What does it take to ensure that college truly opens doors to opportunity? This in-person event will explore the findings from Precarious prospects: Education pays, yet socioeconomic disparities persist in Illinois students’ later earning, highlighting the importance of college completion and the pathways from degree to career. This new research from Illinois Workforce and Education Research Collaborative (IWERC) and the UChicago Consortium on School Research shows that higher education boosts earnings for Illinois students across income levels—but wage gaps remain between those from lower- and higher-income families.

We’ll showcase promising initiatives, examine where progress has been made, and discuss the work still ahead.

Program Highlights

• Brief research presentation by Sarah Cashdollar from IWERC and co-author of the Precarious Prospects report
• Panel discussion moderated by Robin Steans from Advance Illinois, featuring leaders from two- and four-year colleges, nonprofit organizations, and research institutions.

Read the report: Precarious Prospects: Education pays, yet socioeconomic disparities persist in Illinois students’ later earnings

Panelists

Sarah Cashdollar,  Co-author of the Precarious Prospects Report, IWERC

Aarti Dhupelia, CEO, One Million Degrees

Jen Juarez, Director of Higher Education Policy, Latino Policy Forum

Jenny Nagaoka, Deputy Director, UChicago Consortium on School Research

Melissa Kisubika, Project Manager for Student Success, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

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