Education: Media Appearances and Press Releases

Child Well-Being Index in Washington Post | For Children, a Better Beginning

Communications — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:32:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Washington Post | For Children, a Better Beginning

In a wide-ranging look at how children have fared in their first decade of life, a study to be released today offers a promising picture of American childhood: Sixth-graders feel safer at school.* Reading and math scores are up for 9-year-olds. More preschoolers are vaccinated. Fewer are poisoned by lead.

The analysis, which created a composite index of more than 25 key national indicators, reports an almost 10 percent boost in children's well-being from 1994 to 2006. This overall improvement comes in spite of two significant negative trends: increased rates of childhood obesity and low-birth-weight babies.

"There are some really encouraging signs of progress," said Ruby Takanishi, president of the nonprofit Foundation for Child Development, which funded the research. "I think it's important as a country . . . to see that there are things that parents can do, that government can do, that institutions can do, to make measurable differences for children." . . .

*The New America Foundation Workforce and Family Program convened an event for the release of the study by FCD. More information is linked here.

Michael Dannenberg in APM's Marketplace | Student Loans Are Getting Whacked

Communications — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:50:00 -0400

New America in the News:

APM's Marketplace | Student Loans Are Getting Whacked

Bank of America and a unit of Citigroup have joined a growing list of lenders cutting back on student loan programs. At the same time, the House passed an emergency bill that would enable lenders to have more cash to keep making loans. John Dimsdale reports.

TESS VIGELAND: OK, here's another side-effect of the credit crunch: Student loans are getting whacked. Today Bank of America and a unit of Citigroup joined a growing list of lenders cutting back on student loan programs. Also today the House passed an emergency bill to give the Education Department more authority to buy up student loans. That way, presumably, lenders would have more cash to keep making them. John Dimsdale reports from Washington.

JOHN DIMSDALE: Today the Bank of America joined the dozens of lenders who've recently withdrawn from the federally-guaranteed student loan business. Yesterday, the nation's largest student lender, Sallie Mae, announced a $133 million loss in the first quarter of this year. That compares to more than $100 million in profits last year. But the editor of HigherEdWatch.Org, Michael Dannenberg, isn't worried yet.

MICHAEL DANNENBERG (Director of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation): There are a couple thousand student loan providers -- federal student loan providers. There are two fail-safe systems in place. There's definitely a crisis for some individual lenders, but that's different from actual students. Theoretically, something very bad could happen down the road, but we're not there yet. . .

Steve Burd in U.S. News | Look Twice at Loan Advice

Communications — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:13:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Look Twice at Loan Advice (U.S. News & World Report)

. . . Stephen Burd, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation, says many colleges are affordable without the help of private loans at all. Plus, Burd adds, federal loans also are due only after graduation, and the subsidized ones don't accrue interest while students are still in school, as most private loans do—a fact not mentioned in the ads. . .

Steve Burd in CQ Weekly | "In Student Loan Market, A Direct Approach"

Communications — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 13:51:00 -0400

New America in the News:

In Student Loan Market, A Direct Approach (CQ Weekly)

. . . But private lenders who need help face a dilemma. "Lenders are sort of putting themselves in this weird spot, where on the one hand they're raising huge alarms on the viability of their program, and on the other hand are trying to make sure they don't scare schools into the direct loan program," said Steven Burd, a senior research fellow at the New America Foundation. more

Lindsey Luebchow in Cleveland Plain Dealer | DC Group Ranks NCAA Teams by Players' Graduation Rates

Communications — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:28:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Cleveland Plain Dealer | Washington Group Ranks NCAA Teams by Players' Graduation Rates

Forget wins and losses. Disregard the strength of schedule. Pay no attention to margins of victory.

Call it March madness, but what if the teams in this year's NCAA men's basketball tournament were ranked by diplomas rather than dunks?

That's a rite the Washington, D.C.-based New America Foundation celebrates each spring. Earlier this week, the nonprofit public policy institute released its own tournament bracket that has to do more with mastering Joyce than making jump shots.

The foundation, an advocate for greater equity in school funding and college financial aid, uses the big-time tournament to underscore a big-time problem: A majority of players leave college with neither a professional career nor a four-year degree. In all, 55 percent of Division I players do not graduate. About 1 percent of them make it to the NBA.

"Amid the flashy, commercialized spectacle that is March Madness, few think about the players who aren't going to be able to go pro in anything, basketball or otherwise," said policy analyst Lindsey Luebchow, who created the bracket. . .

To view the New America Foundation's Academic Sweet 16 bracket, go to Higher Ed Watch.Org.

Lindsey Luebchow on WTOP Radio in DC | Top B-Ball Shools Have Poor Grad Rates

Communications — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 06:11:00 -0400

New America in the News:

WTOP Radio in DC | Top B-Ball Shools Have Poor Grad Rates

New America Foundation Education Policy Analyst Lindsey Luebchow discussed the Annual Academic Sweet Sixteen bracket results with WTOP Radio in DC. Also, Luebchow's comments on the NCAA teams' academic ranking appeared on CBS Radio's nationally broadcast morning show (3/27/08). Following these hits, the Los