Creating Equity in Dual Enrollment Programs: Many CTE programs that offer dual credit opportunities face gaps in alignment between secondary and postsecondary learner levels that lead to quality and equity inconsistencies in these programs, according to new research from Advance CTE. This policy brief is the second in a series designed to offer strategies to help CTE programs overcome the barriers to participation in early postsecondary opportunities and credit transfer so learners can have access to high-skill, high-wage and in-demand careers. The policy brief offers four key strategies for states to use to overcome these barriers, and provides best practice examples from Ohio, Tennessee and Utah.
Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Youth Employment Rates: The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated youth unemployment rates and youth have experienced unique challenges in employment during the pandemic, according to a new report from the Center for Promise at America’s Promise Alliance. The researchers surveyed 16–24-year-olds about their professional journeys over the past year and wrote about five key findings:
- Young workers are facing challenges with finances and mental health, and are facing significant barriers to employment
- The pandemic has increased concern about the future workforce
- Young people are experiencing pervasive race- and gender-based discrimination in the workforce
- Professional connections and support networks help these youth reach their work goals
- Only half of the youth have hope about the future workforce
Promoting Economic Mobility in Postsecondary Institutions: Following earlier work on analyzing ways to measure economic outcomes, a new report continues exploring these topics to promote economic mobility and social justice in postsecondary institutions. The researchers call on postsecondary institutions to provide more information to help students make more informed decisions about going to a postsecondary institution, eliminate completion gaps and remove affordability as an indicator of institutional value. The report also addresses the inequities students face based on race, socioeconomic and gender status, as well as the gaps in completion rates, retention rates and income later in life.
Exploring the Root Causes for Inequities in CTE and STEM: The National Alliance for Partnerships in Equity (NAPE) released a new resource exploring the root causes of inequities in CTE and STEM programs and providing strategies on how to overcome these barriers. Included in the resource is a literature summary and infographic framework of a system of equity in CTE and STEM. The framework provides four different interdependent elements to examine how individual learners are affected by the dynamics within education, careers and community. The researchers also provide theories and strategies aimed at identifying and addressing the elements that perpetuate inequities to promote sustainable and equitable change.
Research on Equitable Education Practices to Improve Student Outcomes: A new research report investigates educational technology practices that are positively influencing the educational outcomes of specific racial and ethnic groups. By identifying institutional, instructional and educational practices, the researchers want more programs to better understand how equitable and inclusive learning experiences can be implemented across postsecondary institutions. The researchers analyzed peer-reviewed studies and came up with recommendations for different postsecondary populations, such as administrators and staff, faculty and instructors, and students.
Economic Impact of Racial and Socioeconomic Inequities in Postsecondary Institutions: The U.S. economy loses hundreds of billions of dollars every year due to racial and socioeconomic inequities in postsecondary education, according to a report from Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The report hypothesizes what would happen if the bottom 40 percent of earners received postsecondary degrees at the same rate as the top 60 percent and if postsecondary attainment was the same across all racial groups. Testing this theory, the researchers found that over half the population would have postsecondary degrees, and postsecondary attainment would significantly increase for low-income, Black, Latino and Asian American populations. The authors argue that more people earning more degrees would increase tax revenue because there would be more spending. The authors also argue that postsecondary attainment correlates with lower incarceration rates and better health outcomes, leading to less annual spending on the criminal justice system, public health benefits and public assistance programs.
Comments