Daily Lumina News 021422

Undergraduate enrollment is down across the board, at every type of institution, among nearly all demographic groups. But the number of Hispanic students leaving college after a year or two, or deciding not to start, is especially concerning.
As the pandemic enters its third year, colleges and community leaders nationwide are on a quest to make sure Hispanic students come back and stay on track. They’re clear about the stakes: The future of higher ed—and the nation’s economic success—depends on it.

Many reforms have been tried in recent years to make college admissions more equitable. But is focusing on one or two areas enough to make a real difference?
On this podcast, Angel Pérez of the National Association for College Admission Counseling and Lumina Foundation's Terri Taylor discuss why broad-based structural change is needed to truly transform college admission and financial aid practices.

It is never too late to reinvent yourself. Just ask Stevie Green of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. At age 49, he's getting training at River Parishes Community College for a new job at the energy plant where he’s worked as a security guard for the past few years.
Green is betting his future on clean energy. And so is the state of Louisiana.

New legislation to expand Pell Grant eligibility for students enrolled in short-term skills and job training programs has wide support in Congress, even though it excludes students attending these programs online.
Some community college leaders and online education advocates are now calling that provision a mistake.

Research has consistently shown the benefits of dual enrollment programs, including improved academic achievement in high school, increased likelihood of enrolling in college, and better credit accumulation and college completion.
Dual enrollment also offers a way for postsecondary education to stop replicating inequality. But these programs must be built for students from more backgrounds, write Achieving the Dream's Karen Stout and Nick Mathern in this op-ed.

Gig by gig, adjunct faculty teach about half of the classes at California Community Colleges' 115 campuses.
But as the pandemic drives more students away, these modestly paid part-timers fear losing their jobs.