Reseach blogs 4-7,9

research Blog #4 new for abstract

After listing to the past problems of the for-profit system, I have decided to look forward to the future markets for-profit higher education can invade. The market I have chosen is graduate medical education, specifically foreign medical schools in the Caribbean. It has come to my knowledge through research that many for-profit schools in this neck of the world in fact specialize in training American citizens who could not get into American medical schools.

Research blog #5 with old #4

Robert Dunn

201-College!

Professor Goeller

October 8, 2013

Research Proposal

                Working Title: Untitled

Topic

The topic I want to cover is for-profits and their capability to provide a higher-education.  Empirical evidence suggests that for-profits schools are more harmful to students than not for profit schools.  This disparity is greatly caused by the differences in interest between the two types of school.  A not for profit college objective is to educate their students. A for-profit also wants to educate their students but also have a responsibility to the shareholder. The responsibility to the shareholder leads to a greater investment in advertising, a smaller investment per student, and an emphasis on profit.  

Research Question

                   Does the current for profit model meet the criteria of the United States higher education market and how much blame belongs to the government? (The criteria are graduation rates, quality of jobs received by alumni, and the ability for the alumni to handle their title IV funding in full.)  

Theoretical Frame

    In the Senate report, “FOR PROFIT HIGHER EDUCATION: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success Prepared by the COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS UNITED STATES SENATE”, it was concluded that for-profits are traded on major stock exchanges, receive 32 billion dollars from taxpayers money and fail to make necessary investments in their students. They found that in 15 publicly traded for-profits 86% of all revenues were collected from taxpayers. The National Tax Journal published “For-Profit Higher Education An Assessment of Costs and Benefits” which stated that 74% of all revenues collected by two year for profit colleges came from Title IV financial aid. Student performance does not justify the amount of resources received by companies. What are the causes and effects of this system? The system appears to finance a private market via public funding.

    National Conference of State Legislatures states on their website that in June 2011, the Department of Education released new regulations that a federal judge ruled unconstitutional. These “gainful employment” regulations where based off of the ratios of student defaults in the schools. Six hearings were held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and released several reports most of which focus on enrolment and public funding. What the senate or any government has failed to regulate is how much money funded by the government goes towards the students education. 25% of the total budget for the Department of Education student aid programs goes towards for-profits, money that is guaranteed by the federal government supplied to risk on a student’s education. It is irresponsible to make funding so easily obtainable to intelligent people trying to maximize profits.  

    The question is how to improve the balance between education and profits. In our society, the best scenario always includes high profits. However, when taxpayers fund profits and young adults are swindled into massive debt something needs to be done. How should school performance be based? Is it suitable to base it on loan repayments? Or graduation rates? I plan to argue that it should be based on student investment.

Research

      The senate report For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success will be critical to my paper.  It has 18 pages of documents, 3 different parts and a really good executive summary. Most of my data will come from this, as well as specific examples of for-profit schools. Westwood College itself has 18 different documents. For specific examples of students will come from class readings such as Walden On Wheel and, College Inc.. Josh from Walden on Wheels worked at Westwood and his story is important to my final conclusion.

Bibliography

Cellini, Stephanie Riegg. "For-Profit Higher Education An Assessment of Cost and Benefits." National Tax Journal ns 65.1 (2012): 153-80. Gwu.edu. George Washington University. Web. <http://home.gwu.edu/~scellini/Index/Research_files/Cellini_NTJ_final.pdf>.

Work Cited

United States. Cong. Senate. US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. FOR PROFIT HIGHER EDUCATION: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success Prepared by the COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR, AND PENSIONS UNITED STATES SENATE. 112 Cong. S. Rept. Vol. Volume 1. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.

Ilgunas, Ken.  Walden on Wheels: On the Open Road from Debt to Freedom.  Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2013.  Print

Levine, Arthur.  “Privatization in Higher Education.”  National Governors Association, 2013.  Web

NEA Higher Education Research Center.  “Higher Education and Privatization.”  NEA Update.  10.2 (March 2004). Web

“College, Inc.” PBS, Frontline.  4 May 2010. Web

Cellini, Stephanie Riegg. "For-Profit Higher Education An Assessment of Cost and Benefits." National Tax Journal ns 65.1 (2012): 153-80. Gwu.edu. George Washington University. Web. <http://home.gwu.edu/~scellini/Index/Research_files/Cellini_NTJ_final.pdf>.

Research Blog #6

Data current as of March 25, 2010.

Sources: ECFMG database and 2009 American Medical Association Physician Masterfile

Top ten exporters of international medical graduates to the United States. The only ones in this chart that do not have top ten international medical graduates in the US is Dominica, Netherlands Antilles, Mexico, Grenada, and Dominican Republic.

Research review #7

My case is that these medical schools are going to do more harm than good. The American healthcare system will suffer as a result of this. The recent studies done by government officials to support these schools did not have the relevant data to the Caribbean’s recent expansion and where diluted with other more established education systems.  The accreditation agencies can be more connected to commerce then higher education.

Research review #9

The counter argument for these Caribbean schools is they are just as good as American schools. However, with no required on site visits to either accreditation agencies or the schools, federal officials know only a little bit more than I do, which is specific schools performance. I know that all foreign medical schools on average have a much smaller passer rating of all USME test. Also, the data that the Department of Education uses to make their case does not include the new wave of students entering the market.