En una colaboración sin precedentes, los Colegios y Universidades Independientes de Florida se han asociado con la Asociación de Colegios y Universidades Privadas de Puerto Rico para crear nuevas oportunidades educativas y abordar la escasez crítica de fuerza laboral en ambos lugares.

Se cree que este acuerdo innovador es el primero de su tipo entre asociaciones educativas sin fines de lucro en el país para ayudar a fomentar el éxito de los estudiantes, la innovación y el desarrollo comunitario.

Carmen Sivadas Lago, de la asociación en Puerto Rico, dice que para los estudiantes, la asociación significa la oportunidad de sumergirse en campos como la enfermería, la enseñanza y la investigación, abordando necesidades del mundo real en sus comunidades mientras obtienen la experiencia de estudiar en una cultura diferente.

"Oferta académica e investigaciones y publicaciones, y los estudiantes pueden involucrarse en publicaciones en Puerto Rico y Florida al mismo tiempo, de una sola vez. El cielo es el límite. Es fantástico lo que podemos lograr con este tipo de acuerdo," expresó Lago.

Ambas organizaciones, que forman parte de la Asociación Nacional de Colegios y Universidades Independientes, representan colegios y universidades privadas e independientes dentro de sus regiones. Ahora, los estudiantes pueden obtener títulos que de otro modo estarían fuera de su alcance y acceder a programas especializados, como dobles títulos en ciencias de la salud o enseñanza. El objetivo es ayudar a impulsar la oportunidad de resolver las necesidades de fuerza laboral en ambas regiones.

Bob Boyd es presidente y director ejecutivo de Colegios y Universidades Independientes de Florida. Considera que el acuerdo es un testimonio de la adaptabilidad y capacidad de respuesta de las instituciones privadas para satisfacer las nuevas demandas.

"Una de las cosas que nos gusta decir sobre nuestro sector es que somos ágiles y podemos evolucionar rápidamente para abordar la escasez de mano de obra y no estamos pidiendo ninguna contribución al estado. Todo esto ayudará a los estudiantes y a nuestras instituciones, por lo que podemos hacerlo aprovechando el sector privado y el no privado," aseguró también Boyd.

La asociación entre las dos organizaciones coincide con la reciente adopción por parte de la Legislatura de Florida de una resolución estatal que reconoce noviembre como el "Mes de la Herencia Puertorriqueña", a partir de este año. La resolución tiene como objetivo celebrar la vibrante comunidad puertorriqueña de Florida, que asciende a casi 1.2 millones, y sus contribuciones a la identidad compartida y el sentido de unidad del estado.

Apoyo para esta historia fue proporcionado por la Fundación Lumina.


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School funding is ranked as the top education priority in a spring survey of 850 Marion County voters by the education organization RISE Indy.

With 73% of Indianapolis' public school students in grades 3-8 reading below grade level, respondents indicated they want stronger schools and believe policymakers are the gatekeepers for improvement. RISE Indy specializes in closing the academic achievement gap for historically marginalized communities.

Jasmine Jackson, chief of staff for the group, said a child's access to a good school should not be determined by income, networking or their ability to get to a "certain" school.

"The political work allows us to support education champions and keep them honest and accountable," Jackson explained. "Our policy work allows us to work with elected officials to promote kids. And our programmatic work allows us to train them through literacy, through board governance."

U.S. News and World Report said almost 38% of students in Indianapolis public schools are Black, slightly more than 36% are Hispanic and 21% are white.

Among survey respondents, 33% ranked school transportation as a top priority. Parents want the Indianapolis Local Education Alliance, a group created by the Indiana General Assembly to manage public education, to also address transportation challenges.

Jackson believes not just access but school choice should not sway the alliance's decisions.

"Voters desire one system that addresses transportation for all Indianapolis students, regardless of whether they're in IPs or public charter schools," Jackson emphasized. "We need a combined transportation system that is efficient, safe, students are not on the bus for over an hour one way to school."

According to the poll, 83% of respondents support a combined transportation system to streamline operations, reduce costs and improve service reliability. The Indianapolis Public Schools website indicates its school buses cover approximately 20,000 miles per school year.


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Panic has set in at school districts across the Golden State as the Trump administration continues to withhold federal funds.

Tony Thurmond, state superintendent of public instruction, said California school districts stand to immediately lose close to $1 billion.

Luis Valentino, retired superintendent of Coachella Valley Unified School District and host of the podcast "District Leader: Transforming Education," said unless it is resolved quickly, schools will be forced to cut back or even eliminate programs.

"Without timely allocation tables from the United States Department of Education, states will be left uncertain, making it challenging to prepare for the 2025-26 school year," Valentino explained. "School districts, especially those in high-poverty and rural areas, will be left scrambling."

Last week the Department of Education notified schools across the country five grant programs are now "under review" to determine if they align with administration priorities. In a statement to Real Clear Politics, the Office of Management and Budget said "initial findings have shown that many of these grant programs have been grossly misused to subsidize a radical left-wing agenda." The grants in question fund summer learning, teacher professional development and after-school programs. They also fund English language classes and support for children of migrants.

The grants are usually distributed on July 1. Valentino warned there will be far-reaching consequences if the congressionally-approved funding is not restored.

"Migrant children, English language learners and those in low-performing schools stand to lose vital support that helps them meet academic benchmarks," Valentino pointed out. "This decision will only exacerbate existing educational inequities across each state."

Programs already underway this summer are now in limbo. In a statement, the head of the Boys and Girls Clubs said without the promised funding, more than 900 sites nationwide serving 220,000 kids could be forced to shut their doors, taking almost 6,000 jobs with them.


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The Arkansas Space Grant Consortium at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will use an $800,000 NASA grant to train students in STEM education and aerospace research.

Across the state, 18 colleges and universities are part of the consortium.

Constance Meadors, director of the consortium, said the program trains students to work for NASA as well as preparing them to work in the local aerospace industry.

"We really focus on workforce development, skills development and training," Meadors outlined. "We look to see how we can meet the needs of NASA, but also our goal is to meet the needs of the State of Arkansas as it relates to aerospace or workforce development."

Currently, 10 Arkansas college students are participating in internships at NASA Centers.

Part of the grant money will be used to create portable planetarium programs at several of the affiliate campuses, including Southern Arkansas University and Henderson State University. Students will take the planetariums to schools and community events to introduce more people to space science education.

Meadors added a recent graduate of the consortium received a research position due to his experience in the program.

"Because of having Space Grant research and experience in rocketry, the company had bumped him up," Meadors reported. "We want to impact our local aerospace industry as well, because aerospace is the number 1 export in the State of Arkansas. And so, we want to have homegrown employees."

The consortium will hold its first NASA ASTRO Camp in Arkansas in the fall semester, to teach students and faculty members how to share space exploration with younger students.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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