College isn’t always the best option for every learner. By Steven Taylor
2 hours ago
More than 40 million Americans — roughly one out of every seven adults — have earned college credit but have no degree to show for their time and money. Florida native Alix Petkov is one of them. He enrolled in college right after high school with the idea of becoming a psychiatrist. Unaware that this career choice required medical school — and unable to afford college, much less a graduate education — Petkov changed majors twice and found himself making only halting progress toward a bachelor’s degree. An on-campus job in information technology rekindled his interest in computers, but the gig paid just $10 per hour, and his computer science classes covered the same things he had already picked up at work. So Petkov quit college roughly 30 credits short of a degree, with $16,000 in student loans and a credit card balance of $4,000 from paying living expenses. Article continues after advertisement
He burnished his tech portfolio with freelance computer work, applied for IT jobs, worked in restaurants and stewed over his frustrating experience, later saying that “College only destroyed me.”
It doesn’t have to be this way. Like millions of other learners, Petkov was forced into an outdated and bureaucratic model of higher education that’s not designed for how people navigate learning and work today. Far too many learners are pausing their education long before they earn a credential because they run out of money, time or patience. Or they wind up in a program that lacks the support and structure to meet their individualized needs and goals. Learners need better access to lower-cost, shorter-term programs that help them achieve their career goals. Federal and state governments and postsecondary institutions can and should adopt policies and practices that will help students build career pathways and make alternatives to a college degree more accessible, affordable and practical. To achieve this, federal and state policymakers must ease some of the guardrails meant to protect learners from making “bad” decisions — after all, some of these guardrails have stifled postsecondary innovation and limited competition between college and noncollege options, ultimately restricting learners’ choices. Students must also receive better information about college and noncollege pathways and outcomes both before they begin a program and while they are enrolled. Petkov said he received little — and often incorrect — information in high school and college about higher education and potential alternatives. No one advised him, for example, that he could save thousands of dollars by completing university-required general education classes at a local community college. Looking back, Petkov admits he would have pursued a different path altogether if he had a better up-front understanding of the costs and courses required to complete a degree. His story, which he shared with me this summer over a video call after I requested an introduction, illustrates why students need more transparent financial counseling and more options for using financial aid beyond the limited college options currently afforded by student aid programs. Article continues after advertisement
Giving high school students information about program costs and financial aid well before they apply to college will aid their decision-making. Students should be able to use Pell Grants for noncollege alternative programs that have proven track records of moving students into jobs that pay family-sustaining wages. Petkov said it didn’t become apparent until later that his financial aid and campus job wouldn’t cover all of his college expenses. Because he was awarded Pell Grants, he borrowed less than other students . But Pell Grants can be used in just one setting: college. Had Petkov been allowed to use the federal subsidy to pursue a college alternative — like an accelerated tech or healthcare upskilling program from a noncollege provider — he would have done that instead. Because of time and expense, college isn’t always the best option for every learner. Mounting evidence on program-level outcomes shows that far too many of the options that the government deems “safe” simply because they are accredited have failed learners and left them no better off than if they had not pursued college at all. Petkov didn’t find his true path until more than a year after he quit college. While searching online for IT jobs, he stumbled on information about Merit America , a nonprofit offering low-cost programs that prepare people for tech careers. (Merit America is a grantee of the Charles Koch Foundation, part of the Stand Together philanthropic community, where the author is a senior fellow.) Merit America built on Petkov’s existing IT knowledge to give him new tech skills that allowed him to push past self-doubt and launch a successful career. After completing the program, Petkov landed a tech coordinator’s job at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that started him at $45,000 — more than twice what he was making in food service. Steven Taylor
Two jobs later, he’s currently the IT director of an executive coaching firm and makes a little more than $100,000 per year. A University of Virginia analysis shows that Merit America completers see an average annual wage increase of $24,000 three or more months after finishing the program. Merit America is among the growing number of providers preparing students for placement into high-demand tech and health care careers. Yet students from low-income backgrounds who rely on financial aid and loans often get little guidance about such college alternatives and may instead be advised to pursue a college degree. It’s time to open more doors to short-term, noncollege options, so that students like Petkov can access more personalized options to help them thrive. Article continues after advertisement
Steven Taylor is a senior fellow on postsecondary education at Stand Together Trust. He leads the postsecondary education and workforce policy portfolio and partnership strategy. This piece originally appeared in The Hechinger Report , a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. Want to add your voice? If you’re interested in joining the discussion, consider writing a Community Voices commentary or counterpoint. (For more information about Community Voices, see our Submission Guidelines .) This article is free, thanks to member support. As a nonprofit newsroom, MinnPost relies on donations from readers like you. Donate today to keep our in-depth journalism free for all to access. Sign up
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit newsroom
Support MinnPost’s nonprofit journalism
Member donations are crucial to the work of our nonprofit newsroom. Our reporters are only able to do their work thanks to support at all levels. Donations made by check can be made out to MinnPost and mailed to us at PO Box 18438, Minneapolis, MN 55418. &dollar;
* Please read before republishing *
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an  Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license  as long as you follow our  republishing guidelines . See our full republication guidelines for more information. To republish, copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to MinnPost. If you have questions, email  editors@minnpost.com . — The Editors
By Steven Taylor
2 hours ago
