Education
Projects in the Education program area examine the vital role that education plays in our nation and the world. Work in this area seeks to inform policy and practice in support of high-quality educational opportunities for all Americans. From advancing equitable educational outcomes to leveraging new developments in the learning sciences and digital technologies to understanding the vital role that public universities play as engines of economic growth, innovation, social mobility, and citizenship, projects in this area draw on scholars and practitioners from diverse fields to provide guidance and actionable solutions to policymakers, higher education leaders, and philanthropists.
Education Advisory Committee
Deborah Loewenberg Ball
University of Michigan
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Trinity College
Nancy E. Cantor
Hunter College
John J. DeGioia
Georgetown University
Greg Duncan
University of California, Irvine
Joan Gabel
University of Pittsburgh
Kris Gutierrez
University of California, Berkeley
Nicholas B. Lemann
Columbia University
Susanna Loeb
Stanford University
Michael Lomax
United Negro College Foundation
John C. Mitchell
Stanford University
Na’ilah Suad Nasir
Spencer Foundation
Francesca Purcell
Harvard University
Marcelo M. Suárez-Orozco
University of Massachusetts Boston
David Weinstein
Write the World
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The Higher Education Forum
The Higher Education Forum at the Â鶹´«Ã½AV draws on the strengths of Â鶹´«Ã½AV Affiliates, members, and experts to provide interdisciplinary perspectives on the most pressing issues affecting higher education. The Forum is guided by the Â鶹´«Ã½AV’s Education Advisory Committee.
The Higher Education Forum’s annual convening was held in Aspen, CO, on June 10–13, 2024. More than one hundred higher education experts and leaders, including university presidents, provosts, and academic deans from many of the Â鶹´«Ã½AV’s Affiliate institutions, engaged in discussions on topics that included the future of work, speech on campus and beyond, the changing political landscape, the health of our communities, artificial intelligence in our world, and maintaining diversity on campus.
Funders
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
Bank of America
Barclays
BrandED, Inc.
Kaplan, Inc.
Lumina Foundation
TIAA
United Educators
David C. Weinstein
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Commission on Opportunities After High School
The Commission on Opportunities After High School was launched in May 2024. The mission of the Commission is to ensure that every student can thrive and find rewarding jobs in an ever-changing global economy and actively participate in society. The Commission will focus on expanding the possibilities for historically underserved students, so that multiple routes to success are broadly accessible. The Commissioners will develop recommendations that address the various obstacles that may impede a student’s progress and will identify promising pathways from high school into higher education or directly into the workforce.
COMMISSION CHAIRS
Nancy Cantor
Hunter College
Harrison Keller
Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board
Bridget Terry Long
Harvard University
COMMISSION MEMBERS
Kirsten Baesler
North Dakota Department of Public Instruction
Gilda Barabino
Olin College of Engineering
Michelle Asha Cooper
Lumina Foundation
Arne Duncan
Emerson Collective
Aimée Eubanks Davis
Braven
Elena Fuentes-Afflick
University of California, San Francisco
Roberto Gonzales
University of Pennsylvania
Antonia Hernández
formerly, California Community Foundation
Enrique Hernandez, Jr.
Inter-Con Security Systems, Inc.
Shelia Johnson
Salamander Hospitality
Paula Kerger
PBS
Perri Klass
New York University
Félix Matos RodrÃguez
The City University of New York
Janet Napolitano
University of California, Berkeley
Santa Ono
University of Michigan
Eloy Ortiz Oakley
College Futures Foundation
Bobby Pace
The Community College of Aurora
Tracy Palandjian
Social Finance
Madeline Pumariega
Miami Dade College
Mary Schmidt Campbell
formerly, Spelman College
Anne Sweeney
BUA Ventures
John White
Great Minds
Laura Zabel
Springboard for the Arts
PROJECT STAFF
Lywana Dorzilor
Program Coordinator for Education
Kimberlee Eberle-Sudré
Program Director for Education
Catherine Van Ness
Program Officer for Education
FUNDERS
Spencer Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
William T. Grant Foundation
Anonymous Sources
Commission Meetings
First Meeting of the Commission
May 4–6, 2024
House of the Â鶹´«Ã½AV, Cambridge, MA
At this first meeting of the Commission on Opportunities After High School, Commission members discussed the current state of high school and postsecondary opportunities, including how high school students receive information and make decisions about their postsecondary pathways. The interdisciplinary group of experts also focused on the training and skills that form a strong foundation for young people to be successful in the current and future economy and society, including the ability to be agile in the landscape of an ever-changing economy and willingness to be lifelong learners as employers’ needs shift. The members discussed the target audience for their work as well as successful programs and policies to highlight.
Exploratory Meeting 
Leading for a Future of Higher Education Equity: Transforming Supreme Court Challenges into Opportunities for Positive Change
August 20–21, 2023
House of the Â鶹´«Ã½AV, Cambridge, MA
The Â鶹´«Ã½AV partnered with the American Council on Education and EducationCounsel to convene an exploratory meeting with senior leaders from a range of higher education institutions, including public and private institutions, large and small institutions, historically black colleges and universities, and some institutions already operating within environments that had banned affirmative action. The participants discussed the anticipated impact of Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action. They also shared how they could continue to advance equity and diversity through available avenues.
In April 2024, the Â鶹´«Ã½AV published a summary that highlights the strategies, recommendations, and approaches identified by the meeting participants that would help leaders across higher education to move their institutions forward for the benefit of their students and society at large. The key themes included centering equity throughout campus; uniting committed and collaborative university leaders for systemic change; communicating the value of equity to constituents; fostering community partnerships; and highlighting and funding the valuable expertise and contributions of minority-serving institutions (MSIs) and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This summary is available .
MEETING CHAIRS
Joanne Berger-Sweeney
Trinity College
Kim Wilcox
University of California, Riverside
FUNDERS
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation
The Mellon Foundation
ACADEMY PARTNERS
Ted Mitchell
American Council on Education
Art Coleman
EducationCounsel
Jamie Lewis Keith
EducationCounsel
