The Education Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

The Education Industry - Essay Example 1). They put students in control of their education rather than the faculty, staff, or accrediting bodies, because all or most of their funding comes directly from the students and they are treated with "customer service" instead of having to earn their degrees. According to Zach Stocks (2009, pg. 1), "Consistent readers should be aware of the fact that I see many for-profit education companies as short candidates. Conventional wisdom states that during tough economic times, workers will pursue education programs in order to improve their wage potential, or to develop skill in an area likely to provide them a job." Certainly, no one is saying that a college degree is not valuable. In fact, we are stating quite the opposite. It is just a matter of choosing the wiser path to follow for your own needs: for-profit or nonprofit. It is really up to you. We can prove the worth of a college degree simply by looking at the graph that follows. According to the National Center for Study of the Privatization of Education (2009, pg. 1), "There are two types of for-profit schools. The first kind is a school that operates as a business and attempts to make a profit from its educational operation. The school receives a fee for each student it enrolls. The second kind is an educational management organization (EMO) that contracts with school districts and charter schools to operate public schools. The most important difference between the two types of for-profit schools is that EMOs usually manage schools receiving public funds. Most for-profit schools function as EMOs." For-profit schools are considered controversial. They use business techniques to improve their schools rather than relying on state or federal mandates to improve them. "Therefore, the main concern of management is realizing profits and promoting growth. Proponents of for-profit schools claim business models will benefit students, because financial success depends on providing a quality education. Schools must improve if they are to compete for students. Opponents fear for-profit schools will make students a secondary concern and eliminate beneficial programs that are too expensive or take short-cuts to enhance profitability. The potential