<h1>Why a costly college education should not be the only path to career success</h1>By Steven Taylor2 hours ago More than <a href="https://nscresearchcenter.org/some-college-no-credential/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">40 million Americans</a> — roughly one out of every seven adults — have earned college credit but have no degree to show for their time and money.Florida native Alix Petkov is one of them. He enrolled in college right after high school with the idea of becoming a psychiatrist. Unaware that this career choice required medical school — and unable to afford college, much less a graduate education — Petkov changed majors twice and found himself making only halting progress toward a bachelor’s degree.An on-campus job in information technology rekindled his interest in computers, but the gig paid just $10 per hour, and his computer science classes covered the same things he had already picked up at work.So Petkov quit college roughly 30 credits short of a degree, with $16,000 in student loans and a credit card balance of $4,000 from paying living expenses.He burnished his tech portfolio with freelance computer work, applied for IT jobs, worked in restaurants and stewed over his frustrating experience, later saying that “College only destroyed me.”It doesn’t have to be this way. Like millions of other learners, Petkov was forced into an outdated and bureaucratic model of higher education that’s not designed for how people navigate learning and work today.Far too many learners are pausing their education long before they earn a credential because they run out of money, time or patience. Or they wind up in a program that lacks the support and structure to meet their individualized needs and goals.Learners need better access to lower-cost, shorter-term programs that help them achieve their career goals.Federal and state governments and postsecondary institutions can and should adopt policies and practices that will help students build career pathways and make alternatives to a college degree more accessible, affordable and practical.To achieve this, federal and state policymakers must ease some of the guardrails meant to protect learners from making “bad” decisions — after all, some of these guardrails have stifled postsecondary innovation and limited competition between college and noncollege options, ultimately restricting learners’ choices. Students must also receive better information about college and noncollege pathways and outcomes both before they begin a program and while they are enrolled.Petkov said he received little — and often incorrect — information in high school and college about higher education and potential alternatives. No one advised him, for example, that he could save thousands of dollars by completing university-required general education classes at a local community college.Looking back, Petkov admits he would have pursued a different path altogether if he had a better up-front understanding of the costs and courses required to complete a degree.His story, which he shared with me this summer over a video call after I requested an introduction, illustrates why students need more transparent financial counseling and more options for using financial aid beyond the limited college options currently afforded by student aid programs.Giving high school students information about program costs and financial aid well before they apply to college will aid their decision-making. Students should be able to use Pell Grants for noncollege alternative programs that have proven track records of moving students into jobs that pay family-sustaining wages.Petkov said it didn’t become apparent until later that his financial aid and campus job wouldn’t cover all of his college expenses. Because he was awarded Pell Grants, he borrowed <a href="https://research.collegeboard.org/trends/student-aid/highlights" target="_blank" rel="noopener">less than other students</a>.But Pell Grants can be used in just one setting: college. Had Petkov been allowed to use the federal subsidy to pursue a college alternative — like an accelerated tech or healthcare upskilling program from a noncollege provider — he would have done that instead.Because of time and expense, college isn’t always the best option for every learner. Mounting <a href="https://freopp.org/college-accreditation-does-not-guarantee-good-student-outcomes-c6c0e390e2bd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">evidence</a> on program-level outcomes shows that far too many of the options that the government deems “safe” simply because they are accredited have failed learners and <a href="https://www.highereddive.com/news/a-decade-after-enrolling-60-of-college-students-earn-more-than-high-schoo/618885/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">left them no better off</a> than if they had not pursued college at all.Petkov didn’t find his true path until more than a year after he quit college. While searching online for IT jobs, he stumbled on information about <a href="https://meritamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Merit America</a>, a nonprofit offering low-cost programs that prepare people for tech careers. (Merit America is a grantee of the Charles Koch Foundation, part of the <a href="https://standtogether.org/faq-charles-koch-brian-hooks/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Stand Together</a> philanthropic community, where the author is a senior fellow. )Merit America built on Petkov’s existing IT knowledge to give him new tech skills that allowed him to push past self-doubt and launch a successful career. After completing the program, Petkov landed a tech coordinator’s job at a nonprofit in Washington, D.C., that started him at $45,000 — more than twice what he was making in food service.Two jobs later, he’s currently the IT director of an executive coaching firm and makes a little more than $100,000 per year. A University of Virginia <a href="https://meritamerica.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/FINAL-Embargoed-Research-Memo-July-24-2023.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis</a> shows that Merit America completers see an average annual wage increase of $24,000 three or more months after finishing the program.Merit America is among the growing number of providers preparing students for placement into high-demand <a href="https://www.opcollege.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">tech</a> and <a href="https://www.propelamerica.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">health care</a> careers. Yet students from low-income backgrounds who rely on financial aid and loans often get little guidance about such college alternatives and may instead be advised to pursue a college degree.It’s time to open more doors to short-term, noncollege options, so that students like Petkov can access more personalized options to help them thrive.Steven Taylor is a senior fellow on postsecondary education at Stand Together Trust. He leads the postsecondary education and workforce policy portfolio and partnership strategy.This piece originally appeared in <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/">The Hechinger Report</a>, a nonprofit, independent news organization focused on inequality and innovation in education. This <a target="_blank" href="https://www.minnpost.com/community-voices/2023/10/why-a-costly-college-education-should-not-be-the-only-path-to-career-success/">article</a> first appeared on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.minnpost.com">MinnPost</a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.<img id="republication-tracker-tool-source" src="https://www.minnpost.com/?republication-pixel=true&post=2129088&ga=UA-3385191-1" style="width:1px;height:1px;">
Copy HTML

