When it comes to college, the national tide has shifted to focus on student outcomes and return on investment (ROI).

More states and the federal government are aligning on making sure that programs eligible for government dollars do no harm to the students who enroll.

With the release of a value-added earnings outcomes study in Texas that measured the economic outcomes of 935,767 students who enrolled in 86 public institutions in Texas between 2008–09 and 2018–19 and pursued a bachelor’s degree, associate’s degree, or certificate, the Postsecondary Commission, which accredits institutions that produce strong economic returns for their students, alongside Mathematica, have made meaningful progress in showing the field how to responsibly and credibly measure ROI (full disclosure: I am on the Postsecondary Commission’s advisory board). The release of the study also shows how much more work governments have to do to create the underlying infrastructure to make this kind of work possible everywhere in the country.