Civil and Human Rights Coalition Statement on New Regulation to Protect Students and Hold Career Education Programs Accountable

Washington, D.C. – Nancy Zirkin, executive vice president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement regarding the Obama administration’s release of the Department of Education’s final “gainful employment” rule on holding career education programs – including for-profit colleges – accountable to students and taxpayers:

“The release of the final ‘gainful employment’ rule is an important and necessary step for protecting students and taxpayers from being ripped off by unscrupulous career education programs, including those for-profit colleges that are more focused on revenues than providing the level of education that their marketing brochures and recruiters promise.

While the rule does not include many important protections urged by civil rights, student, women’s, labor and consumer organizations, it sends a strong message to many for-profit career education programs to start putting students first. Regulation is urgently needed to hold these institutions accountable given the rising tide of debt and default rates faced by students enrolled in for-profit programs – a majority of whom are women, minorities, low-income individuals, veterans and service members. For-profit colleges are a viable option for many of these students, but that doesn’t give these businesses the right to exploit those they serve.

The Leadership Conference commends members of Congress who have opposed efforts to tie Secretary Arne Duncan’s hands by prohibiting issuance or enforcement of this rule. We urge all members to stand behind the president and allow the secretary to implement the rule.

The department’s rule is the product of many months of consultation, review and deliberation. Its focus has been narrowed to those programs that, after four years, still fall short on delivering a quality education. Those programs that serve their students well, however, will easily pass muster under the rule. We look forward to continuing to work with the department to improve access to high-quality, affordable higher education.

Our nation’s future depends to a large degree on how well we educate the next generation. We will succeed only if we allow students a fair opportunity to obtain the skills and knowledge they need to fully participate in our economy and our society. The new ‘gainful employment’ rule will help ensure they get that chance.

We commend the Obama administration and Secretary Duncan for their commitment to ensuring educational equity for all Americans, and we look forward to working with the Department of Education to implement the ‘gainful employment’ regulations for the benefit of students and taxpayers.”

Nancy Zirkin is executive president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.