tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/graduation-rates-25752/articlesGraduation rates – The Conversation2023-01-11T13:25:55Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1961832023-01-11T13:25:55Z2023-01-11T13:25:55ZCollege students who work more hours are less likely to graduate<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500783/original/file-20221213-18915-z6pe3e.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C30%2C6689%2C4436&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Nearly half of all full-time college students also work.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/high-school-graduates-in-a-row-royalty-free-image/1140162133?phrase=college%20student%20graduation&adppopup=true">SDI Productions via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em></p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Students who work while enrolled in college are about 20% less likely to complete their degrees than similar peers who don’t work, a large and meaningful decrease in predicted graduation rates. Among those who do graduate, working students take an average 0.6 of a semester longer to finish. This is mainly because students who work large amounts – over 15 hours a week – take fewer college credits per semester.</p>
<p>These findings come from a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23328584221140410">new study in AERA Open</a>, a peer-reviewed open-access journal published by the American Education Research Association.</p>
<p>To learn more about how work might affect a student’s chances of graduation, we examined 17 years of data – 2001 to 2017 – from the state of Tennessee. We matched college student records to employment records for about 600,000 students. We compared working students with those who did not work but were otherwise similar in terms of family income, high school GPA, location and demographic characteristics. We also looked at college progress for students who worked during some semesters but not in others, to see whether they were more successful in completing their classes in semesters when they did not work. </p>
<p>Ultimately, we found that working students signed up for about one less credit on average per semester than students who don’t work. This is likely because they had less time available for classes. Students who worked were every bit as successful in their classes after signing up, with similar course completion rates and similar GPAs. But because they signed up for fewer courses, their progression through college was slower, and they were less likely to graduate.</p>
<p>Notably, we did not see a decrease in graduation rates among students who worked smaller amounts, especially less than eight hours per week. These students signed up for similar numbers of credits as their nonworking classmates, and they completed their degrees at similar rates. This suggests that smaller amounts of work may not affect a student’s progress toward graduation.</p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Working while in college is very common, especially with the <a href="https://collegeaffordability.urban.org/">rising price of college tuition</a> and the <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/scott-clayton-report.pdf">burden of student loan debt</a>.</p>
<p>Recent <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/pdf/coe_ssa.pdf">estimates</a> show that 43% of full-time students and 81% of part-time students work while enrolled in college. In Tennessee, we found that working is especially common among community college students, first-generation students and students returning to college as adults. </p>
<p>With so many students trying to juggle work and school, colleges and policymakers could take more steps to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2020.1777381">support working students</a> and <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED547419">help them meet their needs</a>. </p>
<p>If working students take longer to complete college, policymakers could extend access to financial aid for longer periods if needed. For example, students can access federal Pell Grants for only <a href="https://studentaid.gov/help-center/answers/article/is-there-limit-to-how-long-i-can-receive-federal-pell-grant-funds">12 semesters</a>. This may leave some students without an important source of aid if their work causes them to take longer to finish their degree.</p>
<p>Students should be aware of the challenges that work might pose in their college journey. Work may be crucial for paying bills and creating opportunities for professional development. However, when students work 15 hours or more, they could have a more difficult time earning a college degree, which can ultimately enable a person to get a <a href="https://cew.georgetown.edu/cew-reports/the-college-payoff/">higher-paying job in the future</a>.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>One important question is whether certain jobs may work better for college students than others. Some research suggests on-campus jobs might be <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07377363.2020.1777381">more convenient</a> and help keep students focused on their classes. Students working in a job related to their major might find real-world connections between their jobs and classes – like a nursing student working in a hospital. Given that work is a necessity for many students, educators can do more to guide students to jobs that might work best for their college success.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/196183/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Celeste K. Carruthers received funding from an anonymous foundation to support this research.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Carolyn Heinrich and Walter G. Ecton do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Taking a job while in college may put graduation out of reach for some students.Walter G. Ecton, Assistant Professor of Education Policy, Florida State UniversityCarolyn Heinrich, Professor of Public Policy, Education and Economics, Vanderbilt UniversityCeleste K. Carruthers, Associate Professor of Economics, University of TennesseeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1852562022-06-23T11:50:39Z2022-06-23T11:50:39ZOnly about 1 in 5 engineering degrees go to women<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469564/original/file-20220617-15-euge0j.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C0%2C6017%2C4011&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows women who study engineering do better when mentored by other women.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/milling-machine-setup-process-female-african-royalty-free-image/1350414597?adppopup=true">Nitat Termmee/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=255&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/469516/original/file-20220617-24-upljnk.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=321&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite various efforts to <a href="https://beta.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/broadening-participation/supporting-women-and-girls-stem">encourage more women to study STEM fields</a> in college, the percentage of engineering bachelor’s degrees earned by women in the United States hasn’t increased much in the 21st century. Specifically, it has risen from 18% in 1998 to 22% in 2018. </p>
