The nation is facing unprecedented challenges in helping millions of learners and workers get their lives back-on-track. Impacts of the COVID-19 crisis have been particularly severe for the lower-income people who community colleges specialize in serving, and particularly for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations.
For this podcast series, When Policy Meets Practice, Jobs For The Future (JFF) teams up with long-time higher education journalist Paul Fain to explore the critical role of education and workforce development policy in shaping the nation's economic recovery and renewal.
In each episode, Paul speaks with community college leaders who serve on Jobs For The Future’s Policy Leadership Trust to lift up lessons about which policy approaches are producing results for workers, learners, and employers, and which policy approaches are falling short. The podcast highlights the most promising work in the field, with blunt takes on fast-moving policy questions, ranging from free community college to short-term Pell. Paul concludes each episode with a sense-making conversation with Jobs For The Jobs policy experts.
The Podcast kicks off on June 21, 2021, with new 30-minute episodes every other Monday. Be sure to subscribe to the podcast and connect with us on Twitter at @jfftweets. Tell us what we should cover by contacting the executive producer of the When Policy Meets Practice podcast, David Altstadt, via Twitter and LinkedIn.
Career Navigation Policy and Best Practices for Today’s Learners and Workers
Faced with steep enrollment declines and growing competition, two leading institutions in postsecondary education and workforce development are making big changes to outdated approaches to better serve students, workers and industries.
In this episode, journalist Paul Fain talks to Mordecai Brownlee, president of the Community College of Aurora, about the college’s decision to eliminate many degree and credentialing programs with limited economic opportunities, while launching new programs co-designed with industry partners. Meanwhile, Peter Callstrom, president and CEO of the San Diego Workforce Partnership, tells Paul how his organization has joined forces with local public schools to strengthen support for career navigation for youth, starting as early as elementary school. These innovations carry major policy implications, as described by Karishma Merchant, JFF’s associate vice president of policy and advocacy, at the conclusion of the episode.
Visit jff.org to learn more and read a recap of key takeaways from the episode, as well as policy and programmatic resources.
18 Jan 2022
Saving the Lost Generation: How Career and Technical Education Can Put Today’s Youth Back on a Path to Success
In this bonus 9th episode of the miniseries, Paul Fain (https://www.opencampusmedia.org/author/pfain/) is joined by a distinguished panel of K-12 and college leaders to offer policy solutions for helping all young people gain exposure and preparation to in-demand careers through high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programming. The panel – Shannon Cox (https://www.mcesc.org/Content/468), superintendent of Montgomery County Educational Service Center; Michael Baston (https://sunyrockland.edu/about/president/), president of Rockland Community College; Luke Rhine (https://leadershipdelaware.org/teams/luke-rhine/), director of CTE at the Delaware Department of Education; and Carli Schiffner (https://www.sbctc.edu/colleges-staff/programs-services/education-services/default.aspx), deputy executive director of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges – recently teamed up with JFF to develop policy recommendations (https://www.jff.org/resources/no-dead-ends-how-career-and-technical-education-can-provide-todays-youth-with-pathways-to-college-and-career-success/) for strengthening CTE and integrating it more fully into the educational pathways for all youth. At the end of the episode, JFF’s Charlotte Cahill (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/charlotte-cahill/) and Crystal Green (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/crystal-green/)join Paul to offer their insights. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
26 Sept 2021
Dual goals of dual enrollment: Why policymakers and practitioners should emphasize equity and intentionality when providing high school students with opportunities to dually enroll in college
In this final episode of the miniseries, Paul Fain is joined by Marielena DeSanctis (https://www.ccd.edu/org/office-president), president of Community College of Denver, and Leigh Goodson (https://www.tulsacc.edu/about-us/administration/leigh-b-goodson-president-and-ceo), president and CEO of Tulsa Community College, to discuss the changing landscape of dually enrolling high school students in college-level courses. The discussion centers on the need for student-centered approaches and policies for dual enrollment that ensure greater intentionality in course-taking and in closing equity gaps in access and in transitions to college and careers. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Erica Cuevas (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/erica-cuevas/) as well as Alex Perry (https://www.flpadvisors.com/alex-perry.html) with College in High School Alliance. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
12 Sept 2021
Hitting Reset on Transfer -- How higher education and policymakers can help more transfer students earn their degree and advance in today’s economy.
