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Penn GSE AHEAD

Presentations, Publications, & Working Papers

Laura Perna

Perna, L.W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. (2021, April 5). Free college programs can enable more student to go to college, but it all depends on how the program is designed. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/free-college-programs-can-enable-more-students-to-go-to-college-but-it-all-depends-on-how-the-program-is-designed-157651.
Perna, L.W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. (2021, March). Will college promise programs improve or reduce equity? Understanding the contextual conditions that influence implementation. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(26). This article is part of the special issue, Policy Implementation as an Instrument to Achieve Educational Equity in the Community College Context, guest edited by Eric R. Felix, H. Kenny Nienhusser, Ángel Gonzalez, Luz Burgos-López. https://epaa.asu.edu/ojs/article/view/5436/2594.
Perna, L.W., Wright-Kim, J., & Leigh, E. (2020, December). Recognizing the implications of promise program design for equity and efficiency. College Promise, Policy Brief. Policy Briefs
Perna, L.W., & Smith, E. J. (Eds.) (2020, March). Improving Research-Based Knowledge of College Promise Programs. Washington, DC.: American Educational Research Association. Publications
Perna, L.W., Orosz, K., & Kent, D. (2019, March). The Role and Contribution of Academic Researchers in Congressional Hearings: A Critical Discourse Analysis. American Education Research Journal, 56, 111-145. Publications
Rauner, M., Perna, L.W., & Kanter, M. (2018, November). California college promise: Program characteristics and perceptions from the field. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. Publications
Perna, L.W. (2018, May). Taking it to the streets: The role of scholarship in advocacy and advocacy in scholarship. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. Publications
Cahalan, M., Perna, L.W., Yamashita, M., Wright, J., & Santillan, S. (2018, May). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States: An historic trend report. Washington, DC:  The Pell Institute of the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy. Publications
Perna, L.W., Leigh, E., & Carroll, S. (2017, December). “Free College:” A New and Improved State Approach to Increasing Educational Attainment?. Publications
Perna, L.W., & Leigh, E. (2017, November). Understanding the Promise: A Typology of State and Local College Promise Programs. Educational Researcher, 47, 155-180.
Perna, L.W., & Hillman, N. (2017, May). Understanding Student Debt: Who Borrows, the Consequences of Borrowing, and the Implications for Federal Policy. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Volume 671. Publications
Cahalan, M., Perna, L.W., Yamashita, M., Ruiz, R., & Franklin, K. (2017, April). Indicators of higher education equity in the United States: An historic trend report. Washington, DC:  The Pell Institute of the Council for Opportunity in Education and the Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy.. Publications
Perna, L.W. & Orosz, K. (Eds.) (2016, July). Higher Education Internationalization and Economic-Political Transitions. Publications
Perna, L.W. & Orosz, K. (2016, July). Higher education internationalization in the context of ongoing economic-political transtitions. Hungarian Educational Research Journal, 6(1), 1-18. Publications
(2016, February). Technology: The Solution to Higher Education’s Pressing Problems?. Perna, L. W., & Ruiz, R. (2016). Technology: The Solution to Higher Education’s Pressing Problems?. In M. B. Bastedo, P.G. Altbach & P.J. Gumport (Eds.), American Higher Education in the Twenty-First Century: Social, Political, and Economic Challenges (4th ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. Publications
Perna, Laura W. (2016, January 15). Connecting Research and State Policy: Implications for Academic Researchers and Intermediary Organizations.  With the goal of identifying ways to improve connections between academic research and policy- making, Lumina Foundation convened a small group of academic researchers and leaders of intermediary organizations. From this convening came a number of recommendations. These recommendations are designed for academic researchers and the leadership of intermediary organizations who share the goal of improving postsecondary attainment in the United States. This brief summarizes these recommendations. . Publications
Perna, L.W. (2016, January). Sexual Violence on Campus . (What's AHEAD: Key Trends in Higher Education No. 8). Philadelphia, PA: Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Publications
Ruby, A., Perna, L., Boruch, R., & Wang, N. (2015, December). Are there metrics for MOOCS from Social Media?. Online Learning Journal, 19(5).. Publications
Perna, L.W. (2015, November 2). Guest Editor's Column: Preparing for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act . Perna, Laura W. (2015) "Guest Editor’s Column: Preparing for Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act," Journal of Student
Financial Aid, 45
(3). Retrieved from http://publications.nasfaa.org/jsfa/vol45/iss3/1..
Publications
Perna, L.W. (2015, October). College Affordability: Is Free Community College Tuition the Answer?. (What's AHEAD: Key Trends in Higher Education No. 7). Philadelphia, PA: Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Publications
Eckel, P.D. and Perna, L.W. (2015, June). Public Perceptions of Higher Education: Is it Worth the Cost?. (What's AHEAD: Key Trends in Higher Education No. 6). Philadelphia, PA: Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Publications
Perna, L.W. (2015, March 30). Promoting College Access & Completion: The Role of Public Policy & Institutional Practice. Invited presentation to the University at Buffalo Graduate School of Education. Presentations
Perna, L.W. (2015, March). Higher Education Leaders: What Institutional Decisions Do They Influence? . (What's AHEAD: Key Trends in Higher Education No. 5). Philadelphia, PA: Alliance for Higher Education and Democracy, Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania. Publications
Perna, L.W., Orosz, K., Jumakulov, Z., Kishtentayeva, M., & Ashirbekov, A. (2015, February). Understanding the programmatic and contextual forces that influence participation in a government-sponsored student mobility program. Higher Education, 69, 173-188. Publications
Cahalan, M., & Perna, L.W. (2015, February). Indicators of Higher Education Equity in the United States: 45-Year Trend Report. Publications
Perna, L.W., Orosz, K., & Jumakulov, Z. (2015, January). Understanding the human capital benefits of a government-funded international scholarship program: An exploration of Kazakhstan's Bolashak program. International Journal of Educational Development. Publications
Perna, L.W. (2014, December). Reflections on Tinto’s South African lectures. Journal of Student Affairs in Africa, 2(2), 29-38. Publications
Perna, L.W., Ruby, A., Boruch, R., Wang, N., Scull, J., Ahmad, S., & Evans, C. (2014, December). Moving through MOOCs: Understanding the progression of users in MOOCs. Educational Researcher, 43, 421-432. Publications
Jumakulov, Z. Orosz, K., Perna, L. W. (2014, November 14). Minimising brain drain: The pros and cons. University World News. Publications
Perna, L. W., Ruby, A., Boruch, R., Wang, N., Scull, J., Ahmad, S., & Evans, C. (2014, May 5). "Sequential flow". Excerpt from unpublished manuscript, Life cycle of a million MOOC users.. Policy Briefs
Perna, L. W., Ruby, A. (2014, May). Heavy weather: Fiscal Clouds and MOOC Waves in the Sunshine State. Times Higher Education. Publications
Zemsky, R., Shaman, S., & Perna, L. W. (2014, May). Making sense of a looking glass world. Working paper from The Consumer-Based Institutional Market Segmentation Project. Working Papers
Perna, L. W., Ruby, A. (2014, May). Cautious towards MOOCs. ScienceGuide. Publications
Perna, L. W. (2014, April). How close are we to the college degree completion goal? Current trends and future projections. Invited Division J (Postsecondary Education) Vice Presidential Session, American Educational Research Association, Philadelphia, PA. Presentations
Perna, L.W. (2014, April). What might we learn from research about traditional colleges and universities. Invited presentation for Developing a research agenda: Tax-paying colleges and universities/For-profit higher education, hosted by University of Southern California Center for Higher Education and the DeVry Education Group. Presentations
Perna, L. W.   (2014, March). MOOCs: Education’s holy grail or the great illusion?. Seminar for the 25th International Conference on College Teaching and Learning, Jacksonville, FL. Presentations
Perna, L.W., & Finney, J. (2014, March). The attainment agenda: State policy leadership in higher education. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.*

