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The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

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Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Report: COVID Will Hurt Black College Enrollment

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Friday, September 11, 2020   

MINNEAPOLIS -- The pandemic has brought a host of disparities for Black Americans, and college enrollment could be among them. A Minnesota advocacy group says the health crisis might add to existing barriers facing students in the region.

The latest findings from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center show summer college enrollment for Black undergrad students dropped by more than 8% in the United States. Jonathan McNicholes, state chair of Students United, a nonprofit that advocates for students in Minnesota's state university system, said there's already anecdotal evidence of Black students being affected by the crisis.

"I know a few of my friends who have dropped out or who have taken more gaps in their education in order to work more and wait for the pandemic to subside, to know if they are going to be able to effectively continue their education," he said.

He said Black student enrollment across state schools already is significantly low, and a report this year from the Education Trust gave the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities a failing grade in this area. That report looked at 2017 numbers. The school has said it has made improvements since that time.

While summer classes might not be as crucial when compared with other semesters, McNicholes and others have said, they anticipate these gaps extending into the fall. He said that would make it even harder for many Black students to resume their college careers, if they take a pause.

"You start growing your life to a spot that it's harder to return to higher education," he said. "It's harder to become a student after you have these commitments in your life."

He said students of color don't often have the same level of resources as their white counterparts, which could keep them in the workforce rather than returning to school. McNicholes said he hopes this convinces more policymakers and schools to take steps to reduce the cost of higher education.

The national enrollment report is online at nscresearchcenter.org, and the enrollment grade report is at edtrust.org.


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