A For-Profit School in the Post-Dispatch

An interesting article in the Post-Dispatch illustrates some of the differences between private and public schools:

One day, Henderson saw "one of those stupid pop-ups" appear on her computer screen from the University of Phoenix. She filled out a form on a whim and was soon contacted by a school representative, Dawn Owens, who is now the school’s St. Louis director.

Owens pursued Henderson for five months, but Henderson said she was too "petrified."

She finally relented and enrolled in 2003.

The article describes how Annazetta Henderson, who is in her 40s, dropped out of a public high school and struggled with many personal challenges before earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Phoenix. The school then allowed her to select someone else to receive a scholarship, and she chose her sister.

The University of Phoenix has a very different view of students than Henderson’s public school did. Can you imagine a public school pursuing a drop-out for months and encouraging her to continue her education? And contrary to the perception that for-profit schools are interested in earning money instead of caring for students, the University of Phoenix actually involves former students in the process of awarding scholarships.