Colorado Community College Transfer Partners Include HBCUs
Last week, the Colorado Community College System signed an agreement with Texas Southern University (TX) and St. Augustine’s University (NC) to give Colorado community college learners the opportunity to transfer to a historically black college or university (HBCU) to continue their academic pathway. The two institutions are now part of the CCCS system’s “Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program ” partners, which is an initiative that guarantees learners who graduate from a Colorado community college with an associate’s degree the opportunity to transfer their credits and obtain a bachelor’s degree. All of the participating institutions are listed here , but the two HBCUs are the first two institutions outside of the state. With growing attention on transfer of credit and aligned academic pathways, the news from the CCCS is promising for many learners who are seeking to build an academic pathway at one of the nation’s HBCUs.
Speaking of community colleges: mark your calendar for June 1, 2023 and plan to attend the Colorado Community College System Chancellor’s Summit on Adult Education . With generous support from the Lumina Foundation, the Summit will bring together higher education professionals for focused conversations about supporting adults who are pursuing credentials at community colleges across the state. Keynote speakers include Dr. Royal Johnson , a nationally recognized interdisciplinary scholar from the University of Southern California and Dr. Denise Henning , a proud Cherokee-Choctaw-British scholar with over two decades of higher education leadership experience with indigenous students. The event is free and you can register here .
For our readers who are tracking activity at the federal level: yesterday, U.S. Under Secretary of Education James Kvaal published a blog post, signaling a delay and highlighting significant changes to the Dear Colleague Letter initially issued on February 15, which greatly expanded the definition of Third Party Servicers (TPS). My colleague Noah Sudow and I broke down yesterday’s updates here . In short: the TPS requirements will not apply to study abroad, recruitment of foreign students, course-sharing arrangements between institutions or dual enrollment programs. Further, the Department of Education will remove the ban on foreign ownership guidance and plans to issue further clarifications and guidance around the definition of a TPS. For additional background, view our webinar on the topic, here .?
Are you attending the American Council of Education Annual Meeting this week in Washington DC? Be in touch - I would love to connect on the ground in DC over coffee or a cocktail! Here are a few of my “must attend” sessions:
Friday, April 14:?
Saturday, April 15:
Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce
This week’s Spotlight is written by Hillary Knudson , Senior Director at Whiteboard Advisors , who specializes in K-12 policy and innovation in schools.
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It’s been an exciting week for K-12 education in Colorado! Two significant policy priorities are getting attention: math education and student transportation.
On Monday, Governor Polis announced the statewide implementation of Zearn Math funded through Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) state dollars to support all students in improving math outcomes and the achievement gaps which have been exacerbated across student groups. Zearn is already operating at scale in a few states, including in Tennessee (my adoptive home state) through the TN All Corps tutoring program. It is exciting to see states making big bets on math instruction and supporting students, teachers, and parents through research-backed programs like Zearn. Read more about the effectiveness of Zearn here .??
Last week, I had the pleasure of presenting at the Colorado Department of Education’s 2023 Equity Convening which focused on transportation innovation as part of school choice. The Colorado League of Charter Schools (CLCS) convened policy experts, CDE staff, school leaders, and non-profit partners to learn more about the successes, challenges, and opportunities in transportation. After highlighting the ways in which states are currently innovating and the strategies or policies that states, districts, and schools could deploy, there was robust discussion from participants about the current landscape. There were calls for additional funding and flexibility, like we’ve seen in Arizona , and interest in what may come of the proposed CO Transportation Task Force . I joined the breakout session featuring Rocky Mountain Prep and HopSkipDrive as they shared about their unique partnership in supporting teen parents -- and their children -- to be successful in school by ensuring reliable transportation to and from school. The first step is attendance. Additionally, Denver Public Schools shared more on their transportation efforts to implement Healthy Start Times and create more efficient routes that serve more students, including charter school students.?
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