From public good to personal pursuit: Historical roots of the student debt crisis

Goodwin College: Inspiring a Call for Community-Based Education

Reimagining the educational model, Connecticut’s Goodwin College is becoming a major force in its community.

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By Mark Scheinberg

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When Goodwin College outgrew its previous campus and moved to its present location in East Hartford, Connecticut, we committed philosophically to creating something new to our region: a community-based educational organization that would become a vital part of the daily life of our hometown. While the transformation had already begun from our origins as the for-profit Data Institute to a college that could truly have an impact on our region, we knew we had to make the most of this moment. We understood that it would be a unique concept here in the “land of steady habits,” but what would self-defining as community-based really mean?

To our thinking, it would be a state of consciousness steering us in more unusual directions than the expected town-gown relationship. The local impact that colleges and universities traditionally have—either from sharing resources or exerting economic power—only scratches the surface of what any higher education institution, regardless of size, can do to improve its community.

We imagined ourselves in this community-based role, then got on with building a modern campus that would provide hard-working students with needed supports and energize surrounding neighborhoods with renewed town pride—and accomplish it all with authenticity and thoughtfulness.

Today, when travelers along Connecticut’s Route 2 pass through East Hartford and gaze west toward the Connecticut River, they see Goodwin College’s main academic building, our two magnet high schools and elementary school, our Business and Manufacturing Center, and our beautiful Riverside Drive campus welcoming visitors to the riverfront. Longtime area residents often react with surprise and ask, “When did all that get there?” To be honest, our College has developed so rapidly that, even as president, I sometimes ask myself the same question.

I believe it’s in our DNA to do things differently at Goodwin. Beginning as a small business technology training center and keeping the needs of our students and potential for future development in mind, we grew into Goodwin College: a career-focused, nonprofit, degree-granting educational institution that sought to be an economic contributor to Connecticut, graduating well-trained professionals ready to enter the workforce. We spoke to employers about their greatest needs among new hires and designed our certificate and degree programs accordingly.

As Goodwin College began to take shape, two main concerns emerged: one centered on our students, the other focused on our hometown of East Hartford. We took it to heart to do the best we could to address both the academic and economic issues in a holistic manner.

Serving Students Without Stigmatizing Need

We saw our students struggle with challenges that could derail them from their planned studies. Many worked full time or had young children—currently, 81 percent of our students are women. A great many were first-generation college students with families that didn’t always understand their desire to advance their education.

At our new employee orientations, Dan Noonan, our vice president for enrollment, marketing, and communications, always observes: “The students we serve are our inspiration. The challenges many of them face in pursuing their education are daunting, and that is never far from the minds of our faculty and staff. We understand that it is an honor to serve them.” We never forget that economically challenged students have pride, a core belief in our school community. We provide our support services without stigmatizing need.

Goodwin opened its food bank years ago, as have a number of colleges. In addition, we empower our financial aid advisors to help students understand their eligibility for food stamps and energy assistance. Local organic farmers are encouraged to use our undevelopable land in exchange for produce equal to typical rental fees. Bushels of this fresh produce are available in our lobby along with nutritional recipes for students to pick up through our Fresh Food Initiative.

Individuals who are receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits and have a high school diploma or GED are eligible to enroll in our SNAP Employment and Training Program at no cost. They are able to strengthen their skills and improve their opportunities for employment as office support staff, security and administrative professionals, human services assistants, bookkeeping clerks and basic CNC operators.

The list of support services continues to grow. Our diaper bank keeps our young mothers from choosing between diapers and food while trying to concentrate on their studies. On-campus early Head Start programs and magnet schools earmark a number of spaces for the children of Goodwin students.

Some may see this comprehensive support as creating dependency. In reality, we increase the chances that they will see their education through to completion and step away from dependency.

The Town We Call Home

As we grew, we saw the town that we loved struggling to regain its identity as a business and industry leader. Our neighbors, United Technologies Corporation’s Pratt & Whitney and Coca-Cola, were still active employers, but much of downtown had seen better days after years of challenges.

For decades, the East Hartford community had been cut off from the river by oil tanks that contaminated rich land that once served as farms and tobacco fields. Most of the properties along Riverside Drive were abandoned and tax delinquent. One of our first priorities had to be making our new campus something the entire town could celebrate.

Fast forward to today. Thanks to funding from federal, state and local environmental agencies, along with our own resources, Goodwin College has reclaimed and amazingly transformed these former brownfield sites. Gone are the abandoned oil tanks that separated the town from the river. Thanks to innovative environmental cleanup methods, these previously contaminated properties have become a source of town pride. Now, first thing in the morning, you often see students arriving for class at the same time local senior citizens are strolling down to the river with their fishing poles.

Goodwin’s main academic building, which borders the Connecticut River and is exactly where most of the contaminated land and oil tanks were once located.

We understood that revitalizing the surrounding neighborhoods was critical to Goodwin’s success. What would we ultimately accomplish by putting up an intentionally and thoughtfully designed campus, only to have it surrounded by poorly maintained roads and less than desirable businesses? In a letter of support for a 2013 plan of conservation and development created by the Town of East Hartford, we stated that, “Goodwin College is fully committed to the long-term growth and vitality of the community in which it has chosen to grow its campus. Colleges play an important role by contributing to the economy, civic life, and environments of cities and towns by attracting human capital and boosting the skills of the workforce. In turn, the town and neighborhood support the colleges’ ability to function well by offering the public services and social and cultural amenities that add to the quality of life that helps to keep people and jobs in the area.”

To support the progress we’ve made, Goodwin has strategically acquired most of the property surrounding the campus. Understandably, this has raised more than a few eyebrows around town and among state legislators. People wonder what a college is doing buying up all this land. Isn’t that taking taxable properties off the town tax rolls?

In fact, Goodwin has voluntarily kept properties on the tax rolls. In addition, we have acquired a number of public properties that have been added to the tax rolls. Over time, Goodwin has become one of the largest taxpayers in town, second only to Pratt & Whitney. We also regularly put considerable resources into improving town facilities—many unrelated to the campus—as a sign that we are investing in an improved quality of life for our neighbors.

“There’s no denying that this end of town is simply a different East Hartford than it was only a few years ago,” said Todd Andrews, our vice president for economic and strategic development. “We do move fast, and we get things done, and naturally people wonder what’s behind it all. But we believe we are offering proof that all of us—our employees and the town residents—are part of something exciting and new. We’re bringing back a thriving town, we’re bettering the lives of our students through career-focused degrees, and we’re improving area businesses with better prepared employees.”

Committed to the Community

In the true spirit of our community, changes at Goodwin continue to come at a breath-taking pace—and I can’t see it working any other way. In another part of our letter of support for the town’s plan, we pointed out that local governments increasingly have recognized the importance of colleges and universities as anchor institutions in community development a paradigm that encourages partnerships among public, private and nonprofit sectors to solve local issues.

Almost anywhere you look in our town, you’ll see signs of Goodwin College’s presence. In our 60-plot community garden, members of the college and town communities—from our magnet school toddlers to local seniors—get to know each other by meeting, literally, on common ground. Our $10,000 homeowner incentive helps stabilize neighborhoods by encouraging employees to purchase homes in East Hartford. Our nursing students participate in clinical experiences in a number of area hospitals. Local residents take advantage of free services provided by the students in our outstanding dental hygiene clinic and vision care technology-training store. In some cases, our students bring these services out to community settings. A recent Intergenerational Students grant from the Council of Independent Colleges will allow our occupational therapy assistant and human services students to help address social isolation and related health risks among seniors at a local rehabilitation center.

Students in our sustainability-themed magnet high school are learning how modern manufacturing methods are addressing environmental stewardship. Thanks to our Early College programming, these area high school students can enroll at Goodwin having earned up to 30 tuition-free credits—their freshman year essentially completed at no cost to their families.

As of this writing, Goodwin College has recently received approval from the New England Association of Schools and Colleges to offer graduate programs, and we are currently recruiting the first candidates for our master’s degrees in nursing and in organizational leadership. We plan to welcome our first cohort of international students in the fall of 2017.

I can’t say that it’s easy for people to understand this college/elementary school/high school/economic driver/community-service organization. Overall though, I sense our special place in the community becoming stronger, more trusted and increasingly valued. And for a group of educational dreamers who set out with little more than optimism, that’s not too bad.

