Steven Russell’s Post

Financial insecurity is a major barrier to completing higher education, especially for minority and female students. This is so much more than just access to education - it's also about sustaining it. "A recent study from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation found these groups of students were most likely to stop out of college due to emotional stress, mental health concerns and expenses." Inside Higher Ed The time for actionable change is now. https://lnkd.in/ggUQMRNE #highered #edtech #onlinelearning #educationforall #equitableeducation #parentstudents #studentsuccess #studentsupport #accesstoeducation #educationequality #inclusiveeducation #diversityineducation #equaleducation #bridgingthegap #empowerstudents #educationequity #accesstoopportunity

The issue of student suicides is multifaceted, with numerous factors contributing to it. While the education system may play a role, it's just one piece of the puzzle. Here are the reasons of how the current education system is leading to this problem: 1)Pressure to Excel: In many educational systems, there's a relentless emphasis on academic achievement. Students are often pushed to excel in exams, standardized tests, and extracurricular activities. This pressure can be overwhelming, leading some students to feel like failures if they don't meet expectations. 2)High Expectations: Alongside pressure to excel academically, students may also face high expectations from parents, teachers, and society. These expectations can create intense stress and feelings of inadequacy, especially if students feel like they're constantly falling short. 3)Competitive Environment: Education systems that rank and compare students based on grades can foster a highly competitive environment. This competition can be healthy up to a point, but it can also lead to feelings of worthlessness and despair for those who perceive themselves as falling behind their peers. 4)Lack of Support: Some students may struggle with mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, or suicidal thoughts, and the education system may not provide adequate support or resources to help them cope. This lack of support can exacerbate feelings of isolation and hopelessness. 5)Stigmatization of Failure: In some cultures or educational systems, failure is stigmatized and seen as unacceptable. This fear of failure can prevent students from seeking help when they're struggling, leading to a worsening of their mental health issues. 6)Narrow Definition of Success: The current education system often prioritizes certain types of intelligence and achievement (e.g., academic success) over others (e.g., creativity, emotional intelligence). This narrow definition of success can leave many students feeling undervalued and misunderstood. Addressing the issue of student suicides requires a comprehensive approach that involves not only reforming the education system but also addressing societal attitudes towards success, failure, and mental health. This might include implementing more holistic approaches to education that prioritize student well-being, providing better mental health support services in schools, and fostering a culture of openness and support where students feel safe to seek help when they need it. Keeping this crucial fact in mind our community has started personal counseling sessions for students where they can openly discuss about their challenges one-on-one & their identity is kept confidential Alongwith providing them with the best possible solution by our experts . In case you know anyone going through a tough phase just refer this post to them and we will make sure to salute your heroism for helping us in this initiative to save the future of our country 🇮🇳 #stopsuicide #mission

"Non Academic Challenges Present The Greatest Barriers To Student Parent’s Success." I can attest to the results of this survey through my own lived experience. Looking back, I can hardly fathom how I completed my bachelor's degree in four years while raising a child and working. Admittedly, it was not only challenging but often grueling. If there were then what we now commonly refer to as wraparound services, I was not aware of it. Supporting students to address barriers such as childcare and transportation pays dividends in the long run. Investments in programs such as the Career Pathways Initiative and Upskill NWA have a positive ROI, as lower-income student parents can break the cycle of poverty by obtaining their education. This not only benefits the student parents and their children but also the community, city, and state through their future employment, tax revenue, and capacity for community service and engagement.

Parent involvement is increasing because college costs are increasing. At least that’s what I told people 7+ years ago when we started CampusESP. Higher costs = more student debt = more family debt. Why *wouldn't* parents be involved? Today we serve close to 400 colleges. The stakes feel higher. Our mission of student success is always there, but as our team grows, it’s helpful to reinforce that mission. The best way to do that is to hear from our customers. Yesterday, we had Melody Ferguson, M.Ed. from Pacific Lutheran University and Karli Greenfield, MBA from Truett McConnell University join our quarterly “company Div/Dev” session to talk about financing higher education. It was inspiring. Our team left energized. In case you’re interested, the presentation can be accessed here--> https://lnkd.in/eQXfDUNa However, I thought it would be helpful to share some of Karli’s and Melody’s suggestions from the discussion: - Many parents don’t know what they don’t know (especially at a school like PLU that supports a student population that is 46% first-gen). Schools can help by sending financial literacy support. Families may also require support positioning themselves for state funding options. - You may not have the resources to support 1:1 parent outreach. Creating targeted comm flows (or using CampusESP communities) can help provide personalized resources to the families that need it most. What do first-gen families need to know? What about 1st and 2nd gen US citizens? First time FAFSA filers? - Overcommunicate. “No parent complains about getting too much communication”, they appreciate the support. Of course, I’m proud that CampusESP plays even a small part in any element of student success. But all we’re really doing is amplifying the ideas and leaders from our amazing customer community. Thank you again Karli and Melody! 😍 ***CampusESP has a monthly newsletter where we spotlight customer successes and parent engagement innovations. You can sign up here--> https://lnkd.in/ejGEbTVy ***Thank you to our amazing team for organizing the session (that's you Madhavi Mooljee, Mira Gandhi, Brianne Alvarez, Brooke Sterneck, and Alex Otero) and to Tyler Evans Tucky, Amy Weiss, and Mauricio Novelo for sharing their perspectives and experiences!