<p><iframe id="PkKnG" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/PkKnG/2/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Of all the fields in STEM – or science, technology, engineering and mathematics – the engineering workforce <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widely-across-jobs/">has the lowest proportion of women</a>, at 14%.</p>
<p>That low participation matters for several reasons. Women are not only being left out of some of the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/architecture-and-engineering/home.htm">highest-paying jobs in STEM</a>, but companies are losing out as well. Research shows that gender-diverse teams <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/eriklarson/2017/09/21/new-research-diversity-inclusion-better-decision-making-at-work/?sh=71ea3baa4cbf">make better business decisions</a> than teams that are all-male.</p>
<p>So why aren’t women going into engineering? And what, if anything, can be done to help women who decide to study engineering stay the course? The Society of Women Engineers reports that <a href="https://alltogether.swe.org/2019/11/swe-research-update-women-in-engineering-by-the-numbers-nov-2019/#_ednref7">over 32% of female STEM majors switch to another major</a>. Research shows this rate is <a href="https://www.rise.hs.iastate.edu/projects/CBiRC/IJEE-WhyTheyLeave.pdf">typically higher</a> than the rate at which men leave engineering. Of those women who leave the engineering profession, 30% cite the workplace environment as the reason, the society reports. A 2017 study of over 5,000 women who earned bachelor’s degrees in engineering <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00875">found that 10% never entered the field and 27% left the profession</a>.</p>
<h2>Colleges intervene</h2>
<p>These are all issues I’ve been <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=sZGzlnMAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">researching</a> as associate director of the <a href="https://cwit.umbc.edu/mission-vision/">Center for Women in Technology</a> at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, or UMBC. In 2018, several colleagues and I found that computing and engineering students who are supported by the center <a href="https://dl.acm.org/doi/abs/10.1145/3159450.3159533">graduate within four years at a rate of 61.2%</a> – a <a href="https://cdn.theconversation.com/static_files/files/2143/A_Model_for_Increasing_Gender_Diversity_in_Technology.pdf?1655991489">full 19 percentage points higher</a> than students who are not supported by the center. The center supports students through scholarships and extensive academic and social support; in the 2021-22 academic year, 73% of students supported were women.
And recently two alumnae of the center – one in <a href="https://umbc.edu/stories/fourteen-umbc-students-and-recent-alumni-receive-fulbright-awards-setting-new-record/">2019</a> and one in <a href="https://umbc.edu/stories/umbc-2022-fulbright-student-scholars/">2022</a> – have become <a href="https://us.fulbrightonline.org/">Fulbright Scholars</a>.</p>
<p>The program at UMBC is by no means the only campus-based program in the nation that supports female students in their plans to enter engineering and computer science – two areas in which women are <a href="https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2018/01/09/diversity-in-the-stem-workforce-varies-widely-across-jobs/">persistently underrepresented</a>. Through my research, I have discovered that there are more than two dozen such programs or initiatives at colleges and universities throughout the nation. They include, for example, the
<a href="https://sites.udel.edu/wie/">Women in Engineering Program</a> at University of Delaware, the <a href="https://wise.ncsu.edu/">Women in Science and Engineering program</a> at North Carolina State University and the <a href="https://awe.seas.upenn.edu/#:%7E:text=Women%20make%20up%20approximately%2040,and%20opportunities%20to%20Penn%20Engineering.">Advancing Women in Engineering</a> program at the University of Pennsylvania. </p>
<p>To better understand the necessity of such programs, consider the abundance of research that has found women who study STEM report <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0072">“chilly” and “negative” experiences</a> in the classroom and on campus. This includes being subjected to gender-based harassment and a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/csd.2016.0072">perception that women are unable to ‘do science.</a>’” Colleges also have long struggled with how to help women <a href="https://www.ijemst.net/index.php/ijemst/article/view/293/141">see themselves as part of the scientific community</a>.</p>
<h2>Proven strategies</h2>
<p>It doesn’t have to be that way. Research shows that when female engineering students are mentored by female peers, they feel less anxious about their ability, have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1613117114">more positive academic experiences</a> and are more likely to stick with STEM as a major. Peer-based tutoring has also <a href="https://peer.asee.org/examining-the-effectiveness-of-scholars-assisting-scholars-program-among-undergraduate-engineering-students">been shown to help students get their grades up</a>.</p>
<p>With support from an approximately $233,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, I have also been looking at <a href="https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2025349&HistoricalAwards=false">what kinds of academic experiences and supports</a> help female engineering students stay the course.</p>
<p>Based on my analysis of 356 female engineering students at UMBC from 2007 to 2016, what follows are preliminary findings from my National Science Foundation research:</p>
<h2>1. High school math and grades make a difference</h2>
<p>Starting college in a higher level of college math and having a higher high school GPA both help. Specifically, starting college at a higher level of college math – such as Advanced Calculus or Differential Equations – increases the likelihood of graduating with an engineering degree within five years by 8% over those who start at lower levels of college math. Having a higher high school GPA increases the likelihood even more.</p>
<p>To boost the number of women who earn engineering degrees, educators must help girls get on track at the high school level. This means establishing a strong record of success in their high school math and science courses.</p>
<h2>2. Gateway engineering courses matter</h2>
