Student Union
- By Katie Nicora
'Creative Destruction' Pushes Dreams of College Away
Where Americans suffer widespread job loss, fewer people go to college.
So says a recent study from Duke University that linked local job loss with lower college attendance rates, worse mental health among adolescents, and increased inequality overall.
When traditional industries make way for more efficient, more technologically advanced industries, a process called “creative destruction”, economists have traditionally thought that young people would shift their education goals, the study said.
Think switching from horses-drawn carriages to cars.
Young people will “shift and ... invest further in education because they’re going to see the path to stable, middle-class lifestyle is now in white-collar work,” said Elizabeth Ananat, one of the study’s authors.
But Ananat, an associate professor of public policy studies and economics at Duke University, called this traditional theory of everyone shifting into the new industries an “optimistic notion.”
“The big takeaway from our study is that these job losses increase inequality in education because the high-income kids are going to go no matter what,” she said.
“It’s the low-income kids who are most strongly affected by these job losses.”
Job loss trickles down emotionally, as well. The Duke study found that beyond not being able to afford tuition, job loss can cause mental and emotional stress among youth. Likewise, it can cause poor academic performance, which sets education downward.
The 2017 Global Youth Wellbeing Index, a survey of approximately 70 percent of the world’s youth across 30 different countries, reported similar conclusions. It found, despite education being the category that consistently ranks highest in well-being, too few young people are getting the preparation they need to be successful in work and life.
The index also found that youth lack adequate mental healthcare. Half of young people feel their lives are too stressful and more than half said the way they feel gets in the way of jobs, school, and life.
“Support for mental health for youth and adults, we think, is critical because one of the strongest sets of findings is that, when there are job losses in communities, it is extremely distressing for people that live there, and not just those who have lost jobs,” said Ananat.
“Traditionally, when policymakers have worries about these kind of large job losses, they’ve mostly worried about how to address the needs of the workers who lost jobs themselves,” said Anna Gassman-Pines, another author.
And while workers need intervention and assistance, the impact is much broader.
"One way of thinking about it could be more of a place-based rather than person-based strategy,” said Gassman-Pines.
The authors explained that person-based strategies often measure the person who lost their job, and look at retraining or extended unemployment and health insurance benefits. But a place-based strategy would be more holistic, treating the job loss as a problem affecting the wider place rather than people.
Ananat and Gassman-Pines say schools should shoulder more weight in helping their students.
“I think a lot of university health services tend to assume that families are a source of support for students who are having struggles,” said Ananat.
“For youth, the education itself is probably the best protection we have for weathering any changes in the economy. It’s not a guarantee, but it’s one of the best forms of insurance we have so it’s a matter of how do we support the students so that they stay in and get through.”
Have you felt stress at school because of what's happening at home? Please share your suggestion in the Comments here, and visit us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn, thanks!
See all News Updates of the Day
Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
- By VOA News
STEM, business top subjects for international students
The Times of India breaks down the most popular subjects for international students to study in the U.S.
STEM and business lead the pack. Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Safety and visa difficulties among misconceptions about US colleges
U.S. News & World report addresses some of the misconceptions about U.S. colleges and universities, including the difficulty of getting a visa.
Read the full story here. (January 2025)
- By VOA News
Work opportunities help draw international students to US schools
US News & World Report details the three top factors in foreign students' decision to study in the U.S. They include research opportunities and the reputation of U.S. degrees. Read the full story here. (December 2024)
- By VOA News
British student talks about her culture shock in Ohio
A British student who did a year abroad at Bowling Green State University in Ohio talks about adjusting to life in America in a TikTok video, Newsweek magazine reports.
Among the biggest surprises? Portion sizes, jaywalking laws and dorm room beds.
Read the full story here. (December 2024)