Why a costly college education should not be the only path to career success

News provided by
Share this article
Share this article
New analysis using paystubs, offer letters and self-reported salary data reveals alumni of nonprofit Merit America move from earning $26K average salary to $50K average salary, 3 or more months post-program completion
WASHINGTON, Aug. 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Merit America , a national nonprofit that creates pathways to family-sustaining careers for Americans stuck in low-wage jobs, released findings from a longitudinal wage analysis with Professors Ben Castleman and Kelli Bird at the University of Virginia. The analysis examined data (including paystubs, offer letters and self-reported data) from their first 3,000 program completers, and found that on average alumni experienced an annual wage increase of $24,000 – 3 months or more after completing the program. The pre-program wage of Merit America participants closely mirrored the national average for low-income workers, at just $26,000 annually even with recent inflation. After completing Merit America, alumni reported a new average annual salary of $50,000 at least 3 months post-program, validating Merit America's long-standing mission of providing equitable, accessible and affordable upskilling programs, designed for the more than 53 million Americans stuck in low-wage jobs. This latest analysis was led by Dr. Ben Castleman, the Newton and Rita Meyers Associate Professor in the Economics of Education at the University of Virginia. In addition to significant wage increases, Merit America reported that 80% of participants completed their programs in the analysis time frame, at a time when the current national six-year completion rate for community college is just  42% . "Our mission at Merit America is to break down the barriers that keep talented, historically marginalized candidates from reaching high-paying careers," said Rebecca Taber Staehelin, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Merit America. "It should never be too hard or too late to start a new career, and we need more options to get ahead than a traditional 4-year degree. These strong outcomes show that fast, flexible, and affordable pathways work." Since its founding in 2018, more than 7,500 learners across the country have participated in Merit America programs, which allow participants to learn while they work and pay only when they have a successful outcome. Merit America has tripled the size of its operations and employee headcount year-over-year, which will help the organization achieve even greater results moving forward. A recent analysis by The Bridgespan Group indicated the organization is on track to drive $1B in projected, cumulative wage gains for low-wage workers by the end of 2025, generating $31 in wage gains for every $1 in philanthropy. "At Merit America, we've worked closely with our learners and employer partners to create a scalable bridge from the grind of low-wage work to upwardly-mobile careers," said Connor Diemand-Yauman, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Merit America. "These results validate our commitment to providing learners with the tools, support and skills needed to overcome systemic barriers." Over 3,000 learners had completed the Merit America immersion program during the period studied. The analysis by Drs. Ben Castleman and Kelli Bird examined pre- and post-program wage data from 60% of alumni for whom Merit America had collected pre- and post-program wages, 69% who were 3+ months post-program, and 82% of alumni 12+ months post-program. "This analysis provides further promising indication of Merit America's potential impact on learner outcomes. Through upcoming quasi-experimental and experimental evaluations that will incorporate administrative wage data for most learners, we are excited to collaborate with Merit to continue to build towards more rigorous impact evaluations of this innovative workforce training model," said Dr. Castleman. The full wage analysis is available here and for more information about Merit America, please visit www.meritamerica.org . ABOUT MERIT AMERICA
Merit America is a national nonprofit preparing workers stuck in low-wage roles for family-sustaining careers at scale. Named by the New York Times as "the hybrid future of training programs for the disadvantaged," we offer fast and flexible education and job success programs that work for working adults, and are aligned to the most in-demand roles in the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy. Founded in 2018, we now serve thousands of working learners across the country –on track to our goal of driving $1B in wage gains by 2025. For more information, visit meritamerica.org.

