Daily Lumina News 041222

The debate over hybrid learning on many college campuses this spring is the latest development in higher ed’s two-year struggle to figure out how best to deliver instruction to students amid the pandemic.
It also raises questions about whether colleges coming out of the COVID era will pursue a “new normal” of flexible learning, as some higher-ed experts expected, or simply push for a return to the classroom of 2019.

Internships tend to provide an advantage to students who are already advantaged—essentially those who can afford to work for cheap or free.
More colleges are now creating new funds and programs to pay students for work when employers won’t. It’s one way to equalize internship opportunities, which have historically excluded low-income students.

Even though the Biden administration’s plan to make community college tuition-free for two years was stripped from the federal Build Back Better bill, the push for free college is alive and well in many parts of the country.
While the White House has turned its focus to extending the student loan payment pause, states are quietly moving forward with plans to pass legislation of their own to make some college tuition-free.

Over the past few years, major American companies in every industry have pledged to change their hiring habits by selecting and promoting people because of their skills and experience rather than degrees or educational pedigree.
How has corporate America done so far? Research from the Burning Glass Institute underlines both the potential and the challenge of changing entrenched hiring practices.

Community colleges are instrumental in creating pathways into well-paying jobs for today's workers, particularly for adults of color.
In this interview, Miami Dade College’s Antonio Delgado addresses how community colleges can anticipate opportunities, mitigate risk, and expand equitable pathways relating to emerging tech jobs of the future.

Women hold nearly two-thirds of the $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. The crisis especially impacts Black women, whose ability to repay is hindered by both lower wages and a lack of generational wealth.
A new report from The Education Trust shows how Black women experience student debt and what can be done to make college affordable for future students.