Micro-Urban Colleges, Quality Credentials, and Equity for Black Learners
About this episode
Dr. Terry Vaughan III discusses the role of community colleges in micro-urban areas in promoting equity and workforce development for Black learners.
Community colleges in micro-urban spaces (small cities with big-city dynamics) play a pivotal role in expanding access, strengthening workforce pathways, and advancing equity for Black learners. In this conversation, Dr. Terry Vaughan III highlights how these communities offer unique advantages, such as concentrated resources, reduced geographic barriers, and strong anchor institutions that can drive economic mobility. He explains to host Gianina Baker how the shift toward skills-based hiring reframes the value of credentials, emphasizing the competencies, experiences, and outcomes they represent. Vaughan also outlines his job duties at Workcred, where he focuses on building a national system of high-quality credentials, work-based learning, and transparent data to better align education with the needs of the labor market.
More episodes of Democracy's College: Research and Leadership in Educational Equity, Justice and Excellence for All
- Leading with Purpose: Dr. Sheila Quirk-Bailey on Community Colleges as Engineers of Opportunity
- The Importance of Culturally Responsive Curriculum in Higher Education and Broader Challenges
- How Data Can Drive Equity, Student Success, and Institutional Effectiveness
- Piloting and Scaling Strategies to Reduce DFWs in Community Colleges
- Improving Advising and Wraparound Services to More Effectively Support All Students in their Postsecondary Education Journey
- On-Track Data System at UIC to Inform Work and Improve Student Success
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