Testimony on Postsecondary Institution Ratings System

On September 10, 2014 I traveled to Washington, DC to testify on the Postsecondary Institution Ratings System (PIRS) before the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance. I testified based on a set of notes, rather than fully…

The Upshot Gets it Wrong on College Costs — Again

I’m beginning to wonder who David Leonhardt is trying to help with his columns on college costs. One thing is for sure: it’s definitely not students from low or middle-income families.

Exodus, Ourselves

The paint was red and black, and I only understood some of the obscenities written on the walls, but I knew what the enormous swastika smeared on the front of my synagogue meant.

I was 11 years old, and standing in a wealthy community in Fairfax County, Virginia. Two…

Is College Worth It? Let’s Get Real

Once again, thanks to the New York Times there’s yet another discussion ranging on Twitter and elsewhere about whether college is worth it. The discussion is typically technocratic, focusing on comparisons and counterfactuals, trying to pinpoint the economic return…

Food for Thought: Assist Student Loan Debtors with Expanded Support Services

With about 7 million Americans currently in default on their student loans, it isn’t surprising that Richard Cordray of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and Sarah Bloom Raskin, Deputy Secretary…