The Penn Foster Blog

Our colleges, job markets and communities rely on high schools to prepare students for higher education, careers and citizenship. The traditional high school curriculum aims to develop a well-rounded student, but oftentimes, this standard educational approach lacks job-specific training. Many young people move through high school without acquiring the necessary skill sets that prepare them for employment. High schools should consider equipping young people with the skills and job-specific knowledge to be career-ready.

According to a 2012 survey of college freshmen conducted by the University of California-Los Angeles,1 getting a better job and the ability to make more money are the top two reasons behind their decision to go to college. When it comes to why the students chose the particular college they did, students cited the college's academic reputation as the number one reason, followed by:2

College campuses today are catering to a growing number of nontraditional adult students. According to The National Center for Education Statistics, a nontraditional undergraduate is defined as someone who:

The term "dropout" is marked by negative undertones drawn from stigmas that characterize this group. What we don't hear are the stories that prove these non-completers want to make a change but are often faced with limited options to get a high school diploma. "With the advent of ATB students not being allowed to attend career colleges and schools, it puts them in a void and really difficult position. Realizing that we thought we could put a high school program into our school and help these students," says Patricia Fischer, CEO Dorsey. Today's non-traditional learners require more than the slim options currently provided by the traditional educational landscape. Through our post-secondary partnerships, Penn Foster is helping students obtain their high school diploma by offering programs tailored for nontraditional learners-because everyone deserves a second chance.

Penn Foster wishes you, your team and your family a very happy holiday season and we hope you have the opportunity to enjoy time with your loved ones.

By definition, Nikkiya Gentry was a "typical" high school dropout. She didn't have a diploma and had no high school credits. But if you delve deeper into Nikkiya's inspirational story, you discover she was far from any of the stereotypes some people hold about high school dropouts.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Labor, Job Corps is a federally funded job training and educational program, and serves as an alternative for youth who are unable to learn in a traditional academic environment.  Job Corps runs 125 centers serving roughly 60,000 young people across the country each year who are between the ages of 16 and 24 and meet certain criteria. Job Corps functions as a full-service school which educates and trains individuals to embark on educational and professional pursuits, such as:

The Dorsey Schools and Penn Foster have been working together on a High School Completion program since the Fall of 2013 and have brought the program to six campus locations in the Detroit and Michigan area.  The program provides interested students with the chance to earn a high school diploma and has helped Dorsey campuses boost enrollments, increase awareness in the community and helped people change their lives through education. Together they have graduated 200 students with a fully accredited diploma who now have the opportunity to continue their education or go out into the marketplace with superior credentials.  Since launching the program just over a year ago, Dorsey is about to graduate its first Penn Foster high school student from their Culinary Arts program this month. Dorsey and Penn Foster both have a long history in their communities and are committed to helping people through education.  The two schools have been educating Americans for over 200 years and are looking into new ways online and blended solutions can help them reach and support more people in our communities.

Penn Foster recently welcomed Beckfield College into our family of career college partners, offering our high school completion program to local students in the Florence, KY and Tri-County Cincinnati areas.

Last week, The Native Society sat down with Penn Foster CEO Frank Britt to talk about his career journey to CEO of an education company, industry trends effecting Penn Foster and its partner institutions, and what's next for this 124-year old company. Here is an excerpt from the interview: