Dec 12, 2019

University of Phoenix to pay $191 million for false advertising to recruit students

Orion Rummler

Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

For-profit University of Phoenix said on Tuesday it will cancel $141 million in student debt in a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Catch up quick: The FTC claims the University of Phoenix gave students the false impression — through deceptive advertisements — that the school worked with companies like Twitter, Microsoft and Adobe and could help them get jobs there, per the WSJ.

  • The university will also pay $50 million in cash for the settlement.
  • Only those students who were affected by the false ads will have their debt canceled, WSJ notes.
  • The University of Phoenix told the WSJ that it marketed the advertisements in question from late 2012 to early 2014.

What they're saying: The university said the advertising campaign in question "occurred under prior ownership and concluded before the FTC’s inquiry began,” in an emailed statement to the WSJ. “We continue to believe the University acted appropriately and has admitted no wrongdoing," the school said.

The big picture: Over 1,000 for-profit college campuses have closed in the past five years, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education, amid accusations of predatory lending and false advertising.

Go deeper: Students in poverty fuel for-profit universities

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Rashaan Ayesh

Universities with ties to slavery lead the charge for reparations

Georgetown University students voted to pay reparations in April 2019. Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images

Universities across the country have publicly examined their ties to slavery and leading the charge to pay reparations — including renaming buildings, addressing controversial monuments and issuing public apologies, AP reports.

Why it matters: The U.S. has discussed reparations for decades, but the conversation has been reinvigorated in recent years as some Democratic presidential candidates bring the issue to the mainstream, AP writes.

Go deeperArrowDec 14, 2019
Rashaan Ayesh

WaPo: Diversity among public school students rises but most teachers are white

Photo: Dan Forer/Getty Images

The racial gap between public school teachers and students continues to grow as districts struggle to find and retain teachers of color, The Washington Post reports.

Why it matters: More teachers of color lead to better attendance, fewer suspensions and higher test scores among black and Hispanic students, the Post writes. Teachers of color have higher expectations for students of color and can better relate to their experiences.

Go deeperArrowDec 28, 2019
Orion Rummler

WSJ: New York first proposed a larger tax incentive for Amazon's HQ2

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

The initial offer for Amazon's now-canceled New York City HQ2 included $800 million more in tax credits and grants than its final $3 billion offer, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The big picture: Amazon is moving to New York City without the much-publicized HQ2 package. The company said in December it signed a new lease for 335,000 square feet in the city's Hudson Yards neighborhood.

Go deeperArrowJan 4, 2020