In this season of thanksgiving, the team at Innovative Educators is grateful for our colleagues in higher education!  We hope that you have time this holiday weekend for rest and renewal.

The American Council on Education published a report this week highlighting the inequity in our nation’s educational systems.  Their research indicates that Black/African American and American Indian/Alaska Native students tend to have lower grade point averages than White or Asian peers while also being less likely to meet college readiness benchmarks on tests like the ACT and SAT.  The report indicates the importance of colleges and universities choosing to not utilize standardized tests in the admissions process.  The American Council on Education encourages colleges to document and halt patterns of discrimination while also training faculty to teach and support diverse student populations.

Education Dive this week examines efforts at institutions like the University of Maryland Baltimore County to re-enroll students who have stopped out.  “Enrollment of learners who had previously stopped-out fell 15.6% this fall, helping drive overall undergraduate declines.” Stopped-out students are often struggling with financial challenges, health challenges, and during the pandemic may be prioritizing children’s needs over their own education. Virtual courses can be an attractive method to lure stopped-out students back to complete degrees. Stackable credentials and credit for prior learning are also programs geared towards assisting adult learners and/or stopped-out students to earn degrees.