Brenda Brooks dropped out of college 40 years ago. Federal rules mean she can’t afford to go back.
Lately, Englewood native Brenda Brooks has had a tough time finding work. The 60-year-old has decades of experience at CVS and the historic Regal Theater in Avalon Park. But recently, prospective employers have told her, “ ‘You have the qualifications...
News
Our news, editorial, and analysis on federal policy surrounding higher education’s most pressing issues.
Op-eds
The Hill: Creating opportunities that will lead to a sustaining wage, economic mobility
“This Election Day, exit polling showed that voters’ overwhelming motivations were economic worries. The next Congress has a voter mandate to work with the White House to move quickly to enact policies that will lower costs for families. While lowering daily expenses in the short-term are needed, true economic recovery must also include pat...
Press
Adult Students Need ‘More Ladders and Fewer Chutes’
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Edge
Widen the paths to and through higher ed. Chutes and Ladders is a fun game for kids. It’s also a pretty apt allegory for the ups and downs that adults and other nontraditional students encounter as they try to make their way through college. So when it came time for the folks at Higher Learning…
Press
One Flat Tire Away
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education
“When Megan Reid graduated from high school in Lenoir County, North Carolina, she had dreams of becoming a scientist. She secured a full ride to East Carolina University, in Greenville, N.C., to study chemistry but had to drop out when she became pregnant with her son, Dylan, now 7. ‘After that, I kind of piddled…
Press
Not Just One and Done
Source: The Job
“Policy discussions often position workforce education and traditional college as being in opposition—a zero-sum game where you’re either for degrees and view short-term credentials as a threat, or you think college is broken and should be ditched for apprenticeships or other alternatives. This binary thinking presents a false dilemma, ac...
MarketWatch: Debt cancellation got all the attention, but this Biden proposal could impact student-loan borrowers more, critics and advocates say
“When President Joe Biden announced in August that his administration planned to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for most borrowers, Allison Daurio felt some relief. Under the White House’s debt forgiveness plan, Daurio , 29 would see about one-quarter of her student loan balance wiped away. But as she read more closely through the...
Press
Debt cancellation got all the attention, but this Biden proposal could impact student-loan borrowers more, critics and advocates say
Source: MarketWatch
“When President Joe Biden announced in August that his administration planned to cancel $10,000 in federal student debt for most borrowers, Allison Daurio felt some relief. Under the White House’s debt forgiveness plan, Daurio , 29 would see about one-quarter of her student loan balance wiped away. But as she read more closely through the&h...
Press
Hope Center’s Policy Summit Pushes to End Student Basic Need Insecurity
Source: Diverse
“Javier Gomez was living with his grandparents in Portland when he started out at Portland Community College (PCC). But he grew concerned as the housing market increased the rent of the two-bedroom apartment where they lived. ‘I didn’t want to create a strain on my grandparents,’ said Gomez. ‘I was in college. I couldn’t...
Press
New Income Driven Student Loan Repayment Plan Could Impact Borrowers’ Finances Positively for Decades
Source: Yahoo
“Much of the public focus on President Joe Biden’s loan forgiveness plan has zeroed in on two things: the extension of the federal student loan payment pause until the end of the year and the $10,000 in loan forgiveness to individual borrowers who meet certain income requirements. But for many borrowers, the biggest long-term impact is an...
Press
The ‘sleeper-hit’ beyond $10K: Student loan borrowers say new income-driven repayment plan could be ‘life-changing’
Source: CNBC
“The day the Biden administration unveiled its highly anticipated student loan forgiveness plan was a ‘celebratory day’ for Justin Short. Short, 34, graduated from the University of Missouri in 2012 with a degree in hospitality management, $47,000 in federal student loans and $5,800 in private student loans. Like many borrowers, h...
Press
Fact-checking 6 Criticisms of Biden’s Student Loan Forgiveness Plan
Source: TIME
“When President Joe Biden announced his plan on Wednesday to forgive a portion of the federal student loan debt held by millions of Americans, he set off a fiery national argument from just about every corner of the ideological spectrum. ‘An entire generation is now saddled with unsustainable debt,’ Biden said at the White House.&...
Op-eds
Inside Higher Ed: Congress Must Invest in Student Mental Health
“Starting July 16, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline became more easily reachable—simply by dialing 988. With mental health crises burdening so many, this is a welcome step. Robust and effective suicide prevention starts with early intervention through timely and easy access to mental health care. For college students burdened and st...
Press
Education industry looks to balance OPM oversight between institutional control and federal regulation
Source: EdScoop
“The education industry is trying to find a balance between institutional control of the relationships between colleges and the vendors they pay for online program management services and federal oversight of the technology, which the U.S. Education Department said last month it’s reviewing. Panelists at a virtual event Wednesday hosted by...