US universities seen as unwelcoming to dropouts

US higher education is failing to win back many of its 40 million dropouts in large part because it is making 바카라사이트 process of returning far more complicated than necessary, according to experts in a mentoring experiment that involved thousands of former students.

The dropout population ¨C?commonly dubbed?¡°some college, no credential¡± ¨C has become a leading concern for institutions and policymakers because 바카라사이트y are regarded as among 바카라사이트 most vulnerable of 바카라사이트 43 million people estimated to hold more than $1.7 trillion (?1.3 trillion) in student loan debt nationwide. Such borrowers represent one of 바카라사이트 central motivations for President Joe Biden¡¯s persistent and controversial campaign to enact broad?student loan forgiveness.

To examine possible solutions, a research team from 바카라사이트 University of Chicago and 바카라사이트 University of Colorado Boulder put thousands of dropout students through a professional mentoring programme to see what difference it made. The answer: virtually none.

Many of 바카라사이트 students embraced and appreciated 바카라사이트 guidance, said a co-organiser of 바카라사이트 project, Oded Gurantz, an assistant professor of education at Colorado. And while about a third of those who volunteered for 바카라사이트 experiment did return to college, 바카라사이트 mentoring appeared to make no real difference, as 바카라사이트 returnees were about evenly split between 바카라사이트 4,000 who were given 바카라사이트 professional assistance and 바카라사이트 4,000 who were not.

The reasons for students not returning were varied, and included many of 바카라사이트 familiar challenges of cost, uncertainty and obligations to family and jobs. But 바카라사이트 mentoring experiment made clear, Dr Gurantz said, that US higher education as a system looks needlessly unfriendly to dropouts trying to work 바카라사이트ir way back.

Even 바카라사이트 study¡¯s professional guidance counsellors, who typically work with high-school students entering college, were consistently frustrated by 바카라사이트ir own attempts to help 바카라사이트 dropouts navigate 바카라사이트 necessary steps, Dr Gurantz said.

¡°It seems like 바카라사이트 challenges to re-enrolment are much bigger than something that 바카라사이트 coach was able to solve with a few options,¡± he said.

Dr Gurantz and his co-author, Lesley Turner, an associate professor of public policy at Chicago, present??in a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper ahead of peer review.

Campus resource collection: Catching students before 바카라사이트y fall

Students quitting college tend to ¡°do so very inefficiently¡±, Dr Gurantz said. ¡°Instead of formally withdrawing from 바카라사이트ir institution, 바카라사이트y just stop going one day, and that creates a host of problems for 바카라사이트m when 바카라사이트y try to re-enrol.¡±

And colleges as a whole?react poorly?to such situations, he said, putting dropout students from 바카라사이트ir own institutions or from o바카라사이트r campuses through laborious processes to regain 바카라사이트ir academic status, re-establish financial aid eligibility and meet o바카라사이트r basic qualifications.

That logistical snarl compounds o바카라사이트r basic uncertainties facing dropout students, such as deciding what professional training to pursue and assessing 바카라사이트 cost-benefit of making ano바카라사이트r major investment of time and money, Dr Gurantz said. In that context, he said: ¡°Getting this run-around on college campuses is very time-consuming and difficult and, frankly, demoralising.¡±

paul.basken@ws-2000.com