Tag: Student

  • Columbia Expels, Suspends Student Protesters

    Columbia Expels, Suspends Student Protesters

    Columbia University expelled and suspended multiple students for participating in allegedly disruptive protest activity in spring 2024 and earlier this year it announced on Tuesday.

    Officials made the decision on Monday, according to the university statement, saying the action is the “final set of findings” by the University Judicial Board (UJB) related to protests “from that period.”

    Sanctions passed down from Columbia relate to a pro-Palestinian protest encampment last spring and a May takeover of a room in the Butler Library, according to the university statement. Columbia responded to that incident by placing 71 students on interim suspension in May.

    “The sanctions issued on July 21 by the University Judicial Board were determined by a UJB panel of professors and administrators who worked diligently over the summer to offer an outcome for each individual based on the findings of their case and prior disciplinary outcomes,” Columbia officials wrote in an unsigned statement. “While the University does not release individual disciplinary results of any student, the sanctions from Butler Library include probation, suspensions (ranging from one year to three years), degree revocations, and expulsions.”

    Officials added that “disruptions to academic activities” are a violation of university policies.

    Though Columbia did not specify how many students were disciplined, the pro-Palestinian student group CU Apartheid Divest alleged that as many as 80 were expelled or suspended. According to CU Apartheid Divest, disciplinary letters sent to suspended students require them to submit apologies in order to return to campus in one to three years.

    Student protesters accused officials of punishing students as a concession to the Trump administration, which froze hundreds of millions of dollars in federal research funding due to alleged antisemitism at Columbia tied to pro-Palestinian protests.

    “The sanctions are believed to be part of a federal deal Columbia is about to announce,” the group wrote in a social media post.

    Earlier this year Columbia agreed to broad demands by the federal government, including overhauling disciplinary processes. However the $400 million in frozen federal funds have not yet been restored despite those concessions.

    Multiple media outlets have reported that Columbia is nearing a deal with the Trump administration to resolve complaints of antisemitism on campus. The Wall Street Journal reported that while a potential deal would likely restore federal research funds, it would also cost the university $200 million in a settlement fee.

    Columbia did not respond to a request for comment from Inside Higher Ed.

    University disciplinary efforts drew a tepid response from the House Education and Workforce Committee which issued a statement from Chairman Tim Walberg, a Michigan Republican.

    “Columbia has more progress to make before Jewish students can truly feel safe on its campus,” he said. “The Committee’s work has underscored the depth and breadth of antisemitism at Columbia that can’t be ignored. We will continue to investigate antisemitism at Columbia and other universities and develop legislative solutions to address this persistent problem.”

    While Columbia reportedly considers a deal with the Trump administration, Ivy League peer Harvard University has started a court battle to regain billions in federal research funding.

    It also sued the government for attempting to block it from enrolling international students. A federal court temporarily blocked the Trump administration from choking off Harvard’s international enrollment, and the same federal judge has not yet ruled on the legality of the government’s freezing of Harvard’s grants and contracts.

    However, the judge appeared skeptical of the government’s position at Monday’s hearing.

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  • Homeless Student Counts in California Are Up. Some Say That’s a Good Thing – The 74

    Homeless Student Counts in California Are Up. Some Say That’s a Good Thing – The 74


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    In Kern County, the first rule in counting homeless students is not saying “homeless.”

    Instead, school staff use phrases like “struggling with stable housing” or “families in transition.” The approach seems to have worked: More families are sharing their housing status with their children’s schools, which means more students are getting services.

    “There’s a lot of stigma attached to the word ‘homeless,’” said Curt Williams, director of homeless and foster youth services for the Kern County Office of Education. “When you remove that word, it all changes.”

    Largely as a result of better identification methods, Kern County saw its homeless student population jump 10% last year, to 7,200. Those students received transportation to and from school, free school supplies, tutoring and other services intended to help them stay in school. For the purposes of this data, the definition of homelessness is broader than the state’s point in time count.

    The trend is reflected statewide. In the latest state enrollment data released last month, California had 230,443 homeless students — a 9.3% increase from the previous year. Some of the increase is due to the state’s ongoing housing shortage, but most of the increase is because of better identification, advocates and school officials said.

    Homeless students face numerous obstacles in school. They have higher rates of discipline and absenteeism, and fare worse academically. Last year, only 16% of homeless students met the state’s math standard, some of the lowest scores of any student group.

    “Schools can’t solve homelessness, but they can ensure the students are safe in the classroom and getting the education they need to get out of homelessness,” said Barbara Duffield, executive director of Schoolhouse Connection, a national homeless youth advocacy group. “That starts with identifying the child who’s homeless.”

    Challenges of counting homeless students

    Under the federal McKinney-Vento Act, schools are required to count their homeless students throughout the school year and ensure they receive services. Homeless students also have the right to stay enrolled in their original school even if they move.

    For many years, schools struggled to identify homeless students. Under state law, schools must distribute forms at the beginning of the school year asking families where they live — in their own homes, in motels, doubled-up with other families, in shelters, cars or outdoors.

    Some schools were less-than-diligent about collecting the form, or reassuring families understood the importance. Often, homeless families were reluctant to submit the form because they were afraid the school might contact a child welfare agency. Immigrant families sometimes feared the school might notify immigration authorities. And some families didn’t realize that sharing quarters with another family — by far the most common living situation among homeless families – is technically defined as homeless, at least under McKinney-Vento.

