While Congress has become pretty thoroughly professionalized in recent decades, state legislatures are still home to some genuinely eccentric people. Back when I was working for the Indiana General Assembly, one member (and not the member who was, no lie, a radio psychic) became convinced that it was crucially important for the state to address, via [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'College Affordability'
Debating Cato on College Costs
On Tuesday I walked up L Street to the Cato Institute for a debate about spiraling tuition and the role of the federal government in higher education. As you might imagine, I was on the “there should be one!” side of the argument whereas Neal McCluskey from Cato took the “everything will be fine if [...]
Steal These FAFSA Ideas!
We’ve long known that the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is complex and that this complexity has consequences in college attendance. The 2008 FAFSA, for example, was four times longer than the basic IRS tax form. For many low-information families, this complexity matters. Hundreds of thousands of students eligible for financial aid never [...]
Colleges Continue to Raise Tuition, Squander the Money on Sports
We all know the drill by now: Faced with a major financial shortfall, the university announces that it has no choice but to sharply raise student tuition once again. “We remain committed to providing an affordable education for all,” says the university president, in somber tones. “But we will not degrade the high academic standards [...]
Merit Aid is a Lie
In an article titled “To Keep Students, Colleges Cut Anything But Aid,” the New York Times reports that:
With the economy forcing budget cuts and layoffs in higher education, colleges and universities might be expected to be cutting financial aid. But no. Students considering a wide range of private schools, as well as those who are already [...]
The Google and The Internets
Are you a Virginia resident looking for more information about higher education? Need information on financial aid? The State Council on Higher Education in Virginia has an excellent resource list including the “Internet” and “Libraries.” According to the site, libraries, “have resource books with information about national financial aid programs” and the [...]
Aim First, Then Fire
John Edwards’ recently announced college plan gets it right on one of the big college affordability issues: the need for a simpler, straightforward financial aid application, and more support to students and their families when they are applying to college and figuring out how to afford it. Unfortunately, his tuition plan—which promises to pay the [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.