<p>By “gateway” courses, I mean classes that are required to officially declare the engineering major and that faculty identified as critical for success. In other words, classes that make or break an engineer. This would include courses such as Principles of Digital Design in computer engineering, Statics in mechanical engineering and Chemical Process Thermodynamics in chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I found that women who took more gateway engineering courses were less likely to leave their intended engineering major.</p>
<h2>3. Freshman and sophomore years in college are critical</h2>
<p>For those who eventually left engineering, making it through the first four semesters is critical. Among women students who left engineering, 59% – or about three out of five – did so during the first four semesters.</p>
<p>This points toward the need for colleges and universities to provide very deliberate academic and social supports – such as tutoring and mentoring – for female engineering students at the very start of their college careers.</p>
<p>If only 1 in 5 bachelor’s degrees in engineering are awarded to women, it may take these efforts and more to get the number anywhere close to being on par with the proportion that are awarded to men.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/185256/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danyelle Tauryce Ireland works for the Center for Women in Technology at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>A negative environment dissuades many women engineering students from staying in the field. Can colleges and universities do anything to reverse the trend?Danyelle Tauryce Ireland, Associate Director of the Center for Women in Technology and Research Assistant Professor in the Engineering and Computing Education Program, University of Maryland, Baltimore CountyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/898402018-02-08T11:21:50Z2018-02-08T11:21:50ZDC graduation scandal shows how chronic absenteeism threatens America’s schools<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205352/original/file-20180207-74487-1glbmgl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Millions of American students miss large chunks of the school year. </span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/105739457?src=WUCHqz4gIdCMiNv0JuYIkQ-1-1&size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock.com</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Each year in the United States, approximately <a href="http://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Mapping-the-Early-Attendance-Gap-Exec-Summary-4-pager_4.pdf">5 to 7.5 million students</a> in the nation’s K-12 schools miss a month or more of school. That means 150 to 225 million instructional days are lost every school year.</p>
<p>The problem is more pronounced in low-income urban communities throughout the country. In elementary school, for example, students who live in poverty were found to be as much as five times <a href="http://www.nccp.org/publications/pdf/text_771.pdf">more likely to be chronically absent</a> than their advantaged peers.</p>
<p>The reasons students miss school can vary, according to “<a href="https://new.every1graduates.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/FINALChronicAbsenteeismReport_May16.pdf">The Importance of Being in School: A Report on Absenteeism in the Nation’s Public Schools</a>.” The reasons range from circumstances, such as family responsibilities or unstable living arrangements, or the need to work, that prevent students from coming to school, to unsafe conditions or bullying that lead students to avoid school. Or, students may simply not see the value of going to school, the report states.</p>
<p>Students lose the most when it comes to being chronically absent, which is often <a href="https://new.every1graduates.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/FINALChronicAbsenteeismReport_May16.pdf">defined</a> as missing 10 percent or more of the total school days in a year. That translates to 18 days or more in a typical 180-day school year.</p>
<p>For instance, students with more school absences have lower <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.3102/0162373709342467">test scores</a> and grades, <a href="https://www.issuelab.org/resources/11658/11658.pdf">greater chances of dropping out</a> of high school, and, subsequently, <a href="http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jae.817/full">higher odds</a> of future unemployment.</p>
<p>These disparities are a big deal, especially since there are already <a href="http://pricetheory.uchicago.edu/levitt/Papers/FryerLevittUnderstandingTheBlack2004.pdf">notable differences</a> in performance based on family income, even by the time that children first enter school.</p>
<p>This is why — as researchers who have focused on absenteeism and better ways to keep students engaged — we found the <a href="https://osse.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/osse/release_content/attachments/Report%20on%20DCPS%20Graduation%20and%20Attendance%20Outcomes%20-%20Alvarez%26Marsal.pdf">recent report</a> about students graduating from Ballou High School in Washington, D.C., despite missing large amounts of school so concerning. </p>
<h2>Pressure to pass students</h2>
<p>The report — prepared by a consulting firm for the Office of the State Superintendent of Education — found that institutional pressure contributed to a “culture of passing.” It was a culture created in part by “aggressive graduation and promotion goals” developed by the central office at District of Columbia Public Schools. It was also a culture in which passing and graduating students was “expected, sometimes in contradiction to standards of academic rigor and integrity.”</p>
<p>“School leaders across DCPS were evaluated based in part on measures of promotion and [graduation rates], while teachers at 10 schools were evaluated based on passing percentage,” the report found. Additionally, some of the goals “appeared unachievable” based on the previous academic performance of the students in question.</p>
<p>The report also found that “empathy for the extreme needs” of students, especially those who were poor, also contributed to the culture of passing.</p>
<p>Ballou was not the only school that became susceptible to this culture of passing. Indeed, the report found that out of 2,758 District of Columbia Public Schools graduates in the 2016-2017 school year, 937 — or 34 percent — “graduated with the assistance of policy violations.” The report found 572 students had passed at least one course with 30 or more absences — a violation of district policy.</p>
<h2>Part of a larger problem</h2>
<p>The Ballou scandal, which last week reportedly prompted an <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/fbi-us-education-department-investigating-ballou-graduation-scandal/2018/02/02/b307e57c-07ab-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html?utm_term=.e7937cae9cfa">FBI investigation</a>, is now poised to join a series of similar education scandals across the nation, including test-score forgery scandals in <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/04/01/how-and-why-convicted-atlanta-teachers-cheated-on-standardized-tests/?utm_term=.11271dcf5f88">Atlanta</a> and <a href="http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20160225_Two_former_Philly_principals_plead_in_cheating_scandal.html">Philadelphia</a>. </p>
