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 Committment 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

Aggies Elevated students Bret Giebel (left) and Willy Wilson.
Focus Magazine
Utah State program links students to good jobs
Aggies Elevated is a two-year program at Utah State University that is designed to serve students with intellectual disabilities well – not merely by providing opportunities for learning, but also by helping students land competitive, “real-world” employment after they graduate. The staff-intensive Aggies Elevated program typically serves about 15 students at a time. As of…
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Daniel Castellanos shows off his signature salad outside The Pressroom restaurant in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Focus Magazine
‘Special ed goes to college’? Not at Millersville
The goal of the Integrated Studies program at Millersville University is to fully merge its students into college life. The 25 students on the university’s southeastern Pennsylvania campus live with roommates who aren’t part of the program. No classes or social events are designed exclusively for them. They join clubs on campus, but they do…
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Focus Magazine
Western Kentucky serves students on the spectrum
Western Kentucky University’s Circle of Support surrounds high-functioning students on the autism spectrum. Within the Circle — which is a feature of the university’s Kelly Autism Program (KAP) — services are robust: everything from single-room housing to frequent attendance at required “study table” sessions. The sessions are staffed by KAP employees who tutor students on…
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Black student exploring library stacks
July 31, 2020
How colleges and states can help students caught in the pandemic ‘swirl’
By Haley Glover, Amber Garrison Duncan
As we discussed in our first blog post on “student swirl,” the reality that is starting to emerge is that many of today’s students’ educational journeys are changing as childcare, school openings, and jobs are still uncertain.
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Medical workers protected in COVID masks
July 29, 2020
Prior learning credits help students cross the finish line to earn degrees
By Wendy Sedlak
College students lucky enough to know about it are embracing the growing movement toward prior learning assessment, and many say credits earned in this way helped them complete a degree or program they otherwise would not have.
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On the job training at a construction site.
July 22, 2020
States should exert their power to grant college degrees — especially for these three student groups
By Scott Jenkins, Dewayne Matthews
To jump-start their economies in the wake of COVID-19, states will need to do more than just reopen bars and hair salons. They must help millions of people gain the skills they need to work in a dramatically changed employment market. Most of those post-pandemic jobs in the U.S. will require education and training beyond…
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Morgan state president congratulates new graduate
July 20, 2020
As America faces its racial equity challenges, HBCUs provide critical solutions
By Haley Glover
While today’s college students are experiencing the uncertainties caused by a global pandemic, racial injustice, and high unemployment rates, those same circumstances present the opportunity to build one of the most resilient and influential graduating classes in recent history, according to Wayne A.I. Frederick, president of Howard University.
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Portland, OR, USA - Jun 12, 2020: Passers-by stop and take a look at the boarded-up Apple Store in downtown Portland's Pioneer Place, which has become unofficial canvases for peaceful protest. Artists have also joined to promote peace over violence.
July 15, 2020
Lumina is setting aside $15 million over the next three years to help eradicate systemic racism
By Danette Howard
At Lumina Foundation, we are committed to expanding economic opportunity and broadening social mobility by making high-quality learning after high school available to everyone.
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Stock photo: students 'round the table.
July 14, 2020
When it comes to student loan borrowers of color, policymakers should explore the shades of gray
By Wayne Taliaferro, Katherine Wheatle
The last recession consumed the modest wealth of Black and Hispanic communities, further deepening racial wealth divides and burdening college students from these communities with higher loan debt. Today, the United States is experiencing another severe economic downturn, with record-high unemployment fueled by a pandemic—and it’s affecting college affordability even more dramatically.
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Stock art: Student reading outdoors on campus
July 14, 2020
Honor the treaties: Deliver on promises to educate Native Americans
By Katherine Wheatle
In an interview with Amanda R. Tachine, assistant professor of higher education at Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, Arizona State University, and Jameson David “J.D.” Lopez, assistant professor of educational policy studies and practice at the College of Education, University of Arizona, I discussed the importance of Native American voices in policy dialogues about affordability…
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Stock photo: female student studying, pencil in mouth
July 14, 2020
The story of Latino borrowers’ academic persistence is missing from state and federal policy dialogues
By Wayne Taliaferro
In an interview with Janette Martinez, a senior policy and research analyst at Excelencia in Education, I discussed the importance of Hispanic voices in policy dialogues about affordability and student borrowing.
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Students working at a row of computers
July 14, 2020
Policymaking to aid Black borrowers shouldn’t happen without Black experts in the room
By Wayne Taliaferro
In an interview with Dominique Baker, assistant professor of education policy, Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Southern Methodist University, I discussed the importance of Black voices in policy dialogues about affordability and student borrowing. Read more on Lumina’s “Borrowers of Color” project.
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Adult student writing in notebook
July 10, 2020
College enrollment could very well go up this fall—yes up!—but the system is still broken and we urgently need to fix these five areas
By Jamie Merisotis
Since the pandemic gained steam back in March, the drumbeat of stories about higher education’s impending demise has been nonstop. It’s true that some schools will be losers in the battle for students and resources. But don’t be surprised if overall enrollment, one of the sector’s most watched vital signs, doesn’t take a surprising turn…
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The United States Capitol can be seen from Arlington National Cemetery here on a beautiful fall day in Washington D.C.
July 2, 2020
How to Build a Post-Pandemic America
By Jamie Merisotis, Jesse O'Connell
The Works Progress Administration (WPA), a federal agency created in 1935 to address the nation’s then-worst economic catastrophe, is getting a fresh look as we think about how to help millions of Americans left jobless in the pandemic. There’s a good reason for why. During its eight-year tenure, the WPA put more than eight million…
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