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It emphasizes quality at the forefront, program accessibility through funding and outreach, and stackable credentials that support long-term employment. The framework calls for collecting and publicly sharing disaggregated outcomes data to guide decisions and promote equity. It also lists state policy priorities, including statewide quality definitions, targeted promotion, alignment to in-demand jobs, and required student basic-needs supports.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/higher-ed-policy-in-the-covid-era-key-takeaways/584598/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/higher-ed-policy-in-the-covid-era-key-takeaways/584598.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Damian","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-30","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":19},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the core goal of quality credential pathways in the COVID era?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"To build short-term credential approaches centered on quality and equity, enabling quicker return to work while providing clear routes for further learning.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How should states ensure programs reduce inequities rather than worsen them?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"By using disaggregated outcomes data collected, shared publicly, and used to inform program decisions, and by monitoring participation and outcomes across key demographic groups.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What policy questions guide efforts across equity, quality, access, and workforce?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"The document provides targeted questions on which populations face the highest unemployment, how quality is measured and communicated, how program information reaches those most in need, and how credentials align with in-demand jobs and employer needs.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},584598,1792166295,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":19,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":24,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":144,"preview_page_count":4},137451208677,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_155a257f0dc6eb9ab79c44ca47cae57d","Higher Ed Policy in the COVID Era  \nAccelerating Quality Credential Pathways  \nKey Takeaways  \nResponding to the COVID-19 health crisis and pandemic-induced economic recession provides a fresh opportunity to build an approach to short-term credentials that is truly centered on quality and equity. To ensure these programs reduce inequities rather than perpetuate or intensify them, four aspects must be assured:  \nQuality must be at the forefront. Any program’s benefits—to students and employers—must be clearly defined, and employers must validate programs’ value and effectiveness.  \nPrograms must be made accessible.  \nFunding for programs should be readily available, and thoughtful outreach campaigns should be used to market them.  \nPrograms—and the credentials they offer—should be stackable and provide long-term employment opportunities.  \nOutcomes data should be collected,  \ndisaggregated, shared publicly, and used to inform program decisions.  \nState Policy Priorities  \nThe following priorities are high-level guiding principles.  \nFor more detailed questions to inform state policy considerations, see the Overview section.  \n• Leverage short-term credential programs for populations facing the highest unemployment rates.  \n• Monitor equitable program participation and outcomes by race/ethnicity, gender, disability, and socioeconomic status.  \n• Establish a statewide definition of program quality and mechanisms for enforcement.  \n• Ensure programs are effectively promoted to those most in need, providing transparent and easily consumable information on quality and outcomes.  \n• Prioritize programs that align to in-demand jobs and result in transferable credits aligned with relevant degree pathways.  \n• Require programs that receive state funding to provide for students’ basic needs—from technology access to food and housing.  \nOverview  \nThe COVID-19 pandemic has decimated the United States economy and left a record number of individuals unemployed. In slightly under five months, more than 54 million people applied for unemployment for the first time, while the economy contracted by 33 percent, the largest dip in history. While the impact will likely be short-term for some career fields, for others, hastened automation will restructure the economy and permanently eliminate many jobs. In other fields, such as hospitality, COVID-19 dealt such a harsh blow that recovery is not expected until 2023 or beyond.  \nThese economic challenges compel us to forge new pathways to high-quality credentials. Such pathways can provide short-term learning aligned to in-demand jobs, helping individuals return to work as soon as possible while offering clear routes to further learning in the future.  \nThe economic toll of the COVID-19 pandemic has been felt unequally; therefore, equity must be a central consideration in advancing these quality credential pathways. For example, recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor  \nStatistics showed Latina women have the highest level of unemployment among all groups. The data also showed a more than five percentage point difference in the number of Black men unemployed relative to white men. Immigrants, young adults, and those without postsecondary credentials also have been dramatically affected by the COVID-19 recession.  \nFor states, an investment in building quality short-term credential pathways will pay dividends. States have gradually increased their investment in short-term credentials, but it remains a complex area of state policy, and the sheer number of credential types and providers complicates efforts to ensure transparency regarding program quality and outcomes. That said, the current crisis should lead states to wade further into these murky waters. Short-term credentials are not the only solution, but if appropriately leveraged, they can play a key role in recovery by aligning workers to jobs. Their affordability and shortterm nature make them particularly useful tools as states grapple with th","cbCaicwbOopeSsF9","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaicwbOopeSsF9","pdf",636313,"English","# Key Takeaways\n# State Policy Priorities\n# Overview\n# Essential Policy Questions","[{\"question\":\"What is the core goal of quality credential pathways in the COVID era?\",\"answer\":\"To build short-term credential approaches centered on quality and equity, enabling quicker return to work while providing clear routes for further learning.\"},{\"question\":\"How should states ensure programs reduce inequities rather than worsen them?\",\"answer\":\"By using disaggregated outcomes data collected, shared publicly, and used to inform program decisions, and by monitoring participation and outcomes across key demographic groups.\"},{\"question\":\"What policy questions guide efforts across equity, quality, access, and workforce?\",\"answer\":\"The document provides targeted questions on which populations face the highest unemployment, how quality is measured and communicated, how program information reaches those most in need, and how credentials align with in-demand jobs and employer needs.\"}]","Higher Ed Policy in the COVID Era - Key Takeaways | PDF",1792051556,13]