New From MDRC: Aligning Aid With Enrollment

Title: Aligning Aid with Enrollment

Author: Evan Weissman, Oscar Cerna, Dan Cullinan, and Amanda Baldiga

Source: MDRC

Financial aid continues to be a growing area of conversation in higher education. A new report by MDRC, Aligning Aid with Enrollment, explores if disbursing financial aid refunds biweekly helps students to cover expenses throughout the term by stretching financial aid dollars. Authors Evan Weissman, Oscar Cerna, Dan Cullinan and Amanda Baldiga are conducting a mixed methods study of biweekly disbursements at two community colleges in Houston. The final results will be published in 2018.

To read the full publication, please see MDRC’s website.

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How partnerships enriched the learning for Nairobi slum children

Eight years of research in low-income neighbourhoods of Nairobi have opened my eyes to the significant role of school, family and community partnerships. Not only are they crucial for student achievement, they can narrow the performance gap between children in high and low income settings.

My work in Nairobi confirms findings from research that stretches back over two decades in different contexts. For instance, renowned Harvard social analyst Lisbeth Schorr observed in her book that social programmes taken to scale resulted in the transformation of poor neighbourhoods and communities.

The positive results suggest that a host of positive outcomes can be achieved when communities partner with schools.

My research showed that forging a partnership between family, community and school enables parents to take part in the academic success of their children. Parents acquire knowledge, skills and confidence for better parenting. This in turn enables them to improve their economic lot and become better citizens.

The three-way partnerships also contribute to social capital. Social capital refers to relationships among and between different actors for the purpose of achieving a common good. Therefore, the partnership between family, community and schools improves the interconnections between the institutions. This in turn enriches the relationships between parents and their children for academic success.

Schools can also draw on resources external to them – the families and the community – to bridge any challenges they may face in the way of the children’s education.

As a result, parents are thrust to the centre of this relationship as a resource for the improvement of their children and the schools. Parents cease to be distant observers who are far removed from the education of their children. Families can draw from these new networks to enable their children to succeed in school.

My work over the past three years revolved around the practical application of this paradigm shift in two informal settlements in Nairobi under the “Improving Learning Outcomes” project. The two relatively poor urban settlements of Korogocho and Viwandani had poor learning outcomes at primary school level and low transition to secondary school.

A 2010 study in Nairobi put the transition rate from primary to secondary school in slum schools at 46%. The primary school completion among slum children stood at 76%. The transition rate compared poorly to the non-slum at an average of 72% transition and while 92% had completed primary school. Despite the introduction of free day secondary education in 2008 which was supposed to reduce the cost of schooling for low income groups, 27% of pupils still don’t make the transition to secondary school.

Understanding the reasons for this and designing interventions was a major part of our project.

Parental involvement

The positive association between the involvement of parents and student achievement has consistently been documented by scholars for some time now. Parental involvement includes communication with teachers and others working in a school, helping with school work at home and volunteering at school. Attending school events, such as parent-teacher meetings and conferences is also important.

Children of actively involved parents perform better in school, learn better and have stronger problem solving skills. They also attend school regularly, enjoy their schooling, and have fewer behavioural problems.

The main interventions during our research in Nairobi included:

• after school support with homework and mentoring in life skills,

• counselling for parents on active involvement in their children’s schooling, including support with homework. They were encouraged to limit household chores and educated on child labour,

• secondary school transition subsidies. This was a transition from primary to secondary school, and

• mentoring of students in leadership, a component that we added in the expansion phase.

We worked with community leaders to encourage a closer working relationship between the community, parents and the school. For instance, the community leaders encouraged parents to support their children’s education, particularly girls. This included encouraging a working relationship between girls their parents and teachers.

Parents believed that interacting with teachers was important because it helped reduce the probability of children becoming truant. They also counted on interaction with teachers to reduce instances of peer pressure.

The community leaders support for girls’ education persisted over the course of our three year work. This was particularly evident in their support to the parental component of the intervention. The community, built a supportive relationship on education and understanding the social change and peer pressure faced by the youth.

The result was improved learning outcomes, particularly in numeracy where girls recorded a 20 percentage point improvement in scores. There is also evidence that girls who participated in the programme had higher educational aspirations, with a substantial proportion of girls whose highest education aspiration was completing secondary school aspiring to acquire university education.

Transition to secondary school rates in Korogocho and Viwandani among the 2013 cohort of girls who participated in the project stood at 68%. This was a 22% improvement over the 2010 statistic of 46% (both girls and boys). Although the rate was still lower than the national average in 2010 by 9 percentage points, it represented a much reduced gap between urban slum children and the national average.

Among those girls who made a transition to secondary school in 2014, three girls joined prestigious girls’ national schools. National schools are the best-resourced and admit the highest performing students from across all counties in Kenya.

In 2015, three girls from Korogocho who qualified for the subsidy to join secondary also went on to qualify for a prestigious scholarship programme which targets gifted but economically and socially marginalised students.

Our findings show that the education outcomes of young people can be improved with targeted interventions. At the centre lies the participation of partners – community, family and schools.

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From Admission to Graduation: Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education

By Elizabeth (Beth) J. Stroble

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At Webster University, it is natural for us to prize the diversity of our university community. The university was founded in 1915 as a private nonprofit institution, one of the first baccalaureate colleges west of the Mississippi for young women. During the past century, Webster transitioned from Catholic origins to lay governance and independence; opened admissions to men; and took education to students on military installations, U.S. metropolitan and corporate locations, and American-style residential campuses in Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The diversity of Webster’s community reflects the communities we serve. The St. Louis region, where Webster makes its home, faces many challenges. Among them, according to the St. Louis Regional Chamber, is the need to boost “greater educational attainment, inclusion and talent attraction, and entrepreneurship and innovation.” Webster’s partnerships with the Chamber, the non-profit St. Louis Graduates initiative, civic organizations, schools and colleges, and individuals committed to student success align with our historic mission of meeting an unmet need. Meeting the needs of students whose drive and ambition are great, yet whose educational readiness or financial resources lag, requires a comprehensive strategy and strong partners.

Changing Demographics Demand Inclusive Strategies

We know approximately 60 percent of incoming freshmen attending universities in the United States have permanent homes near the institution, as a university’s proximity to “home” is increasingly becoming an important factor in college-selection decisions. While many independent colleges like Webster attract students from a broader geography, the median distance from home for an undergraduate at a private nonprofit university is 46 miles.

We also know that the characteristics of college students are changing as quickly as the demographics of our communities. National Center for Education Statistics data projections to 2023 predict faster growth among women than men and part-time rather than full-time students, and with greater racial and ethnic diversity in postsecondary education. Yet successful institutional retention and graduation rates, with resulting perceived prestige and higher rankings, too often correlate with selective admissions policies—strategies that exclude students who most need institutions to commit to their access and success. From the student perspective, the college selection decision is not always straightforward but instead may be driven as much by perceived value and further narrowed by sheer convenience and affordability.

According to a Pew study issued last year, a person with a degree will earn 40 percent more during a lifetime than a person without a degree. But without access to services that contribute to success, many of these underrepresented students—first-generation, low-income, students of color—will drop out and never finish a degree. These diminished employment outcomes are too often accompanied by high levels of debt; absent the ability to earn the income to repay their student loans, these students are also at risk of default, creating lasting effects for their credit worthiness and livelihoods.

Studies have concluded that while approximately one-third of all jobs in the United States require a degree, an increasing number of new professions also require a degree, and they are outpacing the percentage of the population that can meet those demands. In essence, we are faced with significant labor shortages in the near future. Reducing this degree attainment gap directly meets the evolving needs of our communities.

Additionally, there are personal and social benefits to obtaining a degree. Degree holders tend to live longer and have healthier lifestyles, and also report higher levels of satisfaction with their personal lives, an effect that stretches across all income levels.

Meeting the Need

Successful degree attainment doesn’t just happen on a stage with gowns and embossed pieces of paper. It’s made out of one-on-one intensive academic counseling sessions, summer days spent acclimating to the rigor of postsecondary academic work, and through enrolling a diverse class of students and making it our priority to support them every step of the way to graduation day.

