Colorado Cities Named Two of Top in U.S. for College Graduates

???Fun to read this week in?The New York Times?that of the country’s 100 most populous cities, Denver is #2 and Colorado Springs is #15 for new college graduates! Our collective low unemployment rate and high median earnings of 25-year-olds (and their younger peers) make these Centennial State cities standouts! Read the full story?here.

???Summer meeting season is definitely in full swing, and I will admit, seeing so many colleagues and friends post their takeaways from the annual?JFF Horizons?conference last week gave me my fair share of professional FOMO. It was great to see that so many Coloradans were in DC together, and networking (and?sharing insights!) with other state-level and national policy and practice leaders. I was excited to read about the?new partnership?between?American Student Assistance (ASA)and?JFF?to create the ASA Center for Career Navigation at JFF. The goal of the Center – to empower 20 million young learners with equitable access to the information they need to find the path after high school that is right for them. Read more?here.

???But, I get a chance to fill my connecting and networking bucket next week at the?2024 Badge Summit?and?T3 Innovation Network Summit?– both events, at CU-Boulder. More details on registration (a few spots left!) can be found?here, but I am particularly excited to sit in on sessions about?learner-centric quality assurance?with Melanie Booth, Ed.D. with the?HLC Credential Lab; a?demonstration of skills first tools?with?JobSIDE?and?Education Design Lab?presented by Colin Reynolds , Naomi Boyer and Taylor Hansen ; and a discussion of?converging roles and collaborations?in the credential ecosystem with Kristi Wold-McCormick, Ph.D. ?

Will you be in Boulder next week??DM me?– I would love to meet up and say hello!

???Last week, my?Whiteboard Advisors?colleague Julia Pasette-Seamon updated our Whiteboard Notes readers (subscribe?here) about the House of Representatives' subpoena of U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona over the Better FAFSA debacle. You can read Julia’s full update?here.?

???But in the Centennial State,?Colorado Mesa University’s “The Wait is Over” initiative made headlines. This effort, in combination with other student outreach and recruitment initiatives was implemented in response to the failed Better FAFSA rollout by ED, and has contributed to a near 30% enrollment growth in the university’s fall class. Read more?here.

???Turning to work?and?learning – I thought readers would be interested in knowing about an opportunity to highlight students’ perspectives on work-integrated learning.?The International Journal of Work-Integrated Learning (IJWIL)?is seeking expressions of interest for this special issue: “Student Voice in Work-Integrated Learning” and submissions of research, discussions and case studies are welcome. For submissions, complete?this form?by October 4.?

While you’re reviewing the opportunity, be sure to also?read this latest op-ed?from my friend Iris Palmer with?New America?about restructuring work-based learning, particularly for students attending community college.

???Finally, my colleagues at Whiteboard Advisors recently launched?The EdSheet?newsletter, which provides analysis of education-related deals and everything else happening on the business side of education – including venture funding, M&A, IPOs, and regulatory shifts. Sign up?here?to receive The EdSheet in your inbox.

???Wishing our Colorado readers a?Happy Colorado Day!

What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)

K-12 Education

• Education + College Planning Data: The U.S. Department of Education introduced a new?‘resources’?page as part of the national?College Scorecard?tool. The additional resource is designed to enhance the use and understanding of College Scorecard data among educators, school counselors and college access advisors. Two new toolkits – one for classroom use and one for professional development – have been?developed?to accompany training for school counselors, administrators and teachers to help make data-informed decisions about postsecondary education attendance. More details about the training sessions can be found?here. Related, Jonathan Furr , senior vice president and chief data ecosystem officer with Strada Education Foundation explained in a recent interview?how states are working together to accelerate their progress toward a more holistic education-to-employment data system.

Postsecondary Education

• Federal Higher Education Rulemaking: Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released?proposed rules?from its?Program Integrity and Institutional Quality?negotiated rulemaking sessions. ED’s proposed rules cover regulations pertaining to Return to Title IV Funds (R2T4), distance education and the federal TRIO programs. Rules related to cash management, accreditation and state authorization have not yet been published. Of note, ED is proposing to create a definition for a ‘distance education course’ and also a new category of additional locations for institutions – virtual locations. The National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators has published a thorough overview of the recently released proposed rules?here?and ED issued?their own blog post detailing the updates.
• Hunger + College Students: The Government Accountability Office (GAO)?released?a report last week, which found that?3.8 million college students?experienced food insecurity in 202, representing nearly one-quarter (23%) of all college students in the U.S. The report is one of two reports?requested?by the chairs of the U.S. House Committee on Education and Labor and the House Committee on Agriculture in 2021, analyzed data from the 2020 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study. For more information, read W/A’s Julia Pasette-Seamon’s take in the?Whiteboard Blog. And, access Colorado’s Hunger-Free Campus Checklist?here.?[Inside Higher Ed]

Future of Work

• Apprenticeship: The U.S. Department of Labor?announced?$244 million in grant awards for apprenticeship projects and apprenticeship system support. Grant recipients will partner with employers and other stakeholders to launch programs that offer workers, including those from underrepresented populations and underserved communities, access to high-quality training through pre-apprenticeship and Registered Apprenticeships. Congratulations to Colorado-based CareerWise Colorado , ActivateWork , and Vail Valley Works for being among the recipients!
• Workplace Coaching & Mentoring: A recent?survey?found that nearly 90% of HR professionals believe that business leaders should develop meaningful coaching skills in the next three years. However, survey?results suggest?many companies could improve the culture of mentorship in their organizations: 40% of frontline leaders say they receive too little training from their own managers, and about one-third want more coaching than they currently receive.?[HR Dive]

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• NEXT WEEK! University of Colorado-Boulder:?2024 Badge Summit?&?T3 Innovation Network Summit, August 5-7, Boulder, CO
• Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL):?The Alternative Credential Journey: New Research on Learners’ Lived Experiences & Institutional Impact, August 8, 12pm MT (Virtual)
• University of Colorado-Boulder:?The Leadership Colorado Needs, August 14, 11:30am-6pm MT, Boulder, CO
• The Attainment Network:?State of the Data in Colorado’s Education to Workforce Ecosystem, August 19, 12pm MT (Virtual)
• National College Attainment Network (NCAN):?2024 NCAN National Conference, September 16-18, Anaheim, CA
• The Attainment Network:?Career-Connected L/Earning Conference, September 18-19, Aims Community College, Greeley, CO
• Human Potential Capital:?The Human Potential Summit 2024, October 14-16, Denver, CO
• Colorado Department of Higher Education (CDHE):?Colorado Free Application Days, October 15-17, 2024
• NEW! Apprenticeships for America:?2025 Apprenticeship Summit, February 5-6, 2025, Washington, D.C.

Colleagues on the Move

• Elizabeth Kosar has been named the Director of Communications at the Colorado Department of Revenue. Elizabeth was most recently the Senior Advisor for Federal Funds Communications with the Office of Governor Jared Polis.
• Wesley Whistle has started a new role as Project Director for Student Success and Affordability at New America. Wesley returns to New America after serving as a Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education.
• NEW!?Student Support Services Coordinator/Academic Advisor with Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, CO
• NEW!?College Counselor?with Colorado Mountain College, Glenwood Springs, CO
• NEW!?College & Career Advisor?with Peak Education, Colorado Springs, CO
• NEW!?Project Manager?with America Succeeds, Remote/Hybrid-CO
• NEW!?Development & Partnerships Manager?with America Succeeds, Remote/Hybrid-CO
• NEW!?Advisor for Government Relations and Policy Analyst?with Colorado State University, Denver, CO