	Lumina Foundation is committed to increasing the proportion of Americans with high-quality degrees, certificates and other credentials to 60 percent by 2025.

November 3, 2023

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The Social Classroom

Beckie Supiano, The Chronicle of Higher Education

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Helping students find their way at college is one more task on what may feel like an endless list for busy instructors. But connecting students with their classmates isn’t just something that sounds nice or feels good. A growing body of evidence shows that learning is enhanced—the human brain actually works differently—in the company of other people.

And on the often-cliquey campuses of today's deeply divided country, the classroom remains one of the rare places where people who might have little else in common are—sometimes, at least—asked to learn together and from each other.

Veterans ‘Check the Boxes’ Colleges Now Seek

Jessica Blake, Inside Higher Ed

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In an effort to grow enrollment as the number of students of traditional college age declines nationally, more colleges and universities are expanding their outreach to and recruitment of military service members and veterans.

Veterans are also being pursued for their diverse backgrounds and life experiences in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision banning affirmative action in admissions, say some college leaders.

Pitching Block Grants for Workforce Training

Matthew Dembicki, Community College Daily

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The jobs are there, as are the programs to train workers for those middle- and high-skill jobs. But there’s only a trickle of skilled workers entering the workforce development pipeline.

That's the challenge before the House Oversight and Accountability subcommittee, which gathered last week to discuss how to draw more youth into exploring vocational career options through career and technical education, apprenticeships, and other work-based learning models.

Misleading U

Kirk Carapezza and Jon Marcus, College Uncovered

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Paying for college is one of the biggest lifetime investments a person can make. Yet, most students and families don’t know what they’ll ultimately spend on a degree.

Why? Because many colleges do not disclose—or simply understate—how much families will actually pay. This episode of College Uncovered explores the impact of this misinformation on degree completion, job prospects after graduation, perspectives on higher ed's value, and more.

Taking a Running Start Toward a Bachelor’s Degree in Washington

Tiffany Thai and Ivy Love, New America

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This year, the state of Washington celebrates the 33rd anniversary of a popular dual-enrollment initiative known as Running Start. The effort connects high schoolers with tuition-free community college courses at Washington community and technical colleges, where students earn both high school and college credits.

In this interview, Running Start's Lindsey Morris talks about the program at Green River College and how it is paving the way for more students to earn a bachelor's degree.

Texas Universities Seeking Top Research Status Will Have a Clearer Path Under New Rules

Kate McGee, The Texas Tribune

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An elite club in higher education reserved for the top research universities in the country will change its rules of entry in 2025, which could mean a clearer path for Texas universities to obtain the coveted status.

The American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching announced this week their plans to revise the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. It is a tiered system that classifies schools based on the caliber and breadth of their research activity. The new plan will simplify the qualifications for schools to earn the title of a “R1” research university.