DENVER - Colorado was able to increase student participation in Afterschool Nutrition Programs in 2020, even during school closures, according to new data from the Food Research and Action Center.

Crystal FitzSimons - director of school and out-of-school-time programs for the group - said programs work best when they combine healthy snacks and suppers with engaging activities, and Colorado providers helped keep students' education path open when they pivoted to curbside pickup and other creative ways to deliver meals.

"They were doing virtual, either activities or they were sending activities home with families to do," said FitzSimons. "And so they were trying to support educational enrichment at a time when so many kids were experiencing learning disruptions."

Colorado improved its national ranking for connecting kids with after-school nutrition programs from 41st to 16th.

Still, researchers found that students in low-income households and in communities of color were disproportionately impacted when schools closed, and educators struggled to regroup online.

As the nation moves forward, FitzSimons said after-school suppers and activities can play an important role helping students overcome significant educational and health impacts of the pandemic. She said working parents can also benefit from the peace of mind knowing their kids are in a safe space.

"The hours between 3 and 6, that is actually the time when kids are most likely to get in trouble, to engage in risky behavior," said FitzSimons. "So keeping kids in safe, enrichment environments during that time is critical."

Schools and community sponsors were able to connect an additional 37,000 students per day on average with after-school suppers compared to 2019. Nearly 1.5 million low-income children received meals through after-school nutrition programs during last year.

Research says 80% of community-college students intend to transfer to complete a bachelor's degree, but only 14% do so within six years.

Transferring between institutions of higher education can be complicated, and when classes don't transfer, repeating them adds cost and consumes time.

In North Carolina, the state-run community college system has agreements in place that standardize class transfers with both the University of North Carolina system and in-state independent colleges and universities.

This year, common-course numbering was introduced between the UNC system and the state community colleges. Streamlining transferability between institutions will also help reduce student debt.

Eric Fotheringham is the director of community-college partnerships and adult-learner initiatives for the UNC system. He said the university system published an updated strategic plan last summer that made reducing student debt at graduation a priority.

"There were a couple of metrics having to do with reducing student debt," said Fotheringham. "So, we will be gauging our success as a system and individual universities will be gauging some of their success based on reducing student debt, so there's a metric looking at that specifically for first-time students but also for transfer students."

The long-term goal of the strategic plan is to reduce average cumulative federal loan debt at graduation by over 12%.

Transfer students in North Carolina can also take advantage of a number of discipline-specific agreements where transfer credits have been standardized for specific majors between the community college and either a college in the UNC system or one affiliated with the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities.

Discipline-specific agreements exist for nursing, engineering, and early childhood education, among others.

Hope Williams is president of North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities, and said some of their schools are reaching out to potential transfer students to cultivate a sense of belonging at the four-year institution.

"A number of our campuses are going into the community college, offering a course free on the four-year college campus while they're still a student at the community college," said Williams. "Some are providing ID cards for the four-year college so that students can come on campus and use the library and other resources to help make sure that students feel comfortable and are ready to make that transfer."

One study found that each year among the 50,000 low- and moderate-income community-college students in America that don't transfer, 15,000 have a Grade Point Average above 3.7.

Study authors say that fact makes the case that those students could be successful at even the most competitive schools.

Williams says some of the schools in the NCICU are finding creative ways to support transfer students.

"Many campuses are putting together opportunities to have students receive a transfer scholarship, or in some cases to cap tuition," said Williams, "so that students know exactly what their costs will be and that they won't exceed a certain amount."

With the cost of a four-year college education approaching six figures at some institutions, many students are looking at apprenticeships to train for a career.

A program in the Kalamazoo Public Schools is aimed at putting students on an alternative track toward well-paying jobs which do not require traditional degrees. The program, Career Launch Kalamazoo, is part of a national trend aimed at putting apprenticeships on a parallel track with the college prep curriculum.

Rita Raichoudhuri, superintendent of Kalamazoo Public Schools, said the district found it needed to rethink what it means to be a successful graduate.

"Not a lot of opportunities or access pointed existed for those students for whom college right after graduation from high school may not be the right fit, or even advisable," Raichoudhuri recounted. "Opportunities for them did not exist."

Raichoudhuri came to Kalamazoo from the Chicago Public School District, where she said she also developed programs to help kids succeed in competitive labor markets. She implemented Career Launch soon after arriving in 2020, for opportunities in information technology, manufacturing and other skilled trades.

The program, part of the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, is open to high school juniors and seniors, giving them the chance to earn while they learn through paid, on-the-job training with an industry mentor.

Raichoudhuri noted one of her challenges was to change the mindset of counselors, teachers, administrators and parents.

"So, we actually need to have, and we do have, curriculum starting at the kindergarten level all the way through 12th grade, where they're learning about all of these different opportunities," Raichoudhuri explained. "So by the time they have to make a decision, they can make an educated decision."

Raichoudhuri added the Kalamazoo business community enthusiastically supports the program and has stepped up to offer dozens of opportunities. She pointed out Career Launch makes sure students have what she calls "employability skills."

"Things like they need to be able to come in on time. They need to be able to get along with their teammates. They need to be able to manage up, manage down; self-regulation, time management, and organizational skills," Raichoudhuri outlined. "Those are the things employers are saying they don't want to take the time to teach, because they don't have the time."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Missouri State University is offering a new option for students: a certificate that blends psychology with religious studies.

The Mental Health and Spirituality Undergraduate Certificate invites students to consider religion's impact on mental health and general well-being. Prof. Stephen Berkwitz, who heads the Department of Religious Studies at MSU, said it will require 15 hours of coursework, and is tailored to students pursuing undergraduate degrees in health care or social services.

"It's a concentrated program that allows students to kind of understand what are the bases of mental health, how do we understand it, and how does religion and spirituality contribute to mental health," he said.

Students have 19 courses to choose from in such areas as psychology, gerontology and religious studies, and can customize the focus to suit their educational goals. As the university puts it, "The power of faith can go a long way - especially in health care."

Psychology and the social sciences traditionally have been oriented toward evidence-based approaches to knowledge. Berkwitz said this program brings in knowledge from other disciplines.

"What's kind of unique about this program is that it's taking the empirical side of studying about human existence and how people make sense of themselves and find meaning in their lives," he said, "but adding the almost sort of philosophical or humanistic approach as well."

The certificate program is under way, with the initial cohort of students wrapping up their first semester in December.