<p>While testing has been a major focus of education policy discussions, chronic absenteeism is <a href="https://www.future-ed.org/work/how-did-chronic-absenteeism-become-a-thing/">increasingly</a> a focal point, too, and rightly so. However, the danger is that as we put more focus and weight on a single measure, such as attendance or graduation, the more that measure is subject to corruption and manipulation. At least this is the central tenet of what is known as <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11217-015-9482-3">Campbell’s Law</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/205030/original/file-20180206-14100-14kjcme.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Once sufficient to land a middle-class job, a high school diploma today is required to compete for a minimum wage job.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/download/confirm/681676?src=Hm_4nfPf3qnPIKajsgyRoQ-6-66&size=huge_jpg">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>A major reason why graduation is seen as such an important indicator of school success is because a high school diploma is now considered <a href="https://www.bls.gov/emp/ep_chart_001.htm">a minimum qualification</a> to enter the workforce.</p>
<p>This is in stark contrast to the 1970s, when having a high school diploma was enough to help you enter a middle-class profession.</p>
<p>At present the national graduation rate stands at about <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_coi.asp">83 percent</a>. This means nearly 1 in 5 students is not graduating and is not likely to enter the workforce and earn a living wage. Those who never graduate pose a growing social cost on society. <a href="http://www.apa.org/pi/ses/resources/indicator/2013/05/poverty-dropouts.aspx">Specifically</a>, they are more likely to rely on social services and commit crimes at a higher rate.</p>
<p>Increasing the graduation rate is a natural solution to this problem, but only if the diploma actually reflects the minimum skills expected by employers. Without policies and practices that improve graduation rates through real improvements in learning and credit acquisition, it is likely that we will continue to hear about schools like Ballou. These will be schools where educators — when faced with rising requirements and existing structural challenges — elect to fabricate success rather than report the real and sometimes intractable challenges of getting high school-aged youth to show up and complete assignments.</p>
<p>So what can be done to prevent similar scandals such as the one that has currently engulfed Ballou? </p>
<h2>Interventions work</h2>
<p>First, educators and policymakers should recognize <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/chronic-absenteeism-an-old-problem-in-search-of-new-answers/">low-cost interventions</a> that have been shown to reduce absenteeism. These include things as simple as sending parents a single postcard reminder about the importance of attending school. This was <a href="https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/edlabs/regions/midatlantic/pdf/REL_2017252.pdf">shown</a> to increase attendance by 2.4 percent. A <a href="http://www.attendanceworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Todd-Rogers-Avi-F.-nfluential_third_parties.pdf">similar intervention</a> aimed at correcting parents’ misunderstandings about how many total absences their children have accumulated reduced absenteeism by 10 percent.</p>
<p>Second, policymakers must be cautious about punitive measures that may create the impression that they are cracking down on truancy but have no effect. One <a href="https://www.courts.wa.gov/subsite/wsccr/docs/TruancyEvalReport.pdf">study</a>, for instance, did not find any evidence that students who faced court sanctions — from $25 parental fines for each missed school day to community service and even confinement — did any better or worse in school than those who were not called into court.</p>
<p>Third, rather than focusing on policies that set an arbitrary threshold for how many days a student can miss before the student loses credit for a course, educators and policymakers need to focus on <a href="https://cepa.stanford.edu/content/engaging-teachers-measuring-impact-teachers-student-attendance-secondary-school">more effective</a> ways to keep students <a href="https://www.brookings.edu/research/going-to-school-is-optional-schools-need-to-engage-students-to-increase-their-lifetime-opportunities/">engaged</a> and <a href="http://njbullying.org/documents/ttofifarrington2011.pdf">feeling safe</a> in school.</p>
<p>Fourth, education leaders must tackle real-life situations that cause students to miss school in the first place, such as “the strain of having to take care of younger siblings,” as D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson <a href="https://dcps.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dcps/release_content/attachments/2017-12-15_GraduationHearingTestimony_final.pdf">testified</a> recently in the wake of the Ballou scandal.</p>
<p>Solutions to chronic absenteeism may not be easy to come by but they exist. But much like chronically absent students, we can’t expect those solutions to just show up. We have to be willing to find them.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/89840/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new report says a “culture of passing” led to the graduation scandal at Ballou High School in Washington, DC, but the scandal points to the much larger problem of chronic absenteeism in the US.Shaun M. Dougherty, Assistant Professor of Education & Public Policy, University of ConnecticutMichael Gottfried, Associate Professor of Education, University of California, Santa BarbaraLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/737032017-03-02T14:59:26Z2017-03-02T14:59:26ZHow strong academic support can change university students’ lives<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/158873/original/image-20170301-5492-15hasrs.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Black South African students need fewer excuses and more support from universities. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Kim Ludbrook/EPA</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>In South Africa tens of thousands of students <a href="https://mg.co.za/article/2015-05-21-18-of-matrics-register-at-universities-half-drop-out">leave universities</a> each year without completing their degrees. They are largely being pushed out of the system <a href="http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/publications/Full_Report.pdf">due to</a> funding issues and a lack of academic support.</p>
