Students from low-income communities in Illinois have historically faced numerous barriers to higher education, but one Chicago-based program offers support, so they can surmount those hurdles.

The OneGoal initiative is a three-year, nonprofit program which offers students financial and academic guidance through their last two years of high school and first year of college.

Melissa Connelly, the organization's CEO, said the program takes a holistic approach to helping students enroll and stay in college.

"You know, it's about helping students really understand their own aspirations, their identity, the impact they want to have in the world," Connelly outlined. "So that when they get on those postsecondary pathways, they're not wondering why they're there."

A new report from the University of Chicago's Inclusive Economy Lab found participants in the program are 40% more likely to graduate from a postsecondary school than peers in similar demographics.

While the program got its start in Chicago Public Schools, Connelly said it has since rolled out to 26 additional districts across Illinois, and several others across the country.

Kelly Hallberg, scientific director of the Inclusive Economy Lab at the University of Chicago, said the program also has a statistically significant impact on high school graduation rates. The report said more than 99% of OneGoal participants graduate from high school, nearly 16-percentage points higher than their comparison-group peers.

"Having not just a plan, but a realistic plan that students believe that they can implement after high school," Hallberg explained. "That helps you get to college, but it also helps you be engaged in school, see the point of your courses in high school and even get to the high school graduation mark."

The report noted disinvestment in low-income communities has disproportionately affected Black and Latino students. Despite high levels of interest, only about 18% of students in Chicago Public Schools will earn a bachelor's degree within a decade of high school graduation.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

A new report from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finds the repayment process for federal student loans has been filled with errors.

Repayments began in October following a three-year pandemic-related pause. Since then, complaints of inaccurate bills, late notices and poor customer service have increased. Officials with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau said they are working to protect borrowers from incompetent or predatory student loan servicers.

Rohit Chopra, director of the bureau, said borrowers should be cautious, especially when talking to third parties contracted by loan servicers for bill payments.

"If you're having trouble, please file a complaint," Chopra urged. "We're often able to get those individuals across the country fixes - and sometimes, clear answers on what really needs to happen."

The Supreme Court struck down President Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness plan earlier this year, affecting almost 1.8 million Ohioans carrying student debt. Average student loan debt in Ohio is more than $34,000, according to the website educationdata.org.

Judy Dollison, president of the Better Business Bureau of Central Ohio, said now is the time for borrowers to carefully read and understand the terms of their loan and become familiar with legitimate student loan repayment assistance programs.

"It's important to know what services those lenders provide," Dollison noted. "And what are the legitimate companies that are part of the program."

This week, the U.S. Department of Education released draft rules for expanding federal debt relief. Hearings on the plans will be held Dec. 11-12.


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Fewer college students are taking foreign language courses, and a new report warns this could affect how well students are prepared for a globalized world.

The Modern Language Association survey finds fewer students chose to study languages other than English between 2016 and 2021. Nationally, enrollment dropped 17% during the same period, and the impact in Indiana is far greater.

Deborah Cohn, provost professor of Spanish and Portuguese at Indiana University, explained the dropping numbers could spell trouble for students applying for college, and have implications for equity.

"In Indiana, between 2016 and 2021, they dropped from 42,000 to 30,000. So, that is a drop, in that five-year period, of 29.4%," she said.

Cohn pointed out that foreign language studies provide cultural knowledge and open doors for many types of jobs. The report says adequate funding for language programs, and support from the schools, are needed to help keep them going.

According to the report, making foreign language courses more career-focused might attract more students. Cohn underscored that the nation is becoming more diverse - so it's important to understand and be able to connect with others.

"We actually need language study for jobs to serve both the domestic market but also the international market. We need people who can speak languages who can offer social services, legal services, medical services within this country," she continued.

One thing that might turn the ship, according to Cohn, is getting students involved in studying languages at all levels - especially when they are young. The report also recommends schools build partnerships with multicultural organizations.


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The Students for Justice in Palestine chapters at the University of Florida and the University of South Florida are filing lawsuits against the deactivation orders issued by State University System Chancellor Raymond Rodrigues and Gov. Ron DeSantis.

The groups claim the looming orders come at a time when the conflict in the contested territories of Israel and Palestine are a matter of vital public discourse, depriving them of essential resources.

Hina Shamsi, director of the National Security Project at the American Civil Liberties Union, is part of the legal team representing the students.

"Our client has made a very brave decision to challenge state officials' attempt to restrict student speech, in a case that they and we hope sends a strong message that censorship in our schools is unconsitutional," said Shamsi.

The state's deactivation was based on the groups' alleged connection to a toolkit supporting Hamas' attack on Israel, which violates a Florida law against providing material support to foreign terrorist organizations. However, neither group has a formal relationship with the National Students for Justice in Palestine, which the Chancellor later acknoledged.

According to Shamsi, the groups recognize that colleges are contending with how to manage increased tensions and threats on their campuses while keeping students safe, but pointed out that it doesn't mean they have to abandon students' rights to do so.

"We take the weight and complexities of those issues seriously," she added, "but it is precisely in times of heightened crisis that university leaders must remain steadfast in their commitment to free speech, to open debate and peaceful dissent on campus."

While the Chancellor Rodrigues says they are reviewing legal and deactivation options, a spokesman for the governor's office said it was "reprehensible to see some university administrators, after the fact, creating bureaucratic roadblocks."



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