Representatives of for-profit schools say that military students are continuing to enroll in their institutions because the schools offer flexible and fast degree options that better fit the lives of adult learners. But critics of for-profit education say the enrollment numbers are the result of the industry’s aggressive — and expensive — marketing efforts.
Both sides of the for-profit education debate agree on at least one thing: We need more data to better understand how well schools educate service members and veterans.
Michael Dakduk, executive vice president of the for-profit education trade group Career Education Colleges and Universities, said officials should collect and publish better data on academic programs within colleges and universities — not just on the institutions as a whole. Carrie Wofford, president of Veterans Education Success, a group that has established itself as one of the toughest critics of for-profit schools, pushed for a greater focus on academic inputs, such as the amount of money schools spend on teaching students, and not just student outcomes.