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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Sep 2

Two students. Same degree. Same cost. One doubles her income within 6 months. The other struggles to earn more than a high school graduate.

The difference? WHERE they went to school matters more than you think.

My new piece in Washington Monthly.

washingtonmonthly.com/2025/09/02/e...

50 States, 50 Opportunities for Economic Mobility

Economic mobility by state: where colleges deliver real ROI. Using data, we can see the programs that lift students into the middle class.

washingtonmonthly.com

Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Aug 5

Join us August 7 for a webinar with Inside Higher Ed on a groundbreaking ROI analysis of 327 California community and career colleges across 12 regions.

This nuanced view is a critical next step in our value & mobility research with College Futures.

👉 access.ihenow.com/golden-retur...

Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Jun 23

Most undergraduate students in the United States stay close to home – within just 17 miles – for college. And over 2/3 attend college within 50 miles of their house.

Report: ticas.org/wp-content/u...

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Reposted by Michael Itzkowitz

Ewa Obatuase @ewaspeaks.bsky.social · Jun 17

Great piece from @mitzkow.bsky.social on @hechingerreport.org on the need for publicly available highered data:
"Good data helps policymakers direct resources toward schools that drive economic impact, turning education dollars into long-term growth." #edusky hechingerreport.org/opinion-clam...

OPINION: Clamping down on good, publicly available higher education data will send our system into a dark spiral

Cuts to the Department of Education, including positions that involve data collection and analysis, threaten our domestic progress and could trigger a decline in the very qualities that have made Amer...

hechingerreport.org

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Reposted by Michael Itzkowitz

Georgetown CEW @georgetowncew.bsky.social · Jun 16

Important op-ed on the critical need for reliable publicly available data to measure college outcomes and track our progress.

"Now is not the time to stop measuring progress or to disinvest in our future."

Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Jun 16

The inability to measure and publish data on college outcomes weakens the U.S' global competitiveness, potentially triggering a decline in the very qualities that have made American higher education the envy of the world.

New op-ed from me @hechingerreport.org.
hechingerreport.org/opinion-clam...

OPINION: Clamping down on good, publicly available higher education data will send our system into a dark spiral

Cuts to the Department of Education, including positions that involve data collection and analysis, threaten our domestic progress and could trigger a decline in the very qualities that have made Amer...

hechingerreport.org

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Jun 16

The inability to measure and publish data on college outcomes weakens the U.S' global competitiveness, potentially triggering a decline in the very qualities that have made American higher education the envy of the world.

New op-ed from me @hechingerreport.org.
hechingerreport.org/opinion-clam...

OPINION: Clamping down on good, publicly available higher education data will send our system into a dark spiral

Cuts to the Department of Education, including positions that involve data collection and analysis, threaten our domestic progress and could trigger a decline in the very qualities that have made Amer...

hechingerreport.org

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Reposted by Michael Itzkowitz

Liz Willen @lizhech.bsky.social · Jun 16

OPINION: The inability to measure and publish data on college outcomes weakens the ability of the U.S. to maintain its global position as a leader in higher education: hechingerreport.org/opinion-clam... via @mitzkow.bsky.social

OPINION: Clamping down on good, publicly available higher education data will send our system into a dark spiral

Cuts to the Department of Education, including positions that involve data collection and analysis, threaten our domestic progress and could trigger a decline in the very qualities that have made Amer...

hechingerreport.org

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Jun 5

I'm wondering if the time and attention spent by the Administration on Harvard and Columbia may better allocated toward postsecondary education and success for students who attend other institutions.

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Apr 15

And for some reason I thought we were supposed to be against the gov trying to control our schools.

I’m not always the biggest fan of the Ivy Leagues, but it takes a lot of political will to push back, and it’s important to see @Harvard do just that.

www.nytimes.com/2025/04/14/u...

Trump Administration Will Freeze $2 Billion After Harvard Refuses Demands

Federal officials said they would freeze the money after Harvard said it would not submit to requests to overhaul hiring and report international students who break rules.

www.nytimes.com

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 27

It's also not lost that the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) and NCES, the Department's main source for educational research and statistics, had over 30 million annual visits. These offices housed within ED have been stripped of most of their operating staff within the last month. 2/2

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 27

Over the past year, the Education Department's College Scorecard had over two million visits.

It serves as a critical source of information for students and families in determining where they can get the best bang for their educational buck. 1/2

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 18

“The Department was arguably the most efficient government agency.

With 4,200 employees in 2024, it was the smallest cabinet agency by roughly a factor of two. Yet its annual $79 billion appropriation was the fourth largest…”

www.slowboring.com/p/what-the-d...

What the Department of Education actually does

America’s least understood and most efficient agency, explained

www.slowboring.com

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Reposted by Michael Itzkowitz

College Futures Foundation @collegefutures.bsky.social · Mar 12

Preparing Californians for the future of work is an economic imperative. Eloy Ortiz Oakley, president & CEO of College Futures Foundation, shares more about the opportunities ahead: buff.ly/mr6990l.

#TheRant #CAMobilityIndex #EconomicMobility

✂️ The Opportunity for the Ecosystem

59 seconds · Clipped by College Futures Foundation · Original video "Navigating the Next Four Years with Michael Itzkowitz" by Eloy Oakley

youtube.com

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 3

I guess everyone likes to think they are getting a deal, but this can be really discouraging for low- and moderate-income students who could also consider such options if they knew it could be affordable in the first place. 3/END

Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 3

But then, "For you, we're going to give you a tremendous deal in order to attend. In fact, we're going to knock off $50,000 per year, which is crazy, because we are very expensive and very high quality. However, you are extremely special." 2/3

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Mar 3

Many of today's private institutions have really mastered the art of discounting. Essentially, they first say "Look at how much we actually cost! We are really expensive, so we must be super high quality!"...1/3

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Feb 20

For more information on the CMI initiative, please visit our website. You can also view our coverage in today's @latimes.com. 5/5

www.latimes.com/california/s...

When it comes to elevating livelihoods, a CSU degree is tops in California, study says

A ranking of California colleges based on economic mobility for low- and moderate-income students puts institutions such as UCLA and Stanford outside the top 25.

www.latimes.com

Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Feb 20

We believe the CMI will spark meaningful conversations about how institutions can better serve as catalysts for economic mobility, particularly for historically underserved populations. We look forward to engaging with you on this important work and welcome your feedback. 4/5

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Feb 20

The CMI encompasses 82 four-year institutions across California, collectively serving nearly 800,000 undergraduate students. By focusing on both access and outcomes, we’re aiming to highlight institutions that truly deliver as an engine of economic mobility. 3/5

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Feb 20

While traditional college rankings often emphasize selectivity metrics like standardized test scores, the CMI takes a fundamentally different approach. It evaluates institutions based on two critical factors: 1) the enrollment and 2) ROI of low- and moderate-income students. 2/5

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Michael Itzkowitz @mitzkow.bsky.social · Feb 20

I’m excited to share news about our latest collaboration with College Futures Foundation: the launch of the California Mobility Index, a groundbreaking new ranking system for four-year institutions that reimagines how we measure higher education success. 1/5

collegefutures.org/california-m...

4-Year California Mobility Index - College Futures Foundation