Brenda Brooks dropped out of college 40 years ago. Federal rules mean she can’t afford to go back.
Lately, Englewood native Brenda Brooks has had a tough time finding work. The 60-year-old has decades of experience at CVS and the historic Regal Theater in Avalon Park. But recently, prospective employers have told her, “ ‘You have the qualifications...
News
Our news, editorial, and analysis on federal policy surrounding higher education’s most pressing issues.
Press
Outdoor Wi-Fi Expands Access for College Students
Source: EdTech
Social distancing guidelines highlight a new role for outdoor connectivity on higher education campuses. “Students without internet or with poor connections may be unable to complete assignments or join synchronous discussions,” says Emily Bouck West, deputy executive director at the nonprofit Higher Learning Advocates. Enhanced Wi-Fi accessibi...
Press
IHEP and 128 Organizations Call on Congress to Include the College Transparency Act in a Year-End Agreement
Source: Insurance News Net
Higher Learning Advocates and 128 members and partners have asked Congressional leadership to include the bipartisan, bicameral College Transparency Act (S.800/H.R. 1766) in any year-end agreement, including appropriations legislation. Read the full piece here.
Press
Low-Income Community College Students Most Likely to Cancel Plans
Source: Inside Higher Ed
Julie Peller, executive director of Higher Learning Advocates, said, “It just puts data behind what we all know: lower-income, working adults and student parents are being hit hardest and are needing to make difficult choices to stop or drop out of college during this pandemic in ways that some of their peers are not.” Read…
Press
What to expect in the lame duck
Source: Politico
Higher Learning Advocates, a bipartisan policy organization, and other groups, are urging Biden to pick an Education secretary “who holds both classroom experience and higher education experience” — a role that’s often been held by someone with more K-12 education focus. Read the full piece here.
Press
Columbia may look whiter and wealthier next year. Here’s why.
Source: Columbia Spectator
Julie Peller, executive director of Higher Learning Advocates, told the Hechinger Report that the FAFSA application is often the first step students take when applying to college. FAFSA applications are strong predictors of student enrollment, particularly for low-income students who depend on the FAFSA to pay for college. Read the full piece here....
Higher learning for a higher purpose: Fighting inequality in the ‘human work’ era
COVID-19 has upended the global economy with astonishing speed and severity. Millions have had their work environments drastically changed, or even worse, now find themselves without work and with few options. In contrast to past recessions, certain industries are bearing the brunt of the damage. Sadly, they happen to be ones that offer employment ...
Press
A worrying trend this fall: decline in FAFSA applications
Source: The Hechinger Report
For the 2021-2022 school year, the FAFSA application cycle that opened on Oct. 1 ends on June 30. Submitting a FAFSA early has its benefits, while waiting to submit can have long-lasting consequences. “State aid – and many states rely on FAFSA completion – is a lot of times first come, first served, even for…
Building a Packet for Success
Back to school shopping should be an exciting time for many children and parents. Yet, for families that have to decide between a pack of binders or a pack of diapers for the week, it can be an extremely stressful time. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of what back to school shopping looks like. Forget…
Op-eds
The Hill: Congress should help college students bridge the digital divide
Emily Bouck West and Wesley Whistle discuss the issues students face when they do not have access to reliable and affordable WiFi and laptops. Students often suffer setbacks in learning because they can’t access or complete coursework at home. Read the full piece here.
Fall 2020: A Senior In The Making, A Mother Soon Breaking
I, like the rest of nearly four million student parents, am already juggling a million different tasks all at once. Student parents juggle ever so carefully because we have perfectly balanced everything out. However, in March, those carefully balanced tasks were all thrown out of balance and we were tasked with yet another hundred things…
Reimagining Higher Ed for Equity and Student Parent Success
“Was higher ed designed for minority students?” A student asked this question during a Temple University “Sociology of Education” class I spoke to this fall about parenting college students. My answer? “No.” The first college in the United States, Harvard University (then Harvard College), was founded in 1636, and its legacy and...
Time to Innovate: How We Can Harness an Unprecedented Moment in Higher Education to Better Serve Student Parents
Before the COVID-19 pandemic upturned how all of us work and learn, nearly four million student parents—more than a fifth of the entire U.S. undergraduate student population—faced near-impossible demands on their time and resources as they worked to juggle school and child care. Life before the pandemic was not working for most student parents....