Opinion: Ohio students were left behind during COVID-19, Ohio should help them recover

Medina-raised Ohio native Michael Caniglia is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and demography at Penn State University. His research focuses on poverty, health, and the transition to adulthood. The views expressed here are his own.

After Ohio’s college students returned to campus after their holiday breaks, they likely found less crowded lecture halls than in previous years.

Data from the Ohio Department of Higher Education reveal a 5 percent enrollment decline among students attending the state’s public universities and community colleges in September 2022 compared to the previous year.

Similarly, experts at the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center have reported ongoing declines in undergraduate enrollment since the pandemic. Three years after COVID-19 shuttered dorms and emptied classrooms at campuses across the country, too many of Ohio’s young people remain on the sidelines, threatening the state’s economic prosperity at a time when high-paying jobs demand college degrees and advanced training.

In 2019, experts estimated that 136,000 Ohioans — approximately one-in-ten — between the ages of 16 and 24 years old did not participate in employment, education, or training programs.

That number increased to more than 166,000 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These disconnected youth miss opportunities to build the education and professional skills they need to launch successful careers.

Gov. Mike DeWine and the General Assembly should combine state budget dollars and some of Ohio’s $417 million in remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act grant funds to help vulnerable young people make up ground lost during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The federal funds are intentionally flexible and allow states to use them to best address their post-pandemic challenges.

The city of Columbus already has used a portion of its American Rescue Plan Act dollars to support youth employment initiatives and expand education efforts for high schoolers falling behind in the classroom. State investments could open new opportunities for disconnected young people living outside of the capital city. These programs will help pay for themselves as increased employment earnings boost state coffers over time.

For instance, Ohio should strategically expand its existing Second Chance Grant Program to students returning to college following the pandemic. Under its current design, the program only offers a one-time $2,000 scholarship to students who re-enroll at higher education institutions after time away from school. Additional financial assistance for college costs could make it easier for students to return to higher education after many assumed caretaking or other responsibilities during the pandemic.

Ohio would also be wise to allocate stimulus funds toward job training efforts directed at young people. Other states have used American Rescue Plan Act dollars to bolster workforce readiness and address disconnection.

For instance, Wisconsin has targeted its own American Rescue Plan Act employment programs toward skills training initiatives for workers no longer in the labor force. A similar approach directed at expanding job training for young people not employed or in education programs could build on Ohio’s existing apprenticeship programs.

Research suggests that apprenticeships yield improved earnings for participants and that their economic benefits outweigh upfront investments.

Students who enter postsecondary institutions after time away will require additional advising and tutoring.

Ohio should invest additional state dollars toward supporting retention efforts at its two-year institutions. Research suggests that intensive advising, tutoring, and tuition supports at community colleges in Ohio increase retention and improve the number of students transferring to a four-year college. The student supports generate long-run savings for the state in the form of diminished overall costs per degree.

Nearly three years after COVID-19 first hit Ohio, the state should use its resources to ensure that young people play a crucial role in the economy.

By expanding the size of grants for young people returning to college, improving support services for students at community colleges, and bolstering job training initiatives, Ohio can generate new opportunities for a generation of young adults whose lives were upended by the pandemic.

Medina-raised Ohio native Michael Caniglia is a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and demography at Penn State University. His research focuses on poverty, health, and the transition to adulthood. The views expressed here are his own.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: How could American Rescue Plan Act funds help Ohio college students after pandemic?