Trends and Issues

Crime Data, Other Information Help Students Make Decisions about School Selection

For the second year in a row, the Department of Education has compiled and posted data of on-campus crime statistics for more than 6,000 postsecondary schools throughout the nation. The information is available online from the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) site at http://ope.ed.gov/security/.

The OPE site contains a searchable database of information. Families and students seeking crime statistics for various campuses can criteria relating to location, institution type, instructional programs, and the number of students enrolled. Visitors who prefer to do so can also enter the name of a specific institution and even choose to limit their search to those institutions eligible to participate in Title IV aid programs.

The search results include general information about the selected institution, information about the institution's security office, and specific information about local and on-campus crime statistics relating to criminal offenses, hate offenses, and arrests. The crime statistics pertain to calendar years 1999 and 2000.

Additional Helpful Information
Following the September 11 attacks, the difficulty of selecting a school that meets a student's educational needs along with his or her need for feeling safe on campus has been magnified. But in addition to crime statistics, families should consider various other factors when making decisions about school selection.

To help students make the right decision, families and students can expand their search for information online beyond the OPE site. A good place to start is Adventures In Education (www.AdventuresInEducation.org).

The High School section of the site includes detailed information about finding the right postsecondary school at http://www.adventuresineducation.org/HighSchool/hs_find.htm. The section offers an informative introduction and several helpful categories:

• Types of Schools,
• Choosing a School, and
• A Day in the Life of a College Student.

The Internet Resources section of AIE (http://www.adventuresineducation.org/Resources/Internet.html) also offers links to other sites that deliver helpful information when searching for a school that meets a particular student's needs.

More Information and Questions
Students who are interested in making informed decisions about postsecondary education can also sign up for AI (http://www.adventuresineducation.org/Subscribe/index.cfm), a free weekly electronic newsletter that keeps students informed about the various factors that affect their education after high school.

For questions about AIE, contact Michelle Enriquez at (800) 252-9743, ext. 4855 or send an message to michelle.enriquez@tgslc.org.

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