Spotlight: Condescending Paternalism Report
Over the past decade, the Department of Education has painted career colleges as predatory schools eager to prey on naïve military veterans to feather their own pockets. It has been aided in this public smear campaign by allies on Capitol Hill and likeminded “veterans’ advocacy” groups.
Many veterans either decide not to go, or cannot gain admission to, traditional higher ed colleges and universities. As is the case at many “elite” schools, the veterans do not feel welcome.
Instead, veterans are gravitating to career colleges, which offer an alternative path to a worthwhile degree. Tailored programs, flexible schedules, career-applicable coursework, and personalized financial guidance have made these schools a preferred option for numerous veterans and other non-traditional students.
A report by the National Defense Committee—Condescending Paternalism: The Department of Education’s Unwarranted Limits on Veterans’ Earned Education Benefits—documents the Department’s years-long, unrelenting attack on veterans’ education options.
Among its findings the report notes:
- Traditional higher ed is in decline;
- Military members and veterans are choosing career colleges, which are often a better fit for their post-military education needs;
- Regulators and politicians are protecting conventional colleges’ and universities’ market position by imposing unjustified regulatory penalties disproportionately on proprietary schools; and
- The Department of Education is using regulatory activism and rulemaking biases to advance its agenda to protect traditional public and private non-profit schools.
Over the coming weeks the National Defense Committee will be spotlighting this important report to bring attention to the problem and identify what policymakers can do to protect military members and veterans’ earned educational benefits. We invite you to join us and welcome your thoughts and feedback.
Read the Full Report Here.
