Lumina Foundation is working to increase the share of adults in the U.S. labor force with college degrees or other credentials of value leading to economic prosperity.
Recently, the national conversation about higher education has become more skeptical. Headlines often suggest that college is no longer worth the investment, citing rising costs and a perceived lack of workforce readiness. However, when you look past the noise and examine the data, a much more nuanced—and optimistic—story emerges.
On this podcast, Lumina Foundation's Courtney Brown identifies three primary reasons behind the shift in the public’s confidence about higher ed. The conversation also highlights what institutions can do to turn the "perception vs. reality" debate into a proven value proposition.
Nearly a third of researchers polled in a new survey by Ithaka S+R say they've censored their research because of laws restricting the teaching and study of “divisive concepts.”
Twenty-one states have passed laws since 2021 regulating university curricula, dictating how certain topics related to race and gender can be taught and restricting shared governance. That’s driving some academics away from topics and out of states with laws on so-called “woke ideologies,” “diversity, equity, or inclusion,” or “critical race theory," according to the survey of 4,000 faculty members.
Erica Orta felt nervous waiting for the Zoom screen to light up as she sat in front of a computer at the Ohio Reformatory for Women. But when the faces appeared, she smoothly facilitated a meeting. “I know for most people it’s not that big a deal, but being incarcerated and being able to do something like that was an amazing boost," Orta says.
Advances in remote work technology are expanding the possibilities of internships for incarcerated people. In addition to providing work experience, internships that pay a living wage allow them to save money to support themselves as they leave prison and try to find work and housing. An internship with an outside organization can also help incarcerated individuals secure well-paying jobs after release, making it more likely that they will be able to break the cycle of incarceration.
A new report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce argues that California could generate $4.4 trillion in net monetary gains if 70 percent of adults across all demographic groups attain a postsecondary credential by 2035.
What the report suggests is not simply a case for education as an economic strategy; it is a case for closing equity gaps as a public good. That means migrant farmworkers in the Central Valley, working mothers returning to community college after a night shift, and older adults who are re-imagining school again after decades in the workforce all have an important role to play in raising the state’s economic standing if California leaders invest in the supports they need to attain degrees and credentials.
As the use of artificial intelligence spreads throughout society, community colleges are moving from a classroom-by-classroom and office-by-office approach to integrating AI college-wide. This requires training staff, faculty, and students on how to use it and setting policies to ensure successful, ethical use of the technology while overcoming challenges that it poses.
Three college leaders share their approaches to incorporating AI institutionally and collaboratively—and why successful implementation requires an understanding that AI is not just another tool, project, or technology, but rather a wholesale culture change.
Without knowing many rural community colleges, you could be forgiven for worrying about their capacity to adapt to a significant policy shift or introduce new programs quickly. But the secret is out: rural colleges have real strengths, particularly when it comes to Workforce Pell.
These institutions are deeply rooted in their communities and well-positioned to meet local workforce training needs. Other institutions serving rural communities—and their suburban and urban counterparts—can learn from some of these powerhouse colleges as they consider how to implement Workforce Pell, experts say.
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