policy trust

In this bonus 9th episode of the miniseries, Paul Fain is joined by a distinguished panel of K-12 and college leaders to offer policy solutions for helping all young people gain exposure and preparation to in-demand careers through high-quality career and technical education (CTE) programming.  The panel – Shannon Cox, superintendent of Montgomery County Educational Service Center; Michael Baston, president of Rockland Community College; Luke Rhine, director of CTE at the Delaware Department of Education; and Carli Schiffner, deputy executive director of the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges – recently teamed up with JFF to develop policy recommendations for strengthening CTE and integrating it more fully into the educational pathways for all youth. At the end of the episode, JFF’s Charlotte Cahill and Crystal Green join Paul to offer their insights. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.

Host Paul Fain is joined by community college presidents Tonjua Williams of St. Petersburg College and Randall VanWagoner of Mohawk Valley Community College to discuss the urgency and need to transform traditional Higher Education funding models to better support community colleges and student-centered approaches. Both presidents share their experiences dealing with the disruption from the pandemic and discuss how modern and more flexible funding structures could help them better serve their students. Tonjua and Randy also provide institutional and state policy best practices that can be used by other institutions and policymakers across the country. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s David Altstadt and Taylor Maag. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.

Host Paul Fain is joined by community college Presidents: Robert Vela of San Antonio College and Ajita Talwalker Menon of Calbright College to discuss the urgency and opportunity for postsecondary education to better serve adult learners. They share their experiences on campus serving this population and offer tangible steps that policymakers can take to ensure adults get the skill development they need to enter into and advance in high-demand careers. The episode concludes with a sense-making segment with JFF’s Nate Anderson and Mary Clagett. Read JFF’s blog post for a recap of key takeaways and policy and programmatic resources.