Distance Education: More Data Could Improve Education's Ability to Track Technology at Minority Serving Institutions;Report to the Congress

摘要

For over 100 years, the Congress has recognized that some postsecondary institutions have roles to play in providing minority students with help in attaining their educational goals and developing skills necessary to move into all facets of the American economy. The Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended, provides specific federal support for Minority Serving Institutions through Titles III and V. In 2002, grants funded under these two titles provided over ;300 million for Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, and Tribal Colleges to improve their academic quality, institutional management, and fiscal stability.the Congress prepares to reauthorize the act, you asked us to examine several issues related to Minority Serving Institutions and technology and particularly to distance education. We focused our work on determining (1) whether the use of distance education varies between Minority Serving Institutions and non-Minority Serving Institutions; (2) what factors Minority Serving Institutions consider when deciding whether to offer distance education; and (3) what steps Education could take, if any, to improve its monitoring of technological progress, including distance education, at Minority Serving Institutions under Titles III and V.