Benefits in being older college student while working

 

Being older than 25, working, commuting, having dependents sound like challenges, but often predicted key academic successes

 The number of students in higher education who don’t come straight from high school is rapidly increasing across the country. Yet little research has addressed how the characteristics of post-traditional students affect key academic outcomes. New findings from the University of Kansas show there are some advantages to students who are older and working while studying.

Researchers analyzed characteristics of post-traditional students, often referred to as nontraditional students, in a highly competitive engineering program at a Hispanic-serving Research 1 institution in the southeastern United States. Authors wanted to better understand how factors like being older than 25, working full-time while attending school, having a GED, having dependents or commuting influenced factors like cumulative grade-point average, enrollment the following semester and if students graduated in six years.

Key findings included one variable, being a part-time student, negatively predicted cumulative GPA, enrollment the next semester and six-year graduation rates. However, being older than 25, a commuter and working full time positively predicted six-year graduation rates, while being older and commuting negatively predicted retention.

The sample included more than 7,000 students in undergraduate and computing programs. Haiying Long, professor of educational psychology at KU and one of the study’s authors, said the research team wanted to focus on the program as it has traditionally served underrepresented populations.

“This institution has a large number of post-traditional students. We use data to understand the needs of this unique group of students,” Long said. “If we include the characteristics of post-traditional students, the amount who fit in that classification is more than 90%. The factors we are looking at are key measures not only in engineering, but throughout higher education.”

The findings that being an older student and working full time was not a disadvantage for student success was something Long described as “exciting news.” It shows older students can bring advantages like self-discipline and life experience to their academic work and that they can also often financially support themselves. The fact that being a part-time student negatively predicted three measures of student success shows that more attention needs to be paid to supporting those students, the researchers said.

Factors such as race and gender also play a role, but the researchers controlled for those variables to focus on the influence of age, enrollment status, having dependents and working on success in an engineering program.

Researchers examined an engineering program as the discipline has long had underrepresentation of post-traditional students and populations like women and underrepresented communities reaching the higher levels of education and representation in the professional field as well. 

The field is also understood to be in high demand, and when more graduates are needed to fill positions in the workforce — while more students are simultaneously post-traditional — further research is necessary to help ensure those students’ success, Long said.

The findings are key to both policymakers and institutional leaders, given demographic changes in society.

“Especially right now, every university is talking about an enrollment cliff,” Long said of declining numbers of high school graduates. “That means we need to have strategies to support the unique needs of post-traditional students. Whoever can figure out how to support them will be in good position for the future.”

Co-written by Bruk Berhane, Jingjing Liu and Julian Sosa Molano of Florida International University and Su Gao of the University of Central Florida, it was published in The Journal of Continuing Higher Education.

The findings indicate the importance of not only supporting post-traditional students but doing so from an assets-based approach, the researchers said. Focusing on the positive attributes such students bring and offering supports based on what they do well, such as offering alternate office hours or virtual support for those who can’t make it to campus during traditional times due to job obligations would be a start, they write.

Research often focuses on GPA when studying student retention. But the study’s results indicate that focusing more on six-year graduation rates could be more effective for measuring success of post-traditional students, because along with next semester enrollment, the outcome was significantly predicted by post-traditional characteristics.

Engineering traditionally encourages full-time enrollment to both keep students engaged and promote on-time graduation. However, the struggles of part-time students show that more support for the population, such as hybrid in-person and virtual courses could lead to better outcomes for part-time, post-traditional students, according to the authors.

Long is conducting further research comparing the success rates of older students to part-time students to further understand what factors lead to their retention and success. She is also conducting research with colleagues to analyze longitudinal data from post-traditional students in similar settings to understand their cumulative GPA, retention and graduation rates over a longer period, as well as to better understand their on-campus experiences.

“We want to help get this understudied population in the spotlight and tell policymakers how important this group is and about their unique needs,” Long said. “It’s not always the case that older students take longer to graduate or that they are less likely to finish. There are advantages to being an older student.”

---

Journal

The Journal of Continuing Higher Education

DOI

10.1080/07377363.2026.2646771 

enefits in being older college student while working

Being older than 25, working, commuting, having dependents sound like challenges, but often predicted key academic successes

Peer-Reviewed Publication

University of Kansas

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LAWRENCE — The number of students in higher education who don’t come straight from high school is rapidly increasing across the country. Yet little research has addressed how the characteristics of post-traditional students affect key academic outcomes. New findings from the University of Kansas show there are some advantages to students who are older and working while studying.