These Webster data points from the National Center for Education Statistics and CollegeNet illustrate the depth of the need the strategies and partnerships and the value these efforts create:

• 81 percent of undergraduates are from households that earn less than $52,000 per year for a household of four.
• 29 percent of U. S. undergraduates self-report as an ethnic minority.
• 38 percent of U. S. undergraduates qualify for Pell Grants.
• 96 percent of incoming freshmen and transfer students receive some form of financial aid (not including loans).
• 5 percent of students finish their undergraduate program in 6 years, above the national average of 53%.
• 7 percent of graduates with a bachelor’s degree pay back their loans, as compared with 88.7 percent nationally.
• The average debt of a student is $19,500, below the national average of $25,550.
• The average alum triples their individual earning power within five years of completing a bachelor’s degree.

Successful attainment with comparatively low levels of debt and high rates of repayment requires coordinated attention on numerous levels. Incoming students must be transitioned to the rigors of postsecondary academic work through summer programs and acclimated to the social atmosphere on campus so they feel more comfortable and less isolated in a new environment. The goal of attainment must be hardwired into the campus culture, with students, faculty and staff all looking out for the community, offering support when needed and collaborating on ways to make the community more inclusive and responsive to student needs.

Closing the Gap: Retention and Attainment

We launched several programs to address these challenges. Many are offered through or coordinated with Webster’s Academic Resource Center, an integrated support center geared for student achievement. The center offers academic counseling, tutoring, writing, and assistive technology support, along with services for students with disabilities and resources for veterans. Connecting components of this system include default-prevention programs, a retention-calling program, a financial resource center, and English-language programs for Webster’s international students.

As part of our effort to enhance student success, the Resource Center created both the Transitions and the Transitions Academic Prep (TAP) programs, which helps students learn successful college behaviors and build a personalized roadmap to help them thrive.

Transitions was founded in 2009 for students admitted with conditions typically assessed through at-risk indicators such as ACT scores or grade point averages, and who have completed 30 or fewer postsecondary semester hours. While the program only admits based on academic conditions, the Transitions alumni tend to self-identify as an ethnic minority, the first-to-attend college in an immediate family, or from a household that earns less than the national average income. The program provides academic counseling and peer tutoring, learning strategies, organization skills, and time management. Required weekly sessions establish close relationships with peers and trusted adults.

Webster expanded Transitions with TAP in 2011, a 10-day residential credit-bearing summer program. Students take free courses to build writing skills and develop study habits. Sessions include plagiarism prevention, documentation, essay writing skills, diversity and inclusion topics, library resources, and time management. TAP participants also meet faculty and staff from various departments, take departmental tours, and explore issues about socially acclimating to a campus environment.

Prior to implementing Transitions, Webster experienced a gap of 6 percent between the retention rates for conditionally admitted students versus those without conditions. As of 2016, the trend reversed, with retention rate for transition participants at nearly two percent higher than non-Transition students. Preliminary indicators also suggest TAP and Transitions students are graduating at a higher rate than non-conditional students. Last year, nearly 13 percent of all incoming freshmen were enrolled in Transitions or TAP.

Jarris Williams is greeted to the 2014 TAP program by President Beth Stroble. This year, Williams will serve as a TAP Residential Advisor for the 2017 summer program. He currently is a junior in the Leigh Gerdine College of Fine Arts at Webster and works in the Academic Resource Center.

Community College Partnerships

It is estimated that nearly half of all undergraduates in the country started in a community college before entering a bachelor’s degree program. Those rates are higher for students who self-identify as minority students or are from low-income homes. At Webster, approximately two-thirds of all our incoming U. S. undergraduates initially attended a community college. To better address the challenges from this trend, Webster strategically entered into more intentional partnerships with regional community colleges to ease the transition into baccalaureate degrees:

• Offering up to $4,000 in scholarships to students transferring into programs offered at one of our four St. Louis regional locations
• An agreement with Community College of the Air Force that allows AAS degree holders to apply their credits to five specific majors
• Dual admission partnerships and transfer agreements with Lewis & Clark Community College, Southwestern Illinois College and Louis Community College.
• Scholarships for community college students who are entering Webster’s biology program. The funding for this is from a grant through the National Science Foundation. The grant also creates academic assistance programs for struggling students and career counseling opportunities
• Preview Day events specifically for current community college students.
• Reverse Transfer, a program that identifies students who have earned enough credits to earn an associate’s degree and then helps them get the degree awarded.

As a result of these programs, Webster was honored earlier this year by Phi Theta Kappa for the quality of transitional programs available to community college students.

Expanding Opportunities and Aligning Strategies

Webster’s strategic plan, Global Impact for the Next Century, advances our vision and mission through four broad themes, one of which is assuring a global, student-centered experience. Our objectives focus on increasing student engagement, access and success, as well as aligning student support systems across the Webster network and supporting faculty and staff to excel in delivering student-centered experiences.

We recently launched a new Student Success Initiative that tracks each student’s degree progression with software and establish automated flags to alert us to signs that more attention may be needed with a student. The system will empower students to manage actively their own progress with options to self-schedule appointments, review advising notes, easily identify their success team, and track degree objectives.

Our students’ success is our success, and to be truly excellent requires that our excellence is inclusive.

So how do we continue innovating to contribute to student success, close the attainment gap and assure value for the communities that we serve? With the growing need for more college-educated adults—and the need and public demand for more affordable routes to college—transitional programs that build strong bridges to postsecondary education appear to be a key strategy. No single strategy is likely to address the complexities of the need, and impact requires broad engagement of faculty, staff, and students. Institutions of higher education must respond to meet the evolving needs of students and families in ways that assure greater success for an increasingly diverse community of students. At the heart of our institutions’ mission and work is the imperative of assuring that the promise of college is fulfilled from admission to graduation.

Staying on Track While Giving Back: The Cost of Student Loan Servicing Breakdowns for People Serving Their Communities

Title: Staying on Track While Giving Back: The Cost of Student Loan Servicing Breakdowns for People Serving Their Communities

Source: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau highlights several issues that student loan borrowers face, particularly those who have applied for relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF). These borrowers include active duty service members, teachers, nurses and other people pursuing careers in the public sector.

Over the past year, the Bureau witnessed a 325 percent increase to 21,200 student loan and debt collection complaints from all borrowers, but especially from students using the largest student loan servicers. The concerns are especially problematic for workers under PSLF, who after 10 years were supposed to first qualify for loan relief in October 2017.

As a result of the problems, hundreds of public service workers have been improperly delayed, deferred or denied access to their loan relief. These complaints include issues with payment processing, billing, customer service, borrower communications and income-driven repayment plan enrollment, which sometimes leads to borrowers making unnecessary payments on their loans.

In response to these concerns, the Bureau proposes several policy recommendations. It advocates that loan servicers need earlier and clearer communication with borrowers. However, in the event that borrowers are denied their rights to debt relief, they recommend that additional flexibility, among other measures, may be necessary to protect them from undue financial burden.

Read the full report here.

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The passage of Gonski 2.0 is a victory for children over politics

In the early hours of this morning, the Senate did something profound. It voted to improve the way we fund our schools. This is a victory for the children of Australia.

A Senate packed with cross-benchers and minor parties was supposed to make political compromise harder, and good policy all but impossible.

But the cross-benchers have proved the naysayers wrong. Not only did they pass Education Minister Simon Birmingham’s needs-based funding plan – an olive branch summarily dismissed by Labor – but they negotiated amendments to improve the plan.

What will change with the passage of Gonski 2.0?

Birmingham’s original package, the so-called Gonski 2.0, makes key improvements to the existing national school funding framework established by the Gillard government in the 2013 Education Act (explained further in our Senate Inquiry submission).

First, Commonwealth funding of schools increases, and is also more consistent across all states and sectors.

Commonwealth funding to government schools will rise from an average of 17% of their needs in 2017 to 20% by 2023, and funding to non-government schools will rise from an average of 77% to 80%.

Second, Gonski 2.0 removes some of the special deals so that underfunded schools will get the Commonwealth share of their target funding within six years – much sooner than under the 2013 Act. Many overfunded schools will have their funding growth rates slowed, and a small number of the most overfunded schools will have their funding cut over the next ten years. This is an important break from the former Labor government’s promise, embedded in the 2013 Act, that “no school will lose a dollar”.

