America needs clear paths to learning and success after high school that make the nation stronger and meet the needs of today’s student.

No matter where you come from, what you look like, or how much money your family has, you should have what you need to learn, grow, and thrive. Read more about Lumina’s Commitment to Racial Equity.

Lumina Foundation works in partnership with education and business leaders, civil rights organizations, policymakers, and individuals who want to reimagine how and where learning occurs.

AREAS OF FOCUS

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Justice for Today's Students
Policies, practices, and beliefs—rooted in history and still affecting people today—keep many Black, Native American, and Hispanic people from the education and skills they need.
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Our commitment to racial equity
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Lumina wants to ensure quality education for all Americans.
Find out how Lumina's efforts support the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal of Quality Education.
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The Nation’s Progress

The United States faces an urgent and growing need for talent. Many more people of all races, ethnicities, ages, and income levels will need college degrees, certificates, industry certifications, and other credentials of value to join or remain in the middle class.

Success Stories

Adult student standing in front of the Connecticut State Capitol where she works full time.
Focus Magazine
Personal connection helps atypical student find her place
Jean Rienzo is something of an anomaly at Eastern Connecticut State University. She’s a 32-year-old single mother who lives off campus and has a demanding full-time job—certainly not the typical student at a public liberal arts university in New England. Still, Rienzo found her place—and succeeded—with the help of a caring, kindred spirit: her advisor.
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Daniela Figueroa on her “new” campus at Florida International University.
Focus Magazine
Consistent guidance key in navigating the first-year fog
After sailing through high school, Daniela Figueroa almost ran aground during her first year at Miami Dade College. She was overwhelmed by the school’s size and the wide range of choices it presented. Fortunately, the college’s “appreciative advising” program—and the personal bond she forged with her advisor—put her back on course.
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Instructors Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager sit across from one another at a table in a common campus area.
Focus Magazine
Two educators, a dual role, and a single mission
Lorna Hofer and Kerry Stager aren’t just instructors in business and accounting at Lake Area Technical College; they’re also highly involved advisors. Between them, Hofer and Stager keep close tabs on 80 students at the South Dakota college—not just academically, but personally. It’s a dual role embraced by every faculty member at Lake Area Tech.
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Featured News
Cab driver in a covid mask.
June 9, 2021
Stop ‘brain waste’ by putting college-educated immigrants to work
By Courtney Brown
When a foreign-trained physician is forced to drive a cab to make ends meet, it’s called “brain waste.” A new report by the Migration Policy Institute found high numbers of underemployed college-educated immigrants in the U.S. – with devastating costs to those workers and our nation.
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Two men work with a small tabletop robot unit.
May 18, 2021
If robots rule the recovery, can Black and brown workers benefit?
By Jamie Merisotis
The job market and a whole dashboard of economic indicators are sending us mixed messages lately. Before we get too excited about the recovery—or too depressed by the enormous challenges still looming—we should consider at least two emerging world views.
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Student Zaq Woodward studies in a common area at a table in front of a window.
May 18, 2021
‘Credentials as you go’ can help college students – especially adults and people of color
By Wendy Sedlak
If we are to reach the goal of ensuring that 60 percent of Americans have college degrees or workforce-ready credentials by 2025, this much is clear: As a nation, we must focus on adult students, especially people of color.
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COVID-masked woman peers into a microscope.
May 12, 2021
College students could see ‘generational’ benefit from pandemic support - if we do this right
By Terri Taylor
Federal emergency dollars for colleges and universities provide a generational opportunity – not only to respond to the pandemic, but to reimagine how institutions support current and prospective students. This is especially true for those who know that college can be helpful but aren’t sure how to fit it into their complex lives.
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Black, female student in COVID mask talking with a fellow student, and holding a notepad.
May 12, 2021
How to reach adult students? For starters, talk to them like adults
By Wendy Sedlak
How can colleges and universities reach and engage adult learners, who are quickly becoming a larger part of their student populations? The answer is: much differently than they did traditional students.
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Featured News
A female floor worker inspects an automotive engine at an Indiana car plant.
May 12, 2021
Op-ed: Manufacturing tech is leaving Indiana behind. Here’s what we can do about it.
By Jamie Merisotis
A business story in The Washington Post caught my eye recently — and not just because it focused on Indiana. The geographic connection was interesting, but what mattered more was topicality.
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Featured News
This photo shows a man welding.
May 10, 2021
States are using fast, short-term credentials to get workers back on their feet.
By Amber Garrison Duncan, Kermit Kaleba
In recent years, the debates about proposals to expand the federal Pell Grant program to pay for short-term workforce programs offered at community colleges have been lively. Several states have taken matters into their own hands, using federal stimulus dollars to provide aid to adult learners seeking short-term certificates and certifications. These state initiatives offer essential…
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