US Education Secretary Miguel Cardona

Action comes as part of Biden administration's "borrower defense" initiative WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Education announced Wednesday that nearly 16,000 student borrowers would receive millions in loan repayments, after the department found that four private for-profit institutions made misleading claims about their job placement rates.

When the COVID-19 pandemic closed schools in March 2020, most families with influence and wealth quickly and seamlessly shifted to remote learning. Affluent families already had high-speed internet connections and the electronic devices needed to navigate learning from home. Many also had the wherewithal to employ tutors and to create “learning pods” to keep students engaged while they learned remotely.