All K12 districts, regardless of their average family incomes, suffered deeper learning setbacks the longer they maintained hybrid or remote learning models. Unfortunately for higher ed, college preparation fell to the backburner.
Throughout the first half of 2023, K12 and higher education institutions experienced 85 ransomware attacks, nearly doubling last year's recording, according to a new analysis from Comparitech. Unfortunately for the education sector as a whole, it's a troubling trend that shows no signs of slowing down, and it's costing schools a fortune in downtime.
Whether rebounding from a sluggish 2022 or rivaling pre-pandemic enrollment numbers, colleges and universities embraced a variety of initiatives to win new students and maintain a healthy cohort.
“Just as many of our programs have adapted to both an on-campus and remote element, we are seeing many opportunities to use mobile technology to collaborate with our surrounding communities to provide dining services to our students in the years ahead," said Mike Henderson of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville.
National Student Clearinghouse found first-year students have a 67.2% retention rate, besting pre-pandemic averages. NSCRC defines retention as students who remain at a given institution for their second year instead of transferring, which counts toward persistence.
"You have to be open to fertility," Decker says. "You can’t just sit there and say, 'Nothing’s good except what we’ve been doing for the last 40 years.'"
It’s time for institutions and researchers to prioritize a more holistic system of assessing and improving student outcomes, rather than relying solely on surface-level metrics like outputs.
Clarence D. Ambrister and Tom Bogart managed their pandemic-era funding to set their institutions up for long-term success and have decided to retire on the upswing of a highly approved career.