Third, it makes several changes to the funding formula. One big change is a revised parental “capacity to contribute” measure, which removes the “system weighted average” approach for non-government systemic schools. The Catholics hate this change, because it overturns a generous funding arrangement that enabled them to keep primary school fees low regardless of how wealthy the parents are.

Fourth, Gonski 2.0 reduces the indexation rate for school funding in line with low wages growth. It will remain at 3.56% a year until 2020, but from 2021 a new and lower floating indexation rate will apply, based on wage price index and CPI. (A minimum floor of 3%, added at the urging of stakeholders, is problematic but far from a deal-breaker.)

Lastly, Gonski 2.0 creates a stronger link between Commonwealth funding and agreed national initiatives to improve student performance.

What tweaks were made at the eleventh hour?

A number of last minute “tweaks” were made to secure the required Senate votes.

• Underfunded schools will get much-needed extra money more quickly – over six years rather than ten. This change means an extra $4.9 billion will be provided on top of the $18.6 billion in the May Budget.

• A 12-month “transition package” of $50 million will be provided to systemic schools, whether Catholic or independent, and there will be an (overdue) review of the parental “capacity to contribute” measure.

• State government funding appears to be subject to a “clawback” mechanism, similar to what we proposed in our Senate inquiry submission. This is designed to ensure state governments step up. It is not clear exactly how it will work, but if a state fails to provide at least 75% of the target funding to government schools, or 15% of the target for non-government schools, the federal government will withhold some funding to that state.

• A new body will be established to conduct independent reviews of the school funding formula and ensure transparency on the distribution of funds.

What this means for schools

Schools will now have more certainty on how they will be funded – at least from the Commonwealth.

The concept of needs-based funding now has across-the-board support, even if there are differences on the details and how much money each party is promising. Importantly, Commonwealth funding to disadvantaged schools will now be delivered a lot faster.

Attention will now turn to the states, given that they provide most of the funding for government schools, which educate the bulk of Australia’s disadvantaged students. Further questions will continue to be raised about the impact on students with disabilities.

Winners and losers

The only way to determine which schools are “winners” and which are “losers” is by looking at what would have happened if the Senate had voted down Gonski 2.0. So, here’s the “scoreboard” under Gonski 2.0 compared to the 2013 Education Act.

Government schools are (mostly) winners

Government schools in all states, and in the ACT, will get more Commonwealth funding.

Based on the new six-year timeframe for underfunded schools, our latest modelling suggests government schools in NSW will get between $200 million and $300 million more federal funding over the next four years. For Victoria, the boost is between $300 million and $400 million. Both Queensland and South Australia appear to get between $100 and $200 million extra. The boosts for government schools in Tasmania and the ACT are smaller in dollar terms, but still substantial per student.

The biggest winners are state schools in Western Australia, which will get about $500 million more over four years, and at least $2 billion more over a decade.

Government schools in the Northern Territory will lose compared to their current level of Commonwealth funding, which is higher than other jurisdictions – but a transition package has been provided.

Catholic schools will lose

Catholic schools are right to say they will be worse off than under the 2013 Act. Their federal funding is projected to be $3.1 billion lower over the next ten years.

This loss arises from the removal of the generous “system weighted average” in the capacity to pay measure, which treated all Catholic schools as average rather than basing their funding on each school’s parent body.

The loss is biggest for ACT Catholic schools, which will see virtually no funding growth for a decade.

A core complaint from the Catholic leadership is that the socioeconomic status (SES) score disadvantages Catholic schools. Accordingly, one of the first jobs of the new National Schools Resourcing Board will be to review the SES scores. The final impact on Catholic schools will depend on the findings of that review.

In the meantime, a one-off transition package of around $50 million over the next year will be delivered to help “vulnerable” Catholic and independent schools adjust to the new arrangements.

Independent schools have mixed outcomes

The impact on independent schools is mixed. Those serving low socioeconomic communities are winners. A handful of (mostly wealthy) private schools will have their overly generous funding arrangements whittled back.

The Senate has done its job today

It is worth celebrating a day where the Australian system of democracy did its job well.

With a better model of school funding approved, policymakers can shift their focus to the harder job of finding ways to lift the performance of Australian students.

Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham deserves credit for Gonski 2.0: he originated the plan and stared down the scaremongers. The 11th-hour amendments improve the package, and there are no special deals of the type that have infected every previous funding settlement for decades.

In light of the opposition from Labor, the fate of Gonski 2.0 came down to the supportive cross-benchers: The Nick Xenophon Team, Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, Derryn Hinch, Lucy Gichuhi, and Jacqui Lambie. The Greens, having done good work to secure the key amendments, succumbed at the last to the pressure of the Australian Education Union.

Paul Keating once memorably dismissed the Senate as unrepresentative swill. If that epithet was ever fair, it is not fair today. Because early today, the Senate cross-benchers stood up for Australia’s children and passed a package that, while it may not be perfect, might just help us move on from Australia’s oldest, deepest and most poisonous debate – how to fund our schools.

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Pauline Hanson is wrong – we need to include children with disability in regular classrooms

Yesterday, One Nation leader and senator Pauline Hanson suggested it would be better for teachers if students with autism and disability were put in special classrooms.

Hanson used children with autism as an example. She argued that their inclusion in regular classrooms was detrimental to non-disabled students, because “it is taking up the teacher’s time”.

She suggested moving students with disability “into a special class [to be] looked after and given that special attention … to give them those opportunities”.

Do Hanson’s claims stack up?

Hanson claimed that students with disability have a negative impact on their peers. Yet international research shows otherwise. Some research suggests students with disability have no impact on the learning of other students – whether they are present or not.

Other research shows that students appear to benefit from having disabled peers. They develop greater appreciation for human diversity and capacity for positive relationships.

Hanson also claimed that students with disabilities were better served in separate classrooms or schools. Evidence shows the converse is true. Decades of research has concluded that students with disabilities who learn in inclusive classrooms make far greater progress.

For example, students with disabilities in mainstream schools achieve higher grades than their counterparts in segregated schools and classes. They also develop more proficiency in language and mathematics and perform better on standardised tests.

Hanson claimed that students with disabilities take a disproportionate amount of teachers’ time, at the expense of non-disabled students. Yet studies exploring the views of teachers strongly indicate that they perceive inclusion as beneficial and valuable.

Teachers are more likely to feel anxious about their ability to meet their students’ needs and overwhelmingly express a desire for more information and training in order to become better teachers for all their students.

Interestingly, teachers often cite students with autism as a major group with whom they want to improve their skills. Our research shows there are many highly effective strategies that can be used in regular classrooms to achieve this.

In addition, teachers who receive appropriate professional learning about disability and inclusion report feeling more knowledgeable and less stressed.

This points to the importance of providing high-quality education and training for teachers. It also suggests the need for ongoing professional development in the teaching workforce.

Support for students with disability in class

Students with disability are not always well supported in Australian schools, but this does not mean that they are better off in special classes or that “special attention” will lead to opportunity.

In fact, too much individualised support and attention can increase disablement by fostering dependence, reducing the range of learning opportunities, and hampering achievement.

For this reason, it is critical that students with disability are included in the “real world” of school. This is important for them to become socially competent, independent and financially secure adults.

Preparing for life after school

Having desegregated classrooms is also an important step in paving a positive future after school. Inclusive education makes a powerful contribution to creating a more equitable and productive society. This prepares adults with disability for life after school and connects them in the wider community.

Students with disabilities who are educated in inclusive classrooms are far more likely to complete post-secondary education, making them much more capable of engaging in the workforce and obtaining meaningful employment.

Additionally, students with disabilities who attend their local schools are also more socially connected and engaged in their community as adults.

Hanson’s comments were based on anecdotes from conversations with a limited number of teachers. However, there is both established and new evidence that clearly indicates Hanson’s claims are unsubstantiated.

Most importantly, when considering the placement of children with disability in the schooling debate, we should focus on both promoting quality education for all kids (regardless of their backgrounds), and providing the tools for a society in which all adults can work, study and interact socially.

