KCTCS’ Post

🗣 Employers have a responsibility to advocate for fair policies that contribute to their workforce. Check out this blog from my colleague Jeran Culina highlighting how Texas is investing in credentials of value. Mission = Make College Work for Working People! #workforcedevelopment #wfdevelopment #makingcollegework #skillstraining

Thank you, Jeran Culina, for shedding light on the groundbreaking HB 8 passed in June 2023 and the collaborative efforts behind its success. This news is particularly thrilling as a Texan deeply committed to workforce solutions and higher education. We, as a community, are excited about the potential this brings. The passage of HB 8 is not just a milestone but a testament to the power of collective effort. It's heartening to witness how businesses, community colleges, and stakeholders across the Lone Star State united to advocate for investments directly aligned with labor market demands. My passion lies in bridging the gap in healthcare workforce programs. I'm deeply committed to improving access to quality education and training in healthcare, particularly through pharmacy technician vocational programs. I'm excited to continue contributing to initiatives that empower learners and strengthen our healthcare workforce. Looking ahead, after earning my Doctor of Education, I'm eager to expand my impact and contribute to similar initiatives on a grander scale for all types of workforce programs. Kudos to all the champions for making this initiative come to light. Your continued collaboration is crucial in ensuring the success of initiatives like HB 8. If anyone is interested in getting involved, consider exploring education and training programs, such as apprenticeships, and fostering more partnerships between corporations and institutions of higher learning. Additionally, you can share resources, network with professionals, provide feedback, volunteer, and advocate for policies. Together, we can make a meaningful impact on workforce development and education. Let's keep working together to build a brighter future for our state! #WorkforceDevelopment #HigherEducation #HealthcareWorkforce

A new survey reveals varying opinions on higher education, but there's consensus on one point - it's too expensive. As we advocate for more accessible and affordable education, your support is crucial. https://lnkd.in/gMiX8Ci3 #UW #UWAlumni #HigherEd #UWImpact #Affordability

Utah is the latest state to ban DEI efforts on campus and in government Utah's governor signed a bill into law Tuesday that makes the state the latest to prohibit diversity training, hiring and inclusion programs at universities and in state government. "We've been concerned about some DEI programs and policies, particularly with hiring practices, and this bill offers a balanced solution," Cox said in a statement Tuesday night. Already this year, Republican lawmakers in at least 17 states have proposed some three dozen bills to restrict or require public disclosure of DEI initiatives, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill-tracking software Plural. The measures have a heavy focus on higher education, but Republicans are also sponsoring ones that would limit DEI in K-12 schools, state government, state contracting and pension investments. Some would bar financial institutions from discriminating against people who refuse to participate in DEI programs. Meanwhile, Democrats in nine states have filed at least 20 bills to require or promote DEI initiatives. They include measures to reverse Florida's recent ban on DEI in higher education and measures to require considerations in the K-12 school curriculum. Others apply to ferry workers in Washington state and a proposed offshore wind energy institute in New Jersey. Republican-led Florida and Texas were first to enact broad-based laws banning DEI efforts in higher education last year. Other states including Iowa and Oklahoma have implemented similar measures.

𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧! The proposed bill in Nebraska, aiming to replace tenure with employee agreements, raises critical questions about accountability and academic freedom. How do you think this potential shift will impact the quality of education and faculty dynamics? #HigherEdDebate #TenureTalks #AcademicAccountability #tsedlarconsulting

What's up next for state higher education policy? Hear from experts including IHEP's Director of Research and Policy Sean Tierney in Inside Higher Ed https://lnkd.in/eGaj5xFK #edpolicy #highered #statepolicy

Thanks Emma Kate Fittes for including my perspective on the important takeaways from #governors in 2024 states of the state, including the trending priorities and the areas that need more attention in #education. Read more at EdWeek Market Brief.

Excited about the Massachusetts Senate's MassEducate initiative—attempting to take a groundbreaking step towards tuition-free community college for all residents. 🎓 This initiative not only allocates $75.5 million to cover tuition and fees but also includes $1,200 stipends for books and supplies, which can be incredibly costly and prohibitive. This comprehensive support would effectively eliminate financial barriers to education. This proposal encounters numerous additional hurdles; I recommend reading the press release for further details. Having personally experienced financial challenges in pursuing higher education, I enthusiastically support and endorse this proposal. According to the press release, "MassReconnect has proven to be an effective policy in Massachusetts, serving as a strong catalyst that has attracted over a thousand adults aged 25 and older to our Lowell and Bedford campuses at Middlesex to further their education since its enactment last August." This clearly demonstrates that when educational opportunities are accessible to students of all ages and financial backgrounds, they will seize them. Hats off to the Senate for promoting equitable access to quality education! #MassEducate #HigherEducation #OpportunityForAll #Massachusetts #Equity

Today, Senate leaders unveiled MassEducate, a proposal for tuition-free, universal community college for all Massachusetts residents which is aimed at boosting the state’s workforce and expanding opportunity for students and families in every part of the state. MassEducate would invest $75.5 million in new spending to cover tuition and fees for all residents, and offer an up to $1,200 stipend for books, supplies, and other costs to students who make 125% or less of median income in the state. Pell-eligible students already eligible for a books stipend through state financial aid would also be eligible for a stipend for books, supplies, and costs of attendance, for a combined amount of up to $2,400 per year. The Senate’s plan, which will be included in the chamber’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget, would continue to invest in programs created in the Fiscal Year 2024 budget, including $18 million in free nursing programs at community colleges and $24 million in free community college for residents over 25. Students would be eligible for free tuition and fees and the stipend in the fall 2025 semester if the proposal is included in the Commonwealth’s final Fiscal Year 2025 budget. https://lnkd.in/eSCRzphq

As a member of the New York City Central Board of Education in the 90s, I was one of the deciding votes to commit the operations of the NYC education system to the Mayor. Mayoral control appeared to be better because: * It would foster reform. * It would foster accountability * It would create new models of classroom practices. * It would allow for fairness in the education system in all 5 boroughs, and among all types of learners. The reforms Mayor Giuliani was hoping for, the vision he shared with me and members of his administration, as he started the moment to give the schools back to the children, just did not happen on the watches of the next 3 mayors. What can we really show now after 2 decades of mayoral control? Rather than our NYC Department of Education being a beacon of education strategies (associated and linked to the best NYC colleges and universities in the nation), we see only small improvements, a regurgitation of failed systems, and an operational budget which has multiplied by 3 in the last 2 decades; please show me one company with this kind of record and would be happy to keep it on its ledger? Sorry. The intent of the Central Board to give Mayoral control failed, not in its original vision, but in its execution. It is time to look at a better paradigm of education control. This new paradigm MUST include a community board component and it must have contractural relationships with the local colleges and universities to build the DOE into a respected movement of enlightenment. When you recognize something don’t work, you fix it, but in government, you all too often continue it. The New York State Governor and its Legislators must ask, not for a reinstatement of Mayoral Control, rather, for a study of reform, place the DOE under a panel of education reformers, establsh an education CZAR, and give our children a home of learning which will make them well prepared leaders in tomorrow’s society. https://lnkd.in/eWe7Us_i