    A 2021 bill by former Assemblymember Luz Rivas, a Democrat from Arleta in the San Fernando Valley, sought to fix that problem. The bill requires schools to train everyone who works with students — from bus drivers to cafeteria workers to teachers — on how to recognize potential signs of homelessness. That could include families who move frequently or don’t reply to school correspondence.

    The bill seems to have helped. Last year, the state identified 21,000 more homeless students than it had the previous year, even as overall enrollment dropped.

    Still, that’s probably an undercount, researchers said. The actual homeless student population is probably between 5% and10% of those students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, according to the National Center for Homeless Education. In California, that would be a shortfall of up to 138,713 students.

    Influx of funding

    Another boost for identifying homeless students came from the American Rescue Plan, the federal COVID-19 relief package. The plan included $800 million for schools to hire counselors or train existing staff to help homeless students. Nearly all schools in California received some money.

    About 120 districts in California won grant money through the McKinney-Vento Act, which last year dispersed about $15.9 million in California to pay for things like rides to school, backpacks, staff and other services. Districts are chosen on a competitive basis; not all districts that apply receive funds.

    But those funding sources are drying up. Most of the pandemic relief money has already been spent, and President Donald Trump’s recently approved budget does not include McKinney-Vento funding for 2026-27.

    The cuts come at a time when advocates expect steep increases in the number of homeless families over the next few years, due in part to national policy changes. Republican budget proposals include cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and other programs aimed at helping low-income families, while the immigration crackdown has left thousands of families afraid to seek assistance. For families living on tight budgets, those cuts could lead to a loss of housing.

    And in California, the shortage of affordable housing continues to be a hurdle for low-income families. Even Kern County, which has traditionally been a less pricey option for families, has seen a spike in housing costs as more residents move there from Los Angeles.

    Joseph Bishop, an education professor at UCLA and co-author of a recent report on homeless students nationwide, said the loss of government funding will be devastating for homeless students.

    “California is the epicenter of the homeless student crisis, and we need targeted, dedicated support,” Bishop said. “Folks should be extremely alarmed right now. Will these kids be getting the education they need and deserve?”

    Better food, cleaner bathrooms

    In Kern County, identification has only been one part of the effort to help homeless students thrive in school. Schools also try to pair them with tutors and mentors, give them school supplies and laundry tokens, and invite them to join a program called Student Voice Ambassadors. There, students can tour local colleges, learn leadership skills and explore career options.

    As part of the program, staff ask students what would make school more enticing — and then make sure the suggestions happen. At one school, students said they’d go to class if the bathrooms were cleaner. So staff improved the bathrooms. At another school, students wanted better food. They got it.

    Williams credits the program with reducing absenteeism among homeless students. Two years ago, 45% of Kern County’s homeless students were chronically absent. Last year, the number dropped to 39% – still too high, he said, but a significant improvement.

    “Without McKinney-Vento funds, the Student Voice Ambassador program would go away,” Williams said. “How will we keep it going? I don’t know.”

    This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.


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  • Interest charges will restart for borrowers in SAVE forbearance (Student Borrower Protection Center)

    Interest charges will restart for borrowers in SAVE forbearance (Student Borrower Protection Center)

    Dahn,

    The Biden Administration’s Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) repayment plan promised to lower monthly student loan payments for millions of Americans. But legal attacks by the same conservative state attorneys general who exploited the courts to block President Biden’s original student debt relief plan resulted in a court injunction that has blocked borrowers from enrolling. Thus, borrowers have been trapped in a year-long, interest-free forbearance while their unprocessed Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) applications wait in limbo.

    But now, Trump and Education Secretary McMahon are saddling these borrowers with interest. Last week, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) announced that it will begin restarting student loan interest charges on August 1, 2025, for the nearly 8 MILLION borrowers stuck in this forbearance.

    McMahon voluntarily chose to do this—there was no state or federal court order forcing her hand. Read our Executive Director Mike Pierce’s statement on this below:

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  • Digital learning is different

    Digital learning is different

    Key points:

    In the animated film Up, the character Dug is a talking dog with an interesting mannerism. Each time he sees a movement off to the side, he stops whatever he is doing, stares off in that direction and shouts, “Squirrel!” I feel that this is a perfect representation of how schools often deal with new and emerging technologies. They can be working hard to provide the best instruction for their students but become immediately distracted anytime a new technology is introduced.

    From the internet and computers to cell phones and artificial intelligence, schools continue to invest a lot of time and money into figuring out how best to use these new technologies. Overall, schools have done a good job adapting to the numerous digital tools introduced in classrooms and offices–and often, these tools are introduced as standalone initiatives. Why do school districts feel the need to ‘reinvent the wheel’ every time a new technology is released? Instead of looking at each new technology as a tool that must be integrated in the curriculum, why not determine what is missing from current instruction and identify what prevents integration from occurring naturally?

    Schools need to recognize that it is not just learning how to use these new digital tools that is important. They must learn how to interpret and use the incredible variety of resources that accompany these tools–resources that provide perspectives that students would never have access to when using physical resources.

    Digital is different

    For centuries, learning material has come from a variety of physical resources. These include human-made items (i.e. textbooks, documents, paintings, audio recordings, and movies) as well as one of the most commonly used physical resources: teachers. In traditional instruction, teachers spend a great deal of class time teaching students information from these physical resources. But the physical nature of these resources limits their availability to students. To ensure that students have long-term access to the information provided by these physical resources, most traditional instruction emphasizes memorization, summarizing, and note taking. 

