State and federal governments are cracking down on for-profit higher education institutions. In April, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a civil suit against Corinthian Colleges, one of the country's largest education companies, for allegedly deceptive marketing. Now, the Education Department is shutting down Corinthian. Kirk Carapezza reports at On Campus:
Under the deal reached this month, the federal government has given Corinthian six months to sell or close all of its 97 U.S. campuses, including one in Brighton and another in Chelsea. Corinthian is facing bankruptcy, amid charges it misled students about their job prospects.
"Corinthian over many years had built up a reputation as among the lowest performing for-profit education companies," said Ben Miller, a policy analyst with The New American Foundation.
Miller says increased regulation of for-profit colleges is a positive sign for higher education and students.
"If the message is that those types of programs need to be phased out and really the growth market should be in better performing programs that lead people to well paying jobs, then that's a good thing," said Miller.
In Brighton, Corinthian runs the Everest Institute, where administrators recently told students that the campus was up for sale. Jackiea Arnold of Dorchester was half way through her dental assistant program, so she was nervous.