09:00 ET
Merit America Alumni Experience a $24,000 Wage Increase 3+ months Post-Program, According to University of Virginia Ana...

News provided by
Share this article
Share this article
Alumni from programs like AmeriCorps, Genesys Works, Merit America, and Thinkful by Chegg are guaranteed transfer credit toward an associate degree with Golden Gate University
SAN FRANCISCO, June 13, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, Golden Gate University (GGU) and Outlier.org are launching the Degrees+ Workforce Transfer Network. This network of leading organizations offers or connects learners with workforce training programs with millions of successful alumni who are now eligible to receive guaranteed transfer credit towards Degrees+. Degrees+ is an innovative, online associate degree program offered by GGU and powered by Outlier.org. It reimagines the traditional two-year degree to meet the needs of a new generation of students who are seeking degree pathways that are high-quality, affordable, and flexible. Learners that have completed training programs with the support of the following organizations will receive up to a semester of guaranteed transfer credit if enrolling in Degrees+ starting this fall:
AmeriCorps
Thinkful by Chegg
"Workforce training programs play a critical role providing people with real-world experience and job skills," said Aaron Rasmussen, CEO and Founder of Outlier.org. "This network creates an accessible pathway for millions of individuals to leverage their significant learning in these programs to get a head start on earning an affordable degree." "There is a need for higher education to adapt and acknowledge the educational value of career-related training and experience," added Dr. David J. Fike, President of Golden Gate University. "The Degrees+ Workforce Transfer Network allows us to bridge that gap and provide students with an inclusive and flexible pathway towards earning a degree." Degrees+ allows students to choose between three associate degree programs: an AS in Applied Computing, AA in Business Administration, or AA in Liberal Studies. Faculty members from Golden Gate University lead each course, providing interactive support through class discussions and office hours. Students also have the option to continue their education and earn a bachelor's degree either at GGU or by transferring to another four-year institution. "By guaranteeing transfer credit, Degrees+ creates a new pathway to opportunity, empowering Merit America alumni with an affordable and flexible way to earn a college degree—without hitting pause on their careers," said Rebecca Taber Staehelin, co-CEO of Merit America. Through the Degrees+ Workforce Transfer Network, Outlier.org and Golden Gate University are empowering millions of people to earn an affordable degree designed to fit into the schedules of adult learners without compromising on quality. This network breaks down barriers and provides opportunities for learners to achieve their academic goals in the way that works best for them. About Outlier.org
Outlier.org  empowers students to earn their degree with the best instructors without the debt. Students choose from for-credit courses and degree programs taught by leading instructors at Yale, MIT, and Harvard and enjoy a rigorous online learning experience with cinematic video, access to 1-on-1 tutoring, AI-proctored assessments, and active learning material. All Outlier.org courses and degree programs are transcripted by either the University of Pittsburgh or Golden Gate University. About Golden Gate University
Golden Gate University , a private nonprofit university in the heart of San Francisco's financial and high-tech district, empowers working adults to achieve their professional goals with nationally renowned undergraduate and graduate degrees and certificates. Founded in 1901, GGU has been a leader in online education for nearly three decades, and its programs offer maximum flexibility for modern students. GGU graduates join nearly 70,000 alumni. Media Contact

