ECMC Foundation

Workforce Pell is poised to reshape how students access short-term workforce programs, but what does implementation look like from the perspective of a community college leader? Our fourth Workforce Pell blog features Dr. Keith Curry of Compton College, interviewed by ECMC Foundation's Senior Director, Policy Strategy Edward Smith, who reflects on the responsibility community colleges face as new accountability measures take shape and why workforce outcomes, institutional collaboration and student success must remain at the center of implementation. Read now: https://lnkd.in/gqPHSWyn Read the first installment: https://lnkd.in/gENiWYSU Read the second installment: https://lnkd.in/grwenuGd Read the third installment: https://lnkd.in/gRjuYuzb

When student parents succeed, entire families benefit. New data from Prismatic Research & Strategy, with support from The California Alliance for Student Parent Success, led by California Competes: Higher Education for a Strong Economy and EdTrust-West, underscores the importance of recognizing and supporting the millions of students balancing higher education with caregiving responsibilities. Their experiences highlight both the barriers they face and the opportunities to create more inclusive pathways to completion. ECMC Foundation is proud to support this work and the growing movement to ensure parenting students have the resources they need to thrive. Explore Supporting Students Who Support Families: https://bit.ly/4fGAAVl

Some of the most promising ideas in postsecondary education are already in motion, in classrooms and communities across the country. What they need next is the right investment to scale. That's why we are thrilled to be part of the Innovative Postsecondary Models Fund, a joint effort from eight foundations to improve how students access, experience, and benefit from postsecondary education in the US. Together, Ascendium Education Group, College Futures Foundation, Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Fund, ECMC Foundation Gates Foundation Lumina Foundation, Raikes Foundation, Strada Education Foundation are looking to resource and learn from the models proving what works, especially for students who face the greatest barriers to opportunity. Applications are open now through September 14, 2026. If this is the work you're doing, we'd love for you to apply or share this opportunity. Full details on eligibility, funding, and how to apply: https://lnkd.in/gmnwSU6e

Workforce Pell has the potential to expand access to high-quality, short-term training pathways that lead to economic mobility. But making it work will require thoughtful implementation and strong employer engagement. In the latest installment of our Workforce Pell blog series, Amanda Winters, Executive Director of Workforce at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, explores why employers should play a central role in shaping Workforce Pell implementation and how states can ensure training programs align with real workforce needs. From credential approval processes to curriculum design, meaningful employer engagement can help ensure learners are prepared for in-demand jobs and employers can find the talent they need. Read the blog: https://bit.ly/44UgW1P Read the first installment: https://bit.ly/4wUWs50 Read the second installment: https://bit.ly/4wTb1pF

The conversation around AI often focuses on technology. CTE helps ground it in people, skills, and real-world application. We're excited to see growing attention to how educators, institutions, and policymakers can work together to ensure AI expands opportunity and prepares learners for a rapidly changing workforce.

When community colleges align programs with strong workforce and transfer outcomes, more learners can access pathways that lead to opportunity. Inside Higher Ed highlighted the impact of the Unlocking Opportunity initiative, which helped participating colleges move more than 20,000 additional students into programs leading to living-wage jobs and bachelor's degree pathways. The Unlocking Opportunity network is a project of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program in collaboration with the Community College Research Center (CCRC). ECMC Foundation is proud to support this work alongside Arnold Ventures, Ascendium Education Group, Bank of America, JPMorganChase, Lumina Foundation, and Strada Education Foundation. Read the story: https://bit.ly/3R6JYrW Read the report: https://bit.ly/4b9tSod

What can states learn from Michigan’s Workforce Pell implementation experience? In the second of four installments of ECMC Foundation's Workforce Pell blog series, Brandy Johnson, President of the Michigan Community College Association, shares five lessons from the front lines of implementation, from the value of cross-sector collaboration to the importance of building systems that can support learners, institutions, and employers alike. As Workforce Pell rolls out nationwide, these insights offer practical considerations for policymakers and practitioners working to turn policy into opportunity. Read more: https://bit.ly/4wTb1pF ICYMI, see our first installment here: https://bit.ly/4wUWs50

Today, ECMC Foundation is welcoming researchers, practitioners, grantees, policymakers, community partners, and other leaders from across the postsecondary success ecosystem to our inaugural Research Convening. Participants will explore how partnerships across the research lifecycle can help move evidence into action and create better outcomes for learners. What makes this gathering especially meaningful is the diversity of experience and perspectives in the room. We have people representing different organizations, roles, career stages, and areas of expertise, researchers and practitioners, state agencies and intermediaries, community-based partners, and more. Together, they bring insights from the many issues and populations that shape learner success. Thank you to the partners, panelists, and speakers who are joining us and sharing their expertise. This is a genuinely special mix of people, and we're excited for the conversations, connections, and ideas that will emerge as we learn from one another and work toward expanding opportunity for postsecondary learners. #ECMCFdnResearchConvening #ECMCFdnConvenings Stephanie Sowl, Ph.D.

Next week, ECMC Foundation is bringing together researchers, practitioners, and grantees in Minneapolis for From Questions to Change: Partnerships that Move Evidence into Action, a convening focused on how collaboration across the research lifecycle can help turn evidence into meaningful improvements in postsecondary success. Together, we'll explore approaches to co-creating rigorous, responsive research, translating findings into policy and practice, and identifying new opportunities for shared learning and impact. #ECMCFdnResearch #ECMCFdnConvenes #ResearchForImpact #EvidenceToAction #PostsecondarySuccess

Meaningful change happens through partnership. That's why ECMC Foundation is proud to support the Education Design Lab's Reimagining Community Colleges Design Challenge, which has helped Rio Salado College, Saint Paul College-A Community and Technical College, Forsyth Technical Community College, Cuyahoga Community College, and Lone star College-Tomball develop bold plans to better serve learners and respond to the needs of today's economy. By bringing together higher education, philanthropy, and nonprofit partners, this initiative is helping colleges reimagine how they create pathways to student success and economic mobility. Read the press release: https://lnkd.in/grQG4Ayc