States set and implement policies that affect their educational systems, workforce, and employers. Examples of state policy include governor-led, statewide financial assistance programs for short-term postsecondary courses and programs; legislation to support credentialing strategies; higher education system approaches regarding microcredentials; and remedial education policies.
Louisiana’s governor used federal stimulus dollars to start Reboot Your Careers to provide financial aid to learners in short-term postsecondary courses.
Since 2016, FastForward has operated a statewide short-term credential program in Virginia. It meets a dual need, as both students and employers want more options for short-term programs that lead to credentials of value.
In 2021, Florida’s legislature passed HB 1505, which requires public postsecondary institutions to award students a nationally recognized digital badge when they complete core courses in general education that demonstrate career readiness. The requirement went into effect for students entering institutions in Fall 2022. The State Board of Education and the Board of Governors for the State University System jointly appoint faculty committees to identify competencies in general education core that demonstrate career readiness and thus qualify students for the badge. The badge – a verifiable, interoperable, and nationally recognized digital credential – must be awarded and recognized by every public postsecondary institution in the state.
Colorado passed multiple bills in 2022 to support credentialing strategies and assist disadvantaged students:
In June 2023, the Texas Legislature unanimously passed a law that changes state funding for community colleges; followed by signing of House Bill 8 by Gov. Greg Abbott. The law resulted from recommendations from the Texas Commission on Community College Finance that the legislature should distribute the lion’s share of state funding to schools based on measurable outcomes that address workforce needs. The new funding mechanism will:
The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board is charged with implementing these changes.
Remedial Education – Research shows that few students who took remedial or developmental courses earned a certificate or associate degree within six years, and even fewer transferred to a four-year university. Research has also shown that Black and Latino students enroll at disproportionately high rates in remedial classes. Some states have passed legislation guiding remedial education. In California, Assembly Bill 1705 would mostly ban remedial math and English classes, which cannot transfer with credit to four-year universities. Bill 1705 addresses concerns that some students are still being funneled into remedial classes despite a 2017 law designed to limit that practice. The earlier law, Assembly Bill 705, prohibited colleges from placing students in remedial classes unless those students are highly unlikely to succeed in transfer-level coursework. The new law would establish stricter rules detailing the limited scenarios in which colleges can enroll students in remedial classes.
The political climate for DEI (Diversity, Equity & Inclusion) has contributed to calls for major changes in DEI policy. At least two dozen bills on DEI were introduced in 15 states in 2023 (and more in 2024) —seeking to undo DEI efforts at higher education institutions. In some states, higher education institutions have rolled back their DEI programs in anticipation of policy changes, or have / are moving their DEI operations into Student Success units. The terms, DEI, are also being reconsidered in light of policy changes. Many of the newly titled efforts focus on inclusion and equity.
In one state, for example, the new policy requires that each person in the higher education system ‘be treated as an individual deserving of dignity and inclusion,’ and that the repeal of DEI requirements still maintains that employment practices and provision of educational programs and activities ‘shall continue to comply with federal and state law prohibiting discrimination and harassment of members of protected classes, including, without limitation, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.’
Credential As You Go has acquired three phases of funding to date. Lumina Foundation funded Phase I, resulting in the Incremental Credential Framework for testing. The Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education funds Phase II (Grant R305T210063), which focuses on rapid prototyping of and research on incremental credentials with a national campaign. An anonymous private donor fund at the Program on Skills, Credentials & Workforce Policy at George Washington University funds the development of the prototype Learn and Work Ecosystem Library. Walmart funds Phase III, which focuses on systems change for expansion and sustainability of incremental credentials. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not represent views of Lumina Foundation, Institute of Education Sciences, the U.S. Department of Education, Walmart, or George Washington University.