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Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education OKs New Funding Model for Universities

Title: Board OKs New Funding Model for Universities

Author: Adam Beam, Associated Press

Source: U.S. News & World Report

Last week the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education (KYCPE) approved a new state funding model for its public colleges and universities. Thirty-five percent of state funding will be based on the kinds of degrees earned. Of that, five percent will be determined by the number of degrees earned in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and health degrees; three percent will be based on the degrees earned by low-income students; and three percent will be based on the degrees earned by minorities.

Kentucky, which is currently dealing with billions in public pension debt, is also trying to lure manufacturing jobs.

For more details, please visit U.S. News & World Report’s website.

Free textbooks for first-year university students could help improve retention rates

Despite 20 years of focus on improving university retention rates, we are still losing one in five of our first-year students.

And the release of a new report by TEQSA again reminds us of the challenges of retention.

The report highlights that, on average, universities have a 20% attrition rate. This builds on an article by The Australian earlier this year which showed that one in three university students failed to complete the course they began within six years of enrolling.

First year challenges

The challenges that first-year university students face in their journey are many: from adjusting to new expectations and environments, lack of university support in assisting with this transition, managing different work-life balance issues, being overwhelmed, and of course, costs.

Many of these issues are particularly significant for first-in-family students who often lack role models or social capital to adjust to expectations and unexpected challenges they confront.

This is not a unique Australian challenge, and is confronting higher education institutes worldwide.

Free textbooks a possible solution?

One solution that has been tried, implemented and is proving successful is the introduction of free textbooks for first year students under the umbrella of “inclusive access”.

It is an important strategy because textbooks are both a powerful pedagogical tool that can keep students engaged and can be prohibitive to students as well as being highly costs prohibitive.

This is a strategy that started in the US and spread to the UK. Now my own institution, Western Sydney University, has implemented it too.

The inclusive access textbook strategy takes a number of forms.

In some instances, this involves the university producing specific materials for students which they access for free or open source.

In others, such as the US, institutions have partnered with publishers and universities to pilot an inclusive access purchasing model, in which the cost of digital textbooks is included in a student’s course fee.

But why textbooks?

Success at university is a combination of pedagogical and social factors, which include support networks and university transition strategies.

Student performance and retention is enhanced by access to high-quality resources that they can afford.

Textbooks are a powerful pedagogical tool that can improve engagement. In my own teaching experience, a well-written and relevant textbook allows students to better understand the broader subject narrative. That is, it is not about learning individual topics such as gender, class, race and technology. Rather, it allows the student to see the story of arc of the complex and intersectional factors that shape our societies.

It is this understanding of the broader subject area that means students can contextualise their own experiences and learn to apply the knowledge critically.

It is a tool I have used successfully. For example, when introducing a textbook – which students paid for at the time – I saw retention rates improve. We went from a drop-out rate of 22% to less than 2%, and in the feedback forms students repeatedly quoted the textbook that I introduced (and I should note, authored).

While there is little evidence of a direct link between access to a textbook and improving retention rates, high education consultants Academica did report that free textbooks improved retention by up to 10% (though provided little detail).

Regardless, textbooks play a vital role in engaging students and improving the quality of education – which is likely to improve their chances of completion.

This has been progressively emphasised in research that dates back to the 1990s. The work is consistent in both low-income nations as well as wealthy countries. It is also important across disciplines.

Implications

As we continue to expand access to universities, such inclusive strategies have never been more important – and the TEQSA report highlights we still have a long way to go.

In the US, the emerging evidence is that this is proving effective, both in popularity and success.

Indiana University, for example, saw inclusive-access model started as a pilot in 2009. By the 2015-16 academic year, more than 40,000 students got at least one textbook through what the university calls its eText initiative.

In Australia, Australia National University has found that Open Access textbooks are resulting in better educational outcomes and “a greater set of capabilities to start their careers with as they are more likely to complete their degrees”.

The implication is clear: to improve the attrition rates that remain all too high, we need to use the emerging technology to promote proven pedagogical methods. The availability of free textbooks is one such strategy that is starting to show results.

Geography and College Attainment: A Place-Based Approach

by Roman Ruiz & Laura W. Perna

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It is widely known that despite the presence of numerous federal, state, and institutional policies, college attainment in the United States varies considerably based on demographic characteristics; individuals from low-income families and who are first-generation-to-college are less likely to enroll in higher education, and when they do enroll, they are less likely to complete.

Less well known is that college attainment also varies based on place of residence. In 2012, fewer than one-third of adults ages 25 to 34 had attained at least an associate degree in three states (Nevada, Arkansas and Alaska), while more than half of adults had attained at least an associate degree in four states (New York, Iowa, Minnesota and Massachusetts).

State-level estimates, while informative, mask the variation in college opportunities and outcomes that exists within smaller geographic boundaries. Figure 1 shows that counties with higher shares of adults ages 25 to 64 who have completed at least an associate degree are clustered along the coasts (i.e., the Mid-Atlantic region, southern California, and the San Francisco Bay area) among other locations. Even in regions with historically low college attainment rates such as the Southeast, there are pockets of counties with relatively high attainment. These counties are typically located near metropolitan areas.

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Figure 1: Percentage of Adults Age 25 to 64 With an Associate Degree or Higher by U.S. County: 2015

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). American Community Survey 2015 (5-year estimates).

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Place is a useful lens for understanding many life course outcomes, including economic mobility and life expectancy. A place-based approach is needed to address spatial differences in college attainment.

College Attainment and the Rural Student

Applying a spatial lens is particularly useful for understanding the barriers to college access and degree attainment for the rural population, an often-ignored segment that nonetheless yields substantial influence over political and social life. Approximately 60 percent of U.S. counties are classified by the U.S. Census Bureau as “mostly rural” or “completely rural” (Figure 2). These counties are home to 42 million residents (or 14 percent of the total U.S. population).

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Figure 2: Rurality of U.S. Counties: 2010

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). County classification lookup table [Data file].

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College attainment is typically lower in rural than urban counties. Figure 3 shows that in 2015, approximately a quarter of adults ages 25 to 64 in completely rural and mostly rural counties held at least an associate degree, compared with 42 percent in mostly urban counties. Differences in attainment rates by rurality are due to differential attainment of bachelor’s and graduate degrees. One-third of adults ages 25 to 64 in mostly urban counties hold a bachelor’s degree or higher, compared to 18 percent in mostly rural counties and 17 percent in completely rural counties. Similar shares of working-age adults in completely rural, mostly rural and mostly urban counties hold an associate degree alone (approximately 10 percent).

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Figure 3: Percentage of Adults Age 25 to 64 With at Least an Associate Degree by Rurality: 2015

Source: U.S. Census Bureau. (2016). American Community Survey 2015 (5-year estimates).

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Rural youth face a host of social, economic, and spatial barriers that hinder postsecondary access and completion. They are more likely to have parents who lack a bachelor’s degree and who have lower expectations that their children will attain a four-year degree. Rural students also tend to have fewer financial resources to pay the costs of postsecondary education. Rural residents, on average, have lower household incomes and are more likely to live in poverty than urban residents.

College attainment in rural areas is also restricted by the lack of geographic proximity to four-year institutions. These so-called “education deserts” offer limited postsecondary options within commuting distance, leaving rural youth to travel farther distances to attend college and incur additional financial and non-financial costs, such as travel time. Familial obligations and strong community ties can lead rural students to attend local two-year institutions, conforming to the norms of their community, but leaving them with a lower likelihood of earning a bachelor’s degree.

 Compared to urban economies, rural economies are more dependent on farming, manufacturing and mining industries. However, these industries are employing declining shares of the population, and technological improvements are increasing the educational requirements of the jobs that remain and that are being created in these and other sectors.

Implications for Policy and Practice

Understanding the geographic dimension of college access and attainment can allow policymakers, college administrations, and practitioners to craft interventions that address the localized needs of students, families, and communities.

Higher education institutions should engage in college outreach and recruitment practices that target rural students and other students from places with low levels of college attainment. Texas A&M University, for example, arranges bus transportation from West Texas (nearly 700 miles away) to campus so that prospective students are able to participate in on-campus recruitment activities. The University of Arkansas (UA) recently created the Accelerated Student Achievement Program, which identifies low-income, first-generation-to-college students from the Arkansas Delta region (the opposite side of the state from where UA is located) and provides them with enhanced college preparation services, a summer bridge program, and financial aid.

