Preying for money: Predatory schools false promise to students who are experiencing homelessness

Format

Individual Presentation

First Presenter's Institution

One Degree Hire, LLC/Covenant House Georgia

Second Presenter's Institution

NA

Third Presenter's Institution

NA

Fourth Presenter's Institution

NA

Fifth Presenter's Institution

NA

Strand #1

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Strand #2

Head: Academic Achievement & Leadership

Relevance

The proposed session discusses predatorial colleges and their impact on students experiencing homelessness and students from low-income families. With proper knowledge about post-secondary education options, students can avoid these institutions and find credible programs equipped to prepare them for their career pathways.

Brief Program Description

Predatory schools often target people of color, people with low incomes, and people experiencing homelessness, leaving them with high student debt, undervalued credits, and low job placement. As the demand for credentials increases, predatory schools continue to defraud students with attractive but deceptive higher education promises. This session discusses how to help students avoid these institutions and instead find credible post-secondary education options.

Summary

For Black students experiencing homelessness or from low-income families, enrolling in a college offers a step towards enhancing one's position in life. Credentials are marketed as a way to improve social and economic mobility. However, predatory schools, with low graduation rates, less valuable credentials, and higher tuition, often prey on unsuspecting students putting them further in debt. Predatory schools lure many students with promises of job placement, high salaries, and "free electronics" like iPads and computers. And with little federal oversight over these schools, students who enroll in these programs invest their time, effort, and money into colleges that do not benefit them. Moreover, Black students experiencing homelessness or from low-income families have few legal recourses to recoup their money from fraudulent educational programs.

Recently, many for-profit schools have come under fire for fraudulent practices such as falsifying FASFA records and lying about job placements, high student debt, and the programs' exorbitant cost. While schools like Corinthian, Everest, and Ashford University have been convicted of defrauding the public, there are still institutions that continue to operate while exploiting students, especially those experiencing homelessness and from low-income backgrounds.

Given that educational inequity continues to be an issue, even after Brown v. Board of Education, little attention has been placed on predatory schools and how they widen the economic and social gap for Black students from low-income backgrounds. The lack of discourse around predatory schools has caused many education corporations to profit off students. In this session, the audience will learn ways predatory schools take advantage of Black students who are experiencing homelessness or from low-income families, why they target this population, and the lasting impact on students who have enrolled in predatory programs. I will provide practical ways educators can help educate youth about predatory schools, verify the validity of a school, and find other educational routes for students to earn a valuable credential from reputable higher education institutions.

Evidence

Taken from a qualitative study on the lived experiences of Black youth who are experiencing homelessness, and personal accounts of assisting youth who are experiencing homelessness gain access to college, the session weaves narratives and statistics to show how predatory schools recruit vulnerable populations. Not surprisingly, Black and Latinx's students account for less than one-third of college students, but almost half attend a for-profit college (Bonadies et al., 2018). And while some students may receive a degree from a predatory college, they tend to be worse off than when they only had a high school diploma (Bonadies et al., 2018). Research shows that 53 percent of students at for-profit schools have annual incomes less than $30,000 (Arbeit & Horn, 2017), and they are bombarded with excessive student debt (Bonadies et al., 2018).

Through the narratives of students experiencing homelessness who have been "victims" of predatory schools and potential "victims," I will explain how these schools use tactics to deceive students out of money. Afterward, I will share practical ways to help educate youth about predatory schools, and how to use cost-analysis strategies to inform youth about predatory schools.

References:

Arbeit, C. A., & Horn, L. (2017). A profile of the enrollment patterns and demographic characteristics of undergraduates at for-profit institutions. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces. ed. gov/pubs2017/2017416. Pdf

Bonadies, G., Rovenger, J., Connor, E., Shum, B., & Merrill, T. (2018, July 30). For-profit schools’ predatory practices and students of color: A mission to enroll rather than educate. Harvard Law Review Blog. https://blog.harvardlawreview.org/for-profit-schools-predatory-practices-and-students-of-color-a-mission-to-enroll-rather-than-educate/

Learning Objectives

At the end of the session, the audience should be equipped to:

(1) Identify ways to tell if a school may be a predatory school

(2) Implement strategies to help student avoid predatory schools

Biographical Sketch

Nichole Murray received her undergraduate degree from Tuskegee University and her master’s and a doctorate from the University of Georgia. She has taught in traditional and nontraditional education settings throughout her career, including a youth correctional facility, a research one university, and a non-profit organization. Currently, she works to connect youth who are experiencing homelessness to education resources and opportunities. Her research work centers around marginalized students and educational outcomes, homelessness and education, incarcerated youth and recidivism, womanism, cultural inclusivity and humility, post-secondary institution retention rates, and trauma-informed education.

Keyword Descriptors

Higher education, post-secondary education, students who are experiencing homelessness, education equity, predatory schools, student from low-income families, student debt, career readiness, workforce readiness

Presentation Year

2021

Start Date

3-10-2021 1:40 PM

End Date

3-10-2021 2:40 PM

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Mar 10th, 1:40 PM Mar 10th, 2:40 PM

Preying for money: Predatory schools false promise to students who are experiencing homelessness

Predatory schools often target people of color, people with low incomes, and people experiencing homelessness, leaving them with high student debt, undervalued credits, and low job placement. As the demand for credentials increases, predatory schools continue to defraud students with attractive but deceptive higher education promises. This session discusses how to help students avoid these institutions and instead find credible post-secondary education options.