Each year, a number of publications release their rankings of top colleges and universities. While rankings can help folks understand a school's retention and graduation rates, colleges in rural states say these lists don't tell the full story.

Phillip Engelkemier, a college recruitment specialist at the West Virginia University School of Nursing and president-elect of the West Virginia Associate of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said schools in rural regions often are home to specific programs that aren't offered elsewhere.

"I know there's an institution called Fairmont State University that offers an aviation program," he said. "It's a program that many other states just may not offer."

Research shows that while some rural community colleges are seeing growth, nationwide student enrollment at rural higher-education institutions is trending downward.

Engelkemier said lower cost is another important benefit to attending college in the Mountain State.

"Out-of-state tuition at some of our West Virginia institutions is still more affordable than what an in-state tuition might be for somebody else that's residing in another state," he said.

The magazine Washington Monthly bills its higher-ed ranking as an alternative that's more relevant to average families. Editor-in-chief Paul Glastris said he feels some other guides, such as U.S. News and World Report, place too much emphasis on prestige and wealth. He said Washington Monthly ranks schools based on other metrics.

"Whether a college is creating the scholarship and scholars that drive innovation and economic growth and human flourishing," he said, "and whether a college is helping encourage their students to become active citizens - by serving in the Peace Corps, by voting."

Charleston University, Marshall University and West Virginia University all appear on Washington Monthly's list.


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Algunos estudiantes, padres y educadores planean reunirse para enviar un mensaje al gobernador Ron DeSantis en el Día de los Inocentes.

El grupo de sindicatos, padres y líderes comunitarios están planeando una manifestación en Miami usando el hashtag #NotFoolingUs. Se trata de una protesta sobre la agenda "extrema" de DeSantis, en temas que van desde la atención médica hasta la educación.

Touri White, padre líder en P.S. 305, que tiene dos hijos en secundaria y primaria, dice que sus mayores preocupaciones son la censura y lo que él percibe como ataques contra grupos marginados. White dice que es un gran defensor de que los padres se ofrezcan como voluntarios y lean para los estudiantes en las escuelas, pero últimamente esto se ha restringido.

"Los padres ya no pueden traer libros de casa (libros para niños de una biblioteca domestica), tienen que ser libros aprobados previamente," informa White. "Esto fue ordenado por la oficina del gobernador, para poder leerles a los estudiantes. Y tengo un gran problema con eso."

El gobernador ha refutado las afirmaciones sobre prohibiciones de libros, afirmando que es "una narrativa falsa en términos de usar las escuelas para el adoctrinamiento, en lugar de la educación". Sin embargo, sigue respaldando propuestas y leyes contra la enseñanza sobre raza, orientación sexual y género, lo que ha llevado a la prohibición de libros en algunos distritos.

La manifestación #NotFoolingUs comienza el sábado a las 10 de la mañana afuera del Centro de Gobierno Stephen P. Clark en Miami.

Los organizadores dicen que están luchando por mantener la política fuera del aula y concentrarse en enseñar matemáticas, ciencias, lectura y una historia honesta, pero dicen que el gobernador solo pretende apoyar esos temas, mientras ataca a los maestros y aprueba leyes para criminalizarlos. White dice que le gustaría ver justicia.

"Creo firmemente que todos tenemos derecho a existir y coexistir, y ser tratados de manera justa y equitativa," opina White. "Y eso definitivamente no está sucediendo en esta administración actual con el gobernador."

Los grupos alientan a las personas a hablar en todo el estado sobre temas que les preocupan con respecto a las acciones en la Legislatura de Florida, desde prohibiciones de aborto y armas sin permiso, hasta lo que ven como intentos de silenciar a los maestros.

Labor leaders in various industries recently celebrated the 85th anniversary of a federal law that laid the groundwork for registered apprenticeship programs in Pennsylvania and across the country. However, a new report says not everyone gets a fair shot at these opportunities.

The Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies found that Black apprentices are underpaid and underrepresented in registered apprenticeship programs. Dewitt Walton, vice president and program director for the Pittsburgh chapter of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, said the key to changing this is for more people to know what's available.

"The opportunities for life-changing careers in the construction and building trades, we have to increase the awareness of those opportunities," he said, "and promote them in a more comprehensive and successful manner than we have in the past."

Walton said the Institute has been approved as the city's first Black-owned, state-certified pre-apprentice program for the skilled trades. He noted that they received a PA Smart Initiative grant of $400,000, and added that Pennsylvania is seeking additional grant dollars to boost diversity in apprenticeship programs.

Walton said 80% of people in the "Breaking the Chains of Poverty" workforce development program are African American, and from underserved, underrepresented or previously incarcerated communities.

"As a result, built real relationships with manufacturing, which the steelworkers' union has a huge impact in, and particularly in Western PA," he said. "We build out relationships with the construction and building trades."

Justin Nalley, the center's senior analyst for workforce policy, said apprenticeships have long served as a great "earn-as-you-learn" model in carving out a career. However, he added, there are some big gaps in opportunities for Black workers, including enrollment.

"Black apprentices only make up 9% of registered apprenticeship programs," he said, "but we make up 12% of the workforce."

Last year, the U.S. Department of Labor issued grants aimed at modernizing apprenticeships and boosting the representation of workers of color in registered programs. Currently, about 600,000 people are enrolled in apprenticeship programs across the country.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

New findings confirm suspicions about the top reasons many students considered dropping out of college over the last six months.

The Gallup and Lumina Foundation report, "Stressed Out and Stopping Out: The Mental Health Crisis in Higher Education," reveals about three in five undergraduates say emotional stress and mental health are the biggest reasons they've considered quitting.

Both far exceed such other factors as cost and course difficulty. Dr. Zainab Okolo - strategy officer at Lumina Foundation - said a growing mental-health crisis is making it difficult to keep pace with students requesting assistance.

"Counseling professionals were overwhelmed, where they had to create waitlists for students that were brave enough to finally reach out for help," said Okolo. "On average now, the waitlists are about eight months. This is a resource demand issue, and the data has made it clear that our students need these mental health resources."

Okolo said isolation exacerbated during the COVID-19 restrictions is waning, but warns students in a two or four year program are just as likely to drop out today than they were during the once-in-a-generation pandemic.

One of the glaring data points for Okolo is that 73% of young adults who decided to forgo higher education entirely, say mental health issues are a significant reason - ranking higher than their need to work.

She said it's an "all hands" on deck situation, with every sector having to make significant adjustments to re-center, and reconsider mental health.

"One example of that - the National Governors Association - their winter meeting was centered on how to equip and inform governors around their investments," said Okolo. "And then, we're seeing - in North Carolina, California, Kentucky and Louisana - these governors coming together and going, 'Yes, we hear you, and let's put some funding towards that work.'"

Okolo added that in states like Indiana, with a high concentration of rural communities, students who have challenges accessing in-person services would benefit from online services.

The survey says seven in 10 college students rate their on-campus mental health resources positively, although those who actually face mental-health issues rate them lower.

Lumina Foundation Vice President of Impact and Planning Courtney Brown said schools can learn from these results.

"There's a way to help students, so this isn't a doom and gloom," said Brown. "We can actually use this and move forward. And we did see in the data that that students who felt like they were were supported by faculty and students experienced much less stress."

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.




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