A moment of reckoning
The backlash against critical race theory is raging, but we must stay the course in higher education.
News & Views posts.
The backlash against critical race theory is raging, but we must stay the course in higher education.
The definitions provided by my three guests on the 26th episode of the Lumina Foundation podcast “Today’s Students/Tomorrow’s Talent” are all over the map and extend well beyond technology. And that appears to be a good thing, because we’re talking about innovations in areas as wide-ranging as HyFlex courses, allocating classroom space, and making college affordable.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 insights into how we can better connect low-income workers—particularly workers of color—to good jobs.
On Mother’s Day we pause to consider the vital role women and mothers play in not just in our own lives, but in holding our society together. But in this unprecedented year, we should do more than celebrate and give thanks. In too many ways, the past year has been devastating for women — working mothers in particular. We must do more.