When the COVID-19 pandemic plunged the economy back into recession in early 2020, it laid bare a fragile and profoundly inequitable labor market. The economic expansion that reigned from 2009 through 2019 brought historically low unemployment and inflation but failed to reduce income inequality or arrest the decline in the number of high-quality,…

This hearing of the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions examines COVID-19 recovery supporting workers and modernizing the workforce through quality education, training, and employment opportunities. Opening statements were presented by: (1) Honorable Patty Murray chair, Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions; and (2)…

The competitive nature of today's global marketplace and the increasingly strategic nature of the Human Resource (HR) profession demand a higher level of readiness for its professionals. Unfortunately, there is some disconnect between what is taught in schools and skills HR practitioners and organizations expect. The purpose of the study examined…

The problem addressed in this study was that high school graduates are expected to enter college prepared for post-secondary work. However, not all students demonstrate college readiness needed for success. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to examine how community college students who graduated from a three-year early college…

This article explores the results of a project aimed at supporting community college students in their academic pursuit of an Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree in Cybersecurity through mentorship, collaboration, skill preparation, and other activities and touch points to increase students' sense of belonging and connectedness in the…

This research focuses on Indonesia's newly introduced "Merdeka" (Independent) curriculum for vocational schools (VSs), emphasizing the crucial involvement of the industry in aligning, executing and evaluating the curriculum. The study utilizes a combination of qualitative analysis through a multicase design and quantitative insights…

Among Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), only 10 percent of institutions currently meets the criteria for designation as a "high research activity institution (R2)", as designated by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. Despite this occurrence, other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) also…

Accepting that building a substantial preschool workforce can accelerate a nation's transition to a knowledge society, China's policy makers in 2010 announced that the size, qualifications and remuneration of the preschool teacher workforce would increase significantly by 2020. A body of literature has reported that the implementation of this…

John Dewey's educational philosophy provides a compelling resource for empowering adult vocational education through a cultural vision, ultimately rooted in a view of social democracy as the creative task of lifelong learning before us. This is supported by Dewey's interpretation of knowledge construction in its varied cognitive, ethical, and…

Despite the growing popularity of WBL, the community college and workforce development fields need greater transparency and clarity on the design of these programs to broaden workforce pathways, ensure the transferability of exemplary program models, and support the advancement of equitable outcomes for all students, especially learners from…

In 2021, California made major new investments to advance its commitment to early childhood education through universal preschool. One important investment was extending state funding for transitional kindergarten (TK), previously just for older 4-year-olds, to all 4-year-olds by 2025-26. To ensure the quality of new preschool investments,…

Evidence today shows that there is a skills gap among employable young adults. This study was based on a Career and Technical Education (CTE) program evaluation that was conducted in a rural school district in northwest North Carolina. The study examined the perceptions of the program by CTE high school teachers, CTE community college instructors,…

The creation of specialty science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) Schools has been presented as a way to improve both academic and STEM-related outcomes, particularly in urban school districts where "failing" schools are converted the STEM Schools. This study examines this conversion process through the tenets of critical race…

We examine the potential to expand and diversify the production of university STEM degrees by shifting the margin of initial enrollment between community colleges and 4-year universities. Our analysis is based on statewide administrative microdata from the Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development covering enrollees in all…

The Chancellor of the Oklahoma state system of higher education has focused on two overarching objectives: expanding workforce development efforts and creating paths to a better life for Oklahomans. Oklahoma public institutions and elected officials are partners in developing an educated, engaged workforce prepared to meet the state's current and…