Postsecondary and Workforce
More content on postsecondary pathways and workforce is under construction. In the interim, here is my experience working with clients and on research related to both:
Field Research – Admission
Launched in 2023, Admission explores how to build a more equitable and effective system of postsecondary pathways (both degree and non-degree), one that gives all individuals the information, navigation support, and versatile, inclusive, high-quality options they need to exercise their power of choice.
We have classically marketed pursuing a traditional college degree as a crucial investment. But for many people, particularly those from systemically marginalized communities, it is a high-stakes gamble.
There is significant disparity in who has access to begin a pathway and who completes conventional postsecondary pathways. In 2023, only 14% of people from the lowest family income quartile attained a BA by age 24; in contrast, the rate for the highest income quartile was 58% – a 44-percentage-point difference (Pell Institute). 74% of students are considered “non-traditional,” which means our definition of a “traditional” college student is elitist and outdated. Many poor students face challenges to college-going and completion; if we want to design a postsecondary system that helps people advance out of poverty, it has to support them while they are living in it.
For those who do graduate, over a third of degrees take 10 or more years to financially break even, if they ever do. This can saddle graduates (as well as non-graduates) with a lifetime of debt, which disproportionately burdens low-income, Black, and Hispanic students.
Money isn’t everything. We can’t reduce all human potential to mere economic potential. However, money is something, and it’s a big thing for those who don’t have it. Everyone should know their earnings potential from a pathway before selecting it.
This is not a blanket indictment of the conventional U.S. system of higher education. A significant number of two- and four-year postsecondary pathways do provide value. But there are a significant number of conventional pathways that do not, particularly for people from systemically marginalized communities, and that information is not transparent to individuals making a critical choice to invest in a pathway.
We’re also now seeing an explosion in non-degree credentials. While these have high potential, if we don’t know the value they are creating for graduates, all we are doing is adding more slot machines to the casino floor.
So, what do we do?
First, we must define the purpose of education. It turns out there is not a clear consensus on this (for more, see the Accountability page). I contend that while education does have inherent value, its ultimate purpose is to enable individuals to:
- Achieve economic independence.
- Fully participate in democracy.
- Pursue happiness as they define it.
Second, we need to design a system of pathways that is not one-time and linear, but non-linear and cyclical, with the ability for people to make short-term choices that do not deny them long-term opportunities.
K-12
a Pursuit
Profession
Postsecondary
Pathway
Selecting a new pursuit, starting the cycle again
Both studying and working
Exiting without completion
Returning to complete a pathway (same or new)
Completing
Upskilling
Considering a change in pursuit
Remaining in existing pathway or switching to a new pathway
Third, we need to center on the idea that choice is power, and one often denied to systemically marginalized communities. There are three critical areas we must invest in to enable choice:
Enablers of Choice
Information
that is clear, timely, accessible, customizable, comparable, and credible
Navigation
that provides critical social capital to individuals in making their choices
Options
that are versatile, inclusive, and high quality to meet the needs of individuals across life stages and circumstances
- Resources include:
- Website: https://bellwether.org/beta/admission/. Bellwether, April 2023.
- Admission, a PowerPoint Introduction. Bellwether, May 2023.
- An Investment, Not a Gamble: Creating More Equitable and Effective Postsecondary Pathways. Bellwether, April 2023.
- Dollars and Sense: Measuring the Value of Postsecondary Pathways. Bellwether, April 2023.
I have continued to do extensive research (not yet published) into what would be required to enable all individuals and those who advise them to have access to the following 10 elements of information:
What do I want to be (pursuit), and what information will help me make that choice?
1. Self-Awareness
- An individual’s understanding of their aptitudes and strengths, their interests and passions, and their priorities that collectively shape their personal choices.
2. Exposure and Affirmation
- Exposure to a broad range of professional possibilities.
- Affirmation demonstrating that individuals from all backgrounds can succeed in a profession.
3. Skills and Education Requirements
- The academic, technical, and/or “21st-century” skills required to succeed in a profession.
- The need for continuing or advanced education over time for success in a profession.
4. Labor Market Demand
- Demand for a given profession (e.g., is it growing, where is it located, and how durable is that demand over time?).
5. Value and Progression within a Given Profession
- Short- and long-term monetary earning potential as well as non-monetary measures of value, and “option value” of professional advancement over time.
What pathways are most likely to get me there, and what information will help me make that choice?
6. Admission to a Pathway
- The set of potential pathways that an individual should consider based on their chosen pursuit.
- The processes that need to be successfully navigated for admission; if it is a competitive pathway, how an individual can be competitive in applying.
7. Financial and Time Investment of a Pathway
- The full true cost and debt required to complete a pathway.
- The length of time it will take to complete a pathway; the time commitment while in a pathway; and how that affects the ability to meet other commitments (such as family and work).
8. Experience and Support Provided by a Pathway
- Inclusive and affirming supports a pathway provides; the flexibility in learning modes provided (in-person, virtual, or hybrid; live, offline, or hybrid; variety of times, places).
- The academic skills, technical skills, “21st-century” skills, and social capital assets a pathway provides; the experiential learning opportunities a pathway provides.
9. Completion Rate of a Pathway
- The likelihood that an individual with a given demographic profile will complete that pathway.
10. Value of a Pathway if Completed
- The likelihood of employment, economic returns, and other measures of value for an individual from a specific demographic profile as a result of completing a pathway.
Postsecondary and Career Advising:
- I have worked extensively in postsecondary and career advising. At KIPP Houston, the KIPP Through College program reported to me, and I worked with that brilliant team to develop a new strategic plan to shift programming to where it could best meet the needs of our students. At Bellwether, I worked with College Access: Research and Action, College Possible, College Advising Corps, First Gen Forward, Matriculate, One Million Degrees, and uAspire to develop new strategic plans to guide each organization.
- In 2025, with the support of ECMC Foundation, I led a six-month community of practice to help 10 postsecondary advising organizations develop and begin to implement Systemic Impact strategies.
- I serve on the AI for Career Development (AICD) coalition, exploring how to use AI to help individuals and those who support them in making career choices.
Higher Education:
- I have led strategic planning projects for institutions of higher education, both a community college and a university.
- Since 2018, I have served as a member of the Massachusetts State Board of Higher Education, where I have led efforts to report on measures of economic mobility to drive evidence-based policymaking.
- From 2014 to 2018, I funded and served on the board of a hybrid college, Duet (when it was part of Match Education).
Workforce Pathways:
- I have led strategic planning projects for organizations launching new high school internship programs, scaling youth apprenticeships, and developing a Direct, Widespread, and Systemic Impact set of strategies for apprenticeship degrees.
- In 2024, I published an extensive field analysis of the market for teacher apprenticeship degrees and their potential for national impact.