System-wide admissions policies that recognize the localized contexts of students can also extend college opportunity to students who do not attend traditional feeder high schools with long established institutional relationships with high-quality institutions. So-called percent plans are one policy response to broaden the pool from which public flagships typically draw students. The University of California (UC) System’s Eligibility in the Local Context (ELC) program provides a dual eligibility pathway by granting UC admission to students in the top 9 percent of their high school’s GPA, among other factors. After implementation of Texas’s Top Ten Percent law, enrollments at the University of Texas at Austin (UT) expanded from rural high schools and high schools with larger shares of economically disadvantaged students, and the concentration of enrollments from a few suburban high schools declined. Under these percent plans, students compete within their schools to gain admission, thus granting students who are academically high-achieving relative to their peers’ admission to the state’s prestigious four-year universities.

Along with strategies for increasing diversity in race and class, colleges and universities should also consider strategies for increasing the geographic diversity of their students. Geographic diversity should be one form of diversity colleges and universities weigh when making enrollment and institutional financial aid decisions. Institutions benefit from the diversity of perspective and culture that rural and geographically distant students bring to campus. Following a state ban on race-based affirmative action policies in 2006, the University of Michigan adopted holistic admissions review, which considers academic accomplishments as well as personal dimensions such as community involvement and neighborhood characteristics. While geography is not an entirely suitable proxy for race and class, geographic consideration may advance an institution’s diversity agenda across a number of dimensions because of residential segregation.

Over the past decade, place-targeted financial aid programs, commonly known as “promise programs,” have also emerged as a strategy for increasing college access and attainment. Where traditional financial aid programs make awards based only on financial need or merit-based criteria, promise programs typically require residency in a particular place and/or attendance at a particular school or district. While a few states have adopted statewide promise programs (e.g., Tennessee, Oregon), most programs are micro-targeted, small-scale programs designed to address the economic and educational conditions of a localized population. Examples include Arkansas’s El Dorado Promise and Illinois’ Rockford Promise.

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Place is an influential determinant of college opportunity and success. But geography should not be destiny. States and higher education institutions should adopt policies and practices that recognize place-based disadvantage. Targeted outreach, recruitment, institutional and financial supports for rural and other geographically underrepresented students are all potentially effective strategies for dismantling spatial constraints and ensuring that college completion is possible regardless of place.

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Fewer students are going to public secondary schools in Australia

You may have heard recently that public schools in Australia have experienced increased enrolments.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported that public schools in Australia have increased their share of enrolments, “reversing a forty-year trend”.

A spokesperson from the Australian Bureau of Statistics stated that it was a “reversal of the steady drift” towards private schools.

This is misleading, for two reasons:

First, the overall population in Australia has increased, which has resulted in increased enrolments for many schooling sectors. In total there are 1.28% more students (full-time) enrolled in schools.

Second, while enrolment in public and independent primary schools (excluding Catholic schools) has increased, enrolment in public secondary schools has decreased.

We have one of the highest levels of private school enrolment within the OECD, and our country also maintains the highest levels of private expenditure towards schools (contributions from households).

It is untrue that there is a reversal of the steady drift if we look at secondary schools.

As the more expensive constituent of schooling, and also the gateway to higher education, it is the secondary school where politics truly come to the fore.

When it comes to debates about funding and privatisation, the secondary school sector is far more entangled in the politics of choice.

When we are told that our public school enrolment is increasing, this may lead you to believe that our public schools are strong and healthy. This disguises the ugly truth that many of our public secondary schools are struggling, mainly due to an ongoing stream of policies that have attacked and undermined our public secondary schools.

By how much as public secondary school enrolments decreased?

Since 2010, the public secondary school has decreased its enrolments from 60% to 59.13%.

Since 2010, the average independent school has increased its share of enrolments from 18% to 18.39%.

These changes seem very minor, and when regarded in the context of population increases, are relatively insignificant.

However, when taken with a more longitudinal analysis, it is evident that the independent secondary school in Australia has continually bolstered its enrolment share.

The independent secondary school sector has experienced the largest proportional increase in enrolment from 1990 to 2016 (6.39%).

The government (public) school has recorded the largest proportional decrease during this same period (8.87%).

Evidently, there is a consistent pattern of growth within the independent sector and a consistent pattern of decline, in terms of enrolment levels, within the public sector.

It would be simplistic to argue that this is simply a matter of demand, rather than complicated by many other factors including economic, social and cultural shifts.

As education reforms bolstered funding for the private sector, enrolment levels in the private sector increased at a similar rate and time period.

Encouraging private school choice

The government has always played a role in encouraging particular consumer choices. This is no different for schooling.

Throughout the 1990s and beyond, public schools were consistently closed or merged across various states and territories. This undoubtedly establishes a sense of instability and volatility for the consumer.

Among the reasons cited for these closures was lack of enrolment numbers. Unlike private schools, public schools must consistently prove their economic feasibility. (This reason was strongly refuted by the public. In Victoria in the 1990s, it was described as “the biggest battle over education in more than a decade”.)

While the overall number of full-time secondary students grew, by 2011 the availability of public schools had declined.

The total percentage of public schools in Australia has decreased by 2%. On the other hand, the percentage of private schools has increased by 1% of the total number of schools.

We tend to widely accept privatisation of our schools. In Australia, the overall proportion of students in private schools is 35% ( but 41% in secondary school). This far outweighs the average OECD country, where 18% is the average number.

Compare this to the US, where approximately 8% of students attend private schools. In Canada, this percentage is even lower (approximately 6%), and lower again in countries such as New Zealand, Finland or Sweden.

We also have one of the highest percentages of private expenditure within the school sector. What this means is that we rely far more on a “user-pays” system than the average OECD country.

This is clearly problematic for those families with less capacity to pay.

This was noted in the OECD’s Education at a Glance 2016 report. When it comes to secondary schooling, for the majority of OECD countries, 90% of expenditure comes from government funds. But this wasn’t the case for Australia, Chile and Columbia, which “rely on over one-fifth of private expenditure at this level”.

While many other OECD countries do fund their private schools, they are also subject to a host of regulations.

When it comes to the funding private schools, Australia is classified as a “high funding and low regulation” country. In comparison to other OECD countries, private schools have little accountability in terms of how they spend their money.

Add to this a dominant cultural narrative around the superiority of private schooling, and you have a disturbing tide of privatisation in our secondary schools.

This tide of privatisation will only further entrench equity gaps for students from families who cannot afford to pay. It will also add to the household burden for those families struggling to pay their private school costs.

Strengthening the College Pipeline for Young Men of Color in California

Title: Hear My Voice: Strengthening the College Pipeline for Young Men of Color in California

Source: The Education Trust – West

A new report by The Education Trust – West, the California-based office of The Education Trust, examines the barriers to educational opportunities for young men of color in California. The authors define this population as African American, Latino, Native American, Pacific Islander, Hmong or Laotian.

The report incorporates interviews with male students of color, their parents, educators and school administrators with research to provide a picture of their experiences in the education pipeline. It also includes examples of best practices that help support and increase the success of young men of color, as well as recommendations for K-12, college and university, and state leaders.

To read the full report, please see Ed Trust – West’s website.

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ACE Member Institutions Providing Prisoners with Pathway to Higher Education

Two ACE members are among the higher education institutions making it easier for prisoners and the formerly incarcerated to earn undergraduate degrees, which in turn makes it easier for them to reintegrate into society.

Bard Prison Initiative

The privately funded Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) is a degree-granting, credit-bearing program that enables incarcerated men and women to earn associate in arts and bachelor of arts degrees from Bard College (NY).

Started in 1999 by Bard student Max Kenner, BPI enrolls more than 300 students in six locations within the New York state prison system. As of June 2017, Bard College has granted nearly 450 degrees through BPI.

Bard Prison Initiative students at graduation. Photo courtesy of China Jorrin.

BPI’s academic standards and workload are rigorous, based on a mix of attention to foundational skills and ambitious college study. Only 10 to 25 percent of applicants are accepted, but the demanding curriculum garners results: Recidivism for BPI graduates is 2.5 percent, compared to a state average of around 60 percent. The BPI debate team famously defeated the Harvard University (MA) team in 2015.

