Many Georgia college students have to balance family and work responsibilities with academics.

Some are finding non-traditional higher education is their lifeline to a future degree and career, but high school counselors don't always encourage this route.

The pandemic and subsequent lockdown boosted interest in distance learning, according to Sue Subocz - associate president and provost at Walden University.

She said non-traditional forms of 'higher ed' contribute to a diverse and multicultural workforce, and points out that many of these graduates have done well in the job market.

"In some jobs, community college graduates are getting hired at much higher rate," said Subocz. "If you look at registered nurses, the typical degree they hold is an associate degree in nursing. Like in many fields, [there] has been a movement to push the degree requirements higher."

Walden offers online nursing programs leading to bachelor's, masters and doctoral degrees.

Georgia currently has one of the lowest ratios of nurses in the nation, with only seven per 1,000 people, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Georgia resident Dr. John DeGarmo earned his doctorate at Walden University and is now the founder and director of The Foster Care Institute. He said both he and his wife worked full-time and took online classes.

DeGarmo added that as foster and adoptive parents with at least nine children in the house at the same time, online learning was the best option.

"The online process worked for both of us, because we were simply very busy," said DeGarmo. "We did not have time to sit in a traditional classroom, you know. Online allowed us the opportunity to be very flexible, when we were able to do our coursework, and much of that was in the evenings when the children were in bed."

Subocz said students who study at community colleges or opt to learn online are getting educational opportunities they might otherwise miss, or perhaps could not afford at traditional schools.

"You can start in a place where class size is often half, a third, a quarter of what you're going to see at a university, with highly qualified faculty," said Subocz. "And that it comes at about a tenth of the cost, it just makes you wonder why everyone doesn't do it."

Community college grads dominate certain professional fields, including health, security - and 80% of all law enforcement officers, Emergency Medical Technicians and firefighters - according to the American Association of Community Colleges.

Nearly 100 school board elections are coming up in Minnesota this fall, with some gaining attention because of the candidates who are running. There's concern the push around the United States to infuse school boards with "culture war" issues is becoming a factor regionally.

On Thursday, labor and advocacy groups gathered to speak out about certain board races, mainly in the Twin Cities suburbs, and how some candidates have controversial platforms, such as limiting curriculum about race.

Denise Specht, president of the teacher's union Education Minnesota, said the movement isn't just being observed in states such as Florida. She said book-ban attempts are popping up here, as well.

"In the Bloomington public schools, there are more than 50 challenges to 30 titles in the school libraries already this year," she said. "Most of them are books with LGBTQ+ characters, which fits the national trend."

A school board candidate in Roseville faces scrutiny for writing a book that denies the Holocaust ever happened. The candidate, Vaughn Klingenberg, did not respond to a request for comment. Parent groups that support candidates with divisive views argue that students are being overly exposed to issues such as gender identity and diversity, and that the focus should be on achievement.

Beth Gendler, executive director of Jewish Community Action, pushed back against state-level affiliations such as the Minnesota Parents Alliance, that say voters need to tune out the concerns being raised.

"We are portrayed as threats to society by merely existing, or daring to ask that our stories be included when students are taught about history," she said. "We are not 'noise;' we are not a distraction."

Unlike conservative led-states, Minnesota's Democratic majorities make it unlikely that restrictions on curriculum or gender accommodations will be adopted in the near future. But the coalition calling attention to these candidates has said if elected, it could push to limit local enforcement of anti-bullying laws.


get more stories like this via email

The so-called conservative "hostile takeover" of a small, progressive liberal arts college in Florida is seeing some resistance from former students and faculty who've developed and launched Alt New College. The goal is preserving the traditional values it built as an online institution for academic freedom.

Claiming one-third of faculty have left or been forced out, Alt New College is bringing back some of those instructors to teach online, free from political interference.

"We're most particularly concerned with subjects that concern the history of Black Americans, the intersection of science and politics, the study of gender which includes women and other identities," said Mary Ruiz, a New College alum who has served on its board since 2019. "We feel it's a worthy subject to study since it includes more than half of humanity."

Ruiz was board chair at New College of Florida when she resigned and is now an organizer of Alt New College. Some free courses, tutorials and lectures are supported by donors.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been touting the success of New College of Florida and is critical of a recent civil rights probe from the U.S. Department of Education into whether the school excluded or discriminated against qualified students with disabilities, kept them out of certain programs or denied them financial aid.

Ruiz said the concept is powerful and has attracted global partners such as Bard College of New York, giving students the chance to earn credit for the online courses.

"The Open Society University Network is making its entire curriculum available online," she said. "In addition to the offering of Alt New College, Bard is offering credit."

The concept for the alternative college isn't new. Ruiz said the grassroots effort was inspired by Smolny Beyond Borders, which transitioned to an online platform in response to an authoritarian incident in Russia, and Black Mountain College, renowned for its innovative approaches in preserving its institutional history.

A listing of the free courses can be found at altnewcollege.org.


Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.


get more stories like this via email

This weekend marks the kickoff of National Bullying Prevention Month. Those raising awareness hope schools in South Dakota and elsewhere work toward establishing a more inclusive environment, and that parents take action when needed.

According to the Midwest-based PACER organization, one in five students reports being bullied - and being targeted can directly affect their ability to learn.

Julie Hertzog is the director of PACER's National Bullying Prevention Center, and said schools are being more proactive with anti-bullying messaging.

But she added that they can take it a step further by fostering more unity within their buildings.

"It can be as simple as, if you're doing an activity within a group, asking somebody else if they would like to join you or participate," said Hertzog. "So, any way that you can increase connection between each other makes communities healthier for everyone."

Hertzog noted that social media remains a concern in trying to protect kids from hurtful actions by their peers.

Whether a student is bullied online or at school, she said parents should let the child talk openly about it and how they feel about responding. She also advised them to research the school's harassment policy for guidance on how to proceed.

Hertzog said over time, their work has helped dispel myths that words can't hurt people and that experiencing bullying is a part of growing up. She said a lot of kids know this behavior is not OK.

But she stressed that a lot of students are still likely to feel isolated, and recognizing them in a positive way is important.

"We talk a lot about the tenets of kindness," said Hertzog, "accepting each other for our differences."

LGBTQ advocates have argued those sentiments are especially important in conservative-led states such as South Dakota, which have passed various laws deemed hostile towards transgender students.

According to the Trevor Project, 52% of LGBTQ youths enrolled in middle or high school report being bullied either in person or electronically.




get more stories like this via email