Unexpected impacts of FERPA;related college graduation rates

[healthy11]

www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-0906-willens-ferpa-20150908-story.html

The article highlights a story of parents of a college student who were never told their child had stopped attending classes and never graduated. Within the article, it also mentions, 'A recent report by the nonprofit Complete College America found that "only 50 of more than 580 public universities graduated a majority in four years." And according to the National Student Clearinghouse, roughly 45% of students who enter college each year — 2 million individuals — will not graduate at all."

[dw]

I agree with throwing out FERPA. I did not know why parents do not get college student's grade reports. I definitely agree that parents who are paying tuition should get the grade reports.
In my freshman year, in the second semester at midterms, I was put on academic probation for 10 weeks. I was so embarrassed with the knowledge taht my parents knew about it. Part of the reason I got my grades up by the end of the semester was due to my parents knowing. They never said anything to me, however, I knew that they knew.

The worse story I have heard about was told to me by a physician, who once told me about her cousin going to college, and his parents not knowing that he had stopped going to class after the 2nd year. The parents continued to send the student the tuition, housing an living expenses checks, "trusting" the student to manage the money and housing. They came into town for the graduation, and only then found out the student had not graduated because he was not at the ceremony! They thought they were raising a responsible young person, but really they had been conned out of thousands by thier college drop out.

[michellea]

I think we have to be careful about throwing out FERPA. AND we need to be mindful about putting things in place so that parents receive the information they need to help monitor what is going on with a child's education (this applies to HS also - because FERPA kicks in when a student turns 18).

When I attended new student orientation for both of my kids, the Universities pro-actively warned about FERPA and the limitations of providing information to parents. They also recommended getting waivers in place so that parents could access financial, medical and academic information if needed. Both my kids had no problem giving me access to this information. They understood fully that giving me access was a condition of me paying the bills.

I trust my kids - but even so, I want access to the information. I rarely check on them, because they freely give me the information in the course of our conversations.

I think the issue is less about FERPA and more about not having expectations in place. And early on, I can understand how parents might not realize that they need to address these expectations proactively and explicitly.

[healthy11]

dw, we know of a family who had a similar thing happen, when their son dropped out (or more likely, was suspended/expelled for poor performance) and they kept putting money into his account, thinking he was using it for tuition/room & board, when in fact he got an off-campus apartment and partied for several semesters.

Michellea, like your kids, my son's colleges (both the one he started at, and the one he transferred to later) explained FERPA would prevent access to student records unless a waiver was in place, so we basically told our son that he needed to sign it if he wanted to receive our help with tuition, and he did.

[dw]

I was never told about FERPA waivers. back in 2007-2010.I did not even know what FERPA was until just now. I just thought it was part of giving students more freedom, such as eliminating female students' hours around 1969, female,-male visitation in each others' dorm rooms in the 1970's,, etc. Is ignorance an excuse?
Its nice when there is trust, but we did not have that trust regarding academics. However, I also know it would not have made a difference in all that happened in my dd's academic career, but still, paying $50 K per year it would have been nice to see the grades sent to my home.

[kewpie]

What bugs me about the article is the nasty comments criticizing parents following the article. You can tell not few of those critics have children of their own or if they did, they had "perfect" children. What awful parents attempting to educate their children so they become productive embers of society!

How quickly people forget that college years can be times of emerging mental illness, depression and suicide! Hellooooo? Remember the Santa Barbara shooter or Virginia tech shooter?

[bros]

I learned what a FERPA waiver was my first semester of college - submitted one with the names of both of my parents. Made things much easier - and they knew not to look at my grades, because I would always show them my grades at the end of a semester, anyway.

With the people nowadays that don't know their kid has dropped out or whatever - if they are paying for their kids education, they are probably a dependent - so why are they not asking their kid for the tax form from the school, which my parents accountant always needed to file taxes and claim my brother and I as dependents when in college?

[eoffg]

This is an interesting topic, from a historical perspective?
When I was a kid, 21 was the big year, and the age of responsibility and recognition as an adult.
Their was a major birthday celebration, and one was given the traditional 'wooden key'.
But when I was 17, their was a govt announcement that 18 had become the age of recognition as an adult.
Which really came in, without any discussion of the implications?
Though, this was probably related to the Vietnam War at the time?
Where here in Australia at the time, upon turning 18.
One was automatically entered into a ballot draw, for compulsory recruitment to the army to fight in Vietnam.
But I seem to recall that the idea of forcing 18 year olds to fight in a war, when they weren't recognized as adults at 18 years of age?
Came to public attention, through a song at the time? (Maybe Donovan or Joannie Mitchell ?)
But it highlighted the issue, that if 18 year olds weren't recognized as adults?
They were still classed as children.
Which meant that children were being recruited to fight in a war!