In 2009, BPI received a private grant to help create the Consortium for the Liberal Arts in Prison. Through the consortium, BPI has helped other colleges and universities to establish and maintain college-in-prison programs, including Wesleyan University (CT), Dwight Hall at Yale University (CT), Grinnell College (IA), University of Notre Dame (IN), Holy Cross College (IN), Goucher College (MD), Washington University in St. Louis (MO), University of Vermont (VT), Bennington College (VT), and University of Puget Sound (WA).

Read more about BPI in this NPR article.

San Francisco State University’s Project Rebound

Project Rebound provides a pipeline to San Francisco State University (SFSU) directly from the California criminal justice system, offering admission for students who transfer units from accredited prison college programs, and freshman who have their high school diploma or GED®.

Supported by SFSU’s Associated Students organization, Project Rebound provides participants vouchers for meals and public transit as well as a textbook stipend.

Recidivism for participants is low, as only three percent of students return to prison, compared to the statewide rate of 65 percent. The late John Irwin established the original Rebound program at SFSU in 1967. As a parolee himself, Irwin earned his Ph.D. and was a sociology professor at the university for 26 years.

He became a nationally known advocate for prison reform and an avid researcher who completed five published literary works.

As of June 2016, eight additional California State Universities are now replicating the initiative, with others showing serious interest. The expansion helps serve more students, as Rebound can only accept about half of those that apply, and parolees often are limited by the inability to travel outside of certain parole regions.

At a Glance

ACE Member Institution: Bard College (NY)

Program: Bard Prison Initiative

Highlights:

• More than 60 academic classes are offered every semester across six medium- and maximum-security prisons in New York State.
• BPI offers a liberal arts curriculum, including literature, foreign language, philosophy, history and the social sciences, mathematics, science, and the arts.
• Courses are taught primarily by Bard faculty and visiting professors from regional colleges and universities, including local community colleges, Columbia University (NY), The Graduate Center of the City University of New York, and The New School (NY).
• Some participants go directly to work in the private sector or social services, while others pursue further education.

ACE Member Institution: San Francisco State University

Program: Project Rebound

Support Services:

• Admissions processing
• Academic program advising
• FAFSA assistance
• Advocacy for parole or probation difficulties
• Health center
• Professional psychological counseling

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Become a member: As a member of ACE, you join nearly 1,800 organizations that collectively promote, protect and advocate for students, faculty and administrators in higher education. ACE is the most visible and influential higher education association in the nation, and we are at the center of federal policy debates concerning legislation that affects campuses across the country. See more on the ACE website.

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Report sparks concern about how schools support students with disabilities

Two years ago a South Australian select committee was formed to inquire into the educational experiences of students with disabilities. The committee’s remit was to determine what was working well, and what still needed improving. The final report has now been released, complete with 93 recommendations. While some recommendations were expected, others were surprising, and revealed a need for greater transparency from schools.

How schools responded to challenging behaviours was seen as a considerable concern. The report noted that students with disabilities were over-represented in both suspensions and exclusions.

‘Cage-like’ facilities

Segregation of students with disabilities was described as a “nuanced phenomenon”, occurring in playgrounds, classrooms, and individual lessons. Some students missed literacy programs with peers in order to be removed for remedial tasks. Others had been left alone for long periods in order for teachers to avoid behavioural confrontations.

Disability units within schools were described by parents as appearing “cage-like”, and even similar to correctional facilities.

Although teachers suggested fencing needed to become more “aesthetically pleasing”, fences and gates were nevertheless positioned as necessary spatial solutions to safety issues. One primary school noted:

Our enclosed areas were created with our student’s safety in mind. We do have several students that are at risk of running away and our school does not have secure boundaries. The safety of our students is paramount and we therefore made the decision to enclose the unit.

Such responses can make behavioural issues worse

Growing concerns of aversive approaches to behaviour, such as restraint and suspension, are evident.

Although suspension is actually detrimental to students, it is often justified, within policy, as being beneficial.

The removal of students with disabilities, who are at increased risk of mental health difficulties, is particularly worrying. Many require behavioural interventions at an earlier stage as part of a coordinated framework of support.

The select committee’s report illustrated that suspension policies were not always used as intended – as a last resort, following a full examination of what occurred. The Guardian of the Office for Children and Young People expressed concern:

The education department does have a policy for children in care that suspensions and exclusions are used only as a last resort. We don’t believe that that is the case. There is certainly evidence in individual situations where suspension and exclusion has been the first response.

It’s recommended that educational authorities engage better with their stakeholders in order to understand the ramifications of suspension, and to develop better approaches.

When parents are contacted and asked to collect their child from school, clarification is required as to whether this is being used as a method of “informal suspension”.

Number of suspensions very high

Although the South Australian public system outlined a “dramatic fall across the board” in relation to suspensions and exclusions, this was not supported by recently released data.

Suspensions remain very high, with almost 1,000 students suspended on more than one occasion within a school term in South Australia.

Increased segregation has been positioned as a potential solution, which contrasts with a recommendation put forward by the select committee, suggesting schools adopt positive behaviour approaches, such as Positive Behaviour Interventions and Supports (PBIS).

Another recommendation from the report was for systems to better audit schools’ practices in order to determine compliance and use of aversive behavioural approaches.

Information from audits would be shared externally in order to provide oversight. It has been recommended that the Equal Opportunity Commissioner (or Ombudsman) assume a role in evaluating parental complaints regarding educational access or participation.

A need for transparency was highlighted in discussions on Negotiated Education Reports (NEPs).

These planning documents are typically instrumental in supporting access, participation and student achievement. However, parents viewed them as “static” due to them not being sufficiently updated.

Schools appeared to be struggling to engage with families effectively, at times predetermining NEP outcomes for students rather than entering into genuine negotiation.

One submission highlighted concern that NEPs were used to initiate the removal of a students:

It’s sometimes documented in the NEP as if it’s an ongoing issue when it’s actually a one-off event. In each state we need to record all behaviour to justify current funding, but then this accumulative behaviour is used to justify why a child is no longer able to attend mainstream school.

It’s been recommended that parents should be able to check NEP progress online, rather than wait for formal meetings to occur with teachers.

Some recommendations echo those from last year’s Australian Senate Committee report into access to learning for students with disabilities. In particular, recommendation eight, which advocated for better data collection and publication in a wide range of areas, in order to better illustrate practices and performance of schools. And also recommendation ten, which called for an end to restrictive practices such as restraint in order to sharpen focus on preventative approaches.

Despite these registered concerns, the select committee report highlighted that good practices are indeed occurring in many South Australian schools. Examples were provided of principals who created welcoming environments, developed inclusive cultures, and strongly advocated for open enrolment policies.

However, much work still needs to be done by universities in preparing inclusive teachers, by educational authorities, and by schools.

At a time when Australia is increasingly segregating students with disabilities, it is critically important that good quality inclusive practice becomes normal business for schools.

Could you pass the proposed English test for Australian citizenship?

The Australian government is proposing tough new English language competency requirements for those seeking Australian citizenship.

Alongside a test of Australian values, and proof of your integration into Australian society, you’ll need to prove you can read, write and speak English at a competent level

We’ve been here before

Question: What do these two excerpts have in common – besides their clumsy sentence structure?

1. If the land is ploughed when wet the furrows may, and in all probability will, wear a more finished appearance, and will be more pleasant to the eye, but land so ploughed will be more inclined to become set or baked, and when in this state will not produce a maximum yield.

2. By carefully preplanning projects, implementing pollution control measures, monitoring the effects of mining and rehabilitating mined areas, the coal industry minimises the impact on the neighbouring community, the immediate environment and long-term land capability.

Answer: They are both language tests used to decide Australian citizenship.

The first is a 50 word dictation test that was key to the White Australia Policy. It was used to keep non-Europeans out of Australia.

Even if you passed the test in English, the immigration officer had the right to test you again in another European language. It was used from 1901 until 1958.

The second one is 50 words from a 1000 word reading comprehension exam with 40 questions that you must complete in 60 minutes.

This test is key to Australia’s proposed new Citizenship test. You must also write two essays, do a 30 minute listening test and a 15 minute speaking exam. If it passes through Parliament this week, it will be used from 2017.

Aspiring Australian citizens will need to score a Band 6 on the general stream of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test, the same score as those seeking entry to Australia’s top university.

