Demand Accountablity in For-Profit Higher Education
Department of Education
As adjunct professors we are the backbone of higher education. We are the majority of college instructors and we teach the majority of college classes. We are an important voice for higher education—ensuring quality education and good student outcomes.
On March 14, the Department of Education issued rules (Docket ID ED-2014-OPE-0039) that would ensure that career education programs meet minimal standards of performance in preparing students for employment in their chosen field. Under the proposed rules, programs that leave large majorities of students with excessive debt and no opportunity for employment would no longer be eligible for federal funding. This would be an important change, as some career education programs, located primarily in for profit colleges, receive up to 90 percent of their revenue from the federal government.
Call on the Department of Education to stand up to the pressure and increase accountability for the worst performing programs that see students as loan signatories and don’t provide the quality education that students deserve.
Add your name now.
The full proposed regulation can be found here.
(Your name and comments may be made public by the Department of Education. Your contact information will be kept private.)
Petition by
To:
Department of Education
From:
[Your Name]
Thank you for proposing regulations (Docket ID ED-2014-OPE-0039) that rein in the poorest performing programs that burden students with high levels of debt without adequately preparing them to succeed in the workplace.
Poor performing career education programs, located primarily at for-profit institutions, siphon off important federal funding—funding that could be used to increase access to a quality education in our public and non-profit institutions.
We are concerned that the regulations as drafted do not go far enough in protecting students from the abusive practices of some institutions. Students in failing programs would be offered little protection. Institutions can continue to enroll increasing numbers of students in programs with questionable outcomes. Students could be left with debt accumulated from a program that is shut down with no opportunity for relief. That is wrong.
We urge you to strengthen the student protections in the rule by keeping institutions from enrolling ever increasing numbers of students in questionable programs, and by offering relief to students in shuttered programs.
Also, the regulation could unfairly penalize low-cost programs that do not leave students with high debt. Some institutions, including many community colleges and other public and nonprofit colleges, keep costs manageable so that students do not leave with exorbitant student loans. These programs should not get caught in the web that seeks to rein in the most abusive practices of career colleges and for-profit institutions.
Students who attend career colleges and for profit institutions are simply seeking to improve their ability to succeed in the workplace. We have an obligation to ensure that students are provided a quality education that will lead to employment and productive lives. As an adjunct professor who is committed to the highest standards in education, I urge you to strengthen the regulations to protect students and end the most abusive practices offered by some institutions.