?? Boundless Potential: FAFSA Rollout Woes, Colorado's Free College Apps
Reflections on education and the future of work with a nod toward what's new in Colorado.

?? Boundless Potential: FAFSA Rollout Woes, Colorado's Free College Apps

Alison Griffin Alison Griffin

Alison Griffin

发布日期: 2024年10月3日
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???We made it to October, which feels like it came?really?quickly! When I think about October, I recall childhood memories of dressing up for Halloween and begging my mom to buy our favorite candy in the hopes that it would not all disappear during trick-or-treat.?

???But, as a long-time higher education policy wonk, October 1 has been my annual reminder of financial aid and the launch of the next year’s FAFSA. However, as we all know, the rollout of the?“Better FAFSA”?has been anything but “better,” or “easy,” as promised by the?U.S. Department of Education (ED)?and a group of bipartisan lawmakers.?

???In fact, the?U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) completed?an investigation into ED’s flawed development and catastrophic rollout of the 2023-24 “Better FAFSA.” The?report?was released in two parts and last week, the?U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce?held a?hearing?to dive into the agency’s report to Congress.

???My Whiteboard Advisors colleagues?wrote?about some of the key findings from the GAO report and the Congressional hearing. Issues which included:

  • ED knew the form could be delayed, as early as August 2022.
  • Staffing was a significant problem. In fact, over 75% of the 5.4 million calls made to ED’s call center went unanswered during the first five months of the Better FAFSA rollout due to short staffing and poor projections of demand.
  • ED grossly underestimated the number of students with financial circumstances that would require manual verification.
  • ED failed to notify students of financial aid adjustments.

???ED recently?outlined?its aspirations for the 2024-25 FAFSA, including timelines and launch dates and expected resource availability for students, families, counselors and financial aid administrators. ED has committed to?beta testing?the new FAFSA with select organizations this week.

???I am working on a piece for?Forbes?about some of the bright spots with the financial aid process this year, despite the historic headache created by ED. Do you have a story of an institution, a community organization, or a group of advocates who have made a positive difference in the lives of students and families? Please?message me?– I would love to hear from you.

???Related:?the seventh annual?Colorado Free Application Days waives?college application fees for all 32 public colleges and universities and several private institutions in Colorado. All Colorado residents applying for undergraduate programs can qualify for waived fees. The free application period runs from October 15-17.?

Curious what else state leaders can do to support financial aid policies and programs? Check out seven recommendations in a guest blog post from?Education Commission of the States (ECS)?here.

???Today: consider joining a conversation about?ranked-choice voting?and open primaries, both types of electoral reform gaining popularity around the country.?The?Scrivner Institute of Public Policy?will host a roundtable conversation at the University of Denver from 9-11am MT. More details and registration can be found?here.

Curious to learn more about these issues??The Colorado Business Roundtable?recently hosted a Ballot Briefing (recording?here) and both pro and con positions on the topic of ranked-choice voting were presented. Learn more from Dick Wadhams and Landon Mascarenaz with?Colorado Voters First?here, and learn more from Ellen Dumm with?Voter Rights Colorado?here.

Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce

???A new report from?Apprenticeships for America?found?that the number of collaborations between community colleges and apprenticeship programs has increased by?567% since 2016.?

However, these community college sponsored apprenticeship programs are generally underutilized, as participants only represent 3% of all civilian apprentices in the U.S. Additionally, less than half of the registered apprenticeship programs at community colleges have apprentices currently enrolled, representing a significant growth opportunity.?

???As of 2023,?541 community or technical colleges?were registered apprenticeship “sponsors,” meaning they officially administered and operated apprenticeship programs. However, only 208 of these colleges had an active apprentice.?

Apprenticeships for America?is working to rally more community colleges to serve as intermediaries to grow apprenticeships, nationally.

