Daily Lumina News 022521

Black families and students in California know the value of an education, but the dream of going to college and crossing the graduation stage still remains an illusion for many students. Black students also continue to be overrepresented at for-profit colleges, often leaving with large debts and few job prospects.
A new report offers recommendations on how college leaders, policymakers, and advocates can expand opportunities for Black students, ensuring they graduate from high school prepared for college and supported to earn a college degree or certificate or to transfer.

An updated forecast from the Bureau of Labor Statistics of which jobs will grow over the next decade has alarming implications for positions requiring less education.
Medical, health-science, and software developer jobs are growing the fastest, according to the BLS assessment. Meanwhile, significant declines are anticipated in restaurant, travel, and hospitality occupations.

Student debt forgiveness is popular among voters, but a handful of economists have questioned whether it helps those most in need. They argue that middle-class families will benefit more than poor and marginalized Americans.
A new analysis of federal data provides additional dimensions to the picture of student debt, with details about where student debt falls most heavily and how different cancellation plans will affect different groups of Americans.

As director of the Ford Foundation's Future of Work(ers) program, Sarita Gupta believes all working people are essential to building a just economy. Too often, however, the voices of workers are missing from the conversations that will ultimately impact their future.
Gupta explains how the Future of Work(ers) initiative aims to build a future in which working people will experience basic economic security, dignity on the job, and greater opportunity for themselves and the next generation.