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At a forum this morning on financial aid and accessibility, 

 President Rassoul Dastmozd said the federal government should be wary about tying student aid too closely to college accountability measures.

At his urban two-year college, which he said is highly diverse with an average age of 29, his students have a variety of reasons for going to college -- and those may not include a desire to graduate.

They also have problems that go beyond academics:

He said Saint Paul College has a lot of support services to help such students. But it's up to the student to take advantage of them.

Yet federal officials don't often account for that when they compile data on things such as graduation and loan-default rates:

Unlike private or flagship institutions, community colleges can't cherry-pick the best students to keep their performance measures up.

(By the way, before anyone suggests he's just another administrator whining about accountability, note that Dastmozd runs a campus that 

the top community college in the nation for the second time.)

I'm hoping to include more snippets from the forum next week.

Education News

On Campus Blog

Alex Friedrich

Author

At a forum this morning on financial aid and accessibility, Saint Paul College President Rassoul Dastmozd said the federal government should be wary about tying student aid too closely to college accountability measures. At his urban two-year college, which he said is highly diverse with an average age of 29, his students have a variety 

At a forum this morning on financial aid and accessibility, Saint Paul College President Rassoul Dastmozd said the federal government should be wary about tying student aid too closely to college accountability measures. At his urban two-year college, which he said is highly diverse with an average age of 29, his students have a variety Read more →


How much of success is beyond the control of two-year colleges?

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