MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- A Memphis center run by Goodwill Industries aims to fill the resource gap for adults seeking to earn their high school diplomas. Nationwide, 32 million adults have dropped out of high school, and it's estimated 3 million more drop out each year.

Vice president of mission and education at Goodwill of Central and Southern Indiana in Betsy Delgado said the first Excel Center opened in Indiana a decade ago. At the time, adults without a high school diploma had few options other than getting a GED, which is test-based and doesn't offer the community support of a traditional school.

Delgado said the push to get high school grads into college often means non-grads are overlooked. She said in many parts of the country, especially rural areas, this population could be a critical workforce solution.

"But I do think it's because a lot of focus is on post-secondary, I think people don't understand sometimes that there are folks that can't access post-secondary because they don't have their high-school diploma," Delgado said.

She pointed out the Excel Center is free to attend, and offers free childcare and counseling. Assistance is also available for transportation and other essentials.

According to 2019 data from Goodwill Industries, 81% of Excel Center students earn their high school diplomas and go on to earn college credits or industry-recognized certifications.

Candis Dawson-Taylor is school director of the Excel Center in Memphis. She said most of her adult students dropped out of high school in their youth because they were transient, became pregnant, or had mental-health issues from childhood trauma that led to disciplinary problems. She added many students attend school while working full-time at minimum wage jobs.

"Students want to come back and get their education, they're not being forced to," Dawson-Taylor said. "And, most of the time, something has happened in that person's life, that the lightbulb came on and said, 'I need to do better, I need to improve for my family, whether it's for my children or for myself.'"

Delgado said COVID-19 has worsened the uphill battle facing Americans without high school diplomas, as unemployment numbers show people with the least amount of education have been hardest hit by the pandemic. And, she worries about students struggling to complete high school in the era of coronavirus.

"And we are also worried that with a lot of students doing their senior year this year, through various unique mechanisms, we're concerned that we will see an increase in people who haven't completed this year," Delgado said. "And that will be something that we'll have to fix for years to come."

Goodwill Industries Excel Centers have expanded to 31 locations across five states, serving more than 45,000 students.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


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New York's 2025 budget creates universal access to the Free Application for Federal Student Aid program.

School districts statewide will have the resources to help high schoolers complete the application. Those who do not fill it out must sign a waiver stating they know of the available aid but are not pursuing it.

Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Sunset Park, the bill's sponsor, said FAFSA's required information can be daunting.

"Some students or some families are well-prepared and well-equipped to review that document and provide that information; some students might not be," Gounardes acknowledged. "Some students might not even know where to turn to get that information, especially if they're the first in their family to pursue college if they're the first generation here."

Some schools have moved closer to charging $100,000 a year for tuition, which Gounardes said can deter students from considering college. But through the FAFSA process, scholarships and grants can provide enough to shave the number down to a more reasonable figure. A Sallie Mae report showed college spending is up as families spend close to $28,000 each year on college.

Feedback for the proposal was positive, considering most high school seniors who complete the FAFSA are likely to go to college after graduation. Gounardes argued the state can build on the progress by reviewing admissions practices to ensure they are fair and do not exclude students from certain backgrounds.

"In particular, I think it's high time we end legacy admissions," Gounardes emphasized. "There's no reason why we should have affirmative action for privileged kids in New York state, especially from institutions that receive significant public dollars either for grants or construction or awards or this or that or whatever."

He introduced a bill ending legacy admissions, which is still in committee. Among public and private colleges in New York, 42% still consider legacy applicants for admissions.

More than 70% of adults with student loans report having delayed at least one significant life event because of their debt situation, yet a new Lumina Foundation-Gallup poll shows few Americans seem to understand the cost of obtaining a bachelor's degree.

During the 2021-22 academic year, the average cost of attendance ranged from $10,000 per year at public two-year institutions to more than $56,000 per year at private four-year nonprofit colleges.

Michele Scott Taylor, Ph.D - is president of College Now Greater Cleveland, a nonprofit that works to increase higher education accessibility.

She said for students who are potentially first-generation college goers or from lower socio-economic backgrounds, the conversations around college affordability can be overwhelming.

"The issue for that subset of the population is really around helping them understand what college costs, but then more importantly, how do I afford it?" said Taylor. "What are the ways in which that I could afford whatever that cost might be? "

The poll found that more than half of never-enrolled and previously enrolled adults say cost is a "very important" reason why they have not enrolled or re-enrolled in college.

Unenrolled adults across race, age and first-generation potential students consistently rate tuition cost as the most important factor in their decision to not pursue a college degree.

Taylor said more efforts should also go toward helping students persist and complete their degree, once they've signed up for those loans.

She said higher-education institutions could work better with college access organizations to communicate their programs and offerings in ways that are enticing to get students to want to enroll.

"We want them to show better their return on investment," said Taylor. "We want them to be a little bit more transparent about the cost and what the costs entail."

Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that in the 2022-2023 academic year, the number of undergraduate degree earners nationwide fell for the second year in a row.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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Leaders of a teachers' union in Louisiana are voicing concerns about a package of bills they say would have the effect of dissolving labor unions in the state.

The list includes House Bill 571, which would prohibit public agencies from paying union workers for the time they do anything union-related, even if it's on paid leave.

If passed, said Roberto Furtado, a special-education teacher in the Jefferson Parish Public School System, the bills would end collective bargaining and prohibit payroll deductions for union dues. Furtado said all this would make it harder for new teachers to join the union, further silencing their voices.

"If they make it more difficult for the new teachers, young teachers, to get involved," he said, "then basically, it's a roadblock so they're probably more than likely going to just not do it."

House Bill 572 would prohibit public agencies from collective bargaining with unions, except for police and firefighters. Similar bills have been introduced in multiple states by conservative groups.

The teachers' union has posted petitions on its website for teachers to sign and send to their lawmakers.

Educators in Louisiana have said they're dealing with low pay, overcrowded classrooms and school safety issues. However, state lawmakers have advanced a budget proposal that would cut teacher pay, and the House Appropriations Committee forwarded a spending plan that reduces a $2,000 pay stipend teachers got this school year to $1,300 next year.

Furtado said the end result is forcing good teachers out of the profession.

"Teachers are an invaluable resource for our community, and so we need good, well-rounded educators that want to be there and continue their jobs to help these young men and women, because again, they are our future," he insisted. "That's kind of corny to say this, but yes, our children are our future. If you don't take care of them, where does our future lie?"

The legislative committee also allocated $25 million for a differential teacher compensation strategy for the second year in a row. The union opposed the strategy, because it said the raises wouldn't be permanent and could be taken away from year to year.


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