Do you think that small schools - less than 250 students - should be subject to the same of regulatory requirements as larger schools?
Media plays a vital role because any kind of major citation is made for public knowledge. For example if the organization looses accreditation they are blasted in the media. This reduces the admission enrollment and also current students are leary about continuing their education. This results in high attrition rate.
The media has been able to spot light consumer issues with schools, which aids to further alert regulators about deficiencies.
I think it forces all of us to be better and to be accountable. Not just an educator, but a student and parent... it's a relief to know that when an institution is accountable we can have faith in the promises made for a solid education and career assistance.
Virginia - What are your thoughts on the policies in place by regulators to deal with complaints? I've heard mixed responses on colleagues perceptions on the effectiveness of regulators with regard to student complaints.
I've also seen more and more websites pop up where students "publish" their dissatisfaction with institutions in addition to complaints to the media.
The media has effected the regulatory requirements for institutions. Institutions like public companies are vulunerable when dealing with the public. Students have high expectations as well as consumers and if they feel they are mistreated then they have access to the media. Regulators put policies in place to deal with any complaints.
Good point, Kristina - the regulatory entities are constantly changing and it is critical that institutions have a plan to continually update their policies and procedures to be compliant with any changes.
There are a vast number of ways for the public to access information that everyone is more aware of the rules and regulations which causes us in the education industry to need to be up to date with changes.
Daniel - Like so many things, the "news" tends to focus on the "drama" of negativity more than the positive items which they may come across. Earlier in these posts, there were some comments about our industry needing to continue to push the media with positive press releases. It's easy to "give up" when they don't always publish the "nice" stuff but, the more we provide to them on the positive side, the better. I recently saw some positive press for a career college in Kentucky - I will find some of these items to post on this site to show some of the (rare) positive stories that have been published.
I beleive the media takes a negative effect in many areas. I think many people take in the negativity, and don't bother researching things on their own, to find out the other side of the story.
The media has only presented the "20/20 - John Stossel-type" of negative investigating of the career school industry, focusing on the irregularities that have occurred. This results in even more scrutinizing regulations universally applied.
Wouldn't it be great for them to investigate the numerous positive life-changing stories that are happening every day in our schools and the equally tremendous effects that is having on the communities served by our institutions?
The media today definitely tries to slant things negatively. At the school where I am the director, we strive every day to make a difference in our students' lives. But if a student is upset over something that they feel has not been handled the way they wanted, their first response is usually that they are going to call the news. So in this day and age, consumers know that the media will definitely draw attention to a situation whether positively or negatively.
This, though, should just encourage all of us to never take for granted the importance of our positions--we are 100% accountable to our students.
I agree that even the bad media attention is positive for consumers. This will give them the urgency to do a bit more research into the schools they are attending and know more about what they are getting into. i also believe that this can be beneficial to schools in the way that the good schools, the ones that are in compliance and offer a quality education will stand out from the rest. I supopse this all leads back to the fact that it is always important to perform internal audits to remain in compliance.
Thanks for sharing this, Beth. It's a good example of how things can be "twisted" if not handled right. Fortunately, your organization took the opportunity to present a positive on licensed professionals, actually highlighting the important of education to obtain such licensure. I applaud your efforts to familiarize yourself with the requirements and by noting the variations you have, you are well prepared to stay on top of the regulations!
Through media “exposés,†schools sometimes receive unwanted publicity by being unfairly associated with a negative news story. For example, our institution is a massage therapy school that has been in existence over 20 years and has an excellent reputation. Recently a local TV news story was aired regarding a “massage parlor†which was involved in some illegal practices. Because the word “massage†was printed on the front-page newspaper coverage of this incident, we were approached three days later by media representatives and asked to make comments. On the positive side, this allowed us to point out the differences between an unlicensed establishment and licensed facilities that provide quality services.
This does not pertain to media influences on regulations, per se, but is an example of how negative publicity can sometimes provide an opportunity to educate the public about the contrast between poor organizations and those with a commitment to providing quality education in fields that contribute to the betterment of society.
Being new to my position as a compliance administrator, I have not been in the field long enough to observe changes in the regulatory environment, whether due to media influence or other factors. Thus far, I have concentrated on becoming familiar with requirements, and have noticed that the regulations of various accrediting/licensing organizations do not always complement each other!
I think that in today's society we all want what everyone else has. The media influenes us daily and just fuels that fire. As a career college we play a large part with individuals who are not right for a 4 year college. Individuals see their future and it is attainable through us and we fill that desire.
Career schools will always be able to shift people to new curriculums to fill the demand
placed on them by changes in the economy. Till attitudes towards career schools will change in this country, we will all be left to fend for our self. Especially those schools with just one curriculum.
It's great to see this positive perspective, Elizabeth. I am afraid I often hear people paint a less positive picture indicating that the career colleges cater to a "challenging" target market group. I hope to see others add their comments here as I am hoping more will share your point of view!
An additional advantage of career college graduates/students vs traditional college graduates/students (although I don't know that it is documented) is the fact they are more in tune with what is expected for a fruitful life. Many "traditional" college graduates go into the working world expecting to get all of the perks (big money, paid holidays and vacations) without proving themselves. Career college students seem more in tune with good work ethics and making the effort for the benefits.
Fortunately, I think certain industries and certain employers have become supportive of the career college for the practical training they provide. Unfortunately, you are right, Dale, that there are many who view the career colleges as inferior. Despite the volume of happy graduates from career colleges that are gainfully employed, the media plays up the few that complain about their discontent. The education industry is not unique in that sense as you often hear it said how vocal those that complain are compared to those that have only positive praise for a company or institution.
