Reuters: U.S. senator lashes out at for-profit education

* Chairman Harkin says industry practices "disturbing"

* Hearing cited names of 15 schools investigated

* Shares of industry index up less than 1 percent

By Emma Ashburn

WASHINGTON, Aug 4 (Reuters) - The head of the U.S. Senate's education panel lashed out at the for-profit education sector in a congressional hearing on Wednesday after government investigators uncovered deceptive practices.

Chairman Tom Harkin pointed to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released Tuesday that found staff at the controversial colleges urged potential students to fudge their income on loan forms and give misleading information about costs.

"GAO's findings make it disturbingly clear that abuses in for-profit recruiting are not limited to a few rogue recruiters or even a few schools with lax oversight," Harkin said at a hearing by the Senate's Help, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

"To the contrary, the evidence points to a problem that is systemic to the for-profit industry," the Democratic chairman said....continues here.