Outlier.org and Golden Gate University Launch Workforce Transfer Network for Degrees+

News provided by
Share this article
Share this article
SAN DIEGO, March 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Ascent, a leader in outcomes-based lending and student success, announces its new Social Impact Platform to enable impact investors, philanthropies, corporations, and employers to deploy their cause capital in more scalable ways. The new platform allows Ascent to co-create programs with partners, using its origination technology, loan products, vendor network, and compliance infrastructure to deliver funding programs that support economic mobility of learners working with its partners. In partnership with impact investing nonprofit Social Finance and training provider Merit America, Ascent developed an Outcomes-Based Loan that carries a zero percent interest rate for students seeking career advancement through specific partner programs. In addition to no interest and other protections, repayment of the loan can be paused if the borrower does not land a job with a salary over a minimum threshold. This loan is the first-of-its-kind and the first financing product created under the company's new platform. "When we see an opportunity to change the way people invest in education, we go for it," said Ascent Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ken Ruggiero. "Our new Social Impact Platform enables access to skills training education for more people and builds on our mission to deliver innovative products that create pathways for students and families." Ascent's Social Impact Platform aims to meet the growing demand of students who are interested in continuing their education but may not have access to the financing needed for the investment. The platform launched in the fourth quarter of 2022 and Ascent anticipates that this year it will help over 5,000 adult learners pursue and earn their way to higher paying jobs. It adds to the company's existing suite of innovative products and services, such as its non-cosigned student loan, Student Success program, and accessibility initiatives for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) students. "Ascent has been a committed partner in building a financing solution to fit the needs of the people we aim to support," said Social Finance Managing Director, Michael Grossman. "We are excited about the potential for this Outcomes-Based Loan to meaningfully improve the lives of thousands of learners and their families. We're proud to partner with Ascent and training providers like Merit America to help more people access training and education to help them find well-paying jobs." For more information about the Ascent Outcomes-Based Loan for Merit America, visit https://partner.ascentfunding.com/meritamerica/ . To learn more about Ascent and its loan products, visit https://www.ascentfunding.com/ . About Ascent
Ascent Funding is an award-winning company committed to student success. Ascent is revolutionizing how students and families plan, pay, and succeed in higher education at more than 2,600 traditional schools and coding bootcamps. SOURCE Ascent Funding

Ascent Launches New Social Impact Platform, Redefines Funding for Higher Education

