Advocacy
Fighting For Students and Their Future Success
Decisions about higher education should be linked to students’ interests, passions and aptitudes. Higher education is far too expensive to be used as a time of discovery. Unfortunately, with nearly forty percent of students going on to higher education but failing to complete in six years, it is clear that many are making uninformed choices about their higher education journey, and are mired in debt as a result. American Student Assistance® (ASA) believes there is an opportunity to change that.
In our role as an advocate for students, ASA® is using its resources to evolve public opinion around higher education pathways. We believe that this approach will increase student success by better informing students of the choices in front of them, and help students avoid higher education missteps before they occur.
Read our blog about ASA’s History as an Advocate for Students.
For more information, contact Julie Lammers, VP Government Relations and Advocacy, at jryder@asa.org.
Our Advocacy Approach
ASA is supporting existing programs, changing public opinion and providing research or policy support to:
- Expand access to career exploration in middle school
- Increase state and federal funding for all post-secondary education
- Expand internships, apprenticeships, and experiential learning
Resources
Visit our Innovation page to read ASA’s primary research reports.
Best Practices for Engaging Middle Schoolers in Career Exploration
We’ve gathered some of our student advisors’ best practices and practical tips to help provide students with meaningful, engaging instruction to uncover skills and interests, and connect learning to the future workplace.
A Letter to Senator Jason Lewis, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education
Read how ASA is advocating for support of amendments to the education reform bill S.2350, An Act relative to education opportunity for students.
Legislative Briefing on Innovation Pathways
Watch our President and CEO’s opening remarks from the September Legislative Briefing on Innovation Pathways. To learn more about Innovation Pathways, watch our overview.
Trade Secrets: How to Navigate Apprenticeships in Massachusetts
This eBook was created as a resource for school counselors and parents to help students navigate the process of obtaining an apprenticeship in MA.
Reimagining Career Pathways: Podcast with EdTech Times
In 2018, ASA and EdTech Times, a digital media company sharing untold stories from the intersection of education, technology, innovation, and work, partnered to produce a six-part podcast series that explored how we as a society can rethink traditional education pathways to connect students today with the in-demand skills of the future at an early age.
The series, which was released in October and November 2018, featured 20-25-minute interviews with policymakers, researchers and education leaders from the K-12, higher education and workforce sectors.
Community Relations Impact Report
Presentation: How Mentoring Helps Students Make Successful Post-secondary Choices
Presentation: Exploring Earlier: Helping Students Discover Education and Career Opportunities at a Younger Age
Issue Briefs
Read our latest thinking on formulating policy to strengthen college and career preparedness, expand experiential learning and increase funding for all forms of post-secondary education.
Public Testimony
Based on our experience and research, ASA’s advocacy team regularly provides testimony to federal and state lawmakers as they debate important legislation around college and career preparedness, experiential learning and post-secondary education funding.
Massachusetts Workforce Skills Cabinet: Rosalin Acosta, Secretary, Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development, James Peyser, Secretary, Executive Office of Education, Jay Ash, Secretary, Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development
“ASA’s new mission directly supports the work we are doing through the Workforce Skills Cabinet to better align education and training systems to job growth and expansion in Massachusetts. Helping more kids make informed education and career decisions is at the heart of this work. We look forward to working with ASA to execute on their mission.”
Legislation We're Tracking
ASA works with government systems to support structural change that allows students to know themselves, know their options, and make informed choices about higher education and career. We closely monitor legislation at the federal and state level connected to the three pillars of our advocacy agenda: expand access to college and career exploration as early as middle school; increase state and federal funding for all forms of post-secondary education; and expand internships, apprenticeships, and experiential learning. Below you can find up-to-date information and track the progress of proposed legislation that meets this criteria.
