By Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
Unlike the publicized pregnancy of 16-year-old Jamie Lynne Spears, there was no fanfare when 16-year-old Marilee announced she was pregnant.
No one was clamoring for her photograph and no one was paying her for an interview. Instead, Marilee's experience was typical of teenagers who find themselves pregnant.
Marilee's mother cried, and the father of her baby told her she should put the baby up for adoption. If she kept the baby, she was on her own. Marilee was determined, though, and she decided to keep the baby, graduate from high school, and create a good life for herself and her child.
With help from the government and a local church, Marilee was able to obtain the basics — food, clothing, and immunizations at the clinic. A correspondence course at her high school gave her the chance to graduate with a high school diploma.
"I felt like I was treading water, though," she said. "I wanted to go to college. So, I applied to the state university that was located in my town and thought I'd be a business major. I took out a student loan. I got my mom to babysit. I was ready," she said.
But, things did not go quite as planned. The college, which was a four-year institution with a good reputation, had a very traditional population.
Most of the students were just out of high school and they either lived in the dorms or in sorority or fraternity houses. Their educations were financed by their parents, and many drove late-model sports cars.
"You can't imagine how lost and out of place I felt, said Marilee. "The other women in my classes were talking about dates, sororities, and where they would go on Spring Break. I knew they were not interested in my toddler's weird rash, or his separation anxiety."
Marilee finished one semester, but decided not to go back. Instead, she stayed at home for another 3 years and tried to be a good mom. It was not easy. She felt isolated and ended up gaining 50 pounds.
"I felt very depressed all the time. I felt like a failure," said Marilee.
Hope came in the form of a flyer that her case worker gave Marilee, which described colleges with online degree programs.
"It seemed like a good option," she said.
She took courses and graduated in three years with a degree in general studies.
"I felt great each time I logged into my courses," she said. "I felt I was getting my life back on track."
Marilee's experience was not unique. A recent student conducted by the Institute for Women's Policy Research entitled Resilient & Reaching for More: Challenges and Benefits of Higher Education for Welfare Participants and Their Children reported a number of positive findings:
Attending school had a host of positive financial, social, and emotional effects for low-income parents and their children. Nearly all (94 percent) of the respondents indicated that their educational experience had changed their lives for the better. The most often cited changes were in the areas of self-esteem (80.4 percent), feeling like a contributor to society (68.5 percent) and accessing better job opportunities (63.0 percent). Many also expressed a sense of personal growth, self empowerment, and pride in their newly-discovered academic talents. Respondents reported that higher education helped them overcome substance abuse, leave destructive relationships, and develop self-confidence and hope in a positive future.
Marilee pointed out that going to school and getting a degree had a positive impact on her child as well. She said that she felt great being able to be a positive role model and that her daughter, now in grade school, was emulating Marilee's study habits. In fact, one of her favorite times of the day was when she could go to her room, sit at her desk, and work on her homework.
"It's really great to see," said Marilee. "I believe my daughter has a bright future."
The Institute for Women's Policy Research study reported findings that paralleled Marilee's experience:
The positive impacts felt by those enrolled in higher education filtered down to their children. Many survey participants (42.4 percent) indicated that their children had improved study habits since their enrollment in higher education and almost a third (30.4 percent) indicated that their children are now making better grades. The vast majority of respondents (88.0 percent) indicated that education made them feel better equipped to help their children achieve educational goals.
Marilee's report was not as glowing as the Institute for Women's Policy Research's report. In fact, there were a number of ways in which the online programs could provide better services as well as academic support for welfare participants.
Online Programs and Welfare Recipients: Areas for Improvement
1. Better online library services and collections.
The online library was difficult to negotiate. The person who received her high school diploma via correspondence courses or GED, may have little or no experience using digital repositories. The terminology will be unfamiliar, as well as the techniques and uses. It is important for the library to have a step-by-step guide, a virtual tour, and an easy-to-use portal and search capability.
2. Better financial aid support.
Many institutions do not provide specific guidance for welfare recipients. The forms and guidelines need to be clearly posted, and financial aid counselors need to have correct information at their fingertips. Wait times should be no longer than 3 or 4 minutes -- not a half and hour, or so, which is typical of many financial aid offices.
3. Women and family-friendly testing procedures.
Because women on welfare are the sole supporters and providers of their children, they often have a very weak support network. When a child is ill, it is often an all-day affair, taking the child to the clinic, waiting in line at the pharmacy, taking the bus home. Online colleges need to make sure that they accommodate special needs and requirements. Many practice tests, and then an opportunity to retake tests is often a good approach.
4. Knowledgeable and supportive advisors.
It is important for academic advisors to understand the specific needs of women and children students who are also low-income welfare recipients. Career guidance that is realistic and attuned to individual needs and preference is important. Making available different personality and skills assessments and inventories is a good idea.
5. Online career guidance.
It's very useful to have list of careers online.
Students need to be able to take assessments and inventories that help them understand themselves, their preferences, and their learning styles. The more free resources that are available, the better.
6. Community of peers / support network.
This should probably be first on the list. When students can share their stories, they do not feel so isolated and they can develop a sense of affiliation with individuals who share the same values, goals, and ideas.
Each college should get to know its students and to create an opportunity for the individuals to connect with each other, create learning communities, and to share success strategies.
This is particularly the case with single moms who may or may not receive welfare benefits, and who are often ignored, made to feel invisible, or even stigmatized at college. The colleges and universities that recognize their needs and meet them will be doing a wonderful service that will pay huge social and emotional dividends in the future.
Institute for Women's Policy Research. (2007) Resilient & Reaching for More: Challenges and Benefits of Higher Education for Welfare Participants and Their Children. Retrieved on January 2, 2007 from http://www.iwpr.org/pdf/D466.pdf