This country's ten thousand proprietary, or profitmaking, vocational schools are big business. They enroll over 3 million students each year, producing gross annual revenues of at least 2.5 billion dollars on which substantial corporate, property, and personal income taxes are paid. Cosmetology schools represent a third of the total number; trade…

Discusses some themes of the move to reform American education and points out how the unique strengths of the proprietary school sector can provide a natural complement to public education. (JOW)

The role of proprietary vocational schools in American postsecondary education and the way in which student financial aid is used are discussed. Proprietary vocational schools, organized as profit-seeking institutions, provide the bulk of American postsecondary vocational education. The average proprietary school is small and exists in a high-risk…

A study of postsecondary vocational graduates leads to recommendations for job market information, truth-in-advertising, and program standards. (Author)

This study asks, "Are proprietary schools able to hold their students to graduation better than public schools?""Who are the dropouts and what difference does completing a vocational program make? Do completers get better jobs and earn more than dropouts?" A total of 1,576 students were followed after they enrolled in 50 public…

Results of a national survey of proprietary schools are reported concerning the characteristics of students receiving financial aid from federal programs, student aid packaging for students of different ethnic groups and income levels, and aid distribution among proprietary school students as compared to that for community college students. (MSE)

Defaults on guaranteed student loans were examined in a sample of 4,617 students in proprietary vocational schools and community colleges in California. Default rates stemmed largely from students' background characteristics, rather than from characteristics or practices of the institutions they attend. (SLD)

A study was designed to test the effectiveness of 21 public and 29 proprietary schools in four large metropolitan areas by following 2270 graduates from six large and fast-growing occupational programs into the labor market and assessing their success. Average proprietary instructional costs were 35 percent less than public costs: they…

Literature concerning U.S. proprietary vocational schools and student financial aid is reviewed, focusing on public and interprofessional attitudes, industry reforms, the schools as businesses, enrollments, student characteristics, program characteristics and costs, completions, job placement, earnings, federal student aid, aid recipients, and…

A large and growing part of American postsecondary education, proprietary schools, offer lessons for traditional institutions in attracting new students in a career-oriented market. Effective marketing is important since proprietary schools compete not only with each other, but also with public community colleges. Specific schools and agencies are…

To test the differences in effect of postsecondary vocational training offered by public schools and by proprietary schools, a study based on a sample of 4,8000 students and graduates in the accounting, programing, electronic technician training, dental assisting, secretarial, and cosmetology occupations was designed. Even though vocational…