In the Fight to Attract More International Students, Some Community and Technical Colleges Are Finding Support in an Unlikely Place – vocal.media

Report on International Student Enrollment and its Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

This report analyzes the role of foreign credential evaluation services in supporting the post-pandemic recovery of U.S. community and technical colleges, with a significant focus on contributions to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Enhancing Access to Quality Education (SDG 4)

The facilitation of international student enrollment directly supports SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education for all. As U.S. educational institutions recover from enrollment declines, international students represent a key demographic. However, significant administrative barriers hinder their access.

Key Challenges to Educational Access for International Students:

• Complex documentation and verification requirements.
• The technical and time-sensitive process of evaluating foreign degrees for U.S. equivalency.
• Potential for administrative delays to obstruct timely enrollment.

By streamlining the credential evaluation process, specialized organizations help dismantle these barriers, ensuring that students’ prior academic achievements are fairly recognized. This promotes Target 4.3 of the SDGs, which calls for equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational, and tertiary education.

Strategic Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17)

The collaboration between educational institutions and credential evaluation agencies exemplifies SDG 17, which emphasizes the importance of partnerships to achieve sustainable development. These alliances are critical for creating a seamless enrollment pathway for global talent.

Case Study: The Impact of Institutional Collaboration

1. Institutional Perspective: Administrators from institutions like Parisian Spa Institute and Acupuncture Massage College report that partnerships with evaluation services such as Career Consulting International (CCI) are transformative.
2. Operational Efficiency: These collaborations ensure that evaluators understand institutional deadlines and requirements, which prevents delays and simplifies the application experience for students.
3. Student Support: Applicants receive direct guidance throughout the evaluation process, making the transition into the U.S. education system more manageable and equitable.

Reducing Inequalities and Promoting Economic Growth (SDG 10 & SDG 8)

Credential evaluation services are instrumental in advancing SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth). By providing a standardized and fair assessment of foreign qualifications, these services ensure that students are not disadvantaged due to their country of origin or unfamiliarity with U.S. administrative systems.

Contributions to SDGs 10 and 8:

• Fair Consideration: The work of evaluators, such as Sheila Danzig of CCI, is often informed by a commitment to overcoming the linguistic and cultural barriers that can impede opportunity, directly addressing the goal of reducing inequality.
• Pathway to Opportunity: Enabling students to pursue higher education in the U.S. provides them with the qualifications needed for better employment prospects, contributing to productive employment and decent work (SDG 8).
• Global Talent Mobility: Simplifying access to education ensures that global talent is not “lost in translation,” fostering a more inclusive global workforce and contributing to sustainable economic growth.

Conclusion: A Framework for Sustainable Educational Development

The process of recognizing foreign academic credentials is a critical, though often overlooked, component of international education. By creating efficient and equitable systems through strategic partnerships, U.S. colleges and evaluation agencies collectively contribute to a more inclusive global education landscape. This work is fundamental to achieving key Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to quality education, reduced inequalities, economic growth, and global partnerships.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights issues directly related to three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):

• SDG 4: Quality Education: The core theme of the article is ensuring international students have access to tertiary education (community and technical colleges) in the United States. It discusses the administrative barriers, such as foreign credential evaluation, that can impede this access.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The article addresses the specific challenges and inequalities faced by international students and immigrants when navigating the U.S. education system. By streamlining the credential recognition process, the services discussed aim to provide “fair consideration” and equal opportunities for students regardless of their country of origin.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals: The article explicitly emphasizes the importance of partnerships between educational institutions and specialized organizations like Career Consulting International (CCI). These collaborations are presented as a “secret weapon” and “increasingly vital” for achieving the goal of successful international student enrollment.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the article’s focus, the following specific targets can be identified:

1. Under SDG 4 (Quality Education):
   • Target 4.3: By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. The article is centered on facilitating the enrollment of international students in U.S. “community and technical colleges,” which falls directly under the category of technical, vocational, and tertiary education. The work of credential evaluators is to ensure “equal access” by removing administrative barriers.
2. Under SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities):
   • Target 10.2: By 2030, empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of… origin… or other status. The article discusses helping students overcome hurdles related to their origin (international students with foreign degrees). The goal is to ensure they are not excluded from educational opportunities, as Sheila Danzig notes, “to help students get the fair consideration they deserve.”
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating… discriminatory… policies and practices… The complex “maze of documentation, verification, and evaluation requirements” can function as a practice that creates unequal outcomes. The services described aim to mitigate this by making the process “seamless,” thereby ensuring more equal opportunities for enrollment.
3. Under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals):
   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships… The article provides a clear example of such a partnership. The collaboration between colleges (like Parisian Spa Institute and Acupuncture Massage College) and a private organization (CCI) is highlighted as an effective strategy to support international students and boost enrollment.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicators but implies several metrics that can be used to measure progress:

• International Student Enrollment Numbers: The article opens by discussing a “drop in enrollment” and “signs of recovery.” This directly implies that the number of international students successfully enrolled in technical and community colleges is a key indicator of access to education (Target 4.3).
• Efficiency of the Application Process: Phrases like enrolling “without delays” and creating a “seamless” experience suggest that the time and complexity involved in the application and credential evaluation process are important measures. A reduction in processing time would indicate progress in reducing administrative barriers (Target 10.3).
• Number of Institutional Partnerships: The article describes partnerships between colleges and evaluators as “increasingly vital.” The number and effectiveness of these collaborations can serve as an indicator for measuring the progress of multi-stakeholder partnerships (Target 17.17).
• Application Success Rate: The article notes that these services can be the “deciding factor between pursuing a dream in the U.S. or giving up.” This implies that the rate of successful applications from international students is a crucial indicator of providing equal opportunity and ensuring global talent “doesn’t get lost in translation” (Target 10.2).

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: vocal.media