How to Make College More Affordable? Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.

Last month, I joined a panel of education CEOs at LearnLaunch 2020, an annual gathering of education leaders and influencers to discuss challenges, opportunities and innovations in our space. The topic of the panel was the future of learning, a ubiquitous one at education conferences these days.

So, what is the future of learning? In my opinion, it’s all about affordability. We are at an inflection point in U.S. higher education as high costs are a barrier for a growing number of students. Student debt has ballooned to more than $1.6 trillion, while some colleges and universities are struggling to keep their doors open. Only about half of incoming freshman will don a cap and gown at the end of four years. People are openly questioning the value of a college education, something that would have been unheard of ten years ago. As my peers on the stage echoed, the circumstances aren’t much different when you look at the stagnant achievement results in K-12, and the growing gaps in workforce training and development.

So now that the panels are over and the mics are off, what’s next? How do we turn talk into action and create a future of learning that supports students?

To start, we need to challenge every aspect of what we think we know and what we do. Today’s students are hurting. We must take a hard look at what we’re doing to support them.  We have a responsibility to evaluate what’s broken and fix it. 

Currently, there is a breakdown in communication across the education system when it comes to key periods of transition. For example, K-12 is focused on preparing students for graduation and getting them into college, but what happens once they get there? Too often, that K-12 education hasn’t equipped students with the tools and lessons they need to succeed in college. That’s one of the top reasons that nearly half of students drop out before completing a degree. And for those who do make it to graduation, they often face another, even greater, hurdle in transitioning to the workforce. These gaps are where the system is failing students.

All this said, it’s not all doom and gloom. There is an immense amount of hope and transformation happening in education right now, thanks to promising innovations. The way we fix the system is by encouraging new, disruptive ideas for consideration and funding. We must work across boundaries to redefine the metrics of success and focus on what will best benefit the student. Because at the end of the day, what is good for the student will end up being good business, too.

You can watch the full LearnLaunch panel discussion below.