    With digital resources, students can access information at any time from anywhere, which means learning how to retain information is less important than learning how to effectively find credible information. The authenticity of the information is important because the same tools that are used to access digital resources can just as easily be used to create new digital resources. This means there is a lot of misinformation available online, often consisting of nothing more than personal opinions. Students need to not only be able to search for information online, but they also need to be able to verify the authenticity of online information. The ability to identify misleading or false information is a skill that will benefit them in their personal and academic lives.

    Learning

    While it is fairly easy to find information online, especially with the inclusion of AI in search engines, there are some search techniques that will reduce the amount of misinformation found in simple search requests. By teaching students how to refine their searches and discussing the impact of these search skills, students will be more discerning when it comes to reviewing search results. They need to be aware that the most helpful sites do not always appear at the top of the search list. Some sites are sponsored and thus automatically placed at the beginning of the search list. Other sites will tweak their web search parameters to ensure a higher priority in the search list.  A better understanding of how online searching works will result in more effective searches. 

    Once information is found, the authenticity of the resource and the information itself needs to be established. Fortunately, there are standard practices that can be utilized to teach verification. In the early 2000’s, a popular checklist method called CRAAP (Currency [timeliness], Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) emerged. While this method was effective in evaluating the authenticity of the website, it did not ensure the accuracy of the information on the website. In 2019, the SIFT (Stop, Investigate, Find confirming resources, and Trace claims) methodology was introduced.  This methodology focuses on determining if online content is credible. These are not the only tools available to teachers. Librarians and media specialists are a good place to start when determining age-appropriate lessons and material to teach verification.

    Students need to have access to some high-quality digital resources starting in elementary school. Teaching website verification at an early age will help students understand, from the beginning, that there is a lot of misinformation available online. At the same time, schools need to ensure that they provide access to digital resources that are age appropriate. Today’s network technology provides many ways for schools to monitor and control what information or sites are available to students at different grade levels. While these network tools are effective, they should be used in conjunction with well-trained teachers who understand how to safely navigate digital resources and students who are expected to practice responsible internet behavior. Introducing a select number of digital resources in elementary classes is the first step toward creating discerning researchers who will gain the ability to effectively judge a website’s appropriateness and usefulness.

    Teaching

    In order to create opportunities for students to experience learning with digital resources, instructional practices need to be less reliant on teacher-directed instruction. The use of physical resources requires the teacher to be the primary distributor of the information. Typically, this is done through lecture or whole-class presentations. With digital resources, students have direct access to the information, so whole-class distribution is not necessary. Instead, instructional practices need to provide lessons that emphasize finding and verifying information, which can be done by shifting to a learner-centered instructional model. In a learner-centered lesson, the onus falls on the student to determine what information is needed, and if the found information is credible for a given task. The class time that previously would have been spent on lecture becomes time for students to practice finding and authenticating online information. Initially, these learning experiences would be designed as guided practice for finding specific information. As students become more proficient with their search skills, the lesson can shift toward project-based lessons.

    Project-based lessons will help students learn how to apply the information they find, as well as determine what unknown information they need to complete the work. Unlike lesson design for practicing information searching and verification, project-based lessons provide opportunities for students to decide what information is needed and how best to use it. Instead of directing the student’s information-gathering, the teacher provides guidance to ensure they are accessing information that will allow the students to complete the project.

    This shift in instruction does not necessarily mean there will be a significant curricular change. The curricular content will remain the same, but the resources could be different. Because students control what resources they use, it is possible that they could find resources different from the ones specified in the curriculum. Teachers will need to be aware of the resources students are using and may have to spend time checking the credibility of the resource. Given the varying formats (text, audio, video, graphic) available with digital resources, students will be able to determine which format(s) best supports their learning style. Because most digital tools utilize the same digital resources and formats, teaching students how to learn with digital resources will prepare them for adapting to the next new digital tool. It is simply a matter of learning how to use the tool–after all, they already know how to use the resource.

    When creating units of study, teachers should consider the type of resources students will be using. To simplify matters, some units should be designed to utilize digital resources only and include lessons that teach students how to find and verify information. Students still need to develop skills to work with physical resources as well. It may be helpful to start off with units that utilize only physical or digital resources. That way teachers can focus on the specific skills needed for each type of resource. As students gain proficiency with these skills, they will learn to use the appropriate skills for the given resources.

    The amount of information available to the public today is staggering. Unfortunately, too much of it is unverified and even purposely misleading. Trying to stop misinformation from being created and distributed is not realistic. But teaching students how to validate online information can make the distribution of and exposure to misinformation much less impactful. The open nature of the internet allows for many divergent opinions and perspectives. We need to ensure that when students graduate, they have the skills necessary to determine the authenticity of online information and to be able to determine its merit.

    Teaching and learning with digital resources is different, and traditional instruction does not meet the learning needs of today’s students. Giving students the opportunity to master learning with digital resources will prepare them for the next technology “squirrel” and will enable them to determine how best to use it on their own.

    Latest posts by eSchool Media Contributors (see all)

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  • Student Preferences in On-Campus Housing

    Student Preferences in On-Campus Housing

    Recent survey data focused on student housing officers shows students want more privacy and mental health supports.