*Please use this flyer to purchase the book with a 30% discount.
Publications
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., Gopaul, B., Jumakulov, Z., Ashirbekov, A., & Kishkentayeva, M. (2014, March). Promoting human capital development: A typology of international scholarship programs in higher education.. Educational Researcher, 43(2), 63-73. Publications
Perna, L. W. (2014, March). Promoting college access and success for all students. Keynote address to the 75th Annual Conference of Louisiana Colleges and Universities, Baton Rouge, LA. Presentations
Perna, L. W.   (2014, March). Promoting college access and success for all students: The promise of new technology.  Invited presentation for Penn Alumni Retreat, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. Presentations
Perna, L. W. (2014, March). Insider’s look at trends in higher education for graduate students. Invited presentation for the Graduate School and Office of Career Services, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ. Presentations
Perna, L. W. (2014, March). Improving college access for all students.  Invited plenary for the West Virginia Higher Education Commission “Leading the Way Compact Forum,” Charleston, WV. Presentations
Soares, L. & Perna, L.W. (2014, February). Readiness for the learning economy: Insights from the OECD’s survey of adult skills on workforce readiness and preparation. Washington, DC: American Council on Education. Publications
Callan, P., Finney, J., Perna, L.W. (2014, February). Renewing the promise: State policies to improve higher education performance. Philadelphia, PA: Institute for Higher Education Research. Publications
Orosz, K., Perna, L. W., et al. (2014, January). Promoting human capital development: A typology of international scholarship programs in higher education. Educational Researcher. Publications
Perna, L. W. (2014, January). How do students make decisions about attending college? . Invited presentation to the White House Education Datapoolaza, Washington, DC. Presentations
Perna, L.W., & Ruby, A. (2013, December 5). Life cycle of a million MOOC users. MOOC Research Initiative, Arlington, Texas. Presentations
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., Gopaul, B., Kishkentayeva, M., Jumakulov, Z., & Ashirbeckov, A. (2013, November). Understanding participation in a government-sponsored student-mobility program in a transitioning nation. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for the Study of Higher Education, St. Louis, MO. Presentations
Perna, L. W., Orosz, K., Gopaul, B., Ashirbekov, A., Jumakulov, Z., & Kishkentayeva, M. (2013, September). Promoting human capital development: A typology of international scholarship programs in higher education. Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Istanbul, Turkey. Presentations
Perna, L.W., Jumakulov, Z., & Orosz, K. (2013, September). The role of an international scholarship program in developing human capital in a nation with a transitioning economy.  Paper presented at the European Conference on Educational Research, Istanbul, Turkey. Presentations
Perna, L.W., Jones, A. (Eds.) (2013, June). The state of college access and completion: Improving college success for students from underrepresented groups. New York, NY: Routledge. Publications