Researchers analyzed characteristics of post-traditional students, often referred to as nontraditional students, in a highly competitive engineering program at a Hispanic-serving Research 1 institution in the southeastern United States. Authors wanted to better understand how factors like being older than 25, working full-time while attending school, having a GED, having dependents or commuting influenced factors like cumulative grade-point average, enrollment the following semester and if students graduated in six years.

Key findings included one variable, being a part-time student, negatively predicted cumulative GPA, enrollment the next semester and six-year graduation rates. However, being older than 25, a commuter and working full time positively predicted six-year graduation rates, while being older and commuting negatively predicted retention.

The sample included more than 7,000 students in undergraduate and computing programs. Haiying Long, professor of educational psychology at KU and one of the study’s authors, said the research team wanted to focus on the program as it has traditionally served underrepresented populations.

“This institution has a large number of post-traditional students. We use data to understand the needs of this unique group of students,” Long said. “If we include the characteristics of post-traditional students, the amount who fit in that classification is more than 90%. The factors we are looking at are key measures not only in engineering, but throughout higher education.”

The findings that being an older student and working full time was not a disadvantage for student success was something Long described as “exciting news.” It shows older students can bring advantages like self-discipline and life experience to their academic work and that they can also often financially support themselves. The fact that being a part-time student negatively predicted three measures of student success shows that more attention needs to be paid to supporting those students, the researchers said.

Factors such as race and gender also play a role, but the researchers controlled for those variables to focus on the influence of age, enrollment status, having dependents and working on success in an engineering program.

Researchers examined an engineering program as the discipline has long had underrepresentation of post-traditional students and populations like women and underrepresented communities reaching the higher levels of education and representation in the professional field as well. 

The field is also understood to be in high demand, and when more graduates are needed to fill positions in the workforce — while more students are simultaneously post-traditional — further research is necessary to help ensure those students’ success, Long said.

The findings are key to both policymakers and institutional leaders, given demographic changes in society.

“Especially right now, every university is talking about an enrollment cliff,” Long said of declining numbers of high school graduates. “That means we need to have strategies to support the unique needs of post-traditional students. Whoever can figure out how to support them will be in good position for the future.”

Co-written by Bruk Berhane, Jingjing Liu and Julian Sosa Molano of Florida International University and Su Gao of the University of Central Florida, it was published in The Journal of Continuing Higher Education.

The findings indicate the importance of not only supporting post-traditional students but doing so from an assets-based approach, the researchers said. Focusing on the positive attributes such students bring and offering supports based on what they do well, such as offering alternate office hours or virtual support for those who can’t make it to campus during traditional times due to job obligations would be a start, they write.

Research often focuses on GPA when studying student retention. But the study’s results indicate that focusing more on six-year graduation rates could be more effective for measuring success of post-traditional students, because along with next semester enrollment, the outcome was significantly predicted by post-traditional characteristics.

Engineering traditionally encourages full-time enrollment to both keep students engaged and promote on-time graduation. However, the struggles of part-time students show that more support for the population, such as hybrid in-person and virtual courses could lead to better outcomes for part-time, post-traditional students, according to the authors.

Long is conducting further research comparing the success rates of older students to part-time students to further understand what factors lead to their retention and success. She is also conducting research with colleagues to analyze longitudinal data from post-traditional students in similar settings to understand their cumulative GPA, retention and graduation rates over a longer period, as well as to better understand their on-campus experiences.

“We want to help get this understudied population in the spotlight and tell policymakers how important this group is and about their unique needs,” Long said. “It’s not always the case that older students take longer to graduate or that they are less likely to finish. There are advantages to being an older student.”

---

Journal

The Journal of Continuing Higher Education

DOI

10.1080/07377363.2026.2646771 

Failure of Social Media Ban for Youth

 In December 2025, Australia became the first country to ban youth under 16 years old from holding accounts on major social media platforms, a policy now under consideration in more than a dozen countries and in numerous states. Because social media use is inherently social, the effectiveness of a ban that is easy to circumvent may depend on whether compliance reaches a tipping point: a share of compliant peers high enough to make it optimal for individuals to comply themselves. 