    YinYang/iStock/Getty Images Plus

    What do students look for in on-campus housing? According to university staff, students are most satisfied with their space when it’s well furnished and clean.

    A new report from StarRez, a student housing management platform, identified room conditions and a sense of community as top priorities for on-campus housing residents. The survey also found that a majority of institutions see social events and mental health support as key to the student experience in residence halls.

    In addition, the research reveals that today’s students prefer privacy in their living space but are still interested in creating connections and engaging with peers who share their residence hall. They are also open to opportunities to build living-learning communities.

    Methodology

    StarRez’s survey was fielded between Feb. 10 and April 14, 2025. It yielded 459 responses from 418 institutions across the globe, including 360 institutions based in the Americas.

    Setting the stage: An estimated 16 percent of all undergraduates live on campus, including 30 percent of those who attend four-year, public institutions and 43 percent of students at independent colleges, according to an analysis from the American Association of Community Colleges.

    Previous research shows that students who live in residential housing on campus are more likely than their peers who live off campus to persist and complete a degree. This trend may be due in part to the proximity to peer support, academic resources and security in basic needs that living on campus affords.

    In recent years, many colleges have seen a housing crunch impact their students, resulting in less-than-ideal accommodations and residence halls exceeding capacity. StarRez’s survey found that 64 percent of responding institutions had 90 percent or higher occupancy rates; 15 percent had occupancy rates of 99 percent or higher. Yet nearly 57 percent of students do not have access to on-campus housing, according to respondent data.

    But StarRez’s report points to a post-pandemic spike in students interested in living on campus—a trend that has leveled out this year—meaning the exceptionally high demand for on-campus housing may decline.

    Affordability also remains a growing concern in the campus housing market. Student housing prices are rising faster than those of single-family housing, growing 8.8 percent in 2023 compared to multifamily rentals, which rose 4.5 percent in cost over the same period.

    Survey says: When students say they’re satisfied with their housing, approximately one-third are referring to the room conditions and furnishings, their sense of community, or the residence hall’s amenities, according to institutional respondents.

    On the flip side, cost, facility issues and dissatisfaction with food or meal plans were the most commonly reported criticisms of on-campus living. Inside Higher Ed’s Student Voice survey from 2023 found that 48 percent of students believe their dining hall options need improvement and 37 percent said dining facilities need improvement.

    Across room types, apartment-style housing is the most requested option by students (34 percent), followed by suite-style housing (27 percent) and traditional dorms (21 percent), according to StarRez’s survey. The report also found that a greater share of students want their own space; at a majority of institutions (51 percent), students rank single rooms as their top choice on the housing application.

    Not every housing placement turns out to be successful. A majority of colleges said more than 10 percent of their residents requested a room change during the year, with 8 percent saying between 25 and 50 percent of residents asked for a new room.

    Among events offered to residents, 90 percent said social events are the most popular and widely attended, followed by recreational activities (56 percent) and wellness programs (39 percent).

    When asked which health and well-being activities students most often requested of their housing facility, nearly 60 percent of respondents said mental health support programs, and over half (56 percent) wanted social events and community-building activities. Less popular responses included counseling and peer support networks (46 percent), healthy dining options (38 percent), and financial and academic support services (36 percent).

    Living-learning communities continue to grow in popularity, with four out of five colleges offering this type of student housing. Academic-focused communities (23 percent) and honors programs (17 percent) were the most popular LLCs, while career (5 percent) and leadership-focused (6 percent) groups were the least popular.

    National data shows students with disabilities are enrolling in higher education at higher rates, and StarRez’s report points to an increase in emotional support animals making their way to campus as well. One-third of institutions said between 3 and 10 percent of residents have emotional support animals, with 3 percent of respondents saying more than 10 percent of students have them.

    Fewer institutions reported offering gender-inclusive housing in 2025 (69 percent) than in 2024 (73 percent), and there was little difference in the number who said they were considering implementing gender-inclusive housing space.

    Growth in international student enrollment is also pushing an increase in housing demand from international students, with 34 percent of respondents indicating a slight increase and 6 percent reporting a significant increase. A majority of respondents house fewer than 10 percent of their international students on campus. The report data does not reflect recent federal actions this spring that may impede international student enrollment in the fall.

    So what? Based on the report’s findings, authors recommend housing providers consider:

    • Students’ desire for privacy, mental health and belonging, which are core to their experiences on campus.
    • More students want apartment-style and single-room housing options, creating opportunities for institutions to adapt spaces to match this need.
    • Living and learning communities can provide high-impact experiences for residents, leading to greater satisfaction and retention.

    How does your institution promote belonging and well-being in the residence halls? Tell us more.

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  • F-1, J-1 Student Visa Issuances Dropped in May

    F-1, J-1 Student Visa Issuances Dropped in May

    The U.S. Department of State issued 12,689 fewer F-1 visas in May 2025 compared to the May before, which could forecast a decline in international students able to attend U.S. universities this fall.

    Recently published data from the State Department shows a 22 percent drop in F-1 visas issued across the world and a 13 percent decline in J-1 visas.

    While visa issuances can help predict international student enrollment trends, they don’t tell the full story, said Rachel Banks, senior director for public policy and legislative strategy at NAFSA, the association of international educators. Still, the trend line isn’t positive.

    “We’re not really going to know until we get through September to know everyone who arrives, to know what the enrollment really looks like,” Banks said. “But it’s certainly not encouraging.”

