When a foreign-trained physician is forced to drive a cab to make ends meet, it’s called “brain waste.” A new report by the Migration Policy Institute found high numbers of underemployed college-educated immigrants in the United States—with devastating costs to those workers and the nation.

Helping immigrants succeed is not just a nice gesture, it’s an urgent, national priority. As the United States faces an estimated shortfall of 8 million workers between now and 2027 amid declining birth rates and an aging workforce, immigrants are a primary source of future U.S. labor force growth.

In a fifth-grade classroom at Monroe Elementary School near Minneapolis, a teacher named Thetis White has just received a giant ceremonial check—for $50,000. The check is to pay off his student loans and to make his choice of a career in teaching less of a financial sacrifice.

The person handing out the check is Markus Flynn, who heads an organization that supports Black male educators. In this interview, Flynn explains why employing more Black male teachers is the educational equivalent of a small change that yields big wins for student success.

Photo: Metropolitan State University of Denver

When a fire consumed her house in December, Felicia Garcia, 20, found herself paralyzed with fear. She wondered where she would live, and if she could return to school at Metropolitan State University of Denver in the spring.

A new program called Heightening Outcomes for Public Benefit Enrolled Students (HOPES) is designed to keep students like Garcia on track to a degree. The effort offers social services, academic advising, clothing, and on- and off-campus resources like food and housing.