Nearly all states in the United States (45) currently have a postsecondary attainment goal to improve the average education levels of their residents and develop a highly-educated workforce. During a time of accelerated COVID-19 related postsecondary enrollment declines, the question as to how states will meet these goals could be particularly…

In 2015, the Minnesota Legislature passed statute 135A.012 Higher Education Goal, which enacted a goal that 70% of Minnesota adults (ages 25-44) will have attained a postsecondary certificate or degree by 2025. In recognition of existing gaps in attainment, the law also sets 30% and 50% educational attainment benchmarks for all races and…

Digital badges (i.e., digital credentials for achievements) have been suggested as a useful and scalable implementation of gamification. Digital badges (hereafter "badges") provide two potential supports for learning: (1) badges provide support for motivation by rewarding achievement and (2) badges provide implicit learning goals. The…

Many MSW-level social workers make the decision to earn a doctoral degree in social work or a related field. A large number of so-called predatory doctoral programs lack rigor or much academic substance and are ultimately of little value in advancing one's career. This article describes the characteristics of legitimate social work doctoral…

A common approach to describing the credentials required for occupations is to cite whether workers hold an educational degree beyond a high school diploma--that is, whether they hold a postsecondary degree. Using a postsecondary degree as a measure of occupational credentialing, 45 percent of labor force participants (adults who are working or…

Teacher performance assessments are positioned as a high stakes assessment that are aimed to ensure that preservice teachers are ready for professional practice in education contexts. The move to incorporate them in institutions has its origins in concerns that teacher education is a policy problem with varying standards of preparation across the…

An increasing preference for nondegree credentials evident prior to the pandemic has become even more apparent. Nondegree credentials can and sometimes should be part of a postsecondary education, but the inchoate credentials environment encourages poor planning and unwise decisions. The competitive advantages that a balanced education can offer…

The past year has been a test like no other for the California Community Colleges' students, faculty and staff, serving up pain and loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic and racial injustice. Yet despite these challenges they continue to show progress toward meeting goals of the system's Vision for Success, which sets a path to increase certificate…

By 2025, the majority of "jobs in the United States will require postsecondary education and training beyond high school" (Lumina Foundation, n.d., p. 9). Earning college credit in high school, at times earning a postsecondary degree or credential simultaneously while working toward a high school diploma, presents an opportunity for…

A product of the 2016 Session of the General Assembly, the New Economy Workforce Credential Grant (WCG) Program represents the nation's first pay-for-performance model for funding noncredit workforce training that leads to a credential in a high-demand field. Using a two-pronged approach, the WCG works to increase program completion and credential…

The enrollment outlook for public two-year and primarily associate-degree-granting baccalaureate (PAB) institutions, commonly referred to as community colleges, has fluctuated dramatically since 2020, with unique scenarios playing out across the country based on demographic shifts and local priorities. This article details these shifts and…

Educators are bound to encounter students with a broad range of speech-language and communication needs in their respective classrooms. According to federal mandates, current and future teachers are required to implement inclusive practices, which involves providing access to communication for all students. This practitioner-focused article shares…

Current career pathways initiatives recapitulate in many ways both the issues motivating the school-to-work movement of the 1980s and 1990s and its recommended solutions, notably more work-based learning, especially apprenticeship. But that movement's energy dissipated in the face of college for all. Nonetheless, some of its achievements and many…

Education Code §44393 (f) requires the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (Commission) to report to the Legislature annually regarding the California Classified School Employee Teacher Credentialing Program. The requirements of the report are specified in Education Code §44393 and must include the following: (1) The number of classified school…

This study uses longitudinal data combining information from the Postsecondary Student Information System (PSIS) with data from personal income tax (T1 Family File) to analyze the impact of short-duration credentials (certificates and diplomas from colleges and universities), completed after an undergraduate degree, on the outcomes on the labour…