Money from the CARES Act was meant to help low-income students and the schools that serve them. So, why did the CARES Act give more money to hair schools than to a community college? https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/why-did-cares-act-give-more-money-hair-schools-community-n1209366 (1/8) #NBCNewsThreads

An @NBCNews analysis finds that for-profit schools have gotten proportionally more money from the aid package than the nation’s community colleges, which serve the majority of the country’s low-income students — often at a much lower cost. (2/8)

Houston Community College and the Paul Mitchell Schools both got financial relief.

The Houston college, a public institution with nearly 60,000 students, received $28.3M. The for-profit hair and cosmetology schools received $30.5M, despite serving only 20,000 students. (3/8)

In fact, almost 9% of the coronavirus relief package money for higher education went to for-profit schools, NBC News has found, despite only serving 5.4% of students.

Community colleges, by contrast, got 22% even though they serve 32% of students. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/why-did-cares-act-give-more-money-hair-schools-community-n1209366 (4/8)

The reason for the disparity is the formula Congress came up with to spend the money.

Community colleges offer many of the same programs as for-profits — more cheaply — and would have done better had the CARES Act formula relied on counting every student. (5/8)

But they came up short in the formula, because about 64% of community college students attend part time.

“The formula does not really capture our true student universe,” said J. Noah Brown, president of the Association of Community College Trustees. (6/8)

Research shows for-profits have been a key driver of the crippling student debt crisis, with higher costs and worse outcomes.

But the Trump admin.’s Education Dept. has been supportive of them. https://www.nbcnews.com/news/education/why-did-cares-act-give-more-money-hair-schools-community-n1209366 (7/8)

“The for-profits know that how they use the money is going to be scrutinized,” Robert Kelchen, an associate professor of higher education, says. “I think they’re using the money they have discretion over in a reasonable way because they don’t want an investigation.” (8/8)