Evans School of Public Policy & Governance

Through collaborative research projects with community colleges, state higher education agencies, colleges and universities, and others, Postsecondary Education and Employment Research Projects (PEERs) centers its work on generating knowledge to create focused, organized, and persistent initiatives that can create equitable solutions to today’s education and workforce challenges.

Through a range of methodological approaches, the projects we take on seek to identify and address inequities that hinder American higher education from delivering on its promise to students and center community colleges as engines for opportunity and workforce development.

Click on the links below to learn more about recent PEERs research and publications.

RESEARCH PROJECTS

PUBLICATIONS

NEW & UPDATES

WHO WE ARE

Research Projects

Community College Bachelor's Degrees

We produce high-quality research, and research-to-practice information on the scale, implementation, and outcomes of bachelor’s degrees offered by community colleges nationwide.

 

Postsecondary Education in Washington

Through partnerships with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, individual community colleges, and others we research new and innovative approaches to meaningful education credentials.

Community College STEM Transfer

As part of the Community College S-STEM Network (CCSN), an NSF sponsored research hub, we generate, translate and amplify research on low-income community college STEM student decision-making and pathways.

Five students sit around a table studying

Career and Technical Education

Our research focuses on the programs, quality, and academic and career outcomes of postsecondary CTE, especially CTE programs centered in community colleges.

 

Publications

Scholarly works published by our team are posted here as well as on the corresponding research project webpage. All of our reports, briefs, conference papers, academic publications and scholarly papers are externally reviewed by at least one peer reviewer who is a scholar in the field of expertise associated with the publication.

Meza, E.A., & Love, I., (2023). When community colleges offer a bachelor’s degree. New America

Bragg, D. D., Meza, E. A., & Soler, M. C. (2021). Community colleges and broad access colleges/universities as antagonists and allies in conferring baccalaureate degrees. Unlocking opportunity through broadly accessible institutions (pp. 97-115). Routledge.

Meza, E.A., Blume, G., Balhan, K., Hang, K., Rubin, Z., Zumeta, W., Bragg, D., (2021). The landscape of career and technical education faculty data use for decision-making and program improvement in National Science Foundation – Advanced Technical Education programs in Washington State. Career and Technical Education Research. 46(2), 42-58.

Meza, E.A., & Blume, G. (2020). Exploring How Institutional Partners Vary in Outcomes for Transfer Students of Color. New Directions for Community Colleges. Volume 192, 37-44.

News & Updates

Who We Are

Grant Blume

Grant Blume headshot
Associate Teaching Professor;
Undergraduate Program Director
PAR 260F

Debra Bragg

Bragg Headshot
President of Bragg and Associates, Inc.

Elizabeth Meza

Meza Headshot
Senior Research Scientist