News & Comment
Blogs and Opinion
Don’t Let Them Kill Student Loan Reform by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | March 11, 2010
Something so simple, so easy: end tens of billions of dollars in bank subsidies to the private lending industry and return much of the savings back into the hand of students, with the Department of Education providing loans to students directly. A no-brainer right? Well reform may be a no-go, if six Senate Democrats have their way. read more »Time to Reconcile Student Loan Reform by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | March 9, 2010
If some members of Congress are going to stand with banks, instead of students, then why not pass student loan reform through reconciliation? Just like Americans and health care reform –students need relief now. It is time for Congress to act on behalf of students, and not banks. read more »Bail Out Our Schools by Robert B. Reich, robertreich.org | March 8, 2010
Any day now, the Obama administration will announce $4.35 billion in extra federal funds for under-performing public schools. That’s fine, but relative to the financial squeeze all the nation’s public schools now face it’s a cruel joke. The recession has ravaged state and local budgets, most of which aren’t allowed to run deficits. That’s meant major cuts in public schools and universities, and a giant future deficit in the education of our people. read more »Student Loan Reform, Good for Workers Too by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | February 17, 2010
As Congress returns to Washington, the Campaign for America’s Future calls on the Senate to finish what the House started, and pass Student Loan reform to end billion dollar bank subsidies and invest in students. read more »Students Pinched By Recession by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | January 22, 2010
The effects of the recession have been far reaching –that is no secret of course –but the picture for students in this downturn is only beginning to be painted more clearly. According to the Higher Education Research Institute’s annual survey of college freshman, students are really feeling the financial squeeze unlike ever before. read more »Worker Training in Demand, but in Short Supply by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | December 11, 2009
The U.S. must train workers for the job growth of tomorrow. According to employment projection data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics yesterday, middle-skill jobs will experience the highest growth over the next decade. These jobs pay well, but also require a post-secondary certificate or an associate’s degree. read more »The Higher Education Fiscal Crisis Protects the Wealthy by Peter Phillips, Truthout | December 2, 2009
Our current budget crisis in California and the rest of the country has been artificially created by cutting taxes on the wealthiest people and corporations. The corporate elites in the U.S., the top 1 percent who own close to half the wealth, are the beneficiaries of massive tax cuts over the past few decades, while at the same time working people are paying more through increased sales and use taxes and higher public college tuition. read more »Conservatives Want the Status Quo for Student Loans by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | November 20, 2009
Representative John Kline (R-MN) and Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) introduced legislation this week that keeps our broken student loan system in status quo, with corrupt private lenders and federal bank subsidies worth billions. read more »Student Loan Industry: We Are NOT Dead Yet by Armand Biroonak, OurFuture.org | November 13, 2009
Recently the Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, advised college financial administrators that with the likely passage of the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act (SAFRA) in the Senate, universities nationwide should prepare to switch over to federal direct le read more »Executive Pay Hits Campuses by Katharine Trendacosta, airamerica.com | November 3, 2009
According to a report published by the Chronicle of Higher Education, 23 private college Presidents make over $1 million, even as the recession and rising tuition costs are squeezing students and recent alumni dry. read more »
The Latest
Grandparents Help With Back-To-School , USA Today | August 29, 2008
In the midst of one of the toughest back-to-school buying seasons in years, grandparents in many families are pitching in to get kids clothed. read more »
Army Opens Dropout Prep School, time.com | August 27, 2008
The U.S. Army, eager to fill its ranks amid wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, formally opened its first prep school for dropouts. The soldiers work in small classrooms outfitted with simple desks, chairs, and dry-erase boards. In-desk computers are used for test-taking. read more »
Private Student Loans Scarce, USA Today | August 26, 2008
In recent months, several large lenders have stopped providing private student loans, stranding families that were counting on private loans to cover some of their costs. Education Finance Partners, the fourth-largest private lender, recently announced on its website that it had ceased operations. read more »
School Lunch Prices Rise, The New York Times | August 25, 2008
Prices on some school lunch lines are going up this fall as school officials, like many others, struggle to pay higher prices and delivery fees for staples like bread, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables. read more »
Sallie Mae Spent $640K Lobbying, money.cnn.com | August 19, 2008
Sallie Mae, the nation's largest student lender, spent $640,000 lobbying in the second quarter for government help to shore up the troubled student loan market and on legislation related to other issues affecting the industry, according to a recent disclosure report. read more »
More Families Need Reduced Lunch , USA Today | August 19, 2008
The troubled economy may be prompting more families to turn to federal school nutrition programs that aid poor children, a survey suggests. For the first time since 2004, a majority of cafeteria operators say the number of children getting free or reduced-price lunches has risen. read more »
Schools Adopt Four-Day Weeks, time.com | August 18, 2008
As the price of diesel — which most school buses run on — topped $4.70 per gal. last spring, school officials across the country watched their transportation costs skyrocket as much as 40 percent. Maryland's Montgomery County is debating whether to shrink its school-bus routes. read more »
Low-Income College Students Too Few, Christian Science Monitor | August 7, 2008
About 50 percent of low-income students enroll in college right after high school, compared with 80 percent of high-income students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. That's a gap of 30 percentage points, a gap that over the past 30 years has fluctuated between 22 and 49 points. read more »
Poll: Schools Not Preparing Kids, USA Today | June 30, 2008
Half of Americans say U.S. schools are doing only a fair to poor job preparing kids for college and the work force. Even more feel that way about the skills kids need to survive as adults, according to a recent Associated Press poll. read more »
Food Prices Hit School Lunches, MSNBC News | June 9, 2008
The cost of staples that make up the backbone of school meal programs has soared in the past year, far outstripping federal subsidies. While inflation has driven up the price of milk by 12 percent, cheese by 15 percent and bread by 17 percent, the National School Lunch Program has increased what it pays local school districts to feed 30.1 million schoolchildren by only 3 percent. read more »
