Calbright CEO urges education leaders to reimagine education for students

Harvard has published my policy brief on the impacts of Early Wealth Building programs and recommendations for bringing these programs to scale, based on lessons learned from California's CalKIDS early college savings program. Bottom line: money + hope + agency = educational attainment & economic mobility. https://lnkd.in/gExMyFhz

"Our state has been unified in strengthening investments in our community colleges and K-12 public education system," says Texas Association of Business CEO Glenn Hamer in a #TribFest25 panel on growing the Texas economy.

60 years ago today, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Higher Education Act, expanding access to higher education for millions of Latino students. Today, its legacy is at risk as a result of the federal budget passed earlier this year. Learn about its impact over the years and why protecting it matters. https://lnkd.in/ezq2DFhE

Scale matters a lot in higher education. It reduces unit costs for just about everything and can improve institutional and individual outcomes. I have written and spoken on this topic for years while pursuing scale advantages in a variety of higher education leadership roles. I’ve even dabbled in some light-weight analytics to demonstrate the scale efficiencies in discrete business and educational functions. With the analytical engine that discerns patterns in longitudinal data (2010-23) predictive of financial decline, I’ve gone a lot deeper. Pointing the engine at each state’s public and private four-year institutions and correlating results with public funding levels and regional demographic trends, I found that funding levels matter, but not always as expected. Demographics also matter, but less than I imagined. Political color, geography, and even endowment size, explain only part of the story. What emerges instead is a single, far more powerful differentiator: scale. Institutions that enroll more than ten thousand students are consistently stronger across nearly every dimension of financial performance. Their operating margins are steadier, their liquidity deeper, their program portfolios more diversified, and their leaders more able to adapt. Below that threshold, fragility compounds rapidly. The results are available in a three-part blog series Part I examines the private sector, where small size often translates into existential risk. Part II turns to the publics, where governance and state policy interact with scale in complex ways. Part III draws the cross-sector lessons: why scale buys time, flexibility, and leverage—and what that means for presidents, boards, and policymakers confronting the next decade of demographic and financial headwinds. Race to scale via whatever means available. Yes, there are notable exceptions – small institutions that are resilient because of large endowments, and large diversified institutions ones that are weakened because they have racked up significant debt and are reliant on volatile revenue sources. But these exceptions seem almost to prove the rule. https://lnkd.in/ec7jjcyK As ever, enjoy

Dream closer to home. SWC has partnered with SDSU and UC San Diego to expand university access and create new degree pathways right here in South County! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ftafqi

Dream closer to home. SWC has partnered with SDSU and UC San Diego to expand university access and create new degree pathways right here in South County! Learn more: https://bit.ly/4ftafqi

Proud alum moment 💛 Smith College has just announced The Next 150 Pledge – an initiative that will offer free tuition beginning Fall 2026 to all incoming and returning undergraduate students from families with annual incomes under $150,000. By joining institutions like MIT and Brown, Smith is reaffirming its mission to make world-class education accessible to every deserving student, regardless of financial circumstances. As an alum, I’m deeply inspired by President Sarah Willie-LeBreton’s leadership and by the community of Smithies who continue to invest in equity, opportunity, and change. 🔗 For more details about Smith’s financial aid program and The Next 150 Pledge, visit https://lnkd.in/eN3DEeNS

Investing in our youngest learners is one of the most powerful ways to support thriving communities and economies. In this thought-provoking piece, Ashley Comegna examines how municipalities can enhance early childhood education by supporting educators, implementing data-driven policies, and promoting inclusive, cross-sectoral solutions.

We shared how the RFA report raises important questions about how South Carolina funds public schools. One recommendation that could have major consequences — separating charter school funding from the rest of public education. That might sound harmless, but it’s not. 🎓 State-chartered public schools serve 60,000 students. 📌 Their funding is directly tied to the students they serve. 🚫 Separating charter funding could leave them out of future funding increases, deepen inequities, and create a dangerous scenario where their funding could be more easily cut. All public school students deserve fair funding, no matter what type of public school they attend. Let’s improve transparency without dividing our schools or our students. See the link in the comments for the Alliance's response.

The Great Schools for Connecticut Project is excited to announce that Taino CoLAB Charter High School New Haven has been awarded more than $1.4 million in federal Charter Schools Program Grant funding! The city's newest public charter school plans to open its doors to 9th grade students in 2027, adding a grade level each year to eventually serve 400 high school students. This funding will help support their opening and expansion as they work to bring a new, high-quality public school option to New Haven students. Read more about the 2025 GSCT CSP awardee: https://lnkd.in/ernJvyPT