Daily Lumina News 040221

In the best of economic times, formerly incarcerated people face an uphill battle to find full-time employment as many confront administrative hurdles, social stigma, and emotional health issues from their time in prison. The COVID-19 pandemic has made these struggles even more acute.
Education is often a large barrier for people re-entering society after decades of incarceration. Less than 4 percent of formerly incarcerated people have a college degree, according to Wanda Bertram of the Prison Policy Institute. Further still, 25 percent do not possess a GED, often a minimum requirement on job applications.

Parents across the country have dealt with impossible situations during the pandemic: balancing careers with child care, managing intense distance-learning schedules, struggling to find nutritious food amid unemployment and, in many cases, trying to avoid eviction and keep a roof over their heads.
Since March 2020, three families filmed the ups and downs of life at home with kids during the coronavirus pandemic. Their stories echo the reality faced by millions of women over the last year: Women have lost more than 4.6 million payroll jobs since the pandemic began, decreasing their participation in the workforce to levels not seen since the late 1980s.

About 85 percent of students at Paul Quinn College in Dallas, Texas, receive Pell Grants. Paul Quinn’s urban work college program has helped some students reduce the problem of loan debt from $40,000 to $15,000, with a goal of reaching $10,000.
On this episode of Here & Now, Paul Quinn College President Michael Sorrell reflects on the school's achievements during his 15-year tenure and the impact of COVID-19 on higher education.

The first sign that Twyla Joseph’s college application process was not going to go as planned came on March 13, 2020, when, a day before her scheduled SAT, she learned the test had been canceled. The May and June tests were also canceled as coronavirus cases surged.
Joseph now worries whether she can afford college in the fall—and if even makes sense to enroll if she’ll be sitting at home taking classes online. It’s the latest example of how the pandemic is hindering educational opportunities for the most vulnerable students, likely limiting their career options and earning potential.

What do students think about the way colleges and universities are responding to the pandemic? Has COVID-19 changed the opinions of students, families, voters, and others on whether a college degree pays off?
Tamara Hiler of Third Way offers answers from ongoing survey work on this Future U podcast.

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on college enrollment, causing an alarming number of students to abandon their higher education journey altogether.
For many students, the need to make money for their families is driving this exodus. Providing these students with subsidized work study job opportunities on campus, in conjunction with their studies, could potentially bring thousands back to college.