For this report researchers surveyed 835 Australian teenagers four months after the ban took effect and find that only about one in four 14–15-year-olds comply. The social environment around use has barely moved: most banned teens believe that their peers are still using banned platforms and cite social reasons for continuing use. 

Sustaining high compliance requires two ingredients: the share of compliers must be high enough and those who comply must find it preferable to continue complying. The current ban achieves neither. Teenagers report that they require roughly two-thirds of peers to stop using social media to stop themselves, far above the share currently complying. They also perceive compliers as less popular than non-compliers, so the more influential teens disproportionately stay on the platforms. Together, these patterns suggest that compliance is more likely to diminish than to rise. Sustaining higher compliance will likely require pairing the ban with instruments that act on social norms and individual incentives directly.

The Role of Schools in Developing Social and Emotional Skills

 This report examines how schools cultivate socio-emotional skills that influence both individual success and broader social cohesion. Education plays a crucial role in fostering traits that promote cooperation, trust, and long-term societal well-being. 

Drawing on insights from neuroscience, psychology, and economics, the report explores how schools shape not only academic and labor market outcomes but also intergenerational beliefs, attitudes, and the formation of social capital. 

The report highlights how school-based interventions can instill perseverance, enhance social learning, and create environments that curb anti-social tendencies, promote prosocial behavior—ultimately influencing the cultural fabric of society. This perspective reframes education as a mechanism for building more equitable and cohesive communities.

The Effects of School Phone Bans

 Schools across the U.S. have sharply restricted student use of phones during the school day. This study evaluates one type of restriction—lockable phone pouches—using nationwide data combining large-scale surveys, GPS pings, standardized test scores, and school administrative records, along with sales records from the largest pouch provider. 

The researchers find that pouch adoption substantially reduces phone use as measured by GPS pings and teacher reports. In the first year after adoption, disciplinary incidents increase and student subjective well-being falls, consistent with short-term disruption. However, effects on well-being become positive in later years and disciplinary effects fade. 

For academic achievement, average effects on test scores are consistently close to zero. High schools see modest positive effects, particularly in math, while middle schools see small negative effects. 

There is little evidence of effects on school attendance, self-reported classroom attention, or perceived online bullying.

Social media promotion, ease of access increase risk of adolescent inhalant misuse

 

Two new studies offer insight into the factors that coincide with adolescent inhalant use in the U.S., a dangerous pastime that can have lifelong — or life-ending — consequences.

The first report, described in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, found that millions of Americans were exposed to content about recreational nitrous oxide use from just 30 videos posted on social media in early 2025. Some of the videos included demonstrations of how to use inhalants.

The second study, detailed in the journal Preventive Medicine, found that younger teens are more likely than older adolescents to engage in inhalant misuse and that adolescent girls, in particular, are more likely than boys to develop inhalant use disorder, a condition defined as a “problematic pattern of use of a hydrocarbon-based inhalant substance leading to clinically significant impairment or distress.”

American Indian/Native Alaskan adolescents also were at higher risk of inhalant use disorder, and youth with other behavioral warning signs, particularly those who had engaged in fighting, stealing or cannabis use, were also found to be at higher risk.

Recreational inhalant use can include inhaling fumes from nitrous oxide cannisters, spray paints, glues or other sources of volatile hydrocarbons. Users report experiencing brief but intense highs when they engage in this activity.

“Inhalant use can cause serious harm, including neurologic damage, hearing loss, liver and kidney dysfunction, cardiac arrhythmias, psychological dependence and even sudden death after a single episode of use,” said University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign health and kinesiology professor Rachel Hoopsick, who led the two studies with University of Mississippi public health professor Andrew Yockey, the corresponding author of both papers. Yockey will join the U. of I. health and kinesiology faculty in August 2026.

For the social media study, the researchers reviewed 30 videos related to nitrous oxide use that were posted in English on YouTube and/or TikTok between January and March 2025. They coded the videos for messenger/influencer characteristics, thematic content and engagement metrics.

The analysis revealed that even single videos about inhalant use had broad reach.

“Videos averaged 23 million views, 64,753 likes, and 9,500 shares. Half depicted personal experiences, 16.7% demonstrated use, and 10% promoted free trials,” the researchers wrote. “Most messengers were perceived as male (70%) and Black/African American (73.3%).”

None of the videos included age restrictions or health warnings, and content “frequently framed use as socially acceptable or entertaining.”

