Articles & Blog Posts

“Low-Income Students Lose Ground.” December 4, 2020. Science (with Christopher Avery and Sarah Turner).

“Colleges Are Fueling the Pandemic in a Classic Market Failure.” October 11, 2020. New York Times (with Sarah Cohodes).

“The United States Is Reopening Many of the Wrong Schools.” August 9, 2020. New York Times.

“College Is Worth It, but Campus Isn’t.” July 5, 2020. New York Times.

“The School Year Really Ended in March.” May 20, 2020. New York Times.

“In a Bust, College Can Be a Shock Absorber.” January 19, 2020. New York Times.

“Taking Out a Student Loan Is Better Than Dropping Out.” September 6, 2019. New York Times.

"Going to College Should Not be a Financial Albatross.” February 17, 2019. New York Times Op-Ed.

“At Elite Colleges, Racial Diversity Requires Affirmative Action.” September 20, 2018. New York Times.

“Fresh Proof That Strong Unions Help Reduce Income Inequality.” July 8 2018. New York Times.

“How to Clean Up the Student Loan Mess.” April 6, 2018. New York Times.

“An International Final Four: Which Country Handles Student Debt Best?” April 2, 2018. New York Times.

“ACT/SAT for all: A Cheap, Effective Way to Narrow Income Gaps in College.” February 8, 2018. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

“Laptops Are Great. But Not During a Lecture or a Meeting.” November 22, 2017. New York Times.

“Online schooling: Who is harmed and who is helped?” October 26, 2017. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

“For better learning in college lectures, lay down the laptop and pick up a pen.” August 10, 2017. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

“Simple Way to Help Low-Income Students: Make Everyone Take SAT or ACT.” July 14, 2017. New York Times.

“The Wrong Way to Fix Student Debt.” May 6, 2017. New York Times.

“A fumble on a key FAFSA tool, and a failure to communicate.” March 13, 2017. New York Times.

“Online Courses Are Harming the Students Who Need the Most Help.” January 21, 2017. New York Times .

“Free Market for Education? Economists Generally Don’t Buy It.” December 30, 2016. New York Times.

“Fulfilling the Promise of Community College: The ASAP demonstrations.” December 1, 2016. Brookings Evidence Speaks. Co-author: Megan Oster.

“With Trump, Investors See Profits Again in For-Profit Colleges.” November 18, 2016. New York Times.

“A Conveyor Belt of Dropouts and Debt at For-Profit Colleges.” October 28, 2016. New York Times.

"At Last, a Little Breathing Room in the Financial Aid Gantlet." September 18, 2016. New York Times.

"Massachusetts Charter Cap Holds Back Disadvantaged Students." September 15, 2016. Brookings Evidence Speaks. Co-author: Sarah Cohodes

"Why American Schools Are Even More Unequal Than We Thought." August 12, 2016. New York Times.

"The RNC Wants to Make Student Loans Competitive Again. They Never Were." July 21, 2016. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

"America Can Fix Its Student Loan Crisis. Just ask Australia." July 10, 2016. New York Times.

"The Dividing Line between Haves and Have-Nots in Home Ownership: Education, not Student Debt." May 4, 2016. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

"How to - and How Not to - Manage Student Debt." May 2, 2016. Milken Institute Review.

“$20 Billion in Tax Credits Fails to Increase College Attendance.” April 20, 2016. New York Times.

"What does Cutting Rates on Student Loans do?" April 14, 2016. Brookings Evidence Speaks.

“Why Talented Black and Hispanic Students Can Go Undiscovered.” April 10, 2016. New York Times.

“How to Help More College Students Graduate.” February 21, 2016. New York Times.

“Urban Charter Schools often Succeed. Suburban Ones often Don’t.” November 22, 2015. New York Times.

“No,Student Borrowers Don’t Need to Worry About Loan Market Turmoil.” September 30, 2015. New York Times.

“Applying for Financial Aid Is About to Get Easier.” September 25, 2015. New York Times.

“New Data Gives Clearer Picture of Student Debt.” September 11, 2015. New York Times.

“Why Students With Smallest Debts Have the Larger Problem.” September 1, 2015. New York Times.

“Fafsa Follies: To Gain a Student, Eliminate a Form.” August 23, 2015. New York Times.

“The Rise of Student Debt for Those Who Get Degrees.” June 17, 2015. New York Times.

“When Guarding Student Data Endangers Valuable Research.” June 13, 2015. New York Times.

“Student Loans and Defaults: The Facts.” June 12, 2015. New York Times.

"For the Poor, the Graduation Gap Is Even Wider Than the Enrollment Gap.” June 2, 2015. New York Times.

“We’re Frighteningly in the Dark About Student Debt.” March 22, 2015. New York Times.

“How to Improve Graduation Rates at Community Colleges.” March 11, 2015. New York Times.

“Helping the Poor in Education: The Power of a Simple Nudge.” January 18, 2015. New York Times.

“Why Federal College Ratings Won’t Rein In Tuition.” September 21, 2014. New York Times.

“For Inspiration in Creating College Ratings, Look to Health Care.” September 16, 2014. New York Times.

“Lowering Interest Rates on Loans Isn’t the Best Way to Help College Students.” August 26, 2014. New York Times.

“What We Mean When We Say Student Debt Is Bad.” August 8, 2014. New York Times.

“Study on Parental Longevity Is Short on Causation.” August 6, 2014. New York Times.

“A Closer Look at Simplifying Financial Aid Applications.” July 1, 2014. New York Times. Co-author: Mark Wiederspan.

“There Is a Simpler Way for Students to Apply for Financial Aid.” June 20, 2014. New York Times. Co-author: Judith Scott-Clayton.

“Finding Shock Absorbers for Student Debt.” June 15, 2014. New York Times.

“Remember the Problems With Mortgage Defaults? They’re Coming Back With Student Loans.” June 13, 2014. New York Times.