    Over the past few months, President Donald Trump has cracked down on international students via arrests, travel bans and revocations of legal status. Those moves and other executive orders could affect the number of F-1 and J-1 visas issued.

    In May, the administration said it would revoke visas from Chinese nationals who have ties to the Chinese Communist Party. The number of Chinese nationals issued a F-1 visa in May declined by 15 percent (or about 2,578 students). The State Department also paused visa interviews in late May while the agency developed a policy to screen international students’ social media profiles. Interviews resumed in June once the policy was in place.

    The interview pause may have contributed to but cannot fully explain the decline in visa issuances, said Finn Reynolds, head of market research at Lawfully, a legal tech start-up focused on immigration.

    The State Department doesn’t publish the number of visa applications or interviews it engages in, which means the decline could be tied to a decreased demand or slower processing by the department, Reynolds added. A May 27 survey by Study Portal found student interest in studying in the U.S. has dropped to its lowest point since COVID-19, with fewer students interested in U.S. programs and instead considering other English-speaking nations such as the U.K. or Australia.

    Additionally, the State Department doesn’t share daily visa issuance numbers, meaning the drop could be tied solely to the pause in the final week of May, Banks said. The connection, over all, is unclear.

    The data also points to the effect of travel restrictions on students from certain nations. The Trump administration banned visitors from 12 countries and implement heightened restrictions for seven other countries in June. The May numbers show a nearly 150 percent decline in F-1 visa issuances (or 451 visas) and a 105 percent decline in J-1 issuances (157 visas) to citizens from the impacted nations, even before the ban took place.

    One factor not reflected in the data is the number of students returning to their institutions who already hold visas. Students don’t need to receive a new visa if they remain in the U.S.; they only need one when traveling in and out of the country. Given the disruption to Student Exchange and Visitor Information System statuses in April, many students chose to remain in the U.S. over their summer break, Banks said.

    Reynolds expects to see a further drop in visa issuances for June and July, because social media vetting procedures result in fewer appointment slots.

    Students in China, Ghana, India, Japan, Niger and Nigeria have had the most trouble getting appointments, according to NAFSA members.

    “We’re halfway through July, and there’s still students who are struggling to get an appointment; that’s troubling,” Banks said.

    Future policies could also bottleneck the visa pipeline for international students. A proposed rule at the Office of Management and Budget would end duration-of-stay policies and instead implement a fixed date for how long students can remain in country on their visa.

    “We’re very concerned that if that were to go through, that sort of adds to further disruptions and hurdles that students have to jump over, that then gives students more reason to say, ‘You know, this seems like a hassle, this seems like I’m not welcome, I’m going to find another opportunity to pursue,’” Banks said.

    Enrollment Declines Loom

    Colleges and universities are already anticipating declines in their international student populations. The Institute of International Education found that 40 percent of institutions projected declines in their undergraduate population of international students, and 49 percent anticipated a drop in graduate student populations.

    A NAFSA survey of about 150 members institutions this summer found 78 percent of institutions predict a decline in both undergrad and graduate international students.

    Each year, institutions enroll 1.1 million international students, about 6 percent of all college students in the U.S.

    Calculations by The Financial Times, published last week, found that a decline of even 10 percent in international student enrollment would cost U.S. colleges and universities $3 billion in revenue. A significant portion of this loss would be in tuition revenue; a 10 percent drop would result in a $900 million decrease in tuition dollars.

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  • Student Loan Thriller “The Payback” On Sale Today

    Student Loan Thriller “The Payback” On Sale Today

    STELLAR
    EARLY PRAISE FOR THE PAYBACK

    “An
    exciting and hilarious heist novel that centers down-on-their-luck older
    millennials who are riddled with debt and decide to take matters into their own
    hands to dismantle the system. Timely and witty, Cauley’s plotting, prose, and
    character development will keep you hooked from start to finish.”
    —Morgan
    Jerkins, New York Times bestselling author of This Will Be Undoing

    “In
    an Afrofuturist world of barbaric debt police and an absurd heist to bring it
    all down, The Payback is a delightfully dark comedy of three
    coworkers-turned-conspirators hell-bent on revenge. This trio of Robin Hoods
    taking matters into their own hands out of grief and desperation will have you
    alternating between raucous laughs and fear for their safety. California strip
    malls, 80s fashion, punk and hacker culture, all combine in a tenacious
    cocktail of sweet justice shared by all.”
    —Xochitl
    Gonzalez, New York Times bestselling author of Olga Dies Dreaming
    and Anita de Monte Laughs Last

    “Like Ocean’s Eleven but no one’s
    famous. The Payback is a love letter to the American mall, the revenge
    of the break room, and a laugh-cry of the gods of retail. The result is
    obsessive truth-telling fun, with zingers, dishy thrills, bodysuits, and a few
    wigs that have seen better days but are hoping to have the best one yet.”
    —    Alexander Chee, author of How to Write an
    Autobiographical Novel

    The Payback

    A Novel

    Kashana Cauley

    ON SALE JULY 15, 2025 FROM ATRIA BOOKS

    _______________________________________________

    In
    the second novel from television writer and author of the “lethally witty” (The
    New York Times Book Review    ) The Survivalists, a retail worker is
    relentlessly pursued by the Debt Police and forced to take down her student
    loan company with the help of two mall coworkers.     The
    Payback     is a razor-sharp and hilarious dissection of
    race and capitalism from one of the most original and exciting writers at work
    today.