"First-generation students were disproportionately represented in students who had considered leaving college, with over half (52 percent) considering leaving at some point and 41 percent seriously considering stopping out. Six in 10 first-generation students said external factors played a role in their decision to continue college. One-quarter (24 percent) cited wanting to earn a degree to support their family, 21 percent felt an expectation from their family to attend college and 19 percent wanted to be the first in their family to attend college. In addition, first-generation students were more likely to say prioritizing mental health (58 percent) and living away from home (25 percent) were difficult, compared to their peers (44 percent and 11 percent, respectively)." https://lnkd.in/gaHbt3sz #SupportFirstGen #ProudFirstGen #ChallengeTheDeficitModel #HigherEducation #FirstGenerationCollegeStudents

Check out Dr Thomas Richardson’s article explaining some of our recent research on the impact of increasing student tuition fees on mental health. #TuitionFees #Debt #MentalHealth #CostOfLivingCrisis

Interesting read on what college students perceive to be the most important - spoiler: grades. According to a recent survey, 60% of students revealed that they need support with their mental health, yet only 19% regularly use campus support services. This raises an important question: How can K-12 teachers support the social and emotional well-being of students so that they feel equipped to seek out help when they need it? https://lnkd.in/gs_DH3Rq

Mental health and affordability remain the biggest threats to student retention. Addressing these issues requires thoughtful responses from education leaders. What steps can we take to better support our students? This Inside Higher Ed article by Ashley Mowreader does a great job of connecting the dots between the two. A quick, and worthwhile read.

Here's an update for everyone who has been following along with us as we work through issues with the rollout of the new Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). The current deadline for submission -- already pushed back once -- is coming up on April 2. As of right now, however, around 70% of Reality Changers' high school seniors have been unable to submit their applications. There have been many little glitches and challenges, but, generally, the trend we are seeing is that youth with non-traditional family structures and/or citizenship statuses are unable to complete their applications. Reality Changers students typically use a combination of financial aid and scholarships to pay for college. Because federal financial aid is often awarded on a first-come, first-served basis, our students may receive less than students who have been able to submit their applications. Our team has been working hard to get help from the Department of Education, share information with other organizations, and coach students through this nerve-wracking process. Additionally, we have placed an even stronger emphasis on scholarship applications this year. Another update of the FAFSA is forthcoming. We plan on working round-the-clock to ensure that every student can submit a form, amend forms which have been submitted with incomplete information (per recent DOE guidance), and, if needed, we will work directly with each family to understand their specific situation and identify alternate sources of funding for college. With 200+ twelfth grade students, we know that we have our work cut out for us, but we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to attend college and we are going to do everything we can to give our youth the same opportunities as everyone else. To our 12th graders, families, and current college students, thank you for your tenacity, your patience, and your grace. As you know, 'tough times never last, but tough people always do.' - The Reality Changers Team

This is an excellent summary of an important data source. The following excerpts illustrate the issues well using data. These are policy problems that can be solved! "The [Trellis] survey found that student parents are much more financially insecure, were more likely to face food and housing insecurity, and were much more likely to use credit sources to pay for college, including student loans, than their peers without children. Alarmingly, parenting students were much more likely than their peers to say they would have no way to cover a $500 emergency expense—not even by using credit sources—should one arise. ... Research shows that parenting students are more than academically capable of completing college. In fact, parenting students have higher GPAs than their nonparent peers. However, parenting students are more likely to face disruptions created by a lack of childcare, or unreliable transportation, that throw them off track, as well as time poverty. ... 72% of parenting students surveyed were working, with 66% working forty or more hours a week on top of their academic requirements and responsibilities as a parent. Only 34% of nonparents reported working a similar number of hours. Trellis’ Research indicates that parenting students spend less time on academic activities than their nonparent peers, and it is perhaps little wonder, given the conflicting pulls on their time and attention. On top of often working full time and going to class, 41% of student parents said they spent 40 hours or more per week caring for their children, leaving little time to study."