MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Un centro de Memphis, operado por "Goodwill Industries", busca cubrir el vacío de recurso que hay para los adultos que buscan obener su diploma de educación media o "High School". A nivel nacional, treinta y dos millones de adultos dejaron la escuela en "High School", el nivel medio, y se estima que tres millones más la abandonan cada año.

Una vice presidenta de Goodwill, Betsy Delgado, dice que el primer Centro Excel ("Excell Center") se abrió en Indiana hace una década. En ese entonces los adultos que no tenían diploma de "High School" tenían pocas opciones aparte de obtener un "G-E-D", que se basa en un examen y no ofrece el apoyo comunitario de una escuela tradicional. Delgado siente que el impulso de que quienes terminan su nivel secudnario entren a la universidad, a menudo significa que se pase por alto a los no graduados. Dice que en varias partes del país -especialmente en áreas rurales- esta población podría ser una solución crítica para la fuerza laboral.

"Pero pienso que es porque se le da mucha importancia a la post-secundaria, creo que la gente a veces no entiende que hay jóvenes que no pueden acceder a post-secundaria porque no tienen su diploma de 'High School.'"

Delgado señala que el Cento Ecxel no cobra por asistir y ofrece el cuidado de los niños y la consejería sin costo. Tambén hay asistencia disponible para el tansporte y otros elementos esenciales.

Según datos de 2019 de Indusrias Goodwill, el 81 por cieno de los estudiantes del Centro Excel consiguieron sus dipolomas de estudios superiores y siguieron adelante para conseguir créditos de "college" o certificaciones reconocidas por la industria.

Candis Dawson-Taylor es directora escolar del "Excel Center" (Centro Excel) en Memphis. Dice que la mayoría de sus estudiantes adultos abandonaron la escuela secundaria en su juventud porque eran transitorios, se embarazaron o tenían problemas de salud mental poe traumas de su infancia que derivaron en problemas de disciplina. Añade que muchos estudiantes van a la escuela y trabajan de tiempo completo con salarios mínimos.

"Los estudiantes quieren volver y recibir su educación, no se les está forzando. Y la mayoría del tiempo algo sucedió en la vida de esa persona, que la luz le llegó y dijo 'Necesto ser mejor, necesito mejorar por mi familia, ya sea por mis hijos o por mí.'"

Delgado dice que el COVID-19 empeoró la batalla cuesta arriba que enfrentan los americanos sin un diploma de "high school", mientras las cifras de desempleo muestan que la gente con menos educación han sido los más golpeados por la pandemia. Y teme por los estudiantes que batallan para terminar "high school" enla era del coronavirus.

"Y también nos preocupa que con muchos estudiantes cursando su nivel 'senior' este año, a través de mecanismos únicos, vayamos a ver un aumento en la gente que no ha terminado este año. Y eso será algo que tendremos corregir para los años venideros."

Los Centros de Excelencia de Industrias Goodwill ("Goodwill Industries Excel Centers") he han expandido hasta 31 locaciones en cinco estados, sirviendo a más de 45 mil estudiantes.

A new Gallup and Lumina Foundation poll unveils a concerning reality: Hoosiers may lack clarity about the true cost of higher education.

The survey reveals merely 23% of U.S. adults without college degrees could estimate the annual net cost of a bachelor's degree from a public college within $5,000 of the actual expense. The repercussions of the financial fog can be overwhelming for students.

Gabriela Espinoza, a 27-year-old nursing student at IUPUI in Indianapolis, said looming debt from school casts a shadow over her future.

"I'm trying to figure out what my debt is going to look like and how long it's going to take me to pay off," Espinoza explained. "I'm luckily in a position right now where I live at home with mom, and she's been helping me out. You know, eventually, I'd like to think about moving out and moving on my own."

Among those polled, 75% believe a bachelor's degree is "extremely" or "very" valuable. However, cost is a major deterrent for many who wish to get a degree. Experts say higher education leaders need to bring clarity to the true cost of college to reduce confusion and provide a pathway for the millions of Americans who have considered college but have not yet enrolled.

For those participating in the poll, 31% have considered stopping coursework within the last three months due to the cost of attending college.

Parker Madison, another nursing student at IUPUI, said the expense is a major concern.

"If you get your college education, you still may be making the same amount as someone without a degree," Madison pointed out. "I feel like sometimes the college education's not even worth it."

More than half, about 56%, of unenrolled adults said cost is a very important reason they are not pursuing a post-high school education. Debt is also a factor for students who stopped out of college, with 35% of students saying loans prevented them from returning to finishing their degree.


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Educators and public school advocates are pushing back on a measure which would consolidate state-funded services that have been an important part of schools in rural Iowa for generations. Some state lawmakers said the funding could be used more efficiently.

Area Education Agencies have been the go-to place for educators in rural Iowa when they need state services at the local level, in all 99 Iowa counties. House Bill 2612 would consolidate the agencies, outsource some of their services and give the state oversight of them.

Mike Owen, deputy director of the group Common Good Iowa, said the agencies have been critical resources for generations.

"The Area Education Agencies have been a very valuable regional system that helps school districts, large and small, with various services that they can't really do on their own," Owen explained. "From special education to media services, to professional development of teachers."

Gov. Kim Reynolds, who signed the measure, said it will provide a more efficient way to spend the state's education dollars. It is scheduled to take effect July 1.

The battle over public school funding has been playing out on a variety of fronts in Iowa, which enjoys a reputation for some of the best-quality public education in the nation. The state recently enacted a private school voucher program, paid for with state dollars.

Owen sees consolidating the Area Education Agencies and outsourcing some of the services they provide as another step in the wrong direction for Iowa's K-12 classrooms.

"It's total disrespect to locally elected decision-makers for schools," Owen contended. "One more example of how education, unfortunately, is being used to pit people against one another, when it is really a unifying value for Iowans."

There are nine Area Education Agencies in Iowa. The State Department of Education will assume oversight of all of them.


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The solar eclipse has sparked more interest in science and technology, especially among young people.

But the saying, 'You can't be what you don't see,' is a reality for youth of color considering a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math career.

A 2024 Black Girls and STEM Report indicates this demographic aspires to become astronauts, engineers and more -- but a lack of Black representation can dampen their enthusiasm.

Crystal Morton is the founder and director of the Girls STEM Institute, which offers courses for girls ages 7 to 18.
She said the emphasis is on relevant cultural content and careers for girls who might not otherwise have access to these experiences.

"That might be doing a session on the science of Black hair," said Morton, "looking at different products to understand the science behind how that product is made, and what's in that product or how it may be impacting them. So, we make our own products. You can be able to look at a label and say, 'Hey, I should be able to pronounce what I'm putting on my skin, or in my hair.'"

She said the students quickly get the connections.

The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics says about one-third of STEM workers are women. But Black workers make up only 18% of the 35 million people employed in STEM fields.

Morton said the Institute's Saturday programs are in partnership with the Indiana University, Indianapolis School of Education. And in the summer, volunteers engage with students about careers in aviation and medicine.

As a former math teacher, Morton said she believes early exposure to this information is key, and said kids begin showing their curiosity as early as third grade.

"Understanding how things happen with technology, that they all need to have different mathematical levels of understanding," said Morton. "They need to have computational thinking skills, because that's the way this world is moving. And I believe that they do have it -- if you just sit back and watch them play, you see the problem solving happen."

A report on Indiana's STEM education priorities shows the number of undergraduate degrees is up since 2015, but the number of STEM-related degrees awarded hasn't moved much.

Hispanic and Black students earn between 3% and 5% of those STEM degrees. They make up 6% and 9% of the state's population, respectively.