     

    Jada
    Williams is good at judging people by their looks. From across the mall, she
    can tell not only someone’s inseam and pants size, but exactly what style they
    need to transform their life. Too bad she’s no longer using this superpower as
    a wardrobe designer to Hollywood stars, but for minimum wage plus commission at
    the Glendale mall.


    When Jada is fired yet again, she is forced to outrun the newly instated Debt
    Police who are out for blood. But Jada, like any great antihero, is not going
    to wait for the cops to come kick her around. With the help of two other
    debt-burdened mall coworkers, she hatches a plan for revenge. Together the
    three women plan a heist to erase their student loans forever and get back at
    the system that promised them everything and then tried to take it back.

    About
    Kashana Cauley

    Kashana
    Cauley is the author of The Payback and The
    Survivalists    , which was named a best book of 2023 by the BBC, Today, Vogue,
    and more. Cauley is also a television writer, having worked on The
    Great North    , Pod Save America on HBO, and The
    Daily Show with Trevor Noah    . Her writing has also appeared in The
    New York Times    , The Atlantic, Esquire, Rolling
    Stone    , The New Yorker, and more. Find out more at
    KashanaCauley.com. 

     

    MORE
    PRAISE FOR THE PAYBACK

    “A
    stylish, blazingly original take on the heist novel, The Payback is both
    a whip-smart critique of contemporary capitalism and a moving character study
    of the workers most often caught in its clutches.”
    —Grace
    D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

    “A
    novel of great fun and unforgettable fury, The Payback sharply questions
    the punitive systems we live within, the contradiction between social wellbeing
    and individual wellness,
    and what it means to work toward a decent life.”
    —Megha
    Majumdar, bestselling author of A Burning

    “Smart,
    socio-politically astute, and sidesplitting hilarious, The Payback‘s
    inventive wit solidifies Kashana Cauley’s place among our most entertaining
    social critics and novelists.”
    —Camille
    Perri, author of The Assistants and When Katie Met Cassidy

     

    About the Book


    The Payback
    A Novel
    by Kashana Cauley
    on-sale: July 15, 2025
    Atria Books
    ISBN 9781668075531
    Price: $27.99
    eISBN 9781668075555
    Price: $14.99

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  • Student protection through market exit is not a compliance exercise

    Student protection through market exit is not a compliance exercise

    As financial and regulatory pressures on higher education intensify, the once-hypothetical risk of a large-scale provider exiting the market is becoming increasingly likely.

    For government, regulators, providers, and students alike, the implications are far-reaching – and the sector needs to be better prepared.

    The risk is growing

    Following our previous reflections on this issue we received many messages of interest and support for doing some further work in this area. We also felt there was an opportunity to bring together the experiences of colleagues we have worked with on closures and mergers, and to capture the perspectives of receiving providers and learn from their experiences.

    SUMS Consulting reached out to us, offering to support a new project on a pro bono basis. Their expertise in supporting student services and change management, combined with the OIA’s experience of student complaints during provider exits, created a unique opportunity to look at the problem from both a practical and student-centred perspective. We also asked the Committee of University Chairs (CUC) to join the project’s steering group, ensuring governance perspectives were built into the work from the outset.

    The risks we highlighted last year have only intensified for students. At the OIA we have seen further complaints from students at smaller providers which have closed in recent months. In these scenarios we see staff working quickly to try to support students at both closing and receiving providers, but there is little legal scaffolding to protect students caught in these situations often leaving them with limited redress.

    Lessons from experience

    Whilst we recognise that there has been significant positive engagement, discussion and reports in this space, the SUMS and OIA report – Putting Students First – Managing the impact of higher education provider closure – focuses on mitigating the impact on students and specifically learning from the closures and cases the OIA has been involved in. If we don’t take these examples seriously, we risk missing a crucial opportunity to improve outcomes for students.

    Over the course of the project, there has been increasing discussion about these policy issues and a ‘playbook’ for market exit is frequently suggested. Whilst neither the SUMS nor the OIA has the expertise or role to produce something quite this detailed and comprehensive, SUMS have gathered insights from university leaders, students’ unions, experts, and those who have dealt directly with closures.

    Part one of our report provides the context for the study and collates findings on lessons and effective practice for the sector derived from all the research and information gathering for this study. SUMS also provide some conclusions on the gaps identified by the research and make a series of recommendations for Government, regulators and sector bodies and providers to consider to better support providers navigate exit and help mitigate the impact of future closures on students.

    Part two is a separately appended framework (in MS Excel format), which is a summary of the key lessons learnt from the study. The framework is not intended as a comprehensive guide for good institutional governance or achieving financial sustainability. Rather it is intended to provide a checklist of key actions that might be taken by providers to mitigate the risk of exit and, if exit is unavoidable, to help prepare for a managed exit.

    Several consistent themes emerged across our discussions – notably the practical disconnects between the current legal, regulatory, financial, and student protection processes. What’s clear is the value of early engagement – acting early and being transparent can reduce the impact on students – but we recognise this is difficult when reputational and commercial pressures are in play. Also it is apparent that receiving providers and students’ unions often play a vital role but aren’t always given the resources or support they need.

    We found that student protection is too often treated as a compliance task. If the sector is to avoid repeating past mistakes, this mindset must change.