So how could govt's respond to the accusation of forcing children to become soldiers?
Simply change the age of legal recognition as adult, from 21 to 18.

While this age of 21 might seem arbitrary?
We have often discussed here, the conclusion form neuroscience research, that the human brain doesn't develop full connections to frontal lobes?
Until around the age of 20.
Where it it these connections to the frontal lobes, that enable one to really take personal responsibility.

At the time, their was no real discussion of the implications of the change of legal personal responsibility, from 18 to 21 ?
Yet from a legal perspective, it has extensive implications?
Where a major issue of personal responsibility?
Is the age at which one becomes 'personally financially responsible'?

Perhaps upon turning 18, parents should be able to be recognized legally as a 'creditor'?

[dw]

I also think the changes came due to the military draft for the Viet Nam war. We in the USA forget about Australia's soldiers' involvement.
The drinking age in my state was 18 for a while, so as a college student at 18 I could legally be served, but one still had to be 21 to buy alcohol in a liquor store.
I like the idea of parents being legally designated as "creditor." Very amusing, eoffg.

[kewpie]

Another problem lies in keeping parents in the dark about waivers. I have gone to all kinds of info lectures and they go on and on about being 18 and the kids are adults and the parents have no rights,blah blah ad nauseum. Funny how the waiver info seems to be excluded from these "information" sessions!!

I can't remember how I found out about waivers. It may have been in an advocacy class I took years ago. One solution is to create a contract between parent and child as their advocate. When you show this piece of paper, then the waiver paperwork pops right out.

I know a parents who were positively browbeaten when asking questions about their children (who had diagnosed LDs) at prospective colleges. Its almost like bullying and intimidation.

[michellea]

I guess each University is different. Luckily, in my experience a mid sized private university and at a large Land Grant State University, the administration was very forthcoming about FERPA and the necessity of getting waivers in place if a parent wanted access to financial, academic or health information. One only needed to read information on the school's web site, within the mailings and orientation handouts and listen to the explicit and frequent warnings given during orientation. At the HS level, the state requires signed acknowledgement of FERPA by the parents and student when the student is 17 in preparation for reaching majority.

Regarding what should be the age of majority..... I am sure some of the reason we pick 18 is for military reasons. Based on recent brain research, one could make an argument that 18 is too young. As far as the drinking age - when the law changed from 18 to 21, the issue was more about driving safety than adulthood. Personally, I wish the drinking age was still 18 (like it was when I was in college). There is some evidence that the clandestine binge drinking that occurs now is far more dangerous and unhealthy than when I was legally free to enjoy a beer in public.

[healthy11]

Sept 10, 2015 15:05:58 GMT -5 michellea said:

Personally, I wish the drinking age was still 18 (like it was when I was in college). There is some evidence that the clandestine binge drinking that occurs now is far more dangerous and unhealthy than when I was legally free to enjoy a beer in public.

Over the years, I've changed my opinion on this issue, and at this point, I concur with you, Michellea. The drinking age was 18 when I was in college, too, and while I was never much of a "partier," I saw plenty of kids overindulging and doing stupid things. At the time, I thought if they were a few years older before they could legally drink, they might use better judgement. In retrospect, I think it was more likely that the students were away from home/supervision for the first time, and they were "living in the moment" and didn't care how much they consumed. After the novelty of being able to drink legally wore off, and they experienced a few downsides like "worshiping the porcelain bowl" (throwing up) most of the kids stopped consuming excessive amounts.

When my son was in college, the drinking age was, and still is, 21. As you've already noted, it seems like binge drinking is even more prevalent, because now the kids are away from home/supervision and want to drink, but instead of being open about it, they're consuming as much as they can whenever they're able. Instead of the "novelty wearing off," some even "get a rush" from feelings like they're getting away with something illegal. My son's best friend in H.S./College was a year older, and I still remember that guy coming over to our house on my son's 21st birthday, saying words to the effect of, "Live it up tonight, because after this, it's no big deal. Since I turned 21, I drink a lot less than I used to." (My son has a summer birthday, so he wasn't at school, which is why I heard the story.) From what I can tell, my son also drank less after that.

[kewpie]

As far back as i can remember. the drinking age in Cali has been 21. It felt so odd when I visited the east coast to be able to legally order a drink in public.
I agree with both of you. The 21 age limit didn't help the driving issue. Instead they tightened up on teen driver requirements and rules.