Our thanks to Dr. Courtney Brown, Vice President of Strategic Impact at Lumina Foundation, for presenting on this week’s The Intersection: A Biweekly Education Policy Conversation. Courtney joined us to provide an update on Lumina’s annual educational attainment report and interactive data display, A Stronger Nation.
Key Takeaways
Racial attainment gaps persist | While overall educational attainment has increased in recent years, attainment gaps persist across racial and ethnic groups. Lumina has named Colorado and Tennessee Talent, Innovation and Equity states for their strategic efforts to close these gaps by increasing access and affordability in higher education.
Women are outpacing men | Since 2010, educational attainment rates have risen steadily among women while remaining flat among men. Initiatives that work to increase attainment among men of color provide opportunities to simultaneously close the racial and gender attainment gaps.
A nontraditional student must not be ignored | Nationally, there are over 30 million individuals who have some college, but no degree. States must consider how to provide educational opportunities for adult students who failed to complete their postsecondary education.
When it comes to certifications, location matters | Lumina recognizes workforce certificates that have transparent learning outcomes and lead to full-time employment as a critical component of attainment. However, to count towards the state-level attainment rate, certifications must result in a 20 percent higher wage in the local economy than the worker could earn with just a high school diploma.
For more on our conversation with Courtney, check out the full webinar below!
We hope you’ll join us for our next webinar on Wednesday, April 11, at 1pm (EST). We look forward to talking with Chris Barron from The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium who will discuss findings from their recently released analysis of 2017 assessment results.
Stay tuned and follow us via Twitter (#HIWebinar) for details on how to register.
