David Altstadt

Associate Director

David Altstadt is a director in JFF’s Policy & Advocacy unit. He develops nonpartisan policy solutions and cultivates partnerships with policymakers, practitioners, and advocates to influence the direction of national and state policies governing education, workforce development, and poverty alleviation programs.

His responsibilities include writing policy reports and convening the Policy Leadership Trust, which draws on the expertise of community college leaders to develop practice-informed policies. He has also contributed to the Big Blur and other major JFF initiatives and served as the executive producer of JFF’s When Policy Meets Practice podcast.

Before joining JFF full time, David worked as a consultant for JFF, the Aspen Institute, and the Working Poor Families Project, conducting research and providing policy analysis on postsecondary and workforce development initiatives.

He has also managed community-based workforce development projects, including his local community’s annual career expo. Earlier in his career, he was a senior research associate with Community Research Partners, manager of the Ohio Workforce Coalition, and a journalist with the Employment & Training Reporter, among other publications.

David has served on the boards of directors of several nonprofit organizations in his home state of Vermont, including a homeless shelter, an adult literacy organization, and a regional economic development initiative.

He says he was drawn to JFF because of the organization’s commitment to economic advancement for all, and because it offers a unique opportunity to develop policy recommendations that are grounded in practitioner-informed insights.

David holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University and a master’s in liberal studies with a concentration in social and public policy from Georgetown University.

A father of two school-age children, he enjoys playing basketball and the drums, and hiking, bike-riding, and kayaking in and around his hometown of Brattleboro, Vermont.

In the biweekly series When Policy Meets Practice, veteran higher-ed journalist Paul Fain talks with community college leaders and JFF experts to discuss policies the country needs to drive innovation and economic impact.

Community college and workforce development leaders share bold actions and policy recommendations in the latest episode of JFF’s policy podcast.

Driven by economic and educational imperatives, public policymakers, higher education leaders, and philanthropic and advocacy groups are mobilizing aggressive national and state campaigns to bolster college completion.

Community college leaders discuss how they became convinced that a focus on non-degree programs, like stackable credentials, is essential for closing equity gaps on their campuses.

States are recognizing that a critical next step in increasing community college completion rates is building support among faculty for reform efforts. This publication highlights three key ways that states can help institutions deepen the engagement of adjunct and full-time faculty in reforms.

The vast majority of community college students do not continue their studies at four-year colleges. JFF convened higher education leaders and researchers to explore state-level policy strategies that would enhance student progression.

This paper discusses new technologies that can provide a more accurate, real-time look at local employers' hiring and skill needs, which would in turn inform the course offerings at community colleges.

The emphasis in the papers on metrics, money, and systems integration reflects the collective vision of JFF’s Policy Leadership Trust for Student Success on the appropriate role of policy in catalyzing change among systems and institutions without mandating prescriptive models. JFF commissioned the series to stimulate discussion and consideration among practitioners and policy influencers, alike.

The financial worries of today’s community college students reach far beyond tuition. To increase individual success, state policymakers and college leaders must broaden the financial help they offer.

Over the past three years, the six states in the Developmental Education Initiative have developed and enacted unprecedented changes in policy and practice to ensure developmental education students earn credentials.

JFF research finds that states have made progress in adopting several essential policy elements, but critical gaps remain that are undercutting talent development aims and contributing to persistent disparities in education and employment outcomes.

This select group of education leaders lets experience be their guide in developing state and federal policies that help students attain credentials for greater success in the labor market.

This legislative session, state policymakers should focus on growing a skilled workforce that meets employer needs. JFF’s new policy analysis offers a roadmap to help states make college work better—for students and the economy.

Focusing on the crucial role of two-year community and technical colleges, the goal of this policy agenda is to make pursuit of postsecondary credentials simpler, faster, and more affordable. We call on states to strengthen alignment with K-12 education, higher education, employers, workforce development systems, and human services as they pursue strategies emphasizing talent development, efficient pathways, and student potential.

With a spike in demand for medical care, state health care and education officials must ensure that emerging talent doesn’t sit on the sidelines.

This report brings together the experience and lessons of this six-year, $15.8 million initiative Jobs to Careers , sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in collaboration with the Hitachi Foundation and the U.S. Department of Labor. The report a

An equitable economic recovery requires bold policy change, and soon.

JFF urges policymakers to envision an equitable economic recovery from COVID-19. It must ensure systemic transformation, foster community revitalization, and provide individuals from all backgrounds with career and educational opportunities, as well as the support they need to succeed. To realize that vision, JFF has created this policy framework for Equitable Economic Recovery, which includes a set of three policy pillars and four guiding principles that provide a road map for how the country can deliver on the promise of economic advancement for all.

This tool was co-created with input from Building Equitable Pathways Community of Practice members, to support their own and others’ policy work.

JFF and the Building Equitable Pathways (BEP) Policy and Advocacy strand created an assessment tool for use by the BEP community of practice and broader field to review existing and proposed policies of their state’s legislative and governing entities to determine the extent to which their state policy environment aligns to the framework and, thus, provides conducive conditions for building equitable pathways.

This brief offers policy-based solutions and examples that can support greater alignment and partnerships across K-12 and postsecondary education, promote scaling, and, ultimately, ensure that every young person has the support necessary for success.

A Policy Agenda to Promote Economic Advancement for People With Criminal Records

JFF spotlights a few of the most promising Big Blur-adjacent policies, as well as bills under consideration in the 2023 legislative sessions.

The policy recommendations and examples in this report aim to ensure that all young people have access to high-quality work-based learning experiences that will help them successfully transition from high school to college and career.

JFF’s policy team offers fresh ideas on education, poverty alleviation, and workforce issues that prepare students and workers for the jobs of the future and boost our nation's economy.

In response to historic inequities that have only been exacerbated during times of crisis, JFF urges policymakers to think about COVID-19 recovery differently. This recovery must be equitable, with a vision that ensures systemic transformation, fosters community revitalization, and provides individuals from all backgrounds with career and educational opportunities, as well as the supports they need to succeed. JFF invites policymakers, business and civic leaders, and their community partners to use this Road Map to guide their states’ recoveries from the pandemic-induced downturn and to establish a longer-term vision for resilient, diversified, and inclusive economies for a better and brighter tomorrow.

With the country seeking a path to recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the economic crisis it caused, JFF calls on the Biden administration to work toward three goals: helping all people rebound and advance, revitalizing regional economies in an inclusive manner, and redesigning education and workforce development systems.

Impact Story

The Big Blur

Design

Invest

Scale

Influence

An argument for erasing the boundaries between high school, college, and careers, and creating one new system that works for everyone.

A Conversation with an Adult Education Director: Ensuring Student Success through Guided Pathways

This is the first in a series of periodic conversations with members of the Policy Leadership Trust for Student Success. Featured in this piece is Jon Kerr, Washington State's director for Basic Education for Adults and JFF Policy Leadership Trust member.