skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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 Details Methods to Address IN Declining College Enrollment

play audio
Play

Wednesday, June 15, 2022   

As fewer people in Indiana are opting to go to college, the state's Commission for Higher Education is releasing policy recommendations to increase college access for Hoosier students.

A new report from the higher-ed commission finds only about half the high school class of 2020 enrolled in college.

Sean Tierney, associate commissioner for policy and research at the Commission, said there are a few steps the agency recommended to address the decline, including automatic enrollment in Indiana's 21st Century Scholars program for eligible students.

"Only about half of eligible students sign up for the program," Tierney reported. "We want to expand that and help these students prepare. Not just when they're seniors in high school, but in middle school, to take that step into college."

The report showed the enrollment rate for 21st Century Scholars is 81%, far outpacing the state's average. Among the recommendations is increasing the Frank O'Bannon Grant for low-income students. Tierney explained the program saw major cuts after the 2008 recession, and funding levels have not been fully recovered.

College-going rates decreased steadily from the high school classes of 2015 to 2019, and then dropped significantly for the class of 2020. All told, college-going rates declined 12% during the five-year time period.

Tierney acknowledged, in addition to the pandemic, the cost of college likely contributed to the drop.

"I think in some ways, we've struggled to get the message across that, yes college can be costly, but it's a manageable cost," Tierney contended. "It's something that, at the end of the day for the typical student, it's going to pay off."

From 2015 to 2020, the college-going rate for Black students dropped by 16%, compared with 10% for their white and Latino counterparts.

Tierney added the commission is working on strategies to address the equity gap, including partnering with state agencies and community organizations to encourage participation in financial and academic aid programs.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021