WASHINGTON – Although college closures are not common occurrences, numerous factors suggest a continuing uptick, so higher education institutions, accreditors and the government are wise to work together on reforms that protect students when such crises occur.
That was the consensus of speakers Tuesday at “School’s Out Forever: Reforming the College Closure Process,” an event hosted by the Bipartisan Policy Center.
“It’s obviously a topic that we spend a lot of time thinking about and talking about,” said Diane Jones, principal deputy under secretary in the U.S. Department of Education, in a fireside chat-style interview.
Not all school closures are bad, she said, and there are scenarios where it’s the responsible thing to do, it is done properly and “everybody wins.”
However, in some cases, inadequate or nonexistent planning and communication make an already difficult and costly process a nightmare for students who find themselves suddenly left in a lurch.
“When it’s not done in an orderly manner,” said Jones, “it is disruptive, expensive and unfair.”
As the federal government weighs educational reforms, including reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, the issue of school closures has garnered attention.
