Danger signs of a diploma mill
May 10, 2012 | By Tami Abdollah
If you're worried that a private postsecondary school you are considering might be a "diploma mill," here are some warning signs.
In general, the institutions are unaccredited, operate for-profit, grant academic degrees and offer substandard or minimal teaching, with little, if any, work or evidence of competency, said Steve Boilard, managing principal analyst for education at the Legislative Analyst's Office.
Cailin Peterson, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau serving northeast California, testified at a hearing to lawmakers in Sacramento Wednesday on the issue of diploma mills.
She provided the following warning signs:
- The recruiter uses high-pressure sales tactics, especially with younger students.
- The recruiter exaggerates the possible income or job you could end up with or the cost is
174 military veterans earn degrees at USC graduation
Pass / Fail - 21 minutes ago
At the University of Southern California today 14,000 people receive their graduate and undergraduate degrees, and 174 of them will get diplomas after serving in the U.S. military. Karla Leyva is one of them. She remembers the mad scramble to pick up her cap, gown and tassel at the USC bookstore a few weeks ago. “It stayed in the bag for about a day,” she said. But when she removed it, memories tumbled out, too. “The fact that, you know, it’s been five years in the making of my degree for me," she says. "To come to this point where all my hard work paying off is just such a rewar... more »
CSU elects new president for Cal State San Bernardino
Pass / Fail - 21 minutes ago
Cal State University trustees have hired a Latino college president from the East Coast to head Cal State San Bernardino. Tomás Morales led the College of Staten Island for five years, but he’s no stranger to Southern California. Earlier in his career Morales held a number of positions at Cal Poly Pomona, including Vice President for Student Affairs. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in New York, he holds degrees in history and educational administration. His appointment comes amid heightened scrutiny of big salaries paid to CSU presidents as student tuitions are on the rise. San D... more »
Danger signs of a diploma mill
Pass / Fail - 21 minutes ago
If you're worried that a private postsecondary school you are considering might be a "diploma mill," here are some warning signs. In general, the institutions are unaccredited, operate for-profit, grant academic degrees and offer substandard or minimal teaching, with little, if any, work or evidence of competency, said Steve Boilard, managing principal analyst for education at the Legislative Analyst's Office. Cailin Peterson, a spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau serving northeast California, testified at a hearing to lawmakers in Sacramento Wednesday on the issue of diplo... more »
California lawmakers target diploma mills
Pass / Fail - 22 hours ago
California lawmakers are exploring the problem of diploma mills — businesses that offer fraudulent degrees and certificates for little to no work and an often significant fee — and trying to determine how best to identify and root them out without quashing innovation. "Substandard education robs students of their time and money, but customers of diploma mills are more likely to be complicit," said Democratic Assemblyman Roger Dickinson of Sacramento, who chairs the Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review. "The most serious consequences occur when individuals with fak... more »
PTA opens state convention amid budget worries
Pass / Fail - 22 hours ago
Thousands of PTA members from across the state are meeting in Anaheim for their annual convention, and California's PTA is spending the week pushing hard for its first ballot measure to raise money for schools. “Good afternoon PTA!” State schools' chief Tom Torlakson welcomed parents and educators to the three-day convention in Anaheim — just a stone’s throw from the “Happiest Place on Earth.” He dove straight into one of the saddest issues for schools: anemic funding. "Changes are happening," said Torlakson. "They’re detrimental changes in terms of the cutbacks — cutbacks of equ... more »
Cal State Fullerton graduates more Hispanics that any other college in state
Pass / Fail - 1 day ago
For the second year in a row, Cal State Fullerton is the top California school to award bachelors degrees to Hispanics. One out of three students walking out with a diploma identifies as Hispanic. The latest issue of "Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education" studied data from the US Department of Education and found that almost 2,000 Hispanics earned their bachelor’s degrees at Cal State Fullerton. That’s number four on a list of 100 colleges trying to reduce the Latino college dropout rate nationwide. Within California, Cal State Fullerton is at the top. Hispanics make up the faste... more »
All LA County Informal Juvenile and Traffic Courts to close June 15
Pass / Fail - 1 day ago
All 13 Informal Juvenile and Traffic Courts are scheduled to close June 15 and those cases instead routed through adult traffic courts or to the Probation Department as part of an effort to contend with deep state funding cuts and reduce the Los Angeles County Superior Courts spending by $30 million. The change means 65,000 cases that involve typically lower-level offenses that students are cited for in and around school campuses, for example daytime curfew violations or disorderly conduct, will be sent to the Probation Department, which can determine whether to dismiss them, dive... more »
LA Unified approves college prep requirements for all students
Pass / Fail - 2 days ago
After hours of debate and a couple of amendments, the LAUSD school board approved a sweeping plan on Tuesday to reduce credit requirements for graduation. But as part of the reduction, students in the district will need Cs instead of Ds to earn their high school diplomas. Next year’s high school freshmen will have to take every class required to meet the minimum application standards for the University of California and Cal State systems. L.A. Unified Superintendent John Deasy says the new requirements are part of the district’s commitment to advancing civil rights and social ju... more »
UTLA files more than 600 complaints with LAUSD
Pass / Fail - 2 days ago
United Teachers Los Angeles has filed more than 600 Williams Complaints with L.A. Unified stating that the district is failing to provide equal and sufficient critical services to students. The complaints written by teachers and parents are from more than a hundred schools in the district. The union held a 4:30 p.m. press conference to deliver the forms, which assert the district is not following state law. "I have in my hand 600 forms representing 175 schools that have been identified as lacking in school nurses, librarians, counselors," said Unified Teachers L.A. treasurer Arle... more »
UTLA to file 600 complaint forms to report lack of critical student services
Pass / Fail - 2 days ago
United Teachers Los Angeles plans to file more than 600 complaint forms today from hundreds of schools with the Los Angeles Unified School District to report a lack of equal and sufficient critical services for students. State law requires schools provide sufficient textbooks and instructional materials; that school facilities are clean, safe and maintained; and that there be no teacher vacancies or misassignments, such as ensuring teachers have the proper certification and credential to teach a course. When these conditions are not met, a Williams Complaint Form can be filed. The... more »
CSU faculty union protests trustees after weekend negotiations break down
Pass / Fail - 2 days ago
About 40 members of the Cal State University faculty union protested administrators’ contract negotiating tactics outside Tuesday's trustees meeting in Long Beach. Members of the board were discussing potential salary freezes for top administrators, and the possibility of closing one of Cal State’s 23 campuses. California Faculty Association members let their picket signs do the talking. "I don’t want to strike," read the educators' placards, "But I will!" Union members say they’re frustrated and disappointed after contract talks broke down over the weekend. No new talks are sc... more »
Deasy to propose tougher LA Unified credit requirements
Pass / Fail - 3 days ago
An “educational equity” policy the LAUSD school board passed seven years ago may take effect this fall. Critics say the new plan, intended to level the playing field for Latino and Black students, could actually increase their dropout rate. LAUSD Superintendent John Deasy acknowledges that the University of California won’t accept every graduate from his district, but he wants all of them to qualify for admission. That’s why at the next board meeting he’ll propose revised graduation requirements for all students starting with the Class of 2016. Under the new plan, every studen... more »
If the UC system improves one thing to avoid future violent confrontations with student protesters, it should be communications.