Cuts at Community Colleges

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USA Today, 3/20/12

Summary:

News coverage of recent moves by community colleges in several areas of the country to reduce costs by cutting programs. Some of these programs are popular and many directly impact adult learners. The cuts come as states slash funding for the schools even as the Obama administration calls on them to increase degree production and training for displaced workers.

Slower Growth For-Profits

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Inside Higher Ed, 3/20/12

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News coverage of Rasmussen College, a smaller private sector school that remained out of the news and continued growing, "increasing enrollment to a total headcount of 15,600 from 9,500 three years ago," during the recent recession. This same recession led to reduced enrollments at the more visible and larger companies such as Apollo Group, Education Management Corporation, and Kaplan.

The Higher Education Monopoly is Ending

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The New Republic, 3/13/12

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In this commentary, Kevin Carey of the thinktank Education Sector argues that we are now seeing the first cracks in the long-standing monopoly on providing higher education credentials. Carey points to initiatives such as Udacity and StraighterLine as potentially "disruptive innovations" that change the face of higher education.

Public Colleges Cut Vital Programs

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New York Times, 3/1/12

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The article reviews problems at public technical colleges and universities related to declining state funding. Many of these schools are closing or restricting programs in technical, engineering and health care disciplnes even as these are some of the few areas with good employment prospects.

For-profit Growth Caused by Reduction of Public Funding

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Center for Studies in Higher Education, February 2012

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Abstract of a new research report on the correlation between declining levels of public funding for public colleges and universities and the increase in private-sector options. The author concludes, "the future tertiary market will not be the result of a well thought out policy at the national or state levels, but a quasi-free market result that will foster lower quality providers and fail to meet national goals for increasing the educational attainment level of Americans."

New Report on Private Sector Colleges

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New York Times, 2/24/12

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Column covering a new report from two economists focusing on the hidden majority of private-sector colleges: those that do not receive Title IV aid. While these schools are typically much smaller than their more well-known cousins, the authors found "there is significant overlap in the types of non-degree programs offered at non-Title IV and Title IV for-profit institutions." In addition, "We find that the Title IV institutions charge tuition that is about 75 percent higher than that charged by comparable institutions whose students cannot apply for federal financial aid."

Durbin Calls on HLC for "Careful Review" of University of Phoenix

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Bloomberg Businessweek, 2/22/12

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News regarding a letter sent by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to Sylvia Manning, president of the Higher Learning Commission as the accreditor embarks on its ten-year evaluation of the University of Phoenix.

Department of Education Mystery Shoppers

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The Washington Times, 2/15/12

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News article covering discovery that the Department of Education has engaged mystery shoppers to help the Department "identify misrepresentation and fraud."

Racial Gaps in California Transfers

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The Civil Rights Project, UCLA, 2/14/12

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Based on three reports, the CRP calls for changes to Calfironia's community college system. The central problem: "Almost 75% of all Latino and two-thirds of all Black students who go on to higher education in California go to a community college, yet in 2010 only 20% of all transfers to four-year institutions were Latino or African American." A small number of community colleges that serve white and asian audiences account for most of the state's transfers to four-year universities.  

HELP Committee Hearing on Affordability

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US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, 2/2/12

Summary:

Hearing on Innovations in College Affordability includes testimony from Kevin Carey, Education Policy Director, Education Sector and Dr. Carol Quillen , President of Davidson College. Davidson offers "no loan" financial aid packages to meet demonstrated need.

Report on Increasing Four-year Graduation Rate in Texas

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University of Texas Task Force on Undergraduate Graduation Rates, February 2012

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Report of reseach conducted by the task force on ways, both simple and innovative, to increase the four-year graduation rate 20 points to 70%.

Exchange on Higher Education Quality

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Inside Higher Ed, 2/16/12

Summary:

Discussion between Michael Clifford and Bob Shireman and moderated by Ariel Sokol that covers some of the key areas of disagreement regarding private-sector higher education.

Debate Over Clock Hours in Texas

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Inside Higher Ed, 2/7/12

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Article covers the opposition from APSCU and the Texas Workforce Commission to the US Department of Education's new clock hour requirements. The groups expressed this opposition in a letter to the department outlining problems with a broad interpretation of the regulation.

California Boots For-profits from Cal Grant Program

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San Francisco Chronicle, 2/6/12

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News coverage of a California law that ties institutional participation in an important state aid program. While no public schools were affected by the law, "40 percent of California's 'private career colleges' do. Of 165 such campuses in this state, 67 have three-year default rates of at least 24.6 percent, the legal cutoff."

Department of Education Admits Flawed Data

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Inside Higher Education, 1/15/12

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In a December court filing in the legal challenge brought by APSCU, the Departement "acknowledged using flawed data in a study on the impact of race on student loan repayment rates, having omitted black students from its calculation." The exclusion led the Department to conclude that the "racial composition of students was not a statistically significant contributor to how an institution stacks up on loan repayments."

What do Students Pay for College?

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National Center for Education Statistics, January 2012

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A report based on IPEDS data. "These Web Tables present information on the extent to which the average net price of attendance varies by control and level of institution for both the grant recipient group and the Title IV aid recipient group, and by income levels for the Title IV aid recipient group."

Subbaccalaureate Students Labor Market Experience

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National Center for Educational Statistics, January 2012

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"This set of Web Tables presents descriptive statistics on the spring 2009 labor market experiences of subbaccalaureate students who first entered postsecondary education in 2003–04."

College Report Cards

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The Atlantic Monthly, 1/17/12

Summary:

Commentary on the lack of useful information available to consumers about colleges and universities and the consequences of this lack. The author argues that focusing on issues not directly relevant to excellent undergraduate teaching is the result of a lack of consumer information. This paucity of information also contributes to the rising cost of college.

Inconvenient Truths

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Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/17/12

Summary:

Commentary by Richard Vedder highlighting 12 of the shortcomings evident in American higher education. Vedder focuses on traditional institutions in his comments. The shortcomings include: 

"Most Students Do Not Graduate on Time"

"Colleges Hide (or Don’t Collect) Vital Consumer Information"

"Colleges Are Run to Benefit Staff Often More Than Students"

Criticism for Romney's Support of For-profit Schools

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Boston Globe, 1/15/12

Summary:

Article summarizing arguments against the support Romney offered to Full Sail University. The criticism focuses on Romney's comments that these schools "hold down the cost" of higher education and do not saddle students with debt. Many statistics indicate that schools like Full Sail are not cheaper to students than other schools and that debt loads among for-profit students are greater than those of not-for-profit students.