“Nearly two-thirds of Virginia Head Start centers beyond walking distance for toddlers”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit.
“One-third of Virginia community colleges lack close public transit connections”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit.
“Advocates push for transit connections to Georgia’s two-year colleges”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit.
“One Big Barrier for Community College Students: Transportation to Campus”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit.
“Community college students without cars face transportation challenges”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit in the New England states.
“Community college students without cars face transportation challenges, especially during Orange Line shutdown”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit in the New England states.
“Are community colleges accessible enough to students without cars? A national group tracks proximity to public transportation.”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit in the states of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware.
"More public transit means more degrees for low-income Americans”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on access to public services, released new data on community colleges and public transit in the state of Florida.
"New Toolkit To Combat Sex Trafficking At Massage Schools”
NEW TOOLKIT TO COMBAT SEX TRAFFICKING AT MASSAGE SCHOOLS: The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation is announcing this morning a new effort to help state regulators identify sex trafficking at massage therapy schools. The group is awarding a grant to the Colorado Department of Higher Education and the Federation of State Massage Therapy Boards to jointly produce a toolkit for state authorizers of massage schools.
— A report by the foundation earlier this year and a USA Today investigation this summer highlighted problems with how state regulators oversee or respond to suspicions that massage schools may be linked to sex trafficking or prostitution. A congressional oversight panel is examining the issue, and the Education Department has said it plans to review an accrediting agency that approved a college that a state regulator said may have ties to prostitution.
— "We've always said we don't expect authorizers to act as SVU detectives, but nor should they be left ill-equipped and under-resourced to address what we know is happening across the country,” Abigail Seldin, the foundation’s CEO, said in a statement announcing the grant. The toolkit is expected to launch in December.
"School accused of sex trafficking ties faces wage theft suit”
AAAOM was featured in a new report from nonprofit Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation that details troubling signs of sex trafficking in state-authorized schools across the nation. The researchers behind the case study highlight failures in oversight and enforcement related to the issue.
"Feds investigate after USA TODAY report on massage school accused of ties to prostitution”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on college accountability, included the college in a report documenting the connections between sex trafficking and state-approved colleges.
"We found two dozen massage schools tied to prostitution or fraud. Here's what to know.”
The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation with a focus on college accountability, included the college in a report documenting the connections between sex trafficking and state-approved colleges.
"Massage schools across the US are suspected of ties to prostitution and selling fake diplomas. Many remain open.”
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The Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation, a family foundation focused on accountability in higher education, identified the Minnesota school and others in a report it presented Tuesday to the Department of Education. A subcommittee from the House Oversight Committee on Tuesday gave the Education Department two weeks to outline its procedures to “identify and stop human or sex trafficking connected with postsecondary education,” citing the foundation's report. The committee also requested a list of cosmetology and massage schools receiving taxpayer money controlled by the department.
Abigail Seldin, a founder of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundation and recent contender for a Department of Education position, said it was troubling to see institutions continue to operate after concerns were raised, especially in the case of the Minnesota school.
“Everybody did everything they could here,” Seldin said. “Our current regulatory structure doesn't empower them to do anything more than what happened. So we have to ask: Is it enough?”
As part of the Seldin/Haring-Smith Foundationʼs research, senior fellow Ellie Bruecker, contacted dozens of state authorizers and licensing boards to ask how they handle colleges suspected of being involved in human trafficking. Of the 57 that responded, a majority told her they hadnʼt heard about the issue, or they denied sex trafficking was happening in their state. She and Seldin said that because multiple state regulators often oversee the massage industry, officials from one agency might not know everything they should look for. Additionally, some agencies operate on thin budgets with skeletal staffs, hampering their ability to conduct investigations.
Seldin asked: Would a state authorizer even be able to spot the issue if it was happening at one of their schools? “Itʼs hard to look for something youʼve never heard of,” she said.
Local laws can limit how much power a stateʼs office of higher education has to approve or monitor colleges. The foundation is advocating for a nationwide set of standards for these offices to combat not only trafficking concerns, but also issues tied to lackluster education programs that donʼt lead to well-paying careers. Seldin said governors should ensure these state offices are adequately staffed and have a big enough budget to monitor their local institutions.