Photo: Al Seib

On his first day out of prison after 27 years, Allen Burnett bought shoes from a discount store, visited Target, and stopped at the beach to smell the ocean air. He then made his way to the one place he had dreamed about while behind bars: Cal State Los Angeles. 

In prison, Burnett got the chance to enroll in classes from Cal State L.A. as part of a first-of-its-kind degree program that imparts an otherwise unheard-of message to incarcerated students: You are worthy.

Unwelcome news is surrounding colleges and universities these days, from dramatic enrollment declines to scaled-back priorities in President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better Act. 

Three education and policy experts offer their thoughts on what these developments mean and why they matter.

More big-name tech companies are teaming up with community colleges, increasingly putting real money and support behind their partnerships.

The growing interest also signifies that organizations like Microsoft, Google, Amazon Web Services, and others understand how critical it is to help institutions align curriculum and training to emerging technologies and high-demand skills and competencies.