With fall semester quickly approaching, an overarching question is whether colleges and universities, many of which have turned to online teaching models, will be able to give students an education that will prepare and qualify them for secure and fruitful careers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While COVID-19 has undoubtedly made things worse, the U.S. postsecondary education system has, for years, faced financial and programmatic challenges. Sometimes for reasons beyond their immediate control, institutions have raised tuition prices and, at times, fallen out of sync with the demands of the employment market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As a result, even those who do graduate often struggle to find worthwhile employment and are left with thousands of dollars in student loans to pay back. At the same time, employers in some fields have struggled to attract qualified workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, it isn\u2019t enough to focus only on the immediate disruptions of COVID-19. Instead, efforts should be made to revamp the entire post-secondary education system, argue the authors of a new report<\/a> published by the Committee for Economic Development, a part of the non-partisan, non-profit think tank The Conference Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Policymakers, business leaders, and educators must not only address the pandemic’s near-term disruption, but also transform how we train the future workforce,” Lori Esposito Murray, president of CED, said in a news release<\/a>. “They must move the nation toward a system of broader, affordable access and improved individual outcomes where business, education providers, the government, and individual students are all able to more fully share in the cooperative enterprise of preparing and supporting the workforce.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors have several suggestions on how policymakers, business leaders and educators can mitigate economic harm caused by the COVID-19 pandemic while also revamping the long-term effectiveness of higher education. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First and foremost, the authors call on the federal government to provide further funding to higher education institutions to continue to help offset the economic adjustment costs imposed by COVID-19. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGiven the importance of many institutions of higher education as employers, exporters, and contributors to regional economic strength and long-run productivity \u2014 as well as the public returns to advanced education \u2014 such an investment may be well justified,\u201d the authors wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They added, however, that policymakers should \u201cthink hard\u201d about sending more money to institutions that were \u201cfundamentally weak\u201d before the pandemic hit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead, the authors suggested allocating aid to improve the quality of education at institutions, such as community colleges, that are best fit to improve the career outcomes of the greatest number of students affordably and effectively. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The authors of the report predict that, in the wake of the pandemic, workers who\u2019ve been laid off, furloughed or had their hours significantly cut will be seeking education opportunities to expand their skill sets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n But these individuals need an education path that they can afford, that can be completed relatively quickly and that they can trust to prepare them for work that pays well enough for them to support their families. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cToo few institutions of postsecondary education \u2014 whether colleges or nontraditional providers \u2014 currently and credibly meet these needs,\u201d the authors wrote. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, once again, the authors put pressure on policymakers, business leaders and educators to fill this gap. Notably, they suggested that colleges, universities and other education providers should focus on improving online education options. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIncreased federal funding<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Fostering innovation<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n