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.
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The Amesbury School Committee will hear from educators and parents tonight as they rally to prevent more than $2 million in proposed cuts to their schools.
They are asking Kassandra Gove, the mayor and school committee chair, to use any funds at the city's disposal to ensure schools can at least maintain their current level of services.
Cynthia Yetman, president of the American Federation of Teachers Amesbury Local 1033, said schools have worked to support students' mental health but pandemic-related funds have dried up.
"Those types of needs are still there in our district," Yetman pointed out. "We still want to be able to offer those kinds of support."
Yetman noted school operation costs are up and educators, especially paraprofessionals, deserve a living wage. She stressed the town has enough money in reserves to ensure students have what they need. But Gove countered every city department is facing financial hardship.
Gove has proposed a 3% increase in spending, but Elizabeth McAndrews, superintendent of the school district, said it will take at least 8% to continue busing services, ensure ample technology and keep needed support staff.
Kevin Tierney, a teachers' union negotiator and parent of two young boys in the district, worries cuts to music and the arts, library services and after-school programs could cause some families to move elsewhere.
"I firmly believe that how go the schools so goes the town," Tierney contended. "We have to make the investments now, because the price we'll pay later down the road will be so much greater."
Tierney observed the proposed cuts are all parents are talking about at sporting events, birthday parties and day care. The majority, he added, believe the city should increase taxes to ensure students have what they need. Many parents plan to attend tonight's committee meeting to support their students and teachers.
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Immigration is a hot-button issue these days, but people studying to become bilingual teachers at one California university are making an effort to lower the temperature.
San Diego State University's bilingual credential program sends prospective teachers on a four-day trip to impoverished schools in Tijuana, to help them understand the conditions many of their future students experience.
Erika Sandoval from Santa Clarita is a teacher-in-training in her first year of the program. She migrated to the U.S. herself from Mexico at age nine.
"Going back and hearing their stories," said Sandoval, "some of them having families in the United States, some of them attempting to cross the border - took me back to when my parents had made the decision to come to this country as well. It was very emotional, to be honest."
The teachers visit a school in a migrant shelter, one that has a program for students who are blind, and a third that is in one of the city's lowest-income neighborhoods.
Sandoval said kids may be at school in Tijuana one week, and in California the next. So, the empathy gained from a cross-border trip can improve teacher effectiveness going forward.
"When you're able to connect with them and build that trust with them," said Sandoval, "there's community with you, and they're able to engage them in what you're teaching them."
Sarah Maharonnaghsh is a lecturer in the Dual Language and English Learner Education Department at San Diego State University, who helps organize the trips.
She said the teachers in training are often impressed with the Tijuana kids' behavior - even though they lack adults taking on yard duties, and school supplies are scarce.
"There's nobody supervising them on the playground, and they all seem to self-regulate," said Maharonnaghsh. "Or if there's a box of crayons, the kids are sharing with each other. So, they just see that that collectivist component of Mexican culture."
She said the program emphasizes respect for the students' culture, and helps teachers focus on kids' assets rather than their deficits.
Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.
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Teachers spend hours with students every day and can have the greatest impact on their decision-making and life choices. A program in one Indiana school district is working to help educators develop leadership skills inspiring students to reach their fullest potential.
The strategy of the nonprofit Teach Indy is to create a diverse, teacher-centered community focusing on teachers as problem-solvers and elevates each instructor's expertise.
Sarah Marshall, executive director of Teach Indy, said the organization now operates in the Lawrence Township School District in Marion County and there are plans for expansion.
"We are reimagining the teacher cohort as a one-year kind of cohort experience for teacher teams," Marshall explained. "The vision is that this will be at least a five-year program and will grow each year."
Marshall's vision is to potentially incorporate an Indianapolis public or charter school in order to engage teachers in a single teacher cohort. The Indiana Department of Education said there are almost 62,000 licensed teachers in the state.
Marshall pointed out Teach Indy wants to empower teachers to be at the center of innovations in education. Another critical goal is to help reduce teacher shortages in the state. She emphasized the group also believes improving teachers' overall job satisfaction will lead to better retention, in an era of burnout when many educators said they have considered leaving the profession.
"We are working to build a virtual platform that is going to connect teachers across Marion County along opportunities for engagement, networking, resource sharing, affinity spaces, etc.," Marshall outlined. "So that we can increase connection and satisfaction."
Marshall added it is important to offer what she calls an "intentional equity shift," supporting teachers of color because of the role they play in supporting students of color. One study by the Brookings Institution found for Black students, having at least one same-race teacher boosts test scores, attendance and graduation rates.
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