Veterans Education Success Inc
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Veterans and servicemembers need higher education success in order to succeed in the civilian workforce. Veterans, servicemembers, and their families and survivors are also often targets of consumer fraud by predatory education companies that are after their hard-earned GI Bill. These programs are characterized by deceptive and aggressive recruiting and enrollment and low-quality education.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Policy Advocacy
Provide bipartisan policy analysis, expertise, and information to assist federal and state policymakers in improving quality and accountability in higher education and ensuring post-secondary success for veterans and servicemembers.
Legal Services & Direct Assistance
Provide free legal assistance and counseling, including college choice counseling and GI Bill questions, to veterans and servicemembers and their families and survivors. We also provide free legal advice and assistance to veterans and servicemembers who were victims of consumer fraud by predatory colleges.
Research
Conduct non-partisan, academic research into issues of prime importance to veteran and military students in higher education, including student outcomes under the GI Bill and veteran student debt.
Civic Engagement
We help veterans participate in our US democracy by bringing them to meet their elected representatives and policymakers, including speaking out at public hearings, and providing them opportunities to shape public policy by sharing their experience in higher ed- What Works and What's Not Working for student veterans.
Combatting Consumer Fraud by Predatory Colleges
We support federal and state law enforcement with evidence regarding consumer fraud by predatory colleges. We also provide free legal assistance to college whistleblowers.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Evaluation documents
Download evaluation reportsNumber of media articles reflecting preferred issue framing
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, Students, Veterans
Related Program
Combatting Consumer Fraud by Predatory Colleges
Type of Metric
Input - describing resources we use
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
For example, look at this New York Times news story about our work: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/11/business/veterans-for-profit-schools-gi-bill.html
Number of organizations signing onto policy guidelines or proposals
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Veterans
Related Program
Policy Advocacy
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
For example, 38 national veterans & military organizations signed on to our letters to Congress and Exec Branch: https://vetsedsuccess.org/what-we-do/policy-advocacy/our-advocacy-letters/
Number of policies formally blocked
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Veterans
Related Program
Policy Advocacy
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
Ex: Trump proposed to waive federal ethics laws to allow gifts by for-profit colleges to VA employees. We mobilized ethics experts, consumer & veterans & VA employees' union. Trump & VA backed down!
Number of policies formally established
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Students, Veterans
Related Program
Policy Advocacy
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In a time when Congress agrees on very little, we have been able to see the enactment into federal statute of a number of our proposals. We also have successfully advocated for policies at VA & DOD.
Number of research or policy analysis products developed, e.g., reports, briefs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Academics, Students
Related Program
Research
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
For example, an Issue Brief is here: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/556718b2e4b02e470eb1b186/t/5ab2a76b6d2a73a4746063ef/1521657708194/GI+Bill+Cumulative+Revenue+Brief+%232+March2018.FINAL.pdf
Number of clients served
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans
Related Program
Legal Services & Direct Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
We provide free direct services to veterans and servicemembers who were defrauded by a predatory college.
Number of individuals attending briefings and presentations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Veterans
Related Program
Civic Engagement
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through civic engagement, we organize opportunities for veterans to meet with their Congressional representatives and federal policymakers.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Our goals are to advance higher education success for veterans and servicemembers, by advocating for student veterans' needs in higher education. We also work to protect the integrity of the GI Bill and other federal education programs from fraud by bad actor colleges, and we seek to improve the minimum quality and accountability standards in higher education. Finally, we work towards informed college choice for military-connected students, by improving public access to student outcome data.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Veterans Education Success provides:
Free Help for Veterans: Free legal services, advice, and college and career counseling to veterans, servicemembers, and their survivors and families who faced college fraud or abuse in using their GI Bill.
Civic Engagement: We help veterans participate in their democracy by engaging their Congressional representatives, federal agencies, and local media, including speaking out at public hearings.
Policy and Advocacy: Assistance to federal and state policymakers to improve quality in higher education and protect the integrity of the GI Bill and other student aid.
Research: Non-partisan research on issues of concern to student veterans, including veteran student outcomes and student debt levels.
Support for Whistleblowers & Law Enforcement: Free assistance to college whistleblowers exposing fraud, and free assistance to federal and state law enforcement to stop college consumer fraud.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
We bring top-level staff including:
- a Research Director who brings 40 years as a senior researcher for US Government Accountability Office and a Senior Research Fellow who brings 20 years of research from the College Board;
- a policy team who bring decades of experience at the senior level of federal government policymaking, including the US Congress, and of non-profit veterans advocacy;
- a state policy manager who has organized veterans for multiple national efforts;
- a legal team that is trusted by and works closely with key federal and state law enforcement offices dedicated to consumer protection;
We also bring a strong coalition of more than 3 dozen national veterans & military organizations who rely on our higher education expertise and a coalition of consumer, civil rights, and student groups who engage in policy analysis and advocacy with us.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In research, we have published a number of news-making reports, including one report praised in a New York Times editorial by the Editorial Board. Our reports are available on our website.
In legal services and direct assistance, we organized 225 volunteer lawyers to provide free legal assistance to nearly 4,000 veterans and servicemembers who had been defrauded by a predatory college. We also helped approximately 400 veterans and servicemembers who had been defrauded by ITT Tech college gain class recognition in the federal bankruptcy case and be awarded financial recompense.
In policy, we have seen a number of our suggestions become federal policy. We worked closely on many of the rules for colleges adopted by VA and DOD, and continue to work on improving them and increasing agency adherence. We also work to change federal law. For example, at a time of Congressional paralysis, 4 of our proposals have been adopted by Congress and enacted into federal statute in just a few short years, and we proposed and succeeded in obtaining a federal executive order. We also have successfully stopped a number of bad policy ideas.
In the first year of our civic engagement program, we organized dozens of veterans to speak to Congressional representatives and federal policymakers.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Veterans Education Success Inc
Board of directorsas of 03/11/2022
Ms Carrie Wofford
Veterans Education Success
Term: 2013 - 2022
Thomas Tarantino
Twitter, Inc.
Bethany Little
Education Counsel LLC
Daniel Carey
former college president
Daniel Smith
former Senate Committee Staff Director
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.
Equity strategies
Last updated: 08/03/2021GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We ask team members to identify racial disparities in their programs and / or portfolios.
- We analyze disaggregated data and root causes of race disparities that impact the organization's programs, portfolios, and the populations served.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We disaggregate data by demographics, including race, in every policy and program measured.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We measure and then disaggregate job satisfaction and retention data by race, function, level, and/or team.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.