The “free trial” videos provided links or addresses offering free nitrous oxide products.

“The legal ambiguity surrounding the use of nitrous oxide for recreational purposes, its accessibility and affordability make it an attractive option for youth seeking a quick high, while online videos on sites like Instagram or TikTok often downplay or fail to mention potential risks,” Yockey said.

The Preventive Medicine study analyzed data from the 2021 and 2023 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, a nationally representative survey conducted in the U.S. The study found that 0.7% of adolescents 12-17 years of age reported having used inhalants in the month prior to being surveyed, 2.2% had used inhalants in the year prior and 0.2% met the criteria for inhalant use disorder. While the prevalence was low, these percentages suggest that well over half a million adolescents in the U.S. used inhalants in those years.

“Younger adolescents reported higher use — perhaps because these are some of the first drugs they try,” Yockey said. “We also know, from this study and others, that youth who report inhalant use are significantly more likely to engage in other substance use, including alcohol, cannabis, nicotine and prescription drug misuse.”

Behavioral problems also coincided with inhalant use, including fighting and stealing, the team found.

The finding that adolescent girls and American Indian/Native Alaskans were more likely to meet the criteria for inhalant use disorder will require a closer look at the social and environmental factors driving those vulnerabilities, the researchers said.

“These studies reinforce the idea that inhalant use disorder should be understood less as an isolated substance-specific problem and more as a marker of underlying behavioral and psychosocial dysregulation in high-risk adolescents,” Yockey said.  

“Inhalants remain one of the least studied and least discussed substance-use categories, despite the seriousness of their health risks,” Hoopsick said. “Our work suggests that we still know too little about how social and digital environments shape perceptions of inhalants, especially nitrous oxide, and how that may influence normalization and use among youth.”

The paper “Social media portrayals of nitrous oxide normalize use and encourage youth exposure” is available online. DOI: 10.15288/jsad.25-00301

The paper “Adolescent inhalant misuse in the United States: Findings from the 2021–2023 national survey on drug use and health” is available online. DOI: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2026.108567

Standardized testing and scripted lessons are failing both teachers and students

 

Is it time to ditch scripted lessons and heavily-packed curricula to focus on individual student growth?

This is the question posed by education expert Geoff Masters, who argues that age-based expectations are not serving all children well, while scripted lessons are failing teachers and students alike.

Masters, the former head of the Australian Council for Educational Research, asks how well children are served by a system in which two pupils in the same class can differ by six or more years of learning but are taught the same material.

He argues this system fails children at either end of the scale – those who are struggling and those who are unchallenged. He asks what if, instead of holding all pupils of the same age to the same learning expectations, we based expectations on where individuals are in their comprehension and individual growth.

“Too many students in our schools are being poorly served and left behind by machineries of schooling not fit for purpose,” Masters warns.

The problem with standardisation

Masters argues there is a fundamental flaw in the current system: the assumption that all students in the same grade are equally ready to learn the same material.

Research shows that children in the same classroom can have up to a seven-year difference in their reading and mathematics comprehension. This vast variation, Masters argues, is ignored by a system that prioritises standardisation over individual needs.

“By the middle years of school, many students have not learnt what the curriculum expected them to learn much earlier in their schooling,” Masters explains. He cites data showing how, across 38 developed countries, almost a third of 15-year-olds have difficulty demonstrating 5th and 6th grade mathematics content.

The picture in Australia

Masters’ arguments are presented against a backdrop of Australia’s declining performance in international assessments like PISA. Between 2012 and 2022, there was no significant improvement in Australian students’ performances in reading, mathematics or science. In fact, long-term declines have been recorded across all three areas.

“Despite decades of reforms, the machinery of schooling has not delivered the improvements we need,” Masters says. “It’s time to question whether prescribing what every student must learn in each grade of school and testing to see whether they have learnt it is the best way to optimise learning and improve performance.”

Masters also explains how those who start the year behind are likely to stay behind. He explains: “When the curriculum expects all students in a grade to be taught the same content at the same time, those who begin well below grade level are disadvantaged. This disadvantage is compounded when students are required to move from one grade curriculum to the next based on elapsed time rather than mastery. Students who lack essential prerequisites often fall further behind as each grade’s curriculum becomes increasingly beyond their reach.”

