Multiple Pathways to Economic Mobility Headline Reagan Institute Education Summit

I am fresh off a trip (have I said, travel is back!?!?) to Washington, DC where the Whiteboard Advisors team had the honor of partnering with the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute on the annual Reagan Institute Summit on Education (RISE). As I mentioned in last week’s edition, this year is the 40th anniversary of the seminal “A Nation At Risk” report, authored during the Reagan Administration, which laid the foundation for much of the education reform movement over the last four decades.

Some colleagues came to DC with a copy of the report in hand (H/T Bruno Manno with the Walton Family Foundation ), but everyone came to the conversation with ideas for what we can do, collectively, over the next four decades to advance equity and excellence in education.?

A few key takeaways from our team:

• Bipartisanship and thoughtful policy implementation are key: across all of the sessions, there was agreement from national, state and local leaders that political polarization is out, and collaboration and thoughtful implementation is in. From issues of campus free speech to strengthening the educator pipeline, panelists agreed that the solutions will be found in compromise, not polarization.
• Technology is a tool to be embraced to drive equity and excellence across the education and workforce pipeline: artificial intelligence and the use of tools such as ChatGPT have a place in education when coupled with professional development and support for educators and learners. Similarly, platforms that are providing just-in-time cash grant assistance to support learners and workers can ensure resources are responsive and available. Leveraging technology in support of advancing education and training - not falling back to what is most familiar - must be at the forefront of policy and practice.
• There are multiple, high-quality education and training pathways that lead to economic mobility: from dual-enrollment programs at the high school level, to apprenticeships in both the postsecondary and workforce context, panelists agreed there are a multitude of pathways - and non-linear pathways - that connect education and employment. Further, panelists discussed the languishing and antiquated student financial aid system, and the need for a recalibration of policy and practice in order to support new pathways and models that put the learner at the center.
• The time horizon is both now - and the future: panelists collectively shared the sentiment that now is the time to embrace change and new collaborations, but many also expressed their understanding of the longer time horizon that will inevitably be required to see full scale reform across both policy and practice. There was a renewed sense of optimism, particularly in this post-pandemic period.

To exemplify the bipartisan nature of the convening and the discussion of solutions, the audience heard directly from First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden. Dr. Biden emphasized the importance of credentials beyond the baccalaureate degree, including dual enrollment initiatives at the high school level and programs that encourage learners to enroll in apprenticeships.

If “A Nation At Risk” were to be written today, what would you include in the next letter to the nation about the state of education? Share your ideas here, and we may publish them in a future edition.

Spotlight on Colorado Education and Workforce

Calling all Colorado learners: Digital Promise and the Learning Economy Foundation are hosting a design workshop that will inform the development of learning and employment records (LERs) in Colorado!

No prior experience with LERs is necessary to participate in the workshop (in fact, it may be best if you don’t know anything about LERs!). The design workshop will be held on Monday, June 26 from 9am - 12pm in the Confluence Building on the Auraria Campus in Denver. Participants will receive food/beverages and a $200 Amazon gift card.

Learners from underrepresented communities are encouraged to participate. Register here.

The Colorado Workforce Development Council is offering a technical assistance module for educators, administrators and intermediaries who support work-based learning (WBL) programs; employers developing/running WBL; and local area workforce staff supporting and/or working with WBL.

CWDC is accepting applications for the Developing and Implementing High Quality WBL Experiences module through June 5.

Related: The U.S. Department of Education released a highly anticipated letter on changes to the federal work study program in early May. Read more about last week’s?convening?on the topic of work-study reform, hosted by Strada Education Foundation , Education at Work and Whiteboard Advisors .

Upcoming Events and Opportunities

• GlobalMindED: 2023 GlobalMindED Conference, June 7-9, Denver, CO
• Aspen Ideas: Aspen Ideas Festival 2023, June 24-30, Aspen, CO
• Education Commission of the States: National Forum on Education Policy, July 12-14, Minneapolis, MN
• Postsecondary National Policy Institute (PNPI): Federal Student Aid Boot Camp, July 13 7am MT - July 14 3pm MT, Washington, D.C.
• Colorado Succeeds & Colorado Business Roundtable: Future of Work: Maximizing Human Potential, July 18, 9am MT, The Cable Center, Denver, CO
• University of Colorado-Boulder: 2023 Badge Summit, July 24-26, Boulder, CO
• Colorado Association of School Executives (CASE): Case Convention 2023, July 26-28, Breckenridge, CO
• State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO): 2023 SHEEO Higher Education Policy Conference, August 7-10, Denver, CO
• The Attainment Network: Career-Connected Education – A Colorado Pathways Conference, September 19-20, Auraria Campus, Denver, CO
• National Scholarship Providers Association: Opportunity 2023: Maximizing the Collective Impact of Scholarships, September 27-29, Las Vegas, NV

What We’re Reading (and Listening To…)

• NEW REPORT: WICHE Insights: Tuition and Fees, Appropriations, and Financial Aid in the West, 2022-23: Trends and Implications, by Colleen Falkenstern of The Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education
• Susana Cordova, Former Denver Superintendent, Named Finalist for Colorado Education Commissioner, by Erica Meltzer of Chalkbeat Colorado
• Opinion: Hire for Skills, Not the Diploma, by Helen Young Hayes and Debbie Brown in The Colorado Sun
• More High-School Grads Forgo College in Hot Labor Market, by Harriet Torry of The Wall Street Journal
• 2023 Legislative Session: Wins for Colorado Learners, by Katie Zaback, Sarah Swanson, and Larry Blackshear of Colorado Succeeds
• Taking the Lead: What Happens When Students Help Run Their High Schools, by Beth Fertig in The 74
• Are You Ready for Changes to the Carnegie Classifications?, featured in Trusteeship Magazine
• New Partnerships to Expand Health Career Pathways for Medical Assistants, by Eric Galatas with North Forty News
• The Rise of the "And-Ers": Retooling Higher Education To Meet the Needs of Working Learners, by Mark David Milliron with Newsweek
• States — Not The Feds — Have the Power to Transform Higher Education, by Javaid Siddiqi with The Hill

Colleagues on the Move

• NEW! Director of Development with Colorado Succeeds, Denver-CO
• NEW! Educational Equity Officer with the Colorado Department of Higher Education
• NEW! Executive Director of Research, Data, and Analytics with Denver Public Schools
• NEW! Chief Communications Officer with the National Conference of State Legislatures, Hybrid-Denver, CO