NCAA Challenges High School 'Diploma Mills'

College coaches are coming under enhanced scrutiny from the NCAA on two issues these days: using inappropriate recruiting methods, and signing on high school student athletes from diploma mills.

Both issues have been under the NCAA's scope for some time. The NCAA recently placed the Fresno State men’s basketball team on four years’ suspension for major and persistent violations of NCAA recruiting rules. The NCCA also subjected former Fresno coach Roy Lopes to a two-year “show cause penalty,” meaning that he cannot accept a coaching position at another NCAA school without clearance by the NCAA infractions committee.

While some high school athletes have been prey to over-zealous recruiting, others have been involved in exploiting the NCAA's academic requirements by enrolling in correspondence "academies" for struggling students. Inside Higher Education reported on April 28 that the NCAA was looking into reports that a high-school correspondence program based in Florida is somehow helping students who barely passed minimal requirements in traditional high schools to “magically” improve their academic performance after only a few weeks.

The NCAA has responded to this situation by giving the NCAA Clearinghouse greater authority to examine the high school records of prospective athletes and the track records of schools and other secondary education programs. The NCAA said that it may even go so far as to hire lawyers and private investigators to look into suspect programs, and would be willing to cooperate with state officials to close fraudulent schools down.

Source: "NCAA Homes In on High Schools." Inside Higher Education, April 28, 2006.