<p>Funding is <a href="http://www.nature.com/news/south-african-academics-warn-of-universities-on-the-brink-1.20492">a national problem</a>. But what about the lack of comprehensive academic support for students who really need it? The fault here lies squarely with universities. </p>
<p>Universities blame the country’s <a href="http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/publications/Full_Report.pdf">disastrous public schooling system</a> for the fact that many students enter higher education unprepared. </p>
<p>Public schooling is definitely a massive problem. Research suggests that of one million children who enter Grade 1 in South Africa each year, half <a href="https://equaleducation.org.za/2017/01/04/matric-results-an-indicator-of-primary-schooling-in-crisis/">do not go on</a> to complete secondary school. Only <a href="https://chet.org.za/files/resources/Fees%20and%20Sustainable%20funding%20PPT%20Final%2011May16.pdf">100,000 get to university</a> and only 53,000 graduate from university after six years in the tertiary system. </p>
<p>We must stop expecting first-year students - many of whom come from public schools and whose first language isn’t English - to somehow figure out how to cope with the rigorous demands of any university degree without genuine, committed support.</p>
<p>There are some programmes in place to ease the transition. But many students at my own institution have confided in me that these programmes are often inadequate. Most classes to improve second language speakers’ grasp of English are optional, as are workshops on academic preparedness. Some students attend them; others struggle to find time due to packed class schedules.</p>
<p>My institution has a writing centre to support students with essay and assignment writing. The problem is that it’s understaffed and students often have to wait weeks for an appointment.</p>
<p>But there’s a fascinating and troubling contradiction at play: this very same institution offers comprehensive and compulsory programmes to help students who don’t speak English as a first language – as long as they’re international students from outside South Africa. And these programmes work very well, helping students cope with university demands and go on to graduate.</p>
<p>These programmes must be adapted, broadened and rolled out to ensure that South African students who are struggling with English and the demands of university education don’t get left behind.</p>
<p>I’m speaking from experience. Fifteen years ago I barely spoke any English but managed to earn a scholarship to a university in the United States. The support I received there made a world of difference. Similar support can change South African students’ university experience – and their lives, too.</p>
<h2>Comprehensive and dedicated support</h2>
<p>In 2002 I received a scholarship to study at the <a href="https://www.csbsju.edu/">College of St Benedict and St John’s University</a> in Minnesota. I’m from Bosnia and Herzegovina, and English isn’t my first language. I learned a bit of English in primary school. Then <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-17212376">the war interrupted</a> my primary school education for two years. After the war, the education system was dysfunctional. </p>
<p>When I got to the US in 2002 I could hardly speak, read or write English.</p>
<p>I spent two months in a school for students learning English as a second language, then headed to university. This helped a bit but I needed so much more.</p>
<p>The first year at university was hell, academically speaking. I struggled to understand what was going on around me. I could hardly express myself or write my assignments. Often, I doubted myself and my choice to accept the scholarship. I doubted my own intelligence.</p>
<p>Over the years in South Africa, I have heard many accounts of similar struggles experienced by South African students whose first language isn’t English. They all speak about the inability to engage in English, to cope, follow lectures. They, too, often think that they are not good enough to be at the university.</p>
<p>The best thing about my first year was the English language class I attended with other international students. Our professor taught us to read, write, speak and present in English. There were three classes a week, but she supported us way beyond those set times.</p>
<p>Without her, I probably would have quit my studies. Instead, my marks improved dramatically and my confidence grew. In 2005 I was persuaded by my American friends to write a book about my wartime experiences. I wrote it in English. It was <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Not-My-Turn-Die-Childhood/dp/0814401651/">published</a> in 2008.</p>
<p>I’ve been in South Africa since 2007, obtaining a Masters and PhD. Today I write, do research, publish, lecture, present at national and international conferences. All in English.</p>
<p>I didn’t accomplish any of this because I was special. The support I received at the start of my university education made all the difference.</p>
<h2>Becoming student-ready institutions</h2>
<p>In South Africa, the lack of comprehensive academic support for all who need it is excused by the lack of capacity and the price tag. But surely investing in programmes that bolster student success makes sense? After all, universities receive government funding <a href="http://www.dhet.gov.za/Financial%20and%20Physical%20Planning/Ministerial%20Statement%20at%20University%20funding;%202015-16%20and%202016-2017,%20November%202014.pdf">partly based on their graduate numbers</a>. And more graduates can <a href="http://www.nationalplanningcommission.org.za/Documents/devplan_ch9_0.pdf">boost the economy</a>.</p>
<p>In 2013, the <a href="http://www.che.ac.za/sites/default/files/publications/Full_Report.pdf">Council on Higher Education proposed</a> that university studies and “qualifications should accord with the learning needs of the majority of the student intake”. This, the council argued, would entail extending undergraduate programmes by a year. The first year would become foundational, with students spending a considerable amount of time on compulsory academic preparedness and development. </p>
<p>This has not yet been implemented. </p>