    Moving the conversation forward

    This report is not the final word. We see it as a starting point — a resource that will grow over time, as more providers engage with it and share their own experiences. We hope that going forward the framework will continue to evolve – helping shape a more student-centred response. We also hope it will support other initiatives in this space, such as the forthcoming updates to the CUC Governance Code.

    Above all, we want to encourage providers, governors, and policymakers to engage in open and honest conversations about the risk of market exit — before it becomes an emergency. Used early, the framework can help institutions strengthen their preparedness, build resilience, and ultimately safeguard the student experience.

    What happens next?

    We encourage providers and others to review the framework and checklist with leadership and governance teams, integrate its guidance into risk and student protection planning, share feedback to help develop the next iteration of the work.

    We hope that this work will help enable honest and open conversations about exit, both within and between providers. We all need to understand that student protection isn’t just a compliance issue – it has a very direct impact on the experiences of students in the system, and we must all be ready.

    Ultimately, we need a more collaborative whole sector approach – because when a large-scale provider exits the market suddenly, the impact isn’t isolated – it becomes a sector-wide challenge. Ensuring students are protected must be a shared sector priority.

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  • Student Success Resources for Academic Advisers

    Student Success Resources for Academic Advisers

    Academic advisers play a key role in helping students navigate higher education.

    Martine Doucet/E+/Getty Images

    Academic advising is key to helping students navigate their institution and critical for student engagement and retention. However, not every student receives high-quality advising.

    A 2023 Student Voice survey by Inside Higher Ed and College Pulse found that just over half (55 percent) of college students said they were advised on their required coursework for graduation. And a 2023 survey by Tyton Partners found that only 65 percent of students were aware of academic advising supports on campus, compared to 98 percent of college employees who said the service was available.

    In a 2024 Student Voice survey, 75 percent of students said they had at least some trust in academic advisers on their campus, while 20 percent said they had not much trust in them.

    High caseloads, a lack of coordination among departments and low student engagement with resources are some of the top challenges advisers face in their work, according to a 2024 report by Tyton Partners.

    Inside Higher Ed compiled five resources to support academic and faculty advisers in their goal of promoting student success.

    1. Advising Journey Map

    NASPA’s Advising Success Network hired a group of student fellows to create advising support resources for colleges and universities that reflect students’ identities and educational goals. One resource, a journey map, was developed by three students and highlights the ideal and lived experiences students had navigating the institution, as well as any gaps in awareness or support. For example, while students expect to feel empowered and supported during their class registration period, in reality, according to the map, they feel confused but ready. In fact, the word “confused” is used four times in the 13 steps along the map, and “scared” appears three times.

    The resource is designed to help college advisers recognize the discrepancies between expectations and reality, as well as the ways nontraditional learners may feel differently about their college experience compared to their traditional-aged peers.

    1. Understanding Generative AI Tools

    While many advisers want to better engage and support students, burnout and high caseloads can reduce the time and ability staff have to work with them.

    Reports from Tyton Partners and EAB find opportunities to implement generative AI tools to help reduce redundancies and increase human-to-human interactions between advisers and advisees.

    Course registration, in particular, is one area ripe for generative AI support, according to Tyton’s report, because the technology can enhance student autonomy, facilitate more informed decisions and allow advisers to focus on issues like safety or financial aid that can’t be addressed by technology. A student survey included in Tyton’s report also shows that students prefer using generative AI for academic advising and course registration, making it a more natural fit.

    The University of Central Florida employed CampusEvolve.AI to aid with course registration and the University of Michigan developed its own tool, U-M Maizey, to provide 24-7 advising resources to students.

    1. Trauma-Informed Support

    College students today are increasingly diverse in their lived experiences, socioeconomic backgrounds, disabilities and racial and ethnic identities. A greater number of students also report trauma and significant mental health challenges, which makes providing student-centered care essential in all settings across the university. Inside Higher Ed’s 2023 Student Voice survey found that 38 percent of respondents believe advisers have a responsibility to help students who are struggling with mental health concerns.

    InsideTrack and the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce created a resource to advise staff on how to reduce trauma and toxic stress at higher education institutions in order to improve employee morale and, in turn, address student outcomes.

    1. Advising Summit

    Campus-specific training supports can also enhance services and ensure staff are confident enough to engage with students.

    The University of Pittsburgh helps upskill its academic advisers and others across the institution with support and awareness for historically marginalized student groups at the Mentoring and Advising Summit.

    The annual conference is a free, one-day experience open to anyone interested to share ideas and explore tools used by departments. In addition to the event, early career staff can join a Pitt Mentoring and Advising Community Circle to receive support and encouragement as they navigate their roles and seek to improve their work.

    1. Digital Courses

    In addition to providing reports and white papers that focus on boosting advising support for a variety of learners, including incarcerated students, HBCU students and student parents, the Advising Success Network offers online course opportunities.

    The six courses are asynchronous and free, providing attendees with evidence-based advising practices focused on equity and closing opportunity gaps for student from racial minorities or low-income backgrounds.

    Course topics include facilitating cross-campus collaboration, holistic advising efforts and leveraging technology, among others.

    We bet your colleague would like this article, too. Send them this link to subscribe to our newsletter on Student Success.

    This article has been updated to reflect the University of Pittsburgh’s advising summit is open to the public, not just campus members.

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  • Family Structure Matters to Student Achievement. What Should We Do With That? – The 74

    Family Structure Matters to Student Achievement. What Should We Do With That? – The 74


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    A version of this essay originally appeared on Robert Pondiscio’s SubStack. 

