We hope you could join us for our Friday 5 Live this week.  We learned so much from Dr. Denise Swett as we discussed technology resources to support our students in 2021.  On February 12 we are excited to host Dr. Daniel Maxwell who will share recommendations for staying professionally connected during pandemic and insights into the job search process particularly for student services professionals. Come join us!

Research from the Center for Collegiate Mental Health indicated that a third of students visiting their college’s counseling center in 2020 indicated mental health issues caused by the pandemic as their reason for seeking help. “Academic distress appears to be a key driver in seeking mental-health care during COVID-19, which may represent a broader experience of distress caused by academic worry” researchers report.  This research points to the continued importance of colleges and universities providing robust mental health services for students now and as they transition into post-pandemic learning.

During his confirmation hearings this week, Dr. Miguel Cardona emphasized the need to support career-tech pathways. He pledged to work to “reform” the department's Federal Student Aid office. Cardona praised community colleges and addressed their importance in rebuilding the U.S. economy. Senators asked Cardona, once confirmed, to move quickly to ensure gender identity and sexual orientation are protected classes and reform Title IX.

We hope you could join us for our Friday 5 Live this week.  We are grateful for Dr. Sylvia Dorsey-Robinson who shared with us her insights into how we can support our students of color during pandemic learning. We look forward to welcoming Dr. Denise Swett on February 5 as we talk through technology resources to support us in 2021.

In his first week in office, President Biden ordered that Title IX’s protections based on gender be extended to sexual orientation and gender identity — a major win for transgender students and their advocates. This order affirms that gender identity and sexual orientation are protected classes under federal sex discrimination laws. Experts see this as the first signal that the Biden administration will revamp Title IX. Last year Betsy DeVos, former Secretary of Education, narrowed the scope of sexual violence colleges would need to investigate under Title IX and created a pseudo-judicial system for hearing those cases.  It is possible the Department of Education could scale back enforcement of the current regulation until it can be revamped.

This week Inside Higher Ed examines a report highlighting the faculty experience in the fall semester.  Faculty reported feeling more prepared for online learning and that their students in general learned as much in the fall semester as they would have in a traditional on-campus semester.  However, “professors at four- and especially two-year institutions are significantly likelier to report increases rather than decreases in the proportion of students either dropping out of or failing their introductory courses.” Faculty are concerned about the increasing equity gaps in higher education.  The report recommends that institutions focus on preparing faculty to teach effectively while also rewarding instructors who focus on teaching.   

We hope you could join us for our Friday 5 Live this week as we discussed mental health strategies for students, faculty and staff with Dr. Jena Morrison.  We are grateful for her insights! Next week Dr. Sylvia Dorsey-Robinson will talk with us about how we can support our students of color during pandemic learning.  We hope you will join us!

This week the PBS News Hour examines the mental health challenges facing college students in the United States as a result of COVID.  According to the CDC, one in four Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 reported having seriously considered suicide in the last 30 days. “80 percent of students around the country say that COVID has negatively impacted their mental health, their spiritual health, and their career aspirations,” shares Varun Soni, the vice provost for campus wellness and crisis intervention at the University of Southern California. Mental health professionals at colleges urge students to utilize school counseling resources and to actively focus on creating their new normal.

The Hechinger Report examines the reasons behind the decline in enrollment at community colleges amidst the pandemic. Traditionally, community colleges provided opportunities for adults to learn new skills during a poor job market.  But, students are citing not wanting to learn virtually, concern about infection, the need to earn income, and the need for greater guidance from staff and faculty regarding school as barriers to enrollment. Experts recommend guided pathways, increased communication, and intentional personal connections between students and staff or faculty.

At Innovative Educators, we have and always will stand for non-violence, equality, education and kindness. 

Our Friday 5 Live podcast kicks off again on January 22 when we will discuss mental health strategies for students, faculty and staff in this new year with Dr. Jena Morrison.  We hope you will join us!!

The Centers for Disease Control released a study last week detailing the impacts on local communities by institutions that operated in the fall with in-person classes. In the fall semester, those counties with large colleges that had in-person instruction saw a 56 percent increase in COVID cases. The inverse was also true: those counties with large colleges that taught primarily online saw COVD cases fall by 18 percent.  The CDC is asking colleges to do more to mitigate COVID spread as the spring semester starts across the country.

This week, Education Dive and Inside Higher Ed examine a new memorandum from the Department of Education’s Office of the General Counsel which states that LGBTQ students are not included in protections under Title IX.  The Department’s Office of Civil Rights is directed to “only consider certain forms of discrimination based on LGBTQ identity as discrimination under Title IX and said that ‘sex’ should only be interpreted to mean ‘biological sex, male and female’.” The memo is a direct contradiction to recent federal appeals court decisions. The new Secretary of Education is expected to overturn this interpretation of Title IX.

At Innovative Educators, we have and always will stand for non-violence, equality, education and kindness. 

Our Friday 5 Live podcast kicks off again on January 22 when we will discuss mental health strategies for students, faculty and staff in this new year.  As a reminder, Friday 5 Live pairs nicely with a good walk or a warm beverage!

Major changes are coming to the FAFSA process for the 2023-2024 academic year.  The online form will be reduced from over 100 questions to 36.  Additionally, most aid applicants will no longer have to self-report income data on the FAFSA.  The Pell Grant will expand allowing for   1.7 million more students to qualify for the maximum award each year while hundreds of thousands of more students will be eligible for a partial award. The creation of a new “lookup tool” will allow families to see if they will be eligible for Pell aid: the goal is to increase the number of households applying for aid. Incarcerated students will no longer be barred from receiving Pell Grants (more below). The streamlined form is designed to  make the process less time consuming and reduce the anxiety around FAFSA filing.

This week the Hechinger Report examines institutions who are utilizing the pandemic to innovate quickly.  Higher education is notorious for changing slowly, but COVID is providing an opportunity for some universities to quickly transform.  Unity College in Maine has adjusted its academic calendar from a semester system to “eight five-week terms, year-round, during which students can take one or two courses at a time, either in person or online.”  They’ve also lowered the cost of tuition and been able to expand academic offerings.  Other institutions have acquired smaller schools.  Metropolitan State University of Denver quickly created a skills lab to retrain people who lost jobs; the free program is so successful it will continue permanently.