Research, Analysis & Higher Education Resources

Knowledge is power. PHENOM works hard to put together reports and publications which can help guide politicians to the right legislation, and spur community members into action. We couldn’t do it alone, and we owe a debt of gratitude to the organizations below for much of the information we use.

Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center

MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies, as well as economic issues, with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people. MassBudget also produces reports on specific topics such as education, health care, economic development and tax policy.

Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is one of the nation’s premier policy organizations working at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals. They conduct research and analysis to help shape public debates over proposed budget and tax policies and to help ensure that policymakers consider the needs of low-income families and individuals in these debates.  They also develop policy options to alleviate poverty.

Campaign for the Future of Higher Education (CFHE)

The Campaign for the Future of Higher Education (CFHE) was launched to

  • Guarantee that affordable quality higher education is accessible to all sectors of our society in the coming decades; and
  • Include the voices of the faculty, staff, students, and our communities — not just administrators, politicians, foundations and think tanks — in the process of making change. We must ensure that the emphasis, curriculum, pricing, and structure of our nation’s higher education systems are good for students and the quality of education they receive.

What is at stake is nothing less than our democracy and our economic standing in the global economy. There is a growing crisis in higher education in the United States.

State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO)

The State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) is a nonprofit, nationwide association of the chief executive officers serving statewide coordinating boards and governing boards of postsecondary education. They produce the State Higher Education Finance (SHEF) reports, a vast trove of data relating to public higher education.

Grapevine

Since 1960, Grapevine has published annual compilations of data on state tax support for higher education, including general fund appropriations for universities, colleges, community colleges, and state higher education agencies. Each year’s Grapevine survey has asked states for tax appropriations data for the new fiscal year and for revisions (if any) to data reported in previous years.

The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS)

An independent, nonprofit organization, the Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) works to make higher education more available and affordable for people of all backgrounds. By conducting and supporting nonpartisan research, analysis, and advocacy, TICAS aims to improve the processes and public policies that can pave the way to successful educational outcomes for students and for society.

 

The CollegeBoard Advocacy and Policy Center

The CollegeBoard Advocacy and Policy Center was established to help transform education in America.Guided by the College Board’s principles of excellence and equity in education, we work to ensure that students from all backgrounds have the opportunity to succeed in college and beyond. We make critical connections between policy, research and real-world practice to develop innovative solutions to the most pressing challenges in education today.

Demos

Demos is a public policy organization working for an America where we all have an equal say in our democracy and an equal chance in our economy.

Our name means “the people.” It is the root word of democracy, and it reminds us that in America, the true source of our greatness is the diversity of our people. Our nation’s highest challenge is to create a democracy that truly empowers people of all backgrounds, so that we all have a say in setting the policies that shape opportunity and provide for our common future. To help America meet that challenge, Demos is working to reduce both political and economic inequality, deploying original research, advocacy, litigation, and strategic communications to create the America the people deserve.