Daily Lumina News 031623

College isn’t for everyone, some will say. That’s true, of course, but some form of post-high school learning or training is essential for jobs that pay a living wage and provide health care and other benefits.
In this perspective piece, Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis explores the declining public confidence in higher education and why colleges and universities—and society—must do a better job of answering the question, “What is college for?”

Tensions were high this week as lawmakers in South Carolina sparred over the possibility of eliminating funding for diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts from the state’s public colleges.
The debate in South Carolina comes amid increased legislative scrutiny of higher education this year. So far, at least 21 bills in 13 states have been introduced that would stifle colleges’ diversity-related activities.

This July marks a long-awaited moment in higher education. It will be the first time in nearly three decades that as many as 700,000 incarcerated people can use federal Pell Grants to pursue a college education.
But Pell funds alone won’t be enough to suddenly make college available to everyone. Basic information gaps need to be filled, college support structures must be built, and departments of correction need to sort out their new role in the process.

Colorado is getting serious about ramping up the talent pipeline for in-demand jobs.
As the state hurts for more early childhood educators, nurses, firefighters, and workers across other industries, legislators are attempting to fill critical workforce gaps with a pair of bills that would provide free training to an estimated 20,000 students and support about 15,000 graduating high school students with $1,500 scholarships.

There’s nothing like a good match, and a partnership announced this week between the National Head Start Association and the Association of Community College Trustees to put more Head Start facilities on community college campuses sets up a perfect couple.
The numbers affirm the need for the project and its potential to improve college access: More than 1 in 5 college students are parents. About 1 in 10 are single mothers, and nearly two-thirds of those mothers whose children are younger than six live at or below the poverty line.

As the battle continues over a federal student loan forgiveness plan, many Latino families face their own tough circumstances when it comes to ballooning college debt.
Some 43.5 million Americans collectively owe $1.75 trillion in student debt today. Latino borrowers feel the burden heavily: Latinos take out loans at a higher frequency and default on their loans more than their white counterparts.