<p>Byron White, vice president for university engagement at Cleveland State University, <a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2016/03/21/instead-focusing-college-ready-students-institutions-should-become-more-student">argues</a> that universities need to stop complaining that their first-year students aren’t prepared for academic life. This approach, White says,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>has allowed higher education to deflect accountability. It’s time that we fully embrace the burden of being student-ready institutions … It turns out the problem was not as much about the students as we thought. It was largely us, uninformed about what it takes to help them succeed or unwilling to allocate the resources necessary to put it into practice.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Universities must ditch the excuses and do more. Extensive academic support changes lives. It’s time we got to work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/73703/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Savo Heleta does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Students from South Africa’s public school system battle to cope with the rigorous demands of any university degree without genuine, committed support.Savo Heleta, Manager, Internationalisation at Home and Research, Nelson Mandela UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/661742016-09-29T00:46:16Z2016-09-29T00:46:16ZMaking college affordable: Eight essential reads<p><em>Editor’s Note: The following is a round-up of archival stories on college affordability.</em></p>
<p>In the debate on Monday, Sept. 26, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton listed “making college debt free,” as part of her plan to build the economy. <a href="http://www.npr.org/2016/09/26/495115346/fact-check-first-presidential-debate">She said,</a> </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“I think building the middle class, investing in the middle class, making college debt-free so more young people can get their education, helping people refinance their debt from college at a lower rate, those are the kinds of things that will really boost the economy, broad-based, inclusive growth.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>In response, a few hours later, the Republican Party put up a <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-fact-check-trump-clinton-deny-own-words-014942868--election.html">fact-check from the Associated Press</a> <a href="https://www.gop.com/clintons-top-5-lies-of-the-night/">on its website:</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Clinton has proposed making college tuition free for in-state students who go to a public college or university. But tuition free doesn’t equate to debt free. Under her plan, the government would pay for in-state tuition at public colleges and universities for students from families earning less than $125,000 a year. That would leave students still bearing the cost of room and board, which makes up more than half of the average $18,943 sticker price at a four-year public university, according to the College Board.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Scholars writing for The Conversation have been looking at the presidential candidates’ higher education proposals for the past many months. Here is how they explain and unpack many of the complexities of the issue.</p>
<h2>What the candidates are proposing</h2>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/clintons-new-college-compact-plan-explained-62470">Key proposals</a> of Clinton’s US$450 billion plan include eliminating tuition for families with annual incomes under $125,000 and providing a three-month moratorium on federal student loan payments. </p>
<p>Donald Trump’s higher education proposals were outlined by his campaign cochair and policy director, Sam Clovis, during an interview to a higher education website. Trump <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-higher-ed-proposals-could-leave-poor-students-out-of-college-59926">plans to reform</a> the federal student loan program and provide incentives to universities to enroll more “successful” students. He proposes to have loans come from private lenders, rather than the federal government.</p>
<p>The larger questions that experts at The Conversation have raised are: Who is really affected by college debts? Will colleges raise tuition once the government starts paying? Will this further raise costs at public universities that have suffered budgetary cuts over the last many years? And who will continue to be left out?</p>
<h2>Who is at risk</h2>
<p>Higher education expert at Seton Hall University Robert Kelchen <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-student-loan-debt-really-a-crisis-44069">explains</a> that student debt has increased by several times in just a decade. As of March 2015, Americans owed nearly $1.2 trillion in student loan debt. But, the real crisis, he says, is among students with “relatively little debt but dismal job prospects.” </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Students with low debt amounts and low earnings are disproportionately likely to be dropouts. Sixty-three percent of students who started college in 2003-04 and defaulted on their loans by 2009 were college dropouts, while students with a bachelor’s or associate degree were only 4 percent of defaults.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Economists David H. Feldman and Robert B. Archibald at the College of William & Mary point to a deeper problem of higher education – that schools serving the underprivileged are becoming increasingly <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-debt-free-college-will-not-solve-the-real-problems-in-americas-higher-education-system-62157">resource-starved.</a> </p>
<p>An analysis conducted by these two scholars found that,</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In 1987, public universities spent 88 cents for every dollar that private nonprofit institutions spent on the wages and salaries that drive instruction. By 1999 the ratio had fallen to 81 cents. And by 2010, it had fallen further, to 73 cents on the dollar.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>In keeping with findings that low-income students are the ones most affected, they found that the fall in graduation rates is “concentrated” at institutions that are resource-starved. </p>
<p>Donald Heller, professor of higher education at University of San Francisco, <a href="https://theconversation.com/clintons-debt-free-college-comes-with-a-price-tag-46378">expressed similar concerns</a>. He explained that college has become “much less affordable” for those going to public universities or community colleges. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“In the 10 years from 2004 to 2014, the sticker (non-discounted) price of tuition at the average public, four-year university rose 42 percent in real dollars, ie, after discounting for inflation. Community college prices grew 28 percent during this period.”</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>What’s lacking in the proposals</h2>
<p>In analyzing Trump’s higher ed plan, <a href="https://theconversation.com/trumps-higher-ed-proposals-could-leave-poor-students-out-of-college-59926">Donald Heller says</a> there would be some “unintended consequences” of enrolling students who are more likely to succeed:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“institutions would be more likely to shy away from enrolling students from disadvantaged families, and those whose academic preparation was weaker…. Such a move would exacerbate the large gaps in college enrollment and degree attainment that already exist in this country. It would lead to even higher rates of income inequality across income and racial groups.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>As for Clinton’s plan, he says, it would involve a large expansion in federal dollars, which could come <a href="https://theconversation.com/clintons-debt-free-college-comes-with-a-price-tag-46378">“at a cost.”</a> An example of this is No Child Left Behind (NCLB), passed during the first term of President George W. Bush. NCLB expanded the role of federal government in K-12 education.</p>
