Good Afternoon!
Moving on to the final installment of our series covering the Colorado Student Success and Workforce Revitalization Task Force report, let's look at the Tier 3 recommendations:
- Fund Implementation Oversight and Reporting For Task Force Recommendations
- Empower Individual Ownership of Learner/Earner Educational and Skills-Based Records
- Reimagine Higher Education Governance & Funding Formula
- Licensure Exam Alignment and Support
- Create Wrap Around Services Portal
From modernizing funding formulas to centering on student needs across campus, innovative practices are already happening across the state and the country that can be leveraged to advance this tier of recommendations.
Social Finance is designing and developing student-friendly outcomes-based financing structures that would be part of a pay-it-forward fund to upskill low-income Coloradans, including Coloradans of color, for living wage jobs in IT, healthcare, and other in-demand sectors. This work is being done in collaboration with a consortium of leading foundations and workforce entities, including the Community First Foundation, the Colorado Health Foundation, Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation, JeffCo Business and Workforce Center, and the JeffCo Economic Development Corporation. As the program gets underway, we look forward to profiling its impact on learners and the community.
In addition to financial support, providing learners with agency and ownership of their personal data is important to create a seamless transition between education and the workforce. The American Council on Education’s (ACE) commitment to empowering students with their own data led to the organization launching the Education Blockchain Initiative (EBI). The work of the EBI aligns with the report’s call to update data transparency and accessibility by exploring how blockchain technology can be a tool for learners to better communicate skills and credentials. In Colorado, the work being led by Learning Economy through the Internet of Education positions learners and employers at the center – allowing data to slow safely and seamlessly between every stakeholder in education and employment. Both of these initiatives have promise for all Colorado learners, and we are excited to share more details as these efforts accelerate across stakeholders in the state.
In the State of the Union this month, President Biden addressed the need to expand school-based mental health services, which are needed now more than ever as students navigate the complexities of the pandemic and pressures of social media. College students are not exempt from facing mental health challenges, which can also be compounded by food, transportation, housing and financial insecurity challenges. I wrote about these issues in a recent Forbes column, after interviewing Darryl McDaniels (who many of my generation remember as the front man with legendary hip-hop group, RUN DMC) about his investment in a mental health support platform.
As we wrap up our coverage of the task force report, this week the Colorado Department of Higher Education announced the five secondary school and system participants who will take part in an exciting pilot program, which will provide additional support for low-income students seeking postsecondary opportunities. The Path4Ward initiative allows students interested in graduating early from high school to receive financial and counseling support to pursue postsecondary education and training during what would have been their fourth year of high school. Congratulations to the five program participants that represent a mix of districts and regions across Colorado!
Finally – our book talks are back! Are you interested in the federal government’s role in higher education policy? Join me on Wednesday, March 30 at 5:30pm MT as I talk with Dr. Rebecca Natow, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership and Policy at Hofstra University and author of “Reexamining the Federal Role in Higher Education: Politics and Policymaking in the Postsecondary Sector.” You can register for the virtual book talk here.
Until next week,
Alison
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