New Commission to Study Pathways Through Graduate School and Into Careers

WASHINGTON, Sept. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- To address the critical need for innovators and experts in a wide range of fields that are essential to America's success in the global economy, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and Educational Testing Service (ETS) have convened a commission of academic and industry leaders to explore this important issue and to offer findings and policy recommendations in a new report which will be released at the CGS annual legislative conference April 19, 2012.

The need to develop a highly skilled workforce was first addressed in a 2010 landmark report "The Path Forward: The Future of Graduate Education in the United States." That report argued that the nation's future prosperity and ability to compete in the global marketplace depends on producing graduate degree holders prepared to address the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. One major unmet need the report identified was that of understanding pathways through graduate school into the world of professional occupations.  

"The Commission consists of industry leaders, university presidents, graduate deans, vice presidents for research and provosts," explains Debra Stewart, CGS President. "With advice from national experts garnered through a series of meetings, and with support from ETS and CGS, the Commission will guide the development of a publication outlining its findings and recommendations."

"We plan to disseminate the resulting report widely to universities, policymakers, employers and government agencies funding research and education," adds ETS President Kurt Landgraf. "It will inform the debate, quantify the steps that academic and business communities need to take to address these challenges now, and better position America for success in the future."

The role of the Commission on Pathways through Graduate School and into Careers is twofold. First, the Commission will guide a research effort addressing issues such as:

• graduate student knowledge of career options
• how students learn about occupational opportunities
• the role of graduate programs and graduate faculty in informing and guiding students along the path to professional occupations
• career pathways that individuals with graduate degrees actually follow

Commission members will help identify the appropriate questions to ask, suggest possible data sources and experts to consult with in this work, and guide the preparation of the final report.

The second role of the Commission is to help create a national conversation about why understanding the pathways through graduate school and into careers is important. Commission members will also provide advice on policy recommendations for key stakeholders.

Pathways through Graduate School and into Careers Commission members include:

About ETS

At ETS, we advance quality and equity in education for people worldwide by creating assessments based on rigorous research. ETS serves individuals, educational institutions and government agencies by providing customized solutions for teacher certification, English language learning, and elementary, secondary and post-secondary education, as well as conducting education research, analysis and policy studies. Founded as a nonprofit in 1947, ETS develops, administers and scores more than 50 million tests annually -- including the TOEFL® and TOEIC® tests, the GRE® tests and The Praxis Series™ assessments -- in more than 180 countries, at over 9,000 locations worldwide. www.ets.org

About CGS

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of over 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. Among U.S. institutions, CGS members award 93% of the doctoral degrees and 76% of the master's degrees. The organization's mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices. www.cgsnet.org

SOURCE Educational Testing Service