<p>Even the loan repayment option is not likely to benefit many students, says <a href="https://theconversation.com/clintons-new-college-compact-plan-explained-62470">Kelchen</a>. There has been a growth of private refinancing for higher-income students. And for low-income students, there is already an option of income-driven plans. </p>
<h2>It’s not just about financial aid</h2>
<p>Experts point out financial aid is not the only support that many struggling students need to complete college. About 20 percent of students at four-year public and private colleges and universities are first-generation students who could face multiple challenges. </p>
<p>As Wheelock College’s Linda Banks-Santilli <a href="https://theconversation.com/feet-on-campus-heart-at-home-first-generation-college-students-struggle-with-divided-identities-42158">explains,</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>They may feel they’re abandoning parents or siblings who depend on them. And families too may have conflicted feelings: first-generation college students’ desire for education and upward mobility may be viewed as a rejection of their past.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Many other students too could face challenges that go beyond meeting their tuition needs. For example, University of Pittsburgh scholars Lindsay Page and Stacy S. Kehoe <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-a-tuition-free-policy-enough-to-ensure-college-success-57947">explain how students from low-income backgrounds</a> need more than just financial aid to succeed:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>“Many students, and particularly those from low-income backgrounds, face challenges that go beyond simply meeting tuition. Awarding such students with packages that include financial aid bundled with counseling and other support is likely to yield more success in improving overall degree attainment rates. In contrast, universal free tuition would invest fewer resources where they are needed and more where they are not.”</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Nonetheless, scholars agree that an issue of importance has found attention in the public sphere. <a href="https://theconversation.com/should-wealthier-students-get-subsidized-college-education-55675">As Heller says,</a></p>
<blockquote>
<p>Whoever goes on to capture the White House in November can best tackle the problem of rising college prices by focusing any additional spending on students who truly need more support from the federal government.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/66174/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
What do low-income students really need to complete college? Here is a roundup of articles from our experts.Kalpana Jain, Senior Religion + Ethics Editor/ Director of the Global Religion Journalism InitiativeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/560532016-03-14T10:06:11Z2016-03-14T10:06:11ZHere’s another reason why many community college students do not get their degree<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114873/original/image-20160311-11264-1vn0z0v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Too distressed to learn?</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tmccnevada/10076137273/in/photolist-gmoQyH-dgHAgf-gmopeM-gWyr3d-aCh9AP-gmoaew-dgHyc5-8o367v-oGrvn-cYnhNm-eaiqak-8sB26A-8sB3zQ-8sB5gm-8sB5Gh-khsFep-8owVs1-8sy2AP-9Quz5U-8sB4Hj-aUvNik-8sB3HC-nCDCtm-8sy2NK-jXcFJY-fJ5S3S-8sB6m7-ntXMTj-hsQMMM-fJ5U35-fHMURa-dgHEFQ-q6D7nX-fJ5GcN-dgHzbA-gmoxTG-8LLhjT-gmoasY-gmowPs-noig8v-8sB69m-eaivqH-fJ5QFy-dgHFCR-noi9Ps-8gFCxx-dgHwMZ-e2vG8h-8ozMbp-8ozKri">Truckee Meadows Community College</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The growth of community colleges in the U.S. has <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/analysis/2008-index.asp">improved access</a> to higher education tremendously, especially for students from low-income families. However, completion rates at these schools are less than <a href="http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_cva.asp">30 percent</a>.</p>
<p>Could the mental health of community college students play a role in their degree completion?</p>
<p>We recently partnered with researchers, nonprofits and community colleges across the country to study the mental health conditions of community college students. </p>
<h2>Mental health on college campus</h2>
<p>The first signs of most mental health conditions <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15939837">often appear</a> during or before the typical college age range – 18 to 24 years. Symptoms can include lack of energy, loss of concentration, lack of sleep or even substance abuse, which can affect school <a href="http://doi.org/10.2202/1935-1682.2191">performance</a>. Depressed or anxious students can also feel pessimistic and lose their motivation.</p>
<p>In previous research, we and other research groups have extensively documented the <a href="http://doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e31827ab077">high prevalence</a> of mental health disorders in four-year institutions. Recent studies also indicate that mental health disorders could be <a href="http://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.10.005">increasing</a> among the youth. </p>
<p>What about mental health issues of community college students specifically?</p>
<p>Compared to four-year schools, community colleges draw student populations with <a href="http://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED491908">higher poverty and other socioeconomic disadvantages</a>, which could increase their vulnerability to mental health conditions.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114874/original/image-20160311-11292-1o9d4mo.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Community college students are more vulnerable to mental health problems.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/theembermonths/7793353006/in/photolist-cSEYkh-os1Dvr-eXsRRm-dVsxpC-6YeV6n-5MfCPz-dQacqK-5xyYMx-gPUoDK-jTqxP6-ofrL1D-nCu36D-6ArY7K-mhcyoT-8Zeqjf-4mKUTt-ntJ2YJ-nzt9Fg-a3FKwq-65swBB-fvqJbP-6kKXid-6FeKhU-7oAW3f-ezYqDA-nTADEK-koNejz-nYPvzY-6UBuw3-ezMRDA-kc1gmt-DEGGZH-6jRwfm-2UsgW1-a6uPzb-eQBP5-4uneNr-ntV5J3-kiEbtP-f1hzW6-dJ2tSo-9eKt4C-iYwhgb-t5LyL-dVmWZv-oLPRtx-qTRyRY-5AseZx-q5rsht-8BL8E">trizoultro</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>So in winter 2015, we conducted an online survey of a random sample of over 4,300 students at 10 community colleges across the nation, and used standard brief assessments to measure symptoms of mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.</p>
