Student Parent Success InitiativeAdministrator2023-09-28T09:43:54-05:00

Student Parent Success Initiative

Earning a postsecondary credential is more important than ever for families to achieve economic security and mobility. For the roughly four million college students who are parents of children under 18—70 percent of whom are mothers—earning a degree or certificate is a pathway to a better life for themselves and their families. These student parents, however, are often overlooked on college campuses and in the broader system of higher education, and lack access to the supports, such as affordable, high-quality child care, that they need to successfully graduate.

IWPR’s Student Parent Success Initiative conducts research and policy analysis, provides technical expertise and assistance, and communicates its research and builds partnerships to lift up the voices of students with children and increase equity in higher education for student parents and other underserved student populations.

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For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. IWPR's Policy Team weighs in.

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IWPR conducted original research on an often-overlooked group of students—parents with children—as they struggle to make ends meet while pursuing academic degrees and certificates. Click to learn more.

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Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability

For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. For me, the annual FAFSA form was always an unnerving part of my college experience because [...]

By Salma Elakbawy|February 7, 2024|

A Call to Cancel Student Debt

While higher education is generally considered to be a driver of upward economic mobility, student debt is one of the biggest hurdles that prevents students from acquiring wealth. People of color experience the burden of student debt more acutely due to historic intergenerational wealth gaps, [...]

By Salma Elakbawy|October 24, 2023|

This September, Let’s Celebrate Student Parents!

September is National Student Parent Month, a month to celebrate and uplift student parents in higher education and recognize the need to further empower this unique group of students. According to IWPR reports, student parents make up a substantial percentage of postsecondary students but often [...]

By Salma Elakbawy|September 15, 2023|

Policy-at-a-Glance: Securing Student Parent Success

Earning a college degree has long been critical to unlocking many high-paying jobs – and, as a result, to economic mobility and security. Increasingly, however, the traditional “norm” of a college student – one who enrolls straight out of high school, receives some support [...]

By Tessa Dee|September 11, 2023|

State Policy for Student Parent Success: A Landscape Scan of Policy Solutions Enacted at the State Level

While promoting student-parent success has mainly been left to institutions of higher education, several states have considered or adopted a range of policy initiatives to support student parents in postsecondary education. This paper provides state policy stakeholders, including governors, state agencies, and advocates, with [...]

By Nina Besser Doorley, Salma Elakbawy and Afet Dundar PhD|August 25, 2023|
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