. Strong majorities support outcome performance requirements, administrative approval criteria, and requiring that career-connected learning programs can count for additional credentialing in the future. Considered in isolation from other quality requirement, opinions about excluding for-profits is much more divided. There is wide opposition to excluding totally online programs for Workforce Pell eligibility.
Outcome Performance Requirements
Support for Job Placement Rate Requirement
Slightly More Support for 60% than 70% Completion and Job Placement Rates
Outcome Performance Requirements
Strong Support for Earnings Requirements
Do you support or oppose establishing minimum earnings requirements?
Evenly Divided Views About Requirements Beyond the Gainful Employment Rule
Do you support or oppose establishing minimum earnings requirements beyond the new?
Gainful Employment Rule – About Right
Do you think that the new Gainful Employment rule is too stringent, about right, or too lax?
Support for Adding Earnings Requirements Beyond Gainful Employment Rule
If adding earnings requirements beyond Gainful Employment Rule, strongest support for a hybrid of PELL Act and Jobs to Compete Act
Administrative Approval Criteria
76% Think There Should be No More than 5 Administrative Criteria
What do you think is the maximum number of the seven administrative criteria that should be used to have the best balance between quality and access?
76
No More than 5 Administrative Criteria
Ranked Administrative Criteria
Ranked from 1 (best) to 7 (worst)
| Rank Order | Criteria | Average Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meets applicable state requirements for professional licensure (Criteria 4) | 2.48 |
| 2 | Leads to a federally recognized postsecondary credential (Criteria 1) | 2.60 |
| 3 | At least half of the tuition and fees go to educational spending (Criteria 7) | 3.00 |
| 4 | Offered by an institution on the state and local Eligible Training Provider List (Criteria 2) | 3.06 |
| 5 | Administrative determination that the program provides training in “high-skill, high-wage, or in-demand industry sectors or occupations for the state and local area (Criteria 3) | 3.59 |
| 6 | No administrative adverse action in past five years (Criteria 5) | 3.74 |
| 7 | Provides Career Counseling (Criteria 6) | 4.01 |
