Press Coverage
On student loans and racial disparities
NPR All Things Considered (Ari Shapiro and Anya Kamenetz, November 25, 2020). What Biden Administration Can Do To Help Americans Pay Off Student Loans.
The New York Times (Ron Lieber and Tara Siegel-Bernard, June 9, 2020), The Stark Racial Inequity of Personal Finances in America.
The New York Times: The Upshot (Matthew Chingos and Susan Dynarski, April 2, 2018) "An International Final Four: Which Country Handles Student Debt Best?"
The Washington Post (Robert Gebelhoff, January 22, 2018), "Projections for student loan defaults are terrifying. It's time to act."
Diverse: Issues in Higher Education (Tiffany Pennamon, January 15, 2018), "Study: Looming Student Loan Default Crisis Will Be Worse Than Projected."
The Atlantic (Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jan/Feb 2017), "My President Was Black," (see Section IV: "According to research by the Brookings Institution, African Americans tend to carry more student debt four years after graduation ($53,000 versus $28,000) and suffer from a higher default rate on their loans (7.6 percent versus 2.4 percent) than white Americans" [research link added])
The Atlantic (Emily Deruy, October 24, 2016), “The Racial Disparity of the Student-Loan Crisis.”
The Wall Street Journal (Josh Mitchell, October 20, 2016), “Black College Grads Owe Nearly Twice as Much Student Debt as Whites Four Years Out.”
On low predictive value of remedial placement tests
Inside Higher Ed (Paul Fain, June 18, 2015), “ACT drops popular COMPASS placement test, acknowledging its predictive limits.”
New York Times (Tamar Lewin, February 28, 2012), “Colleges Misassign Many to Remedial Classes, Studies Find.”
New York Times (Editorial, March 3, 2012), “A Better Chance to Succeed.”
Los Angeles Times (Carla Rivera, June 25, 2012), “Long Beach City College tries an alternative to placement tests.”
Inside Higher Ed (Paul Fain, April 4, 2012), “Connecticut legislature mulls elimination of remedial courses.”
On FAFSA simplification
The New York Times (op-ed by Senators Lamar Alexander and Michael Bennet, June 18, 2014), “An Answer on a Postcard: Simplifying FAFSA Will Get More Kids into College.”
New York Times (David Leonhardt, January 25, 2011), “Cut Waste or Invest? Try Both.”
Executive Office of the President (September 2009), “Simplifying Student Aid: The Case for an Easier, Faster, and More Accurate FAFSA” (see pp. 2-4).
National Public Radio (Claudio Sanchez, February 23, 2008), “College Aid Forms Prove Too Tough a Test.”
On the “Shapeless River” community college research
The Atlantic (Ann Hulbert, Jan/Feb 2014), “How to Escape the Community College Trap.”
Washington Monthly (Daniel Luzer, April 27, 2011), “Too Much Choice?”
On WV PROMISE and incentives for student success
CNN Newsroom (Ali Velshi, May 12, 2010), “Turning Students to Graduates.”
The New York Times Magazine (David Leonhardt, February 1, 2009), “The Big Fix” (cited on p. 8).