A College That Specializes in Dropouts Is Under Siege

Discussion in 'Accreditation Discussions (RA, DETC, state approva' started by deanhughson, Dec 7, 2005.

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  1. deanhughson

    deanhughson New Member

    http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/education/07interboro.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1133944702-4rG4xmdDRG/BMXO2AC9OgA



    By KAREN W. ARENSON
    Published: December 7, 2005
    Desiree Rosa dropped out of high school, following in the path of five of her six brothers and sisters. Now 21, she is looking for a career and is back at school, in her second year at Interboro Institute.

    She said she was attracted by the chance to earn a high school equivalency degree and a two-year associate's degree simultaneously. "I was like, that's a good opportunity," she said. "The school has turned out to be good. I'm getting everything done on time."

    But if Ms. Rosa is satisfied, not everyone is. On Monday, the New York State Education Department said that many of Interboro's students dropped out without completing one semester, few were able to graduate during the 16 months Interboro promised in its advertising and some who stayed had averages below D.

    The state's report illustrates some of the difficulties of commercial schools, which market themselves to struggling students who have not been sought out by traditional institutions and may not have even made it out of high school. Such profit-making schools are the fastest-growing segment of higher education.

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  2. jugador

    jugador New Member

  3. DesElms

    DesElms New Member

    I actually think it's a great concept for an inner-city institution. Too bad it mades such silly promises. An associates degree and either a high school diploma or a GED equivalency in a mere 16 months is ridiculous... at least with the kind of student to which the institution is clearly trying to appeal.

    It would have been an equally-attractive offer, I would think, if it had promsed to do it in 24 months. A high-school credential for a drop-out, and then an associates degree that can be used as a stepping stone to an accredited bachelors, is quite enough to put on nearly any student's plate over a two-year period -- especially if said student also has a job, and maybe even a family.
     
  4. edowave

    edowave Active Member

    Unless there was another ad from the school somewhere I haven't seen. They never promised anything. They said you could do it in 16 months. I've seen other schools advertise a bachelor's in 3 years, and UF even claims you can do it in 4. (Ha , I showed them.)
     
  5. Tom H.

    Tom H. New Member

    Interboro Institute

    This type of school, one which specializes in "high risk" students, shouldn't emphasize or promote the possibility of quick degree completion. The potential students for such an institution have already demonstrated academic deficiencies which MUST BE CORRECTED before they will be able to progress to upper-level undergraduate courses. Additionally, they probably need more support services than the typical community college student. IMO, the corner of the market this school should stake out is providing the highest quality remedial education in a professional setting for adult learners (no pun intended) in New York City.
     

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