August 7, 2012

Education Profiteers Gather In New York To Cheer Privatization Of American Schools

Reuters has the scoop on an event that took place earlier this week where nearly a hundred education profiteers — ranging from executives at testing companies to private equity moguls eager to invest in education technology — met at a swanky Manhattan club to cheer on the privatization of the U.S. education system: The investors
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August 1, 2012

For-Profit College Lures 14-Year-Old, Dumps Him, Sticks Him With The Bill

All across the country, people are waking up to the abusive practices of for-profit colleges, which take $33 billion a year in taxpayer money, much of it for poor quality programs that leaves students deep in debt and unemployed.  The newest bombshell is an in-depth report from Chris Parker in The Village Voice highlighting students
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July 31, 2012

For-Profit College Recruiter: Goal Was To “Demoralize Potential Applicants” And Get “Asses In Classes”

Yesterday at Sen. Tom Harkin’s press conference on the release of his new report on the predatory nature of the for-profit college industry, one of the most illuminating testimonies came not from the senator or his colleagues, but from a former active and knowing participant in the abusive system. Laura Brozek worked for ITT Technical
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July 29, 2012

Sen. Harkin’s Report: For-Profit Colleges Leave Students With Debt But No Degree

Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and his Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee staff released Sunday a report based on a comprehensive investigation of  30 of the biggest for-profit college companies. It’s full of stark revelations about this controversial, troubled industry. I’ve been saying for a couple of years that, no matter how cynical one’s view of
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July 6, 2012

New For-Profit College Lobbyist Is Long-Time Champion of Troubling Policies

The nation’s major for-profit colleges show no sign that they are ready to accept the inevitable: that in a time of enormous budget pressures, they cannot continue to siphon off 32 billion dollars a year in federal student aid for high-priced, low-quality programs that often leave students without jobs and deep in debt. They show
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July 6, 2012

Virginia Democratic Party Chair, Subject of Our Reporting, Ends His Job As For-Profit College Lobbyist

In May, Republic Report approached Virginia Democratic Party chairman Brian Moran and asked him if there was a conflict of interest between his role in the party — advancing the goals of President Barack Obama — and his job as a for-profit college lobbyist for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities (APSCU), which
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July 2, 2012

5 Reasons Why A Judge’s Decision To Strike Down A Predatory College Rule Won’t Stop Reforms

Over the weekend, a federal trial judge in Washington, DC, upheld the power of the federal government to issue its “gainful employment” rule, a provision aimed at channeling federal financial aid away from college and career training programs that leave students deep in debt. But the judge, Rudolph Contreras, held that the U.S. Department of Education failed
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June 28, 2012

As States Act To Shut Down Deceptive Website, Durbin Says For-Profit Colleges “Own Every Lobbyist” In DC

On Wednesday, 20 state attorneys general announced a court settlement with QuinStreet Inc., a marketing company working for for-profit colleges, that will shut down the deceptive website GIBill.com and turn that web address over to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. GIBill.com, until recently, looked a lot like a government website. But people who went
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