Aurora Calls for Federal Policy to Advance Work Based Learning

  • By Kate Lucariello
  • 08/01/23

In a new report titled “Expanding Student Access to Work-Based Learning: Federal Policy Recommendations,” educational research organization Aurora Institute calls for the federal government to “let go of the notion that education has to be a linear, time-bound sequence of learning that occurs only within formal education institutions.”

Instead, the Department of Education (ED) and other governmental arms should develop policies that view education as an “ecosystem” of cooperation and alignment across pre-K–12, career technical education, college/university, workforce, and community sectors. If the feds lead this effort, the report advises, state and local educational efforts to meet critical work skills needs will no longer be roadblocked.

The report notes there is bipartisan support for work-based learning, as outlined in a 2019 ED federal notice supporting apprenticeships, internships, and other opportunities. These can benefit students with Pell grant eligibility if a part of their work-based learning wages are Federal Work Study wages, and benefit employers by sharing the employment cost of apprenticeship programs.

The Aurora report’s key recommendations at the federal level are to:

  • Institute a federal cross-agency program and fund it with grants to promote work-based learning awareness and opportunities from pre-K level and up;

  • Increase federal innovation grants to states and organizations to encourage access to and incentivize work-based learning opportunities, including funding training for educators and other work-based learning providers;

  • Make intermediary organizations eligible for federal funding to support work-based learning partnerships across state, regional, and local entities;

  • Allow more flexibility in funding to allow resources to be simplified, combined and blended; and

  • Redesign accountability reporting to be reciprocal for elementary and secondary frameworks, as well as family, community, and workforce input to help integrate work-based learning and career exploration.

There are also recommendations for states to implement or build upon the foregoing, with federal support.

“In the context of rapid change in education and the workforce, policy makers need to take a long view on the future of education and work,” the report concludes. “The system needs to be reorganized to build knowledge and skills in the midst of changing trends, with more aligned structures, incentives, and supports for learner-centered pathways.”

The report can be downloaded from this Aurora Institute page.

About the Author

Kate Lucariello is a former newspaper editor, EAST Lab high school teacher and college English teacher.

Featured

  • digital illustration of Estonia with glowing neural network-like connections spreading across the map

    Estonia to Roll Out ChatGPT Edu for all Secondary Schools

    In a nationwide artificial intelligence program dubbed "AI Leap 2025," the country of Estonia plans to provide free access to leading AI applications for all secondary school students and teachers. The initiative will launch with a rollout of ChatGPT Edu to 20,000 high school students in grades 10-11 and their 3,000 teachers, beginning Sept. 1.

  • A child surrounded by glowing, fluid virtual patterns and holographic shapes, illuminated in a dark gradient environment of blue, purple, and pink.

    ClassVR Gets Expanded VR/AR Content Library

    Avantis Education has announced a new content library for its ClassVR virtual and augmented reality platform. Dubbed Eduverse+, the library features four content suites — EduverseAI, WildWorld, STEAM3D, and CareerHub — that can be tailored to suit a variety of educational levels.

  • elementary school teacher with students

    Traditional Procurement Processes Stand in the Way of Progress

    K–12 schools and districts can streamline procurement and gain agility without having the rewrite purchasing requirements.

  • school building split in half, with one side collapsing into a dark hole

    Office of Educational Technology, National Center for Education Statistics Fall Victim to ED Cuts

    The U.S. Department of Education has announced cuts of nearly half of its staff, numbering more than 1,300 workers, according to AP reporting. While official details on the cuts are not available, early commentary on LinkedIn has revealed drastic cuts in the areas of educational technology and data.