A Model to Advance Quality and Equity in Education Beyond High School

Preface to the report

Strengthening Quality in the Pursuit of Equity

In 2018, Lumina Foundation appointed and convened a Quality Credentials Task Force comprising 22 leaders in education, policy, and workforce development. The task force had two charges. First, it was to explore new ways to assure the quality of a college education and other forms of learning beyond high school. Second, it was asked to develop a broad, conceptual model of credential quality that could lead to the greater equity and quality learning that our society needs and students deserve. The group met three times over the course of one year to develop this report and the new conceptual model of credentialing quality at its core.

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A Convening to Explore Quality and Equity in the New Credentialing Landscape

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The Report

Unlocking the Nation’s Potential

A Model to Advance Quality and Equity in Education Beyond High School

For decades, persistent inequities and structural misalignments in educational systems and institutions have caused students of color to earn credentials at rates far lower than that of white students. This report explores new ways to address those inequities and assure the quality of a college education and other forms of learning beyond high school.

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Quality Commitment

Lumina’s Commitment to Educational Quality

2-pager also includes Lumina’s racial equity commitment

The learning represented by all all degrees, certificates, industry certifications, and other credentials should help people to lead fulfilling lives and succeed in better jobs.

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Articles

Blogs and News on Quality Assurance

Lumina’s latest thinking on new ways to assure the quality of a college education and other forms of learning beyond high school.

Students circled and studying in a library.

Community-based programs, first-year seminars, learning communities

Debra Humphreys
Feb. 10, 2021
New research emerging from a recent project led by the National Association of System Heads provides some useful insights into how, even during the enormous challenges of this pandemic moment, we can assure both equity and quality as we seek to grow the number of people with learning beyond high school.

Quality Credentials Task Force Unveils New Approach to Assure Learning Quality

News Release
Sept. 9, 2019
A new report, Unlocking the Nation’s Potential, calls for collaboration across sectors to ensure equitable access to quality programs.

Higher-ed quality shouldn’t be about elitism – it should be about addressing learning and opportunity

Debra Humphreys
Sep. 10, 2018
We all know that we have a legacy as a nation of defining educational quality based far too much on prestige and exclusivity.

National experts join Lumina's Quality Credentials Task Force

News Release
Sept. 5, 2018
The new Quality Credentials Task Force comprising 20 leaders in education, policy, and workforce development explores new ways to assure the quality of learning beyond high school.

As frustration with higher education grows, states have to step up

Debra Humphreys
May 21, 2019
Opinion polls show a declining confidence about higher education. One recent poll found that fewer than half of Americans have “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in higher education.

College classes in prison can unlock an eager, committed group of potential learners

Todd Clear
Aug. 29, 2019
As the pool of high school seniors declines nationally, prisons represent a promising new source of potential students. Incarcerated individuals can succeed as college students.

Equity and excellence – Quality matters in prison higher education

Haley Glover
Jun. 4, 2019
Incarcerated people need access to quality higher education just as much as traditional students, so higher education in prison should meet the same standards as programs outside the walls.

Defining and delivering on quality in higher education

Debra Humphreys
June 25, 2018
Quality in postsecondary education, a growing concern for students and families, is getting a fresh look on several fronts, including in discussions around a proposed overhaul of the Higher Education Act and in several state-level discussions.

Video

Video: No “magic bullet” when it comes to quality

In the past, we often defined higher educational quality in terms of prestige and exclusivity. “Now we’re creating a vision that’s a little more comprehensive,” says Debra Humphreys, Lumina vice president of strategic engagement and the Quality Credentials Task Force’s co-chair. “It starts from the outcomes – not just the individual outcomes of getting a quality credential, but the societal outcomes produced when a system is high quality and high functioning.” In this video she talks about the task force’s vision for creating a quality higher education system and why we can’t meet that goal without focusing on racial justice and equity

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Featured Report

Quality Assurance and Improvement in Higher Education

The Role of the States

States play a fundamental role in higher education, protecting both the investment of state dollars and their citizens as their consumers. Despite this central responsibility, many states struggle with how they might help ensure students are receiving a quality educational experience.

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Defining and delivering on quality in higher education

The QA Commons helps institutions design programs of study to ensure better outcomes for more students and certifies programs that are well designed and have successful track records in attending to issues of employability of their graduates. Read more »

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