​The U.S. Department of Education plans to start a clearinghouse for colleges to share their practices on improving student success and the evidence to prove it.

Speaking to the 21st-Century Commission on the Future of Community Colleges on Tuesday, U.S. Education Under Secretary Martha Kanter said that in a “month or two” the department will invite higher education institutions to submit their strategies for student success and evidence to show they work, noting that there will be an initial basic validation of submissions.

21st-Century Commission deliberates recommendations

The clearinghouse is one of several programs and reports that the department will soon announce and release. Next week, it plans to announce a pilot program that will test ideas to increase college affordability and reduce costs. In January, the department will publish a report on democracy and civic engagement, said Kanter, noting that workforce readiness is a critical role for colleges, but “it’s not just about jobs.” 

In addition, the department is developing a toolkit of promising practices in adult education and another one on state efforts. It will also soon publish reports that compile discussions from the half dozen community college summits around the country that the department held earlier this year.