Daily Lumina News 030124

The stereotype of rural Americans “left behind” by the economy doesn’t hold water, according to a new report from the Georgetown University Center for Education and the Workforce.
The counterintuitive rural-employment outlook could help explain flagging enrollments at many colleges in rural areas in recent years and may contribute to the public narrative that college isn’t worth the expense and trouble. But the report’s authors see an opportunity for colleges alongside the challenge.

In the mission to build robust economies, many state and local leaders are focused on establishing the right conditions to attract employers. But bringing jobs to a state or community is only one half of the equation; the other half is developing the talent to fill them. That's where higher education comes in.
The state of Michigan understands this connection. All across the state, efforts stemming largely from state leadership are working toward a shared goal of smoothing and accelerating the journey for adults to gain the skills they need to build the economy Michigan wants.

Marty Correia thought she was closer to ridding herself of student debt when, in 2022, she learned about President Joe Biden's plan to waive the rules of a loan forgiveness program for public service workers.
But Correia’s excitement soon faded after her loan servicer deemed the decades-old debt ineligible. She's not alone. A little-known provision of a defunct federal lending program is shutting out student loan borrowers like Correia from Biden’s debt relief efforts.

When Josetta Gabbidon came to the United States with her husband, life in Laramie, Wyoming, was filled with hope and promise. Then, her husband lost his job and went back to Africa. He never returned, leaving Gabbidon with their two young children.
Climb Wyoming, a nonprofit focused on getting single moms the job training they need to change their lives, helped Gabbidon find a way out of poverty and into a career she loves.

Jamarie Crawford is anxiously waiting for answers. He’s preparing be the first in his family to go to college. He’s applied to several universities, but he doesn’t know where he’ll attend in the fall. That's because his decision depends on how much financial assistance he’ll receive.
Millions of students are in the same boat due to a systematic calculation error with this year’s Free Application for Federal Student Aid form. And they won’t know until a month or two before the deadline for their big decision. Because of that uncertainty, students feel like their futures are in limbo.

It's been called the workforce behind the workforce: childcare. And it's in trouble. That reality is hitting home in Massachusetts, where the child-care sector is facing another growing challenge: Relatively few young people want to enter the field.
A new study paints a picture of an early education ecosystem that is perilously dependent on underpaid, overworked, and aging educators. State officials say that’s a problem for Massachusetts’ competitiveness. So, what can be done?