Daily Lumina News 080723

There has been a growing understanding that our education system isn't doing enough to provide students with the skills they need for the workforce. The pandemic worsened the situation, with almost every industry facing a shortage of qualified workers.
Now, some high schools around the country are tackling the issue head-on by blurring the lines between education and workforce systems and establishing training programs designed to create a pathway into well-paying jobs.

Eighty percent of students enter community college intending to transfer, but only 25 percent ultimately make the leap—most of the time to less-selective public institutions.
Bureaucracy, institutional self-interest, and seemingly minor systemic snags can make moving from community college through a four-year institution almost unbearably difficult. Some states and schools are trying to change that picture.

After drastic drops in enrollment during the COVID-19 pandemic, California community colleges are ramping up marketing efforts with $40 million in state and federal dollars to lure students back.
Leaders at the schools say their advertising campaigns will lead to more awareness, and they point to increased clicks and website traffic as evidence. What they don’t know is whether students who see the campaigns and click on a college website actually enroll.

Students for Fair Admissions, fresh off its U.S. Supreme Court victory gutting affirmative action in college admissions, is preparing for another potential lawsuit.
Led by SFA's Edward Blum, the group is now soliciting possible plaintiffs—applicants rejected from the U.S. Military Academy, known as West Point; the Naval Academy; and the Air Force Academy—for an effort to challenge race-conscious admissions at the three major American service academies, which are responsible for educating and training many of the country’s future military leaders.

In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court striking down President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan, conservative groups are taking aim at his other efforts to deliver debt cancellation to scores of Americans.
Last week, the Cato Institute and Mackinac Center for Public Policy filed a lawsuit challenging the Biden administration’s plan to cancel $39 billion in federal student loans held by more than 804,000 borrowers who have been in repayment for more than 20 years.

Three years ago, members of the class of 2023 were high school freshmen, adjusting to their new normal, when suddenly nothing was normal. For the recent graduates, every year of their high school careers has been touched by the pandemic.
In spite of the challenges, they never lost their perseverance and creativity. In this interview, graduating seniors at Sequoia High School in Redwood City, California, express their thoughts on what the future holds.