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???In fact, Bruno Manno, a Senior Advisor with the?Progressive Policy Institute?wrote this week in?Forbes?about how community colleges can be the engines that create a more highly skilled workforce that leverages apprenticeship. Bruno argues that “creating more earn-and-learn apprenticeships through community colleges is a pivotal way to realize an opportunity economy where opportunity pluralism flourishes.”?

Read Bruno’s recent piece?here.

???Join the team from?Apprenticeships for America?and “Apprentice Nation” author Ryan Craig on Wednesday, October 16 for an afternoon convening of apprenticeship intermediaries, employers and advocates in Colorado. We will receive comments from Governor Polis, hear from Brent Parton with CareerWise USA and Elyse Ashburn with?WorkShift, and engage in a “reverse pitch” session with apprenticeship intermediaries and talent leaders in Colorado.?

Just a few seats remain. Register?here.

What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)

K-12 Education

  • Charter Schools & Students: The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) recently released its School Performance Framework results for 2023-24, which shows that 83% of charter students in Colorado are likely to attend a highly-rated school. In a?piece?written for?BoardHawk, Pete Mason lays out some of the highlights from an analysis of SPF results, which include the fact that a higher proportion of charter school students of color, low-income students, English learners, and special education students attended Performance schools than their counterparts in district-run schools. The Common Sense Institute has also?authored?a report on how Colorado’s charter schools are elevating performance and providing families with quality education options.

Postsecondary Education

  • Rural Students & Higher Education: The Biden-Harris Administration has disbursed nearly $45 million to 22 institutions through the Rural Postsecondary and Economic Development (RPED) grant aimed at increasing pathways to degrees of value and good jobs. Rural community colleges are?tailoring?efforts to assist students and build connections to workforce needs in their communities. Beyond institutions, collaborations through the STARS College Network are building substantial partnerships and financial investments.?[Insight Into Diversity]
  • Auraria Campus Economic Impact: The Auraria Campus Higher Education Center is?reported?to have a combined economic impact of nearly $3 billion across its three campuses: the Community College of Denver, the Metropolitan State University of Denver and the University of Colorado Denver. Nearly 20,000 jobs are supported or sustained by the combined economic activities of the three campuses and the Center. The full report is available?here.?[ColoradoBiz Magazine]

Future of Work

  • Gender Parity in the C-Suite: According to the 2024 McKinsey/LeanIn Women in the Workplace?report, women now make up 29% of C-suite positions, up from 17% in 2015. However, despite progress, women remain notably underrepresented across the rest of the corporate pipeline, especially in management positions, and are still less likely to be hired into entry level jobs. Gender parity is not expected in the corporate world until 2050, according to the report findings.
  • Living Wage Earnings: Nearly half (44%) of full-time U.S. employees?do not earn a living wage, according to?data?released by Dayforce and the Living Wage Institute. Women and people of color are even further behind: half of female workers don’t meet the threshold for a living wage, and neither do 60% of Black and Latino workers. The Living Wage Institute points to rising costs of living and intense job growth in low-paying sectors such as hospitality and retail as factors contributing to this data point.?[HR Brew]
  • Hybrid Workforce: According to PwC’s Workforce Radar report, hybrid workers demonstrate the?highest levels of job satisfaction, with 90% reporting the culture at their firm promotes “community, collaboration, inclusion, and belonging.” The report also cites higher levels of engagement and a greater sense of belonging among hybrid workers compared to their in-office counterparts.?[Fortune]

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

Colleagues on the Move

  • Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill?has joined the Council of Independent Colleges as the Director of the Campus Free Expression Project. She previously led the project when it was first launched at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
  • Dr. Amy Loyd?has been named the new CEO of All4Ed. Dr. Loyd most recently served as the Assistant Secretary for the Office of Career, Technical, and Adult Education at the U.S. Department of Education
  • NEW!?Senior Manager of Foundation Partnerships?with Education Design Lab, Remote
  • NEW!?Policy Analyst for K-12 Education?with the National Governors Association, Washington, D.C.
  • NEW!?Visiting Fellow?with Princeton University’s James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions, Princeton, NJ

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