How the pandemic puts for-profits at a competitive advantage

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Dear reader,

The coronavirus pandemic has been nothing short of disastrous for many colleges, but some higher education institutions view it as an opportunity. Online for-profit schools are stepping up their marketing and trying to boost enrollment amid the chaos – although few of these institutions have track records to justify their advertising pitches. “Some have put students deeply in debt while routinely posting dismal graduation rates, amid a history of investigations by state and federal agencies,” write my Hechinger colleagues in a piece co-published in The New York Times.

In many other ways, the virus continues to take a toll. Quarantined middle schoolers are struggling in isolation. Students everywhere are getting a glimpse of what it’s like when schools close forever, a phenomenon that disproportionately harms Black and Brown students, columnist Andre Perry tells us. And even with campuses closed, students are demanding that colleges and universities go beyond simply issuing statements condemning police killings of Black Americans – they want action. Thoughts? Ideas? We love to hear from you.

Liz Willen, Editor

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Main Idea

Could the online, for-profit college industry be “a winner in this crisis”?

For-profit colleges already spend vastly more on advertising and promotion to attract students than their nonprofit and private peers do; now they are ramping up that spending to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic and boost enrollment.

Reading List

Students sick of ‘lip service’ from universities over racism

In the wake of the George Floyd killing and widespread protests, many college presidents issued statements opposing racism and police brutality and expressing support for Black students. Many students perceived the statements as lip service; they argue that action is more important than words.

Middle school is often difficult. Try experiencing it under quarantine.

In early adolescence, kids are forming their identities, learning rapidly and building lots of friendships. That’s why the pandemic has been particularly disruptive for this age group.

Khan Academy plunged into classrooms, then classrooms went online

Khan Academy, a nonprofit online learning platform, began working with Las Vegas-area schools this school year. Now, the experiment continues from home.

Breonna Taylor was shot by police in a city held up as a beacon of racial progress

What it would take to root out racism in Louisville, a place that’s tried to do better for decades?

COLUMN: Now imagine if your school closed for good

Coronavirus school closures give us a glimpse into the experience of tens of thousands of families in urban neighborhoods where schools shuttered permanently.

Solutions

"Face Masks, Temperature Checks: The New Reality For Summer School Students," Honolulu Civil Beat

"Teaching during a pandemic: Island educators use innovative methods to keep students engaged," Staten Island Advance

This week’s solutions section came from SolutionsU powered by Solutions Journalism Network and their database of solutions journalism. Search for more solutions.

👋 Contact Sarah Garland at garland@hechingerreport.org to give feedback on The Hechinger Report’s newsletters. Did you know we produce newsletters on early childhood, education research, the future of learning, higher education and the state of Mississippi? And it helps us if you recommend our newsletters to a friend.

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