PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY:

CLOSING OPPORTUNITY GAPS AND INCREASING

ECONOMIC MOBIL ITY

Marc Goldberg, Associate Vice President, Workforce Development and Continuing EdKate Kinder, Director, Career Pathways and Skills TrainingHeather Lang, Interim Dean of Student Success

PATHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY

Pathways to Oppor tun i t y i s a s ta tew ide in i t i a t i ve focused on

c los ing oppor tun i t y gaps and inc reas ing economic mob i l i t y by

expand ing the federa l , s ta te , and loca l resources ava i lab le to low

income s tuden ts so more ind iv idua ls can a t tend and comple te

co l lege .

T R A N S F O R M I N G F O R O U R S T U D E N T S

“Community colleges are unique in their potential to generate social mobility...They offer benefits that transcend generations, educate people with children and extended families, and provide access that rarely exists at four-year colleges and universities. But completion rates at the nation’s community colleges continue to lag behind the demand for educated workers.”

~Dr. Sara Goldrick-Rab

A TA L E O F T WO S TAT E S A N D T WO C I T I E S

Our community is at a critical point.

The wealthiest Oregon community is West Portland with a per capita incomeof $53,122

The least wealthy Oregon community is East Portland with a per capita incomeof $20,321

Source: 2015 US Census ACS table S1902

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OPPORTUNITY GAPS PERSISTS

Portland Business Alliance

CO S T - B U R D E N E D CO M M U N I T I E S

S K I L L S G A P

E D U C AT I O N = O P P O R T U N I T Y

OREGONIANS NEEDING PATHWAYS

• 11.9% of Oregon youth ages 16-24 are disconnected from school and work (56,500)

• 15.1% of Oregonians 5 or older (566,290) indicate speaking a language other than English at home

• 5.9% of Oregonians 5 or older (221,266) indicate speaking English less than “very well”

• 10% of adults 25 or older in Oregon (275,569) do not have HS equivalency

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“Technology associated with the Future of Work will impact workers in every sector and at every level in the U.S. economy—but those impacts will not be borne equally. Research indicates the majority of job losses from automation will be borne by workers earning less than $20 / hour with a high school degree or less; many of these will be workers of color.”

~National Skills Coalition

MORE THAN ONE FUTURE OF WORK

COLLEGE = CAREERS

CLASP; Georgetown Center on Education and Workforce

SOCIAL JUSTICE = ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

“Eliminating discrimination in pay and hiring, boosting education attainment, and ensuring strong and rising wages for low-wage workers is good for families, good for communities, and good the the economy.”

Policy Link

2.5 billion dollar increasein Oregon’s GDP

TRANSFORMING POLICIES AND PRACTICE

“Our educat ion and workforce system wasn' t bui l t for today 's s tudents . We need to change the way we th ink about co l lege and t ra in ing to ensure ever y s tudent—especia l ly low- income adul ts—are prepared to succeed.”Amy Ellen Duke-Benfield, National Skills Coalition

P O L I C Y M AT T E R S

Integrating the way our students access benefits requires working across agencies.

C O M M U N I T Y O F P R A C T I C E

1 Walizer, Lauren. CLASP, When Financial Aids Falls Short, December 2018

UNMET NEED

71% public 2 yr. students with unmet financial need1

Unmet need is a significant barrier to student enrollment and completion, and the lack of public policies to address it poses a significant challenge to improving access and advancing equity within postsecondary education.1

U N M E T N E E D : O R E G O N C O M M U N I T Y C O L L E G E S T U D E N T S

1 Lauren Walizer, CLASP

The intersect ion of students’ income, race, gender, immigrat ion status, and involvement with the just ice systems demands a new way of thinking about pol icy development, publ ic investment, and inst i tut ional pract ices. Focusing solely on one area, such as affordabi l i ty, wi l l not al low states to overcome the racial equity gap. 1

1CLASP: Duke-Benfield, Amy Ellen, Rosa Garcia, Lauren Walizer, and Carrie Welton

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FRAMEWORKS TO ADDRESS ISSUES

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M O D E L S T H AT W O R K

< 29 = 2x wages$9,600 for Pell

+ $5,000 / 19%

3xCertificates since 2007

OREGON’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE STEP (SNAP 50/50) CONSORTIA

WHAT IS STEP (AND SNAP 50/50)?

• SNAP (formerly know as Food Stamps) = Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

• STEP = SNAP Training Employment Program, Oregon’s SNAP 50/50

• SNAP 50/50 is a federal reimbursement grant where providers are reimbursed for 50% of their expenses to enhance, enhance, or create new services for SNAP recipients

• Reimbursement is reinvested back into the program, providing key staffing and support services for students (tuition, fees, books, tools, transportation, etc.)

OREGON CAREER PATHWAYS: CONNEC TING SYSTEMS, BUILDING SK ILLS , ADVANCING ECONOMIC OPPORTUNIT IES

CONSORTIA EVOLUTION

RETURN ON INVESTMENT

$5,284,950 $5,284,950 $5,284,950 $5,284,950

$7,729,249

$10,925,793 $12,444,737

$13,444,513

$-

$2,000,000

$4,000,000

$6,000,000

$8,000,000

$10,000,000

$12,000,000

$14,000,000

$16,000,000

FY 20 FY 21 FY 22 FY 23

FY 20–FY 23 • With continued baseline funding and reinvestment, Oregon community colleges could see STEP grow from $5.065 million to $13.44 million in 2 biennia

• This same approach to investing resources could bring in $39 million in federal funding to all 17 of Oregon’s community collegesbetween FY 19 and FY25

HIGHLIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES

• Policy Change and Legislative Report

• All 17 community colleges will be part of STEP Consortia in FFY 20—increase focus on PCC expansion of SNAP and STEP

• Systemic approach to braiding together of holistic services and resources for students to close opportunity gaps and increase economic mobility

• Aligning and expanding effective faculty, staff, and student-led efforts

• Continuing national recognition and leadership position for Oregon and PCC

INVESTMENTS MATTERE Q U I TA B L E S T U D E N T S U C C E S S

To help students reach their goals, state educational and employment policies must be evidence-based, tied to jobs that pay family-supporting wages, and centered on advancing equity. These policies should include guided pathways and career pathways approaches.1

1 CLASP

L ISTEN TO OUR STUDENTS

“Nothing about us, without us.”

QUESTIONS?

M a rc G o l d b e rg , m a rc . g o l d b e rg 1 @ p c c . e d u

Ka t e K i n d e r, s k i n d e r @ p c c . e d u

H e a t h e r L a n g , h e a t h e r. l a n g @ p c c . e d u