“The pandemic was devastating for therefore many households—one of many issues we discovered was that every little thing doesn’t should be brick and mortar,” Duncan mentioned. “We have to proceed in all our brick-and-mortar establishments and proceed to offer an awesome training in these amenities. How can we stretch and meet folks the place they’re, whether or not that’s on-line, whether or not that’s [late at night] after work, or on weekends. It’s not one versus the opposite—it’s by no means either-or for me, it’s all the time both-and. That’s the problem; that’s the wonderful alternative.”
Taking note of fairness and dealing to shut alternative gaps are important parts of elevated higher-ed program completion.
“The problem, once more, is that lower than half the nation has a university diploma. That’s the truth. It’s not about simply training; it’s about creating upward mobility. Schooling at its greatest does precisely that—it closes the chance gaps. Sadly, all too typically, training exacerbates that hole between the haves and the have-nots,” Duncan mentioned. “I fear about our democracy fraying on the edges. I don’t say that evenly. The divide between the haves and the have-nots, primarily based on instructional alternative, is having a devastating influence on our nation.”
Relating to the sort of diploma or postsecondary completion college students get hold of, Duncan mentioned choices are a very powerful factor.
“I wish to give folks as many high-quality choices as we are able to, and allow them to determine for themselves, for his or her present household or work scenario, what the most suitable choice is for them. There’s no proper or flawed,” he mentioned.
Laura Ascione is the Editorial Director at eSchool Media. She is a graduate of the College of Maryland’s prestigious Philip Merrill School of Journalism.
