Making the “gap year” count
The prevalence of U.S. students taking a “gap year,” or taking a year off after high school graduation before enrolling in a higher education institution, has increased in recent years. In fact, The Gap Year Association reports that in the last nine years, there has been a 294% increase in gap years taken.
Despite the proven benefits of taking this time off, gap years have generally only been an option for those who could afford to delay enrollment and spend a year traveling. Verto Education wants to change that by partnering with 24 universities and study abroad programs to offer students the chance to earn college credits during their time outside the classroom. Verto says this program can “alleviate the pressure of concerned parents whose children want to travel the world after high school graduation” while ensuring students who do take a break still graduate on time.
Source: Inside Higher Ed
The struggle to graduate teachers
The number of students graduating to become K-12 teachers in the U.S. has seen a sharp decline, leading to a deficit of over 110,000 teachers projected for the 2017-2018 school year. (In the 2012-2013 school year, there was a shortage of 20,000.) In response, some higher ed institutions are creating boutique programs to “build relationships with high school and even middle school students to expand the pipeline of future teachers.” Other schools are creating accelerated programs for students to become educators, but there are still many factors that contribute to students not picking teaching as their career, including low pay.
Source: Education Dive
What colleges and states are doing about slow-moving part-time students
According to the U.S. Department of Education, less than one in five students who attend college part time will graduate within eight years. Many factors contribute to part-time students struggling to finish their degrees, with the most prevalent being money and scheduling. Part-time students also often feel unheard and unseen on campuses that cater to a predominantly full-time student population. This must change, however, “as federal forecasts show part-time enrollment outpacing full-time enrollment through at least 2027.”
With this expected shift, both colleges and states are realizing that in order to meet enrollment goals they must pay more attention to this area of the student population. An increased number of institutions are scheduling courses when it is convenient for their part-time students, as well as opening up financial aid to part-time students, who were previously ineligible.
Source: The Hechinger Report
Decreased community college enrollment — what’s to blame?
A recent research study from the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) found that many postsecondary institutions are facing difficulties in recruiting students. SREB found that from 2012-2017, there was an 11% drop in two-year college enrollment nationwide while four-year college enrollment remained “flat.” Contributing factors to this decline include an improving economy with many “opting to go straight into the workforce rather than college since they can get a job easier’ despite those with an associate’s degree earning “18% more in wages than those with a high school credential while those with a bachelor’s degree earn 71% more.”
Source: Diverse Education