Plato Data Intelligence. Filed under: virtual school — Michael K. Barbour @ 11:03 pm
The second of two items from a neo-liberal…  This one is an item from a business professor with little direct experience in education, but who believes free market economic principles are the answer to education’s (and pretty much all other society’s social) problems. When we talk postsecondary education in this country, we’re typically talking about the nearly 19 million students enrolled in accredited colleges and universities. But as Jeff Selingo pointed out in the  latest episode of Future U. , we tend to ignore the individuals that don’t follow that pathway and yet do find plenty of ways to learn and upskill. For point of comparison, compare the 19 million number to the more than 53 million people in the United States who are in low-wage jobs that are often considered dead-end, meaning they provide little career mobility and are often at risk of being automated. They count for 44% of all workers in the United States. Of those 53 million people, nearly half of them did not complete high school or pursue any kind of post-secondary education after graduating. That’s why I was so pleased that in the  latest episode  we interviewed Reuben Ogbonna, co-founder and executive director of the Marcy Lab School, and Rebecca Taber Staehelin, co-founder and co-CEO of Merit America. These programs serve students that don’t typically go to college with innovative, supportive, and affordable models that focus on delivering value. I’ve been talking about programs like these a lot in past episodes of the podcast, so I was pleased to open the window on them and explore their models more. What exactly do these models do? As Rebecca told us:
“Imagine that you are driving for DoorDash by day, caring for your kids at night, earning $25,000 per year. You’re hardworking, you’ve got tons of talent, but you don’t have the time or money to go back to school or join a full-time training program. You probably find Merit America on TikTok or from an email from DoorDash, and you enroll without quitting your day job. Over the course of three to four months, you’ll spend 20 hours a week in fully online learning, which is a combination of earning an industry recognized credential from one of our partners like Google and getting coaching on professional skills, on sticking with the program, on everything you need to make a major career transition. You do this all alongside a community of peers with lots of events and connection opportunities so that you realize you’re not in it alone even though it’s hopefully working with your work schedule. Once you’ve earned that certificate, you join our job success phase, connect with our employer partners, get support in an individualized job search, and hopefully within a few months you have landed a great new career that pays a livable wage with real upward mobility. So really, to put it more succinctly, you get coached, you get certified, you get a great new career.”
Or in the case of the Marcy Lab School, Reuben told us:
“The Marcy Lab School is serving a student who has recently graduated from high school and is looking for what they’ve seen throughout their lives as a traditional college experience. They’re looking for something that may not be residential, but it has a place-based component to it. They’re looking for a major set of coursework that attract them towards a career plus liberal studies that will give them an opportunity to have meaningful and rich conversations with peers that expands their mindset. They’re looking for a pathway to a job that pays them really well, but most importantly, they’re looking for a pathway that doesn’t require them to take on a bunch of student loan debt…. Our program is full-time. It’s 12 months long. Right now, we have one academic major in computer science and software engineering, and we pair that academic major with a leadership component that we call our leadership development program. And that’s a combination of race and identity development coursework, financial literacy, civic studies, and all that comes together to form what we believe is a really cohesive post-secondary experience designed to meet the needs of an 18- to a 24-year old who’s looking for their main post-secondary learning experience. On the back end of the program, we have a partnerships team that goes out into the community in New York City and sources incredible technical career opportunities for our fellows. We work with companies like Spotify and Squarespace and the New York Times. … [We’re] really proud to say that on average our grads are earning about $106,000 per year within three to six months of graduating.”
The conversation was chock full of insights. Here I want to name three:
What these models do is rethink college costs—something that needs rethinking, as I argued on  our past episode about the high cost of college . They are still operating with a subsidy—in their case, it’s in the form of philanthropy, not government aid—but they’ve used that subsidy to structure their programs completely differently from a traditional college in a way that’s far more supportive of the students they serve and far more affordable. As a student, you don’t pay to enroll in Merit America, for example. You only pay after you leave and get a job that pays above a certain income level, at which point you pay $95 a month for five years. I also loved Rebecca’s point toward the middle of the episode about how programs like these—and not just accredited colleges—ought to be eligible for federal financial aid. Her point has echoes of what Stig Leschly has argued and what I talked about on the  college costs episode . These programs take a no-excuses mindset to everything they do, as they seek to be “student ready.” They don’t ask whether the students are “college ready.”
Imagine a Better Future for Students in Sierra Leone and Liberia
In the  latest episode of Class Disrupted , Diane Tavenner and I reflected on our recent trips abroad, from describing what we saw and learned and what those might mean for shaping educational opportunities for each and every child worldwide. Diane was in India and, as I’ve written, I journeyed to Sierra Leone and Liberia in my role as a board member at  Imagine Worldwide . You can read the transcript or listen to the whole episode here at “ Education Reflections from Trips to Sierra Leone, Liberia and India .”
I also wrote about my thoughts from the trip in Forbes in a piece titled “ The Learning Leapfrog In Liberia, Sierra Leone .” I will post this piece to my Substack newsletter in a few weeks as a free post so everyone can read it. On Reinventing K–12 Schools
A few news items around my book,  From Reopen to Reinvent , which came out last July (and is available for  purchase here ). More generally, I’ve been traveling a fair bit speaking to educators about the book’s core messages and getting to work with them on innovating to better serve students. And in the last couple weeks, four more podcasts came out that featured me talking about different themes from the book. First, I joined Corey Mohn, president and executive director of the CAPS Network, on his podcast in a two-part series about ways to reimagine the future of education. I’ve been incredibly inspired by the work the CAPS Network is doing to reimagine high school, so I was thrilled to join Corey in conversation. The first episode is about the possibilities for education institutions and communities to find synergy and the important intersection of academics with the building of social capital and durable skills, or what I call habits of success. Check it out here at “ The Network: Reinvent the Future .” The second part of the episode, which is where Corey and I really started humming, talked about the role educators play in the new vision for education. We explored how the relationship between educators and students can change and how these changes might alter the way students see their own future. Listen to it here at “ Educators’ Roles Reinvented .”
Next, Dr. Brett Jacobsen welcomed me to his “Start with Questions: Mount Vernon Ventures Podcast.” If you don’t know the  Mount Vernon School  in Atlanta, well, you should. It’s doing incredible work for students preK through high school. But it also has a ventures arm that partners with educators and leaders all over the world to strengthen brand identity, deepen organizational innovation, scale community impact, and build a transformative curriculum. In the podcast, “ What is the purpose of school ,” we talked about the progress that has been made in education since my first book, Disrupting Class, the most urgent questions confronting education today, six domains every school should consider, signals we need to be paying attention to, and strategic next steps for school communities. And finally, you can also check out my conversation On the Only Boring People podcast—that I hope isn’t boring! In “ Experimentation and Education Reform with Michael Horn ” we tackled some really interesting questions and tensions in the field of education. World-Class Education
Finally, two more links of interest before you go. Jeff Selingo and I joined Jill Shah, president of the Shah Foundation, on their “Catalysts for Change: What Is World Class Education?” podcast. Check out the episode, “ Michael Horn and Jeff Selingo on New Paradigms in Higher Ed .” I think you’ll really enjoy the back-and-forths we all had, filled with nuance and depth. It’s not every day that you think online learning plus classical education, but Great Hearts Academies is doing both. Great Hearts, known for its high-quality classical education charter schools, is increasingly turning heads with both its high-quality approach to classical education and its rapid innovation. They have now announced a new model—the Great Hearts Online National Academy—and Kurtis Indorf from Great Hearts joined me to share more. You can  watch our conversation here . As always, thanks for reading, writing, and listening.