<p>To compare with four-year school populations, we examined these same measures from <a href="http://www.healthymindsnetwork.org/hms">Healthy Minds Study</a>, a national survey from the academic year 2014-2015, which included nearly 16,000 respondents from 16 institutions.</p>
<h2>Here are the community college data</h2>
<p>The results from our study <a href="http://wihopelab.com/publications/Wisconsin_HOPE_Lab-Too_Distressed_To_Learn.pdf">“Too Distressed to Learn”</a> leave little doubt that mental health is, in fact, a major concern for community college students. </p>
<p>Nearly half (49 percent) of community college students show symptoms related to one or more mental health condition, such as depression, anxiety, suicidal ideas, nonsuicidal self-injury or eating disorders.</p>
<p>In other words, approximately six million students, of the approximately 12 million students in community colleges nationwide, have symptoms of mental disorders. We found depression and anxiety to be among the most common conditions. About 36 percent students showed symptoms of depression and 29 percent had disorders related to anxiety.</p>
<p>For younger students ages 18-24 in community colleges, these numbers are even higher: 40 percent for depression and 33 percent for anxiety.</p>
<p>Furthermore, mental health conditions appear to be considerably higher at community colleges, as compared to four-year schools. Among students ages 18-24, 23 percent of community college students are experiencing the most severe frequency and number of depressive symptoms, as compared to 11 percent of four-year students.</p>
<h2>Are students getting help?</h2>
<p>This troubling situation is compounded by the fact that most students with mental health conditions are not receiving adequate support.</p>
<p>Among community college students with a mental health condition, we found only 41 percent were receiving any mental health care (counseling and/or medication) in the previous year. This number is even lower – 35 percent – among community college students in the age group 18-24. Although still not adequate, by comparison, 45 percent of students in the age group 18-24 find support at four-year schools. </p>
<p>There is a similar disparity in the counseling or support that students receive from non-clinical sources, such as friends and family: 60 percent among community college students, compared to 79 percent among four-year students.</p>
<p>The lower use of mental health services among community college students is driven in part by the fact that more of these students lack health insurance: 14 percent, compared to just 3 percent in our four-year sample. </p>
<p>Additionally, community colleges offer significantly fewer campus services.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=399&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/114875/original/image-20160311-11274-1d1bcfy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Fewer community college students have access to mental health services.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/joehoughton/4517637307/in/photolist-7Td5bp-sP2xA-qVVCuy-qY3NET-dAyBW5-6KPa4Q-9bibph-DPicZ-c4kYH-qwTMs4-6c72Ym-5vpH9j-5tiXE2-fwJU1i-5sRM8E-p2wne-9VoMQw-dAyBYq-cA1TLd-qqg4sF-qq6Nhz-aZYnHr-pthxvS-4e7QGM-bVyooE-qqdfNj-pvMqaj-cyjWw1-qqd2ef-qW1bUP-nmiJ7K-pthqrS-q8RzDP-ptvSyz-dAyAPo-dAyzAq-fwJUZH-dAt6Tp-dAyzUh-dAt8hc-dAyC2h-bjeNqt-dMN5jR-7TgiXC-7Tgip5-7BYqyW-qYdMjR-8F2KBz-9M35Ue-pthknU">Joe Houghton</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>For example, many community colleges do not have any mental health counselors, and among those that do, the ratio of counselors to students is 1 to 3,000, compared to 1 to 1,600 at four-year institutions.</p>
<h2>Here’s what can be done</h2>
<p>The reality is that improving this situation will likely require an influx of additional resources, particularly more robust campus health services and programs. So, how can institutions and other stakeholders build support for funding these resources?</p>
<p>For many years, four-year schools have been using data extensively to make the case for increased support of mental health services. Data from our study, which is one of the first large-scale assessments of mental health among community colleges throughout the nation, could serve as a starting point. </p>
<p>We know there is a <a href="http://doi.org/10.2202/1935-1682.2191">relationship</a> between depression and student retention. In fact, four-year schools have used this argument <a href="http://www.healthymindsnetwork.org/system/resources/W1siZiIsIjIwMTQvMDgvMDEvMTJfMTJfMDNfNDUzX0hNTl9SQl8xLnBkZiJdXQ/HMN_RB_1.pdf">persuasively</a> for finding more resources.</p>
<p>In addition, there are a number of partnership opportunities, and successful experiences at other institutions nationwide, from which institutions and students can benefit. For example, many students today are engaging in peer-led initiatives. </p>
<p>An example of such an initiative is <a href="http://activeminds.org/">Active Minds</a>, a national organization supporting student advocates for mental health. It has chapters at over 400 campuses (including some community colleges). Campus administrators can partner with the <a href="http://www.thecampusprogram.org/">Campus Program</a> of Jed Foundation, which helps institutions help develop and implement a campus-specific plan to improve their support for student mental health.</p>
<p>Single Stop is another national nonprofit that has been <a href="http://singlestopusa.org/program/community-colleges/">assisting community college students</a> with accessing public benefits and services; such an organization can also help students access mental health services in their respective communities.</p>
<p>It would be easy to view our new findings as another reason to be discouraged about the state of higher education, particularly community colleges. But we believe these findings highlight a whole new set of opportunities to improve the prospects for millions of students. </p>
<p>An ever-growing wealth of services and programs can treat or prevent mental health conditions. The challenge, and opportunity, is to make more and better investments in this area.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/56053/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Daniel Eisenberg receives funding from the National Institutes of Health. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Sara Goldrick-Rab receives funding from the Great Lakes Higher Education Guaranty Corporation, the Lumina Foundation, and the William T. Grant Foundation.</span></em></p>Over five million students of the approximately 11 million students in community colleges nationwide suffer from a mental health problem.Daniel Eisenberg, Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy, University of MichiganSara Goldrick-Rab, Professor of Educational Policy Studies & Sociology, University of Wisconsin-MadisonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.