    A recent report from the University of Virginia—Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids — confirms what many of us know instinctively but rarely see, or avoid altogether, in education debates: The presence and engagement of a child’s father has a powerful effect on their academic and emotional well-being. It’s the kind of data that should stop us in our tracks — and redirect our attention away from educational fads and toward the foundational structures that shape student success long before a child ever sets foot in a classroom.

    The research — led by my AEI colleague Brad Wilcox and co-authored by a diverse team that includes another AEI colleague, Ian Rowe — finds that children in Virginia with actively involved fathers are more likely to earn good grades, less likely to have behavior problems in school, and dramatically less likely to suffer from depression. Specifically, children with disengaged fathers are 68% less likely to get mostly good grades and nearly four times more likely to be diagnosed with depression. These are not trivial effects. They are seismic.

    Most striking is the report’s finding that there is no meaningful difference in school grades among demographically diverse children raised in intact families. Black and white students living with their fathers get mostly As at roughly equal rates — more than 85% — and are equally unlikely to experience school behavior problems. The achievement gap, in other words, appears to be less about race and more about the structure and stability of the family.

    Figure 9 from Wilcox et al., Good Fathers, Flourishing Kids

    This may be a surprising finding to some, but not to William Jeynes, a professor of education at California State University, Long Beach, whose meta-analyses have previously demonstrated the outsized academic impact of family structure and religious faith. (The new UVA report does not study the role of church-going). 

    As I wrote in How the Other Half Learns, Jeynes’ work highlights how two-parent households and religious engagement produce measurable benefits in educational achievement. “When two parents are present, this maximizes the frequency and quality of parental involvement. There are many dedicated single parents,” Jeynes has noted. However, the reality is that when one parent must take on the roles and functions of two, it is simply more difficult than when two parents are present.” Jeynes’ most stunning finding, and his most consistent, is that if a Black or Hispanic student is raised in a religious home with two biological parents the achievement gap totally disappears—even when adjusting for socioeconomic status.

    My colleague Ian Rowe has been a tireless advocate for recognizing and responding to these patterns. He has long argued that NAEP, the Nation’s Report Card, should disaggregate student achievement data by family composition, not just by race and income. That simple step would yield a more honest accounting of the challenges schools are facing — and help avoid both unfair blame and unearned credit.

    Yet this conversation remains a third rail in education. Many teachers and administrators are understandably wary of saying too much about family structure for fear of stigmatizing children from single-parent households, particularly in settings where single-parent households are dominant. Rowe has also faced resistance to his efforts to valorize the “Success Sequence,” the empirical finding that graduating high school, getting a full-time job and marrying before having children dramatically increases one’s odds of avoiding poverty. But being cautious is not the same as being silent, and it’s not compassionate to pretend these dynamics don’t matter when the data so clearly shows that they do.

    None of this absolves educators of their duty to reach and teach every child. But it does suggest we should be clear-eyed in how we interpret data and set expectations. Teachers, particularly those in low-income communities, often shoulder the full weight of student outcomes while lacking the ability to influence some of the most powerful predictors of those outcomes. That’s frustrating — and understandably so.

    Citing compelling evidence on fatherhood and family formation is not a call for resignation or excuse-making. It’s a call for awareness and intelligent action. While schools can’t influence or re-engineer family structure, teachers can respond in ways that affirm the role of fathers and strengthen the school-home connection. They can make fathers feel welcome and expected in school life — not merely tolerated. They can design family engagement activities that include dads as co-participants, not afterthoughts. They can build classroom cultures that offer structure and mentoring, especially to students who may lack it at home. 

    And maybe — just maybe — the field can overcome its reluctance to share with students what research so clearly shows will benefit them and the children they will have in the future. Rowe takes pains to note his initiative to teach the Success Sequence is intended to help students make decisions about the families they will form, not the ones they’re from. “It’s not about telling them what to do,” he says, “it’s about giving them the data and letting them decide for themselves.”

    This leads to a final point, and for some an uncomfortable one: If we truly care about student outcomes, perhaps we should be willing to support the institutions that reliably foster them. And that includes religious schools.

    Religious schools — particularly those rooted in faith traditions that emphasize marriage, family life and moral formation — often create environments where the presence of fathers and the reinforcement of shared values are not incidental but central. A recent analysis by Patrick J. Wolf of the University of Arkansas, published in the Journal of Catholic Education, found that adults who attended religious schools are significantly more likely to marry, stay married, and avoid nonmarital births compared to public‑school peers. The effects are most pronounced among individuals from lower‑income backgrounds.

    In states with Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) and other school choice mechanisms, we have an opportunity — perhaps an obligation — to expand access to these institutions. That’s not merely a question of parental rights or religious liberty. It’s a matter of public interest. If these schools produce better education and social outcomes by encouraging family formation and reinforcing the value of fatherhood, the public benefits — even if instruction is delivered in a faith-based context. Said simply: The goal of educational policy and practice is not to save the system. It’s to help students flourish.

    So yes, let’s fund fatherhood initiatives. Let’s run PSAs about the importance of dads. But let’s also get serious about expanding access to the kinds of schools — whether secular or religious in nature — that support the kind of family culture where children are most likely to thrive. Because if we follow the evidence where it leads, we must conclude that the biggest intervention in education is not another literacy coach or SEL curriculum. It’s dad.


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