There are more than 38 million people in the U.S. under 65 who have completed some college courses but did not receive a degree or certificate. Dozens of states have set ambitious post-secondary goals and part of reaching those goals includes bringing those back into the educational system. 

On this episode, we get the perspective from two people about how to bring those learners back into the system. Terah Crews is the CEO of ReUp Education, an focused on that population. Illinois Representative La Shawn Ford (D), who chairs the Appropriations Higher Education Committee in the Illinois House, has worked on programs to get people to re-enroll in college in his state. 

Crews discussed how ReUp is working with states to cast a wide net, not only for people close to finishing their degrees, but also for people who might need more support and alternative ways of taking classes, such as online courses. She also discussed some of the barriers people face and how states can help them get back on track to finishing their education. Ford explained that getting people back to school to finish a degree is key to upward mobility and legislation in Illinois is aimed at clearing some of the barriers people find to returning to school.

Resources

• NCSL Higher Education Task Force Report.
• Rep. La Shawn K. Ford Website
• ReUp Education