
Set a statewide goal for postsecondary attainment.
January 30, 2020
JFF research finds that states have made progress in adopting several essential policy elements, but critical gaps remain that are undercutting talent development aims and contributing to persistent disparities in education and employment outcomes.
To meet employer needs and put learners on a path to economic success, states need to provide the right information and incentives to drive talent development priorities. Policy recommendations 1 through 6 represent the building blocks for strong talent development systems.
Click on icons below to find a series of research findings focused on Talent Development.
Set a statewide goal for postsecondary attainment.
Develop and maintain a longitudinal data system.
Make labor market outcomes available.
Expect colleges to use labor market information.
Support regional alignment toward in-demand careers.
Expand high-quality work-based learning opportunities for students.
To complement talent development aims, states need to set policies that create more efficient and seamless pathways for all learners to enter, persist in, and complete postsecondary programs of study. Policy recommendations 7 through 11 represent proven approaches for accelerating attainment of postsecondary credentials that have value in the labor market.
Click on icons below to find a series of research findings focused on Efficient Pathways.
It is not enough to set talent development priorities and to make pathways clearer and more efficient if learners still encounter insurmountable barriers to credential attainment. This holds especially true if those learners are low-income and first-generation college students. Policy recommendations 12 through 15 provide tangible ways that state policy can help all learners navigate their education and career choices, pay for college, and address life’s challenges as they endeavor to earn a credential. Without these policies, higher education will continue to reinforce, as opposed to reduce, equity gaps.
Click on icons below to find a series of research findings focused on Student Potential.
Enhance college and career advising.
Focus on the true cost of college and the financial needs of students.
Reimagine state financial aid to address the challenges faced by today’s students and the realities of the changing economy.
Mitigate the economic insecurities of students so they can focus on their studies.
Through our policy research, JFF found many instances where state policymakers are stepping up to create supportive policy conditions that we see as essential for catalyzing collective action and impact in addressing talent development, credential attainment, and economic advancement aims. We encourage you to download the entire report to get a full view of our research and recommendations.
It is important to remember that community colleges cannot solve this workforce imperative alone—all stakeholders must get involved to ensure that the future is learner-ready and worker-ready.
Our recommendations are framed in three strategies: Policy Agenda We created a comprehensive reforms agenda framed around three strategies for making postsecondary education work for students and the economy. Our goal is to guide policymakers…
Focusing on the crucial role of two-year community and technical colleges, the goal of this policy agenda is to make pursuit of postsecondary credentials simpler, faster, and more affordable. We call on states to strengthen…
The stakes are high for programs and policies that transform our nation’s systems of working and learning. You need to ask the right questions, collect the right data, and conduct the right analyses to know…
JFF’s policy team offers fresh ideas on education, poverty alleviation, and workforce issues that prepare students and workers for the jobs of the future and boost our nation's economy. JFF’s policy team offers fresh ideas…
This select group of education leaders lets experience be their guide in developing state and federal policies that help students attain credentials for greater success in the labor market. In 2015, JFF established The Policy…