Stackable credential pipelines and equity for low-income individuals : evidence from Colorado and Ohio / Lindsay Daugherty (Rand Corporation), Peter Riley Bahr (University of Michigan), Peter Nguyen (Rand Corporation) Jennifer May-Trifiletti (University of Michigan), Rooney Columbus (University of Michigan), Jonah Kushner (Rand Corporation)

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Daugherty, Lindsay, author.

Bahr, Peter Riley, author.

Nguyen, Peter, author.

May-Trifiletti, Jennifer, author.

Columbus, Rooney, author.

Kushner, Jonah, author.

Contributor:

Ascendium Education Group

RAND Education and Labor (Program)

Rand Corporation, issuing body.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Vocational education--Colorado.

Vocational education.

Vocational education--Ohio.

Postsecondary education--Colorado.

Postsecondary education.

Postsecondary education--Ohio.

Low-income students--Colorado.

Low-income students.

Low-income students--Ohio.

Colorado.

Ohio.

Other Title:

Stackable Credential Pipelines and Equity for Low-Income Individuals

Place of Publication:

RAND Corporation 2023

Summary:

Federal, state, and local initiatives have encouraged education and training providers to build stackable credentials, a series of postsecondary credentials that can be earned over time and that build on each other to prepare individuals for different needs for knowledge and skills throughout a career. By offering flexible pathways that allow individuals to earn credentials incrementally and work as they earn credentials, stackable credentials can advance economic and educational opportunity for low-income individuals and other groups that have not been well served in traditional degree programs. However, there is limited evidence on whether low-income individuals are benefiting from stacking credentials and whether low-income individuals face systemic barriers to equity within stackable credential pipelines. In this report, the authors take a mixed methods approach to examining stackable credential equity in Colorado and Ohio, two states pursuing stackable credential initiatives. The authors analyzed administrative data to describe patterns in credential-stacking and in earnings for low-income individuals relative to middle- and high-income individuals. They identify four potential systemic barriers to equity within stackable credential pipelines and interview key stakeholders to learn more about factors contributing to these barriers and discuss options to ensure equitable opportunities to stack credentials across fields of study and institutions.

Contents:

Chapter One: Introduction

Chapter Two: Background and Study Aims

Chapter Three: Our Study Approach

Chapter Four: Evidence on Credential-Stacking and Labor Market Outcomes by Income

Chapter Six: Takeaways for States, Systems, and Institutions on Stackable Credentials and Equity

Chapter Seven: Conclusion

Appendix: Detailed Description of Data and Methods.

Notes:

See also RAND/RB-A2484-1, RAND/RB-A2484-2