Kernels of wisdom from some of Michale McComis’ favorite 1980s movies From the Karate Kid’s lessons on persistence to Ferris Bueller’s cautionary tale about student choices and the Princess Bride’s rollicking tale of love and rebellion, the 1980’s represent a marquee period of movie classics. Many offer axioms that can offer surprisingly ...

When I was eight years old, I became a ward of the court, joining 600,000 other children in the foster care system. Over the next few years, I lived in several foster homes and attended six different schools. Fortunately, I was a good student and I graduated knowing I wanted to go to college. But…

Can a simplified repayment process strengthen student financial outcomes? The problems around college affordability and student debt in the U.S. are well-documented: federal student loan debt is approaching $1.5 trillion, and about 1 of every 5 American adults have student loan debt. Many of today’s students do reach the milestone of earning thei...

It’s been almost nine months since Complete College America launched our newest Game Changer, A Better Deal for Returning Adults. In that time, I’ve had the opportunity to deliver the “Better Deal Stump Speech” dozens of times. In each presentation, I frame the issue by talking about workforce needs, postsecondary attainment goals and the i...

A growing number of advocates and policy experts believe that institutions of higher education should be held accountable for repayment rates based on their specific program of study within the institution. To take a deeper look at how program-level repayment might be used as a tool for greater accountability and transparency, Higher Learning Advo...

The world of higher education and workforce is changing. But is federal policy keeping up? Across the country policymakers, practitioners and employers are working together toward the 21st-century system of higher learning today’s students deserve. Their expertise, knowledge, and insights are critical to informing federal policy changes. That’s...

The world of higher education and workforce is changing. But is federal policy keeping up? Across the country policymakers, practitioners and employers are working together toward the 21st-century system of higher learning today’s students deserve. Their expertise, knowledge, and insights are critical to informing federal policy changes. That’s...

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 14, 2018) — Today, Higher Learning Advocates submitted comments to the Department of Education as it considers a negotiated rulemaking process that could affect a wide range of higher education regulations related to quality and innovation in higher education. Higher Learning Advocates urged the Department to lim...

Change is inevitable. In the world of technologies, innovations come faster than we are able to follow. Think about what we can do now that we could not do ten years ago: smartphones are the norm (but they are really used more as cameras or computers than telephones), and high-speed internet is available for free…