So, could you pass the test?

The reading test

You have 60 minutes to read at least four texts taken from magazines, newspapers or training manuals, and answer 40 comprehension questions. Your short answer responses are also assessed for grammar and spelling. Here is an excerpt from a piece about bee behaviour.

The direction of the sun is represented by the top of the hive wall. If she runs straight up, this means that the feeding place is in the same direction as the sun. However, if, for example, the feeding place is 40 degrees to the left of the sun, then the dancer would run 40 degrees to the left of the vertical line.

Try the test for yourself.

The writing test

You have 60 minutes to complete two writing tasks. For example,

Write a letter to the accommodation officer complaining about your room mate and asking for a new room.

You are marked on the length of your response, its cohesion, vocabulary and grammar.

To give you something to gauge yourself by, this one didn’t achieve the required score of 6. It begins,

Dear Sir/Madam, I am writing to express my dissatisfaction with my room-mate. As you know we share one room, I can not study in the room at all any more if I still stay there.

As Senator Penny Wong observed about the test,

“Frankly if English grammar is the test there might be a few members of parliament who might struggle.”

Currently our national school test results from NAPLAN show that 15.3% of Year 9 students are below benchmark in writing. This means they would not achieve a Band 6 on the IELTS test.

A fair test?

I prepared students for the IELTS test when I lived and taught in Greece. They needed a score of 6 to get into Foundation courses in British universities. It wasn’t an easy test and sometimes it took them more than one try to succeed.

My students were middle class, living comfortably at home with mum and dad. They had been to school all their lives and were highly competent readers and writers in their mother tongue of Greek.

They had been learning English at school since Grade 4, and doing private English tuition after school for even longer. Essentially they had been preparing for their IELTS test for at least 8 years.

They were not 40-year-old women whose lives as refugees has meant they have never been to school, and cannot read and write in their mother tongue.

Neither were they adjusting to a new culture, trying to find affordable accommodation and a job while simultaneously dealing with post-traumatic stress and the challenge of settling their teenage children into a brand new world.

Learning a language takes time

Even if we conclude that tests about dancing bees and recalcitrant room-mates are fit for the purpose of assessing worthiness for citizenship – and that is surely very debatable – we must acknowledge that it is going to take a very long time for our most vulnerable aspiring citizens to reach a proficiency that will enable them to pass the test.

Currently we offer them 510 hours of free English tuition. That is at least 5 years short of what the research says is required to reach English language competency.

Testing English doesn’t teach it

The three ingredients of successful language learning are motivation, opportunity and good tuition.

The Australian government must address all three if it wishes to increase the English language proficiency of its citizens.

An English language test may appear to be a compelling motivation to learn the language, but without the opportunity to learn and excellent tuition over time, the test is not a motivation. It is an unfair barrier to anyone for whom English is not their mother tongue.

And then this new policy starts to look and feel like Australia’s old White Australia Policy.

Can people ‘like me’ go to college? Inequality and dreams of higher ed

We need to know the true cost of Indigenous boarding school scholarships on communities

In this series, we’ll discuss whether progress is being made on Indigenous education, looking at various areas including policy, scholarships, school leadership, literacy and much more.

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Every year, over 3,000 Indigenous students leave home to attend boarding schools. While many consider Indigenous boarding programs a “solution” generally aimed at remote students who don’t have access to local high schools, most Indigenous students at boarding schools are not from remote Australia.

Some come from cities, but the majority of Indigenous boarders come from regional and rural Australia.

With the government spending millions of dollars each year to encourage Indigenous students to attend boarding schools, what is the true cost of Indigenous boarding on regional communities, Indigenous families and students?

Many more will leave remote areas

By 2026, only 8% of all Indigenous Australians are projected to be living in remote Australia.

Within this decade, our Indigenous population is projected to reach upwards of 900,000 people, from 669,900 in 2013.

Huge amounts of government and state funding continue to be spent on boarding programs that enable students to leave their home communities and attend boarding schools in major cities and large towns.

While the government financially supports individual scholarship foundations and providers, private schools often fund their own scholarships.

Students and boarding schools can also access funding from the government’s ABSTUDY initiative. Figures specific to boarding schools have not been released, but in 2015-16 ABSTUDY payments to secondary school students alone cost around $145 million.

Little research on impact of Australian Indigenous boarding

During my years coordinating an Indigenous program for boarding students at a private girls’ college, I struggled to find data and research related to the experiences and outcomes of Indigenous boarders in Australia.

Through a PhD I decided to add to the small body of studies in this area through analysing the experiences of 25 Aboriginal girls attending boarding schools away from home.

Boarding better option than local school?

The majority of students in my study explained that they had chosen not to attend their local school because, based on their own and others’ experiences attending such schools, they believed the teaching and management to be of poor quality.

Students spoke of wanting better educational opportunities, as well as access to extracurricular activities, which were not provided at their local school.

They also described how local schools in their home towns, mostly in regional and rural Australia, struggled to keep teachers for longer than a year. They said that learning often consisted of copying down lines from a whiteboard or “mucking around” in unruly classrooms.

Students saw this as an example of “the teacher not caring”, “not trying” and “not thinking Aboriginal kids deserve a good education”.

But a few students I spoke to were attending boarding school in the city they lived in, and were able to catch the train home to visit their families. Some saw boarding school as opening doors to better opportunities in the future, by being able to put the name of a “big school” on their resume.

Having a good education was seen as a stepping stone toward a better life, even if students felt their education did not support their Indigenous identity and culture.

The pull between wanting a good future and wanting to maintain their identity was palpable, and unresolved. This was often the reason given for Indigenous students dropping out of boarding school.

Statistics show that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in non-remote areas are more likely than those in remote areas to have completed Year 12 or equivalent (28% compared with 18%).

And while boarding school is a way for students from remote areas to move to regional and urban schools, the completion rates of remote students in boarding schools are unclear.

Recent research indicates that in some remote towns where secondary schooling is unavailable, up to 50% of secondary school aged students who are supported to attend boarding school return as a result of de-enrolling (through self-exclusion, withdrawal, exclusion or cancellation of enrolment).

Other reasons for attending boarding school

Students choose to attend boarding for individual reasons. In my research, one student spoke of leaving home because her mother was in a violent relationship, and she wanted to move away to escape the hurt of watching her mother being bashed after letting her boyfriend return each time he left her, bruised and crushed.

Another student spoke of how she and her mother had often searched for boarding scholarship advertisements in the hope of a “better education” and “making her family proud”. The same student told me that getting into boarding school granted her grandmother’s dying wish.

Impact on communities

Three in four students in my study said they had been subjected to racism and discrimination while at boarding school.

This included name calling, taunts based on being scholarship recipients, and social isolation by non-Indigenous students.

Many of the events students described were not heard, but were felt. “You just know,” one student said, “it’s the way they look at you”.

Students also described problems with feeling homesick; a lack of understanding of Indigenous content in classwork; their need for Indigenous teachers – who comprise of just 1.2% of the Australian teaching workforce. They also wanted more access to Indigenous support people in schools.

They talked about feeling disconnected with family, culture and identity when they returned home after boarding. They also retold painful stories of feeling lost and trapped, not knowing who they were when they returned home after changing to fit in at boarding school.

Desire to stay in city in further education

Despite this, the majority of Aboriginal students I spoke with said that they planned to remain in major cities and regional centres, to go to university or in getting a job after boarding school.

They saw this future, away from their communities, as bright, exciting, and worth it as an “end goal”.

While scholarships are providing students with opportunities to attend boarding schools that are well out of reach for most families, the cost to identity, culture and connection to community has not been fully explored – and is rarely discussed with students and families before they embark on such journeys.

Boarding scholarships worthwhile?

What is clear is that boarding school is not for everyone. Some students will thrive, and others will not, regardless of whether they are Indigenous or non-Indigenous. Indigenous boarding school scholarship foundations openly state this to potential applicants.

It’s also a reality that a small number of Indigenous students must leave their homes if they wish to receive a high school education in Australia.

More data, however, must be collected if the government is to continue to spend millions on sending Indigenous young people to boarding school.

More research into boarding school models, more discussion around the aims of such initiatives, and an understanding of the true cost of boarding school on students, and their communities, is also required.