Posts by lcadmin
Higher Learning Advocates & Twenty-Eight Partner Organizations Call to Prioritize Higher Education in the Biden Administration
WASHINGTON — Twenty-nine organizations came together today to urge President-Elect Biden and his transition team to prioritize higher education in the incoming Biden Administration. In a letter to the president-elect, spearheaded by Higher Learning Advocates, the organizations stated: “Selecting a secretary and other senior officials who will understand key higher education policies and the needs…
Read MoreHigher learning for a higher purpose: Fighting inequality in the ‘human work’ era
COVID-19 has upended the global economy with astonishing speed and severity. Millions have had their work environments drastically changed, or even worse, now find themselves without work and with few options. In contrast to past recessions, certain industries are bearing the brunt of the damage. Sadly, they happen to be ones that offer employment to…
Read MoreA worrying trend this fall: decline in FAFSA applications
For the 2021-2022 school year, the FAFSA application cycle that opened on Oct. 1 ends on June 30. Submitting a FAFSA early has its benefits, while waiting to submit can have long-lasting consequences. “State aid – and many states rely on FAFSA completion – is a lot of times first come, first served, even for…
Read MoreBuilding a Packet for Success
Back to school shopping should be an exciting time for many children and parents. Yet, for families that have to decide between a pack of binders or a pack of diapers for the week, it can be an extremely stressful time. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of what back to school shopping looks like. Forget…
Read MoreThe Hill: Congress should help college students bridge the digital divide
Emily Bouck West and Wesley Whistle discuss the issues students face when they do not have access to reliable and affordable WiFi and laptops. Students often suffer setbacks in learning because they can’t access or complete coursework at home. Read the full piece here.
Read MoreFall 2020: A Senior In The Making, A Mother Soon Breaking
I, like the rest of nearly four million student parents, am already juggling a million different tasks all at once. Student parents juggle ever so carefully because we have perfectly balanced everything out. However, in March, those carefully balanced tasks were all thrown out of balance and we were tasked with yet another hundred things…
Read MoreReimagining Higher Ed for Equity and Student Parent Success
“Was higher ed designed for minority students?” A student asked this question during a Temple University “Sociology of Education” class I spoke to this fall about parenting college students. My answer? “No.” The first college in the United States, Harvard University (then Harvard College), was founded in 1636, and its legacy and history are bound…
Read MoreTime to Innovate: How We Can Harness an Unprecedented Moment in Higher Education to Better Serve Student Parents
Before the COVID-19 pandemic upturned how all of us work and learn, nearly four million student parents—more than a fifth of the entire U.S. undergraduate student population—faced near-impossible demands on their time and resources as they worked to juggle school and child care. Life before the pandemic was not working for most student parents. To…
Read MoreStudent Parents and the Opportunity to Support Multiple Generations of Families
For 14 years, I have been an Institutional Researcher at Monroe Community College (MCC) in Rochester, NY. On March 17, 2020, I filled the largest bag I owned with my work files and locked my office door. I then headed across the quad to pick up my five-year-old from MCC’s Richard M. Guon Child Care…
Read MoreCentering Student Parent Families in COVID-19 Response
For the nearly four million undergraduate students with dependent children—including 2.7 million mothers—earning a college degree can make a life-changing difference in their family’s lifetime economic security. According to an unpublished Institute for Women’s Policy Research analysis of the Beginning Postsecondary Student Longitudinal Study, however, just 37 percent of parenting students earn a degree or…
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