In this special episode, Paul Fain is joined by three members of the Tackling Transfer advisory board: Sharon Morrissey (https://www.jff.org/what-we-do/impact-stories/policy-leadership-trust/?speaker=sharon-morrissey) of Virginia Community College System, Elena Quiroz-Livanis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenaquiroz/) of Massachusetts Department of Higher Education, and Shirleatha Lee (https://www.myersmcrae.com/news.cms/2019/330/lee-to-serve-as-dean-of-mary-black-school-of-nursing-at-the-university-of-south-carolina-upstate) with University of South Carolina Upstate to discuss efforts underway in their states and institutions for improving equitable outcomes for transfer students. The discussion centers on three policy areas explored in the recently released Transfer Reset (https://tacklingtransfer.org/research-tools/) report: financial aid, credit for prior learning, and data disaggregation. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s David Altstadt (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/david-altstadt/) as well as HCM Strategists’ Lara Couturier (http://hcmstrategists.com/who-we-are/our-team/lara-couturier/). Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
30 Aug 2021
That’s Not What We Meant to Do: Unintended Consequences of Basing Higher Education Finance Models on Tradition Rather than on the Needs of Today’s Students
Host Paul Fain is joined by community college presidents Tonjua Williams (https://spcollege.edu/friends-partners/about/leadership/presidents-office) of St. Petersburg College and Randall VanWagoner (https://www.mvcc.edu/governance/index.php) of Mohawk Valley Community College to discuss the urgency and need to transform traditional Higher Education funding models to better support community colleges and student-centered approaches. Both presidents share their experiences dealing with the disruption from the pandemic and discuss how modern and more flexible funding structures could help them better serve their students. Tonjua and Randy also provide institutional and state policy best practices that can be used by other institutions and policymakers across the country. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s David Altstadt (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/david-altstadt/) and Taylor Maag (https://www.jff.org/about/staff/taylor-maag/). Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
16 Aug 2021
What Adult Learners Need: Reforming the way Higher Education recognizes and supports skills development and career success
Host Paul Fain is joined by community college Presidents: Robert Vela of San Antonio College and Ajita Talwalker Menon of Calbright College to discuss the urgency and opportunity for postsecondary education to better serve adult learners. They share their experiences on campus serving this population and offer tangible steps that policymakers can take to ensure adults get the skill development they need to enter into and advance in high-demand careers. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Nate Anderson and Mary Clagett. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
31 Jul 2021
From Statements to Steps: Achieving Racial Equity in Education and Employment
Host Paul Fain is joined by Michael Baston, president of Rockland Community College; Janet Spriggs, president of Forsyth Technical Community College; and Cynthia Olivo, vice president of student services for Pasadena City College, to discuss the urgent need for taking a racial equity lens to education and employer practices and public policies. They share their experiences on campus embracing diversity, equity, and inclusion and offer tangible steps that policymakers can take to close gaps in education and economic opportunities for Black, Latinx, and Indigenous populations. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Michael Collins and David Altstadt. Read JFF’s Blog for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
29 Jul 2021
Ladder Economics: The short and long game of Short-term Training policy
Host Paul Fain is joined by Monty Sullivan, president of Louisiana Community and Technical College System, and Anne Kress, president of Northern Virginia Community College to discuss short-term credential programs. They share their experiences working in states with short-term postsecondary initiatives, the outcomes they are seeing to date and their ideas for what good policy would look like. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Lexi Barret and Taylor Maag. Read JFF’s Blog for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
29 Jul 2021
A Promise to What and For Whom? What it’ll take to get policy right on Free Community College
Host Paul Fain is joined by Russell Lowery-Hart (https://www.actx.edu/president/), president of Amarillo College, and Bill Pink (https://www.grcc.edu/faculty-staff/directory/bill-pink), president of Grand Rapids Community College, to discuss free college. They share their experiences running successful college promise scholarship programs and their ideas for what good policy would look like to expand free college nationally. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Lexi Barrett and David Altstadt. Read JFF’s blog (https://www.jff.org/what-we-do/impact-stories/policy-leadership-trust/109-billion-question-how-make-free-community-college-worth-investment/)for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
29 Jul 2021
The Future of Community College: Key Policy Lessons from the Pandemic
Paul Fain is joined by Madeline Pumariega (https://www.mdc.edu/president/madeline-pumariega/), president of Miami Dade College, and Marcia Ballinger (https://www.lorainccc.edu/about/presidents-office/), president of Ohio’s Lorain County Community College, to discuss how their institutions are changing to meet the urgent needs of their local communities, and how federal and state policies are factoring into these efforts. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Lexi Barrett and David Altstadt. Read JFF’s blog for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.
27 Jul 2021
Welcome To Policy Meets Practice
Paul Fain previews the podcast series. JFF’s Lexi Barrett explains why policymakers should turn to practitioners to inform policy approaches.
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