Policy in the Spotlight: Offering Accessible, Affordable Pathways to Advanced Degrees
| Healthy economies have high education levels. West Virginia has a very good high school graduation rate, but we fall short on the percentage of people with higher degrees, with only around 20 percent holding at least a bachelor's degree. For a health economy, states require around 60 percent to hold an advanced degree. How do we get more people into and through college? Our WV Forward blueprint for prosperity calls for easier pathways to advanced degrees. Last year, our Focus Forward Summit brought together job creators, lawmakers, policy experts, economists and education leaders who agreed that West Virginia must do more to help people get those higher degrees. The West Virginia Legislature is looking at options to do just that. Both houses have been considering a “last dollar in” model to offer more affordable and accessible pathways to advanced degrees. Chancellor of the West Virginia Community and Technical College System, Sarah Tucker, explains how this model could work in West Virginia. |
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