Closing arguments in Pennsylvania's landmark school-funding trial will take place on Thursday, after several months of testimony from teachers, education officials and researchers.

Since November, attorneys representing school districts, parents and statewide organizations have presented evidence in Commonwealth Court to show the way schools are funded in the state violates the education clause and equal-protection provisions of the state Constitution.

Deborah Gordon Klehr, executive director of the Education Law Center, said closing arguments are a chance for petitioners to summarize the important evidence and testimony from the trial.

"We're looking for a commitment from the state for substantial and sustained new investments in state funding for public education," Gordon Klehr explained. "Distributed to districts based on need so that local wealth no longer determines whether Pennsylvania students receive a quality public education."

The Education Law Center, Public Interest Law Center and O'Melveny law firm represent the case's petitioners. Members of the public can watch the trial live Thursday at 9 a.m. at fundourschoolspa.org/trial.

After closing arguments, advocates will continue the push for equitable school funding while they await the judge's decision.

Susan Spicka, executive director of Education Voters of Pennsylvania, said on March 15, organizers will host vigils statewide to demonstrate how much residents care about their public schools. Vigils are planned in Philadelphia, Shippensburg, Allentown, Lancaster, Reading and Pottstown.

"What we need to do is make sure our lawmakers understand that their constituents expect them to fix this," Spicka asserted. "We don't have to wait for the court to rule. We understand very clearly how much harm the system is causing to children, and it's time for lawmakers to fund our schools."

In his final budget, Gov. Tom Wolf proposed $1.75 billion in education funding.

The number of people with some higher education but no degree or other credential to show for it has increased in recent years, according to a new report.

The number of Washingtonians with "some college" is especially stark. The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found about 1.1 million Washington state students without a credential.

Michael Meotti, executive director of the Washington Student Achievement Council, said this pool of adult students is larger than those coming out of high school, but often needs different support to finish higher education.

"They need to have a program that they can complete within, say, up to a year," he said, "and have it deliver some immediate value to them and perhaps their family, in terms of employability or earnings power."

Washington state set a goal in 2013 to have at least 70% of people between ages 25 and 44 with a postsecondary degree by 2023 but is likely to miss that mark, especially in the wake of the pandemic's effect on enrollment.

Meotti said paying for college is a big barrier for students, but noted that Washington state is generous, with financial aid programs able to pay tuition and fees for about one-third of students in the state. He said many people don't know that aid can be used for multiple education priorities.

"There's just a lot of public assumptions that financial aid is for academic programs; it's for being a psychology major and getting a degree," he said, "and they don't realize financial aid can cover getting your certificate as an automobile service technician. Financial aid can help you in an apprenticeship program, in which you get paid while you're learning."

Meotti said it's time to rethink pathways for adults. He's convinced that would be helpful for everyone, especially in Washington state, where many jobs require advanced skills.

"We can't look at the world as if it's what you know at the age of 23 or 24, what credentials you have at that age define the rest of your career," he said. "That might have been the way it was in the '50s and '60s, but that's the past - and the world is different now."


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

A new report found when high school students enroll in early college programs, it improves the chances they will go on to college after graduation.

The Massachusetts Early College Initiative links high school students, especially those who are low-income, with community college courses, in an effort to reduce achievement gaps.

Nancy Hoffman, senior adviser at Jobs for the Future (JFF) and the report's author, said experiencing college courses in high school can show students they can do the work if they have sufficient support. It is also a way to get a head start on college credits without worrying about finances, because early college courses are free.

"When you have both high school teachers and college instructors supporting students, they get double encouragement, "Hoffman pointed out. "And tutoring and intervention when needed, to complete their college courses successfully."

The report said 60% of early college students in 2021 identified as Black or Latino. And more than half came from low-income backgrounds. It also found 64% of Massachusetts students who had taken early college courses enrolled in higher-ed, compared with 38% of their peers.

Hoffman added JFF and other early college partners are aiming to get students graduating from high school with up to 30 credits completed.

"What we have learned over 20 some years of working on early college, is that motivation, support, encouragement and an early start, really prove that young people want to go to college," Hoffman explained. "They want the opportunity, and are willing to work very hard."

She noted the data is still out on college completion and earnings for students who took early college courses in high school. Since 2017, the Early College Joint Committee created by the Department of Education has designated more than 30 programs, serving 41 high schools, with 21 higher-education partners.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

The COVID public health emergency forced many Nebraska students to put their college careers on hold.

More than 300,000 Nebraskans have completed some college, but don't have credentials, according to new data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

Mike Baumgartner, executive director of the Nebraska Coordinating Commission for Postsecondary Education, said with the state's unemployment rate currently at less than 2%, students are prime candidates to take on critical unfilled jobs.

"And with the state trying to up its game in a lot of technical areas, and agricultural areas that require additional training, that's an important pool of adults for us to go out and meet those workforce needs of the state," Baumgartner pointed out.

Economists project at least 70% of jobs paying a living wage in Nebraska will require some form of postsecondary degree or credential.

In the last session, state lawmakers set a 70% attainment goal for Nebraskans ages 25 to 34. Baumgartner argued helping students re-enroll in school and cross the finish line will strengthen Nebraska's agriculture, construction, education, health care and other sectors.

Researchers found more than half of those who stopped out of college are age 35 and older.

Baumgartner stressed it is never too late to go back to school, and noted completing a degree or certificate program has significant long-term economic benefits.

"We have a plethora of statistics that show that people who have completed a credential will earn more over their lifetime, they are more likely to vote, they are more likely to have health care," Baumgartner reported. "If they don't like their current job, it's an opportunity to move into something completely new."

Cost remains the biggest barrier to completing a degree, and Baumgartner pointed to the state's gap assistance program to help financially strapped students get their first credential at community colleges, and the Nebraska Opportunity Grant, which is available to part-time adult students.

He added more can be done to remove basic barriers to completing degrees.

"Food pantries on college campuses are becoming a familiar staple," Baumgartner observed. "Lots of students will have child care issues, so it's important that colleges either have child care available or have a good partnership in the community."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.