From Proven Practice to Federal Policy: CCA Day on the Hill 2026
Higher education leaders and advocates from across the nation brought their on-the-ground experience to Washington, D.C., advancing a shared federal agenda for college completion and student success.
From June 8–10, Complete College America convened its fourth annual CCA Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C. The three-day experience spanned preparation, direct congressional engagement, and long-term advocacy strategy, connecting leaders from colleges, higher education systems, state agencies, and policy organizations around a common purpose: helping more students complete college.
The strength of the gathering came from the breadth and experience of the leaders in the room. As CCA President Dr. Yolanda Watson Spiva noted, participants were “mission-driven, data-informed, and united in their commitment to student success.” Together, they brought perspectives shaped by the students, institutions, and communities they serve.
Bringing Evidence From the Field to Congress
On June 9, participants engaged congressional offices across both parties and chambers. Meetings included majority and minority staff from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee and the House Committee on Education and Workforce, along with lawmakers and staff working on college completion, workforce development, student aid, transparency, and artificial intelligence.
These conversations were grounded in practical experience. Participants brought evidence from implementation, described barriers affecting students and institutions, and demonstrated how federal policy can help states and colleges scale strategies that improve completion, affordability, and workforce alignment.
CCA and participating leaders advanced five federal priorities:
- Supporting the reintroduction and passage of the Postsecondary Student Success Act, which would authorize federal grants to help states and institutions scale evidence-based college-completion practices.
- Passing the College Transparency Act to improve access to information about student outcomes and institutional performance.
- Reauthorizing the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act to strengthen alignment between postsecondary education and workforce-development systems.
- Addressing the Pell Grant funding shortfall to protect college access and affordability for students with financial need.
- Advancing the responsible use of artificial intelligence in higher education through investments in institutional infrastructure and ethical standards that support personalized student services, workforce preparation, academic integrity, and the thoughtful adoption of new technologies. CCA drew on its work with colleges and universities and a recent convening of nearly 200 higher education leaders to help policymakers better understand AI’s opportunities and challenges. Several congressional offices requested additional resources and continued engagement, reinforcing CCA’s role in connecting federal policy with institutional practice.
Together, these priorities address the interconnected challenges of access, affordability, completion, transparency, workforce readiness, and responsible innovation. They also reflect a central truth: students are more likely to succeed when public policy supports and expands approaches that have already demonstrated value in the field.
The agenda was grounded in the realities participants encounter every day. Leaders connected national policy proposals to issues affecting their communities, including students’ basic needs, healthcare and nursing workforce shortages, FAFSA language access, apprenticeship pathways, TRIO programs, and the effective implementation of federal grant programs.
“Congress needs to hear from them directly,” said Dr. Dhanfu Elston, CCA’s chief of staff and senior vice president for strategy.
By bringing firsthand implementation experience to Capitol Hill, participants helped policymakers understand how federal decisions are experienced on campuses and in communities—and how thoughtful policy can help states and institutions expand access, strengthen workforce pathways, and improve college completion.
Mobilizing CCA Know-How for Systems Change
CCA Day on the Hill created a clear opportunity to move from advocacy to action. Following the event, the Postsecondary Student Success Act was reintroduced on June 16, creating a concrete opportunity for CCA and its Alliance to mobilize their collective experience and build support for policies that help states and institutions scale proven student-success strategies.
That work extends beyond any single piece of legislation. CCA’s new publication, Stranded Systems, has been shared with congressional offices, offering a framework for reconnecting systems that too often operate separately. By strengthening coordination among higher education, secondary education, workforce, and human service organizations, states and communities can expand access, address students’ basic needs, and create stronger pathways from learning to economic mobility.
The conversations on Capitol Hill reinforced CCA’s role not only as an advocate for federal policy, but also as a source of evidence, implementation expertise, and field-tested ideas. CCA will continue working with policymakers and partners to translate that know-how into more connected systems—and better outcomes for students.
Join the Movement
CCA Day on the Hill was one step in a larger movement to ensure more students earn a degree or credential of value. That work continues through sustained advocacy, stronger partnerships, and a shared commitment to turning evidence and experience into action.
Whether you represent a state, higher education system, institution, policy organization, or community partner, your perspective can help shape policies that expand access, address students’ basic needs, strengthen workforce pathways, and advance economic mobility.
Join Complete College America and the CCA Alliance in carrying this momentum beyond Capitol Hill. Together, we can share proven solutions, inform policymakers, and build more connected systems that help every student succeed.
Ready to join the movement? Contact Complete College America to explore how your state, system, institution, or organization can participate in CCA’s policy and advocacy work.