Short, Affordable Alternatives to College

Early Warning Services is a financial services technology company that focuses on fraud and payment solutions. The company offers services such as identity verification, fraud detection, and payment solutions that aim to streamline financial transactions and reduce fraud. These services are primarily used by financial institutions. It was founded in 1990 and is based in Scottsdale, Arizona. Early Warning Services operates as a subsidiary of Bank of America, Truist, Capital One, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co., PNC Financial Services Group, U.S. Bancorp, and Wells Fargo & Company.

Early Warning Services

Through this partnership , Early Warning Services , LLC will help bolster the reach and impact of these programs by facilitating introductions to other local partners and employers , and by working with Merit America to source candidates and align on their career goals .

Early Warning Partners with Merit America To Support Local Community

OneTen offers a platform to upskill, hire, and advance black individuals into family-sustaining jobs. The company connects employers with talent partners, nonprofits, and other skill-credentialing organizations. OneTen was founded in 2020 and is based in Washington, DC.

OneTen

The Hg Foundation is a grant-giving charity with a defined focus on education and technology.

Hg Foundation

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) operates as a multinational technology company. It focuses on e-commerce, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence. The company provides an e-commerce platform to sell a wide variety of products and services, including electronics, home goods, apparel, food, and more. It also offers cloud computing services through Amazon Web Services (AWS). It was formerly known as Cadabra. It was founded in 1994 and is based in Seattle, Washington.

Amazon

Coursera

Grant - IV

Merit America provides a path to skilled technology careers for Americans who need it. The organization offers fast and flexible training and job placement programs that work for working adults and is aligned to the most in-demand roles in the fastest-growing sectors of the U.S. economy. Merit America was founded in 2018 and is based in Washington, D.C.

Name	Work History	Title	Status
Connor Diemand-Yauman	Coursera	Founder, Chief Executive Officer	Current
Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more

Name	Connor Diemand-Yauman	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Work History	Coursera	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Title	Founder, Chief Executive Officer	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more
Status	Current	Subscribe to see more	Subscribe to see more

Wells Fargo Success Story

Professional Services

Platform Overview

Merit America

Executives

Merit America Management Team

3 Team Members