News and views in higher education attainment from Lumina Foundation

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Today's Credentials

Why Counting Degrees Matters

The new data are clear: More Americans are learning and training beyond high school to pave powerful paths to well-paid jobs. But progress amid challenges is slow, leaving too many adults without college degrees or other credentials to struggle in their careers and lives.

Courtney BrownFeb. 1, 2023

An American flag doing its thing—that is, waving in the breeze.

Research and Evaluation

Lumina set a bold goal for a better-educated country 15 years ago. It worked.

In 2008, when Lumina Foundation committed to at least 60 percent of U.S. adults earning college degrees and other credentials by 2025, we did something that set us apart from most national funders.

Jamie Merisotis Jan. 31, 2023

A Stronger Nation icon shows states in citric colors. They're square.

Today's Credentials

More Adults Earning College Degrees, New Federal Data Show

Lumina Foundation releases an updated A Stronger Nation, the foundation’s online tool for tracking the share of working-age adults with degrees or other credentials of value. The national post-high school education rate among adults 25 to 64 years old reached 53.7 percent in 2021, an increase of nearly 2 percentage points since 2019 when the…

Jan. 31, 2023

Featured Podcast

Communications

Understanding Public Narratives About Workforce and Higher Education

Dakota PawlickiOct. 27, 2022

Adult Pathways

Reaching the ‘transfer gate’ spells college success

Nearly two-thirds of Black students who attend college in California begin their postsecondary journey at a community college. But it’s clear they’re not getting the support they need—more than 60 percent leave school without a degree or certificate and without transferring to a university.

Wendy SedlakNov. 21, 2022

Adult Pathways

What it Takes To Return: Adults in Higher Education—Part 2

Institutions and non-profits across the country are providing new kinds of services and redesigning policies and practices to support more adults in higher education. In part 2, we talk with Malik Brown and Sena Owereko from Graduate Philadelphia, and from Dr. Ed Mills and Kaley Martin at Sacramento State University about how they are changing…

Dakota PawlickiSept. 6, 2022

Adult Pathways

What it Takes To Return: Adults in Higher Education—Part 1

Millions of adults in the US have some college credit but never finished their degree. The path back into school a second time is much harder to navigate. We begin a two-part series by talking with adult students and their coaches to learn about what it takes to return to school. Listen as Juquilla Henry,…

Dakota PawlickiAug. 23, 2022

Adult Pathways

Veering Off-Track: ‘Some college, no degree’ numbers spike to 39 million

Like a freight train speeding down the tracks, this alarming trend is moving fast—but in the wrong direction. America’s “some college, no degree” (SCND) population—those who started at a 2-year or 4-year college and stopped out before completing a degree or certificate—has grown to 39 million people, up nearly 9 percent in just two years.

Courtney BrownMay 10, 2022

Adult Pathways

Jobs: After grieving lost family, my mom found her calling—as a funeral service worker

Empty chairs at the dining-room table this time of year remind us of loved ones no longer here. Like yours, perhaps, my family has had some experience with that loss. But in my mother’s case the grieving also led to a new career, and I sometimes think about what that might mean for others considering…

Chris MullinDec. 16, 2021

Adult Pathways

Colleges roll out a new ‘homecoming’ for adult students

Fall homecoming feels different this year as schools welcome back not only nostalgic grads but also those who left early and want to return to finish their degrees. The warm welcome parallels a new infusion of support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and for community colleges. These are all driven by factors that reflect…

Jamie MerisotisOct. 26, 2021

Adult Pathways

Community colleges in six states join national effort to support adult students of color

Education and training after high school, long known to be a vehicle for economic mobility, will play a pivotal role in our recovery, but only if that promise is just as true for communities of color. Systematically, however, that has not been the case for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native American adult students. Some renewed…

Wayne TaliaferroSept. 22, 2021

Adult Pathways

We have to fix the skilled-labor shortage to overhaul the country’s infrastructure. Our approach must work for everyone.

We cannot fill the jobs that are open now, so to launch a massive infrastructure program we need to make training workers part of the plan.

Jamie MerisotisSept. 16, 2021

Adult Pathways

Stop treating community colleges as the fallback option or a last resort

Community colleges serve one of the most diverse student bodies in higher education. Despite tight funding, they serve millions of people through job training and are a cost-effective pathway to a university degree.

Shauna DavisSept. 14, 2021

Adult Pathways

These are some of the ‘open secrets’ that block college completion for many people

We’ve all heard about the hidden curriculum or the unwritten rules that college students must navigate to earn their credentials. But what about the “open secrets” — the official policies and requirements that act as barriers to student success?

Haley GloverJuly 14, 2021

Adult Pathways

States are using fast, short-term credentials to get workers back on their feet.

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…

Amber Garrison Duncan, Kermit KalebaMay 10, 2021

Adult Pathways

Community-based organizations help students gain valuable work skills quickly

People are struggling right now to find jobs, pay bills, and care for family. Located within those struggles is the need to upskill or reskill to be equipped for available jobs and better opportunities. Community-based organizations (CBOs) provide a critical means of support. They create new pathways to education and employment and help fill gaps…

Haley GloverMarch 18, 2021

Adult Pathways

Finishing college can be hard when ‘life gets in the way’ – but there is help

Thirty-six million adults have some college credit but have yet to earn a degree. The first step colleges and policymakers need to take to re-engage these adults is to listen to those who have traveled through the system.

Dakota PawlickiMarch 2, 2020

Adult Pathways

Why adults quit college and how to bring them back

From our freshman through senior years of college, my roommate worked tirelessly at Applebee’s Bar and Grill so she could afford to attend school. It’s not easy to balance work and school, but she figured it out.

Wendy SedlakDec. 17, 2019