'Key' Podcast Episode Examines Enrollment of Vulnerable Students

The new episode of The Key, Inside Higher Ed's news and analysis podcast, examines the disturbing data on fall 2020 enrollment and the particularly damaging impact the pandemic and recession have had on students traditionally underrepresented in higher education.

In the episode, "The Fall Enrollment Picture and Peril for Post-Traditional Students," The Key's host, Doug Lederman of Inside Higher Ed, interviews Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, and Juana Sánchez, senior associate on the HCM Strategists postsecondary team.

They analyze the clearinghouse's data on postsecondary enrollment and discuss the worrying situation facing some demographic groups -- students from underrepresented minority groups and low-income backgrounds, community college transfers, working learners, and adults.