Almost all states across the country have estab­lished ambitious college completion goals for their population. Most states’ goals emphasize achieving specific target rates and types of post-high school credentials required to address their workforce needs and improve people’s ability to thrive in a changing economy. Adult learners, that is, students ages 25 to 64, play…

Spring 2021 issue of Focus magazine shows how college advising is moving to the next level, in three student stories.

Seven state leadership organizations and five workforce, education and data advocacy/technical assistance experts have come together to build awareness, understanding, and demand for how policy can integrate credential transparency into education and workforce development state strategies. A new brief from Credential Engine explores the ways that credential transparency can be supported, integrated, and leveraged within…

Discover new insights on worsening job quality during the COVID-19 pandemic in the 2020 Great Jobs Report, a research partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Omidyar Network and Lumina Foundation.

A $1.5 trillion infrastructure program from the Biden-Harris administration would be good medicine to nurse the economic wounds inflicted by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to this report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report states that the infrastructure stimulus could create or save 15 million jobs—most for workers with no…

Entering the fall 2020 term, higher education was reeling from the coronavirus pandemic. Enrollment was down—particularly among students most at risk of basic needs insecurity; fewer students had completed the Free Application for Federal Student Aid; and college retention rates had dropped. Students and faculty were stressed and anxious. And by the end of the…

At least 36 million adults in the United States have earned some postsecondary education credit without obtaining a credential. Adults in this population frequently indicate their desire to finish what they started but often need proactive support structures and services to help them overcome challenges. This brief from the National Governors Association focuses on actions…

The income-driven repayment (IDR) plan allows all federal student loan borrowers to limit payments to a small share of their incomes and provides loan forgiveness benefits. This report from the American Enterprise Institute says that instead of providing mass loan forgiveness, policymakers should strengthen IDR for vulnerable borrowers while reining in excessive benefits for borrowers…

In recent years, colleges and universities have begun to recognize food insecurity as a need many students face, and the body of research concerning the experience of food insecurity on campuses is steadily increasing. This report from the Coalition of Urban Serving Universities and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities describes the impact of…

This report from the American Council on Education offers six concrete recommendations to help higher education leaders carry out more seamless and efficient transfer and award of credit on their campuses. The report comes at a time when college students are becoming more mobile, moving in and out as well as through multiple colleges and…