Aligning the Future of Education with Workforce Opportunities

Building High-Quality College and Career Pathways for All Students

The NewDEAL Forum Education Policy Group, in partnership with All4Ed, developed these policy recommendations to help state and local leaders provide high-quality college and career pathways for all students. In Policy Proposals for Aligning the Future of Education with Workforce Opportunities, the Forum’s Education Policy Group calls for specific steps to address key obstacles to the economic prospects of today’s students. 

Accompanied by model initiatives from states and cities across the country, the recommendations focus on four key areas, with each section emphasizing the importance of equity for traditionally underserved groups, including students of color:

• Establishing state and local policy infrastructure for building high quality college and career pathways;
• Easing the transition between high school and higher education;
• Engaging employers in work-based education and training; and
• Responding to COVID-19 challenges 

The report provides a guide for state and local governments to bring together K-12 education systems, colleges and universities, and employers to address the “huge mismatch between the outcomes of our K-12 system and the opportunities in our workforce.”