ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the national context, and considers certain data on US trends in higher education to provide context for people updates to the state cases. It discusses California's role in the national affirmative action conversation and the subsequent elimination of race-based affirmative action in college admissions. Minnesota remains a model for other states in terms of the proportion of adults with a postsecondary credential of value. The chapter describes Indiana as a model for a comprehensive approach to college access and success because they engaged in a series of policy reforms to improve postsecondary opportunity that extended beyond high school graduation requirements and financial aid strategies. The Michigan state legislature has passed legislation allowing community colleges to offer baccalaureate degrees. The chapter describes North Carolina as an archetype for the new progressive South, largely for its commitment to maintaining a high-quality public system of postsecondary education with relatively low tuition and a generous mix of need-based financial aid.
