Postsecondary Education

Postsecondary education is more important to states than ever before. Within the next decade, nearly two-thirds of the jobs in the U.S. will require some form of college credential. To meet that demand, states must lead efforts to graduate more students from high-quality certificate and degree programs with the resources available.

The NGA Center’s Postsecondary team supports the development and implementation of strategies that activate state policy levers and leverage state resources for educational attainment and career development after high school. This includes short-term/industry credentials, apprenticeship pathways, degree completion efforts, skills-based training, and modernizing state data systems to meet the needs of evolving industry sectors. The team works to create and execute state-focused, high-quality technical assistance and peer learning opportunities to support Governors’ offices in maximizing the impact and effectiveness of their current postsecondary systems while exploring opportunities for innovation.

Meet the team

Amanda Winters, Program Director
Portia Pratt, Senior Policy Analyst
Abigail Rhim, Policy Analyst
Eric Aboodi, Policy Coordinator

NGA Resources

EDUCATE FOR OPPORTUNITY

The NGA Center partnered with Strada Education Network from 2019 through 2021 to focus on supporting state efforts that connect and align their postsecondary institutions to state workforce needs. The ...

Broadband Access for Success in Postsecondary Education

Postsecondary institutions have a critical role in expanding affordable broadband access and closing the digital divide. by Rachel Hirsch and Jake Varn The gap between those with and those without ...

State Education Trends

A look at major education themes across State of the State addresses. Perhaps not surprisingly, almost all of the trends we identified this year connect back to COVID-19 in some ...

State Strategies to Re-Engage Students with Some College and No Degree

This brief focuses on actions states and/or state higher education systems can take to help students with some college, but no degree, reenroll and persist in completing a postsecondary credential ...

Strategies for Advancing Equity Through State Education Budgets During & Beyond COVID

This webinar explores opportunities, challenges, and strategies for governors as they create and move forward state education budgets during and beyond COVID-19. Topics of the conversation include how governors can ...

Putting CARES Act Funds to Work: Investing in Education, Investing in Recovery

Federal support is needed to ensure school safety, as well as protect public health, stimulate the economy, coordinate and support vaccine distribution, and help prevent tax increases. Our recovery is ...

THE STATES’ ROLE IN HIGHER EDUCATION QUALITY ASSURANCE

The shifting labor force landscape brought on by the COVID-19 crisis made it especially critical that students and taxpayers see a return on their investment in postsecondary education programs. With ...

Improving Attainment: Ohio Excels Statewide Action Plan

NGA’s Educate for Opportunity project held a virtual site visit to Ohio to learn best practices for improving attainment on September 16 and 17th. This is one of three content ...

Fulfilling Ohio’s Adult Learner Promise: Report of the Adult Learner Working Group

NGA’s Educate for Opportunity project held a virtual site visit to Ohio to learn best practices on adult learning on September 16 and 17th. This is one of three content ...

Institutional Debt Forgiveness: Lessons from Michigan

NGA’s Educate for Opportunity project held a virtual site visit to Ohio to learn best practices on institutional debt forgiveness on September 16 and 17th. This is one of three ...

Letter to Congressional Leaders Regarding Education Funding and Local Control

The Honorable Mitch McConnellMajority LeaderUnited States SenateU.S. Capitol Building, Room S-230Washington, DC 20510The Honorable Nancy PelosiSpeaker of the HouseUnited States House of RepresentativesU.S. Capitol BuildingWashington, DC 20515The Honorable Chuck SchumerMinority ...

Building an Adult-Friendly Postsecondary Policy Framework

Jobs for the Future, a national nonprofit committed to accelerating the transformation of the American workforce and education systems, presented their state policy framework for engaging and supporting adults through ...