Effects From ITT Closing Ripple Beyond College
(Image from ITT Tech)
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe full scope of the decision by Carmel-based ITT Educational Services Inc. to cease operations continues to be tallied and additional ripple effects are cropping up. The closure has put a spotlight on the accreditation process, which drove the U.S. Department of Education to pull ITT Tech’s ability to enroll federal student aid recipients last month. Chalkbeat Indiana Bureau Chief Scott Elliott says an inability to "get all their ‘i’s’ dotted and ‘t’s’ crossed" cost the for-profit education provider in other instances.
Elliott describes a situation last month where an Indianapolis charter school supported by ITT Tech was forced to close. Chalkbeat Indiana reports the Early Career Academy, located on the ITT Tech Indianapolis campus, had its charter revoked by the Indiana State Charter Board just a month before the beginning of the school year. The school was out of compliance because it lost its nonprofit status last November. Only nonprofits can receive a state-issued charter.
Elliott says it is fair to say "some folks raised a few eyebrows when the state charter board approved ITT." At the time of approval, ITT Educational Services was fighting question marks and potential sanctions at the federal level. ITT Tech didn’t directly run the school, but it did offer students at the Early Career Academy free credit toward ITT Tech degrees or certifications.
Chalkbeat Indiana says closing the academy sent parents and school officials scrambling to find a new school for 19 students.
You can read more about the Early Learning Academy’s closing by clicking here.