While historically black colleges and universities are publicly recognized for carving their niche within the larger higher education system and serving an important function, they are often viewed with a certain level of skepticism.  In a 2003 article published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, Audrey June refers to historically black colleges as “endangered institutions”.  Embedded at the interplay of these critiques and commentaries are questions about the continued social relevance, academic purpose, and institutional responsiveness of these campuses.

The for-profit higher education sector has come under increased scrutiny in Congress, in response to a flurry of criticism, alleging shoddy and fraudulent practices.   Reports in the New York Times, the New American Foundation and public television have shown stories of students who were defrauded – they thought they would get a job and did not, or they did not realize the large size of the federal loan they would have to pay back.   One commentator charged that the entire sector is “socially destructive” and “morally bankrupt.”   In arguing for public hearings on the sector Senators Franken of Minnesota and Harkin of Iowa urged that a serious look needs to be taken at the sector so that it can be brought into line and/ or shut down.   These charges are based on four assumptions about for-profit higher education, all of which are faulty.  There is also one significant challenge for-profits need to overcome.

Pat Willis, Executive Director of Voices for Georgia’s Children speaks on the benefits of addressing the needs of the whole child and how the K-12 system might model early education’s progress in this area.

SEF has filed a report and complaint with the Department of Revenue, asking for an investigation into tax credits for private schools in Georgia taken in violation of the law.

As graduation rates rise nationally, dropout rates for minority students remain disproportionately high. Dr. Latonya Fanion discusses the direct correlation between zero tolerance policies and the nation's dropout crisis.

The changing demographics of the nation and its students are undeniable. Strengthening the national economy and avoiding fiscal cliffs involves, in part, ensuring a greater number of students enter college and graduate with high quality degrees.  Dr. William Perez addresses three issues that matter most for Latino students.

In May, a front-page investigative story ran in The New York Times, uncovering a wide range of self-dealing and misuses in Georgia's state program permitting private school parents and supporters to divert state tax dollars for private school scholarships. This state program is the focus of a 2011 SEF report, A Failed Experiment: Georgia's Tax Credit Scholarships for Private Schools.    The Times story, "Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools,"  documents how private student scholarship organizations (SSOs) and private schools have been enticing parents and supporters to divert tax dollars from the state treasury to private schools to pay the private school tuition of their own children and other specific children whom the donors identify. In turn, parents and supporters have reduced their state and federal income taxes.

The Southern Education Foundation (SEF) is undertaking an exploratory project in conjunction with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to determine if there are Southern states where leading civil rights and social justice advocates and the primary leaders in education policymaking and reform can find common ground for developing and implementing major education reforms.  Current reform efforts appropriately emphasize higher standards and better teaching.  SEF’s motivation in this undertaking is that poor and minority youth, many of whom do not meet prevailing academic standards, are unlikely to experience the deeper levels of learning associated with these new “common core” reforms absent a concerted effort to match these new expectations with new and arguably different learning environments and academic/non-academic supports.

C. Rob Shorette, II is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education at Michigan State University. In addition to his academic pursuits, he manages the social media efforts for campus-wide student service initiatives, has coordinated the delivery and assessment of student service initiatives, and has taught undergraduate courses through the College of Education at Michigan State University.

The Southern Education Foundation would like to formally congratulate Spelman College rising senior Thekia Cheeseborough who recently finished her year-long internship with SEF this May. Thekia came to SEF as a Spelman College Social Justice fellow and assisted Vice President Steve Suitts, researching a variety of important PK-12 issues in the region through the school year.

One of the nation’s leading scholars on race in education, John B. Williams has been named a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Southern Education Foundation (SEF). Williams, who recently retired as Vice President of the Public Welfare Foundation after five years of service, has been a teacher, administrator, author, and advocate for equity in education for more than four decades.

The Black Hole Award, given by the Society of Professional Journalists, “exposes the most heinous violations of the public's right to know.” Georgia’s receipt of this dubious award demonstrates that Georgia has the worst,
most damaging law in the country for public disclosure. The State of Georgia should be ashamed of this program, and the people of Georgia should be outraged by what the law’s sponsors have done with taxpayer funds.

February 2-4, 2012 SEF held its second MSI Student Learning Outcomes Institute.  In addition to featuring nationally recognized experts, the Institute brought together key academic leaders from Minority-Serving Institutions to improve institutional capacity to measure, assess, and articulate student learning. The Institute featured a series of intense workshops, interactive sessions, and campus demonstrations that allowed participants to engage each other on pressing issues related to assessing student learning.

SEF’s 2012 MSI Presidents & Trustees Seminar will be held June 21-23, 2012 at the Intercontinental Hotel—Buckhead located at 3315 Peachtree Road, NE; Atlanta, GA 30326.  More than 200 MSI presidents and trustees will convene to engage government officials, accreditation leaders, and higher education thought leaders on issues of institutional effectiveness, innovation, and organizational change.