The future of learning

Masters instead argues for a system that meets students where they are in their learning, rather than where their age or grade dictates they should be. He proposes replacing age-based expectations with personalised learning plans that track individual growth.

“Improved performance depends on meeting each student where they are with personally meaningful, well-targeted learning opportunities that build on what they already know,” Masters explains. “This approach includes all students, including neurodiverse children and others with special needs.”

This approach would not only benefit students, he suggests, but also empower teachers to use their professional expertise to design tailored learning experiences.

One of the most concerning trends in education, in Masters’ view, is the rise of scripted lessons.

“Scripted lessons turn teaching into the delivery of ready-made solutions created outside the classroom,” Masters says. “They undervalue teachers’ expertise in what is arguably the essence of effective teaching: establishing where individuals are in their learning and designing opportunities to promote further growth.”

Masters calls for a return to professional autonomy, where teachers are trusted to make decisions in the best interests of their students.

Masters envisions a future where education systems embrace diversity and difference.

“Rather than expecting students to fit the expectations of schooling, the challenge is to redesign school structures and processes to better meet the needs of individual learners,” Masters concludes.

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DOI

10.4324/9781003757122 

Kids’ mental health, behavior top triggers of parent stress

 

Parental stress continues to rise, but what’s weighing on moms and dads today is largely the mental health of their children.

A new national survey conducted by Ipsos on behalf of The Kids Mental Health Foundation, founded by Nationwide Children’s Hospital, finds nearly all parents (97%) of children under 18 felt stress related to parenting in the past month, with one in four parents (30%) saying they experienced stress “often.”

The national survey of more than 1,000 parents across the United States also reveals among those that felt parental stress in the past month, two of the top sources of that stress were children's behavioral issues (35%) and children's emotional or mental health (26%). Nearly half of stressed parents feel it also makes their children more anxious or worried (46%).

“Parents today are aware of the importance of focusing on children’s mental health when it comes to raising them. The problem is that this generation of parents is the first to try and do this,” said Ariana Hoet, executive clinical director of The Kids Mental Health Foundation and a pediatric psychologist at Nationwide Children’s. “So, we hear, ‘I don't have a model. I don't know how to talk about mental health. I don't know how to build mental wellness in my home.’ Parents are constantly worried, ‘Am I doing it wrong?’”

Dr. Hoet recommends that parents take care of their mental health, too, because their stress can set the tone for the home. Dr. Hoet encourages parents to be intentional with noticing what causes stress, making changes where possible, and finding time for connection and joy. Then, parents can support their children with daily habits that build healthy homes, which includes daily conversations with their kids, strengthening routines and managing behaviors.

“What we're recommending is based on research. It's what helps parents build their children’s mental health,” said Dr. Hoet. “Parents can feel like, ‘OK, I know exactly what to do’ and take that stress away from the decision making.”

Dr. Hoet stresses that small changes in the way we interact with our kids can make a difference in the mood of the home and decrease everyone's stress.

Allison Tomlin, a mom of two boys in Hilliard, Ohio, relies on Kids Mental Health Foundation resources as a parent and a teacher. She said that, ultimately, children just want to feel heard.

“A lot of times, parents are so focused on the fix that they dismiss the feelings. Then kids shut down because if they're not being seen as a person first and just a problem. Kids are often like, ‘Well, I'm just not going to have that conversation,’” Tomlin said. “We're having the hard conversations. We're talking about the feelings. We're talking about the emotions. And sometimes as uncomfortable as it is for adults, it's just a privilege to be able to be raising kids in a time where we're putting mental health as a priority.” 

Dr. Hoet says parents don’t have to be perfect all the time. If they make a mistake, both sides can grow from it.

“Just model what it's like to make mistakes, what it's like to apologize and take accountability, and you'll be OK,” Dr. Hoet said. “You're repairing the relationship. The relationship is what matters.”

The Kids Mental Health Foundation offers free, evidence-informed resources to help parents and caregivers understand common stress triggers and to parent with less stress and more confidence at home.

For more information and free kids’ mental health resources, please visit KidsMentalHealthFoundation.org.

 

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by Ipsos on the KnowledgePanel® from Feb 27 to March 2, 2026, and surveyed 1,081 U.S. parents with at least one child under the age of 18 in their household. This poll is based on a nationally representative probability sample and has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.0 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level, for results based on the entire sample of parents. The margin of sampling error takes into account the design effect of 1.04.