The first report in the series, From Mann to Markets: Evolving Ideas About the Value of Postsecondary Education and Training to Individuals and Society, examines the historical and philosophical developments that have led policymakers and the public to focus on earnings and return on investment as the primary measures of postsecondary education and training success.

The second report in the series, Measuring Postsecondary Value: A Model for Applying Research to Policy and Practice, provides a resource to help leaders identify and measure how investments in higher education support the production of credentials that lead to value for both students and society.

The report’s Postsecondary Value Model (PVM) organizes metrics into categories that generally align with educational inputs (e.g., investments) and outputs (e.g., credentials) that contribute to value-related monetary and nonmonetary outcomes. The PVM includes six categories of inputs, outputs, and outcomes: investment, education, employment, earnings, wealth, and well-being.

The third and final report in the series, A Framework for Assessing the Value of Postsecondary Education and Training: State Guidance, provides practical direction for defining and measuring postsecondary value to policymakers, policy analysts, researchers, and practitioners at the state level, with particular attention to two major use cases. The first use case is assessing the broad value that accrues to each state from a robust postsecondary education and training system; the second is applying transparency and accountability metrics to ensure that institutions and programs deliver on the value they promise to students.