Much of what Anthony shares begins with a single set of facts. Since the eighties, postsecondary education and training have become the most well-traveled pathway to economic and societal success. Yet, because of its new prominence in American life, higher education has also become the capstone in an education system that ensures the intergenerational reproduction of race and class privilege.
The immediate future of higher education will be determined by two relatively certain forces and several wild cards in the change game. The relative certainties are demography and economic recovery. The wild cards include:
- The effect of technology on the jobs economy.
- The penetration of technology in higher education delivery.
- The shift toward free community college and its effect on race and class tracking in postsecondary education.
- The policy shift toward labor market transparency for all degreed programs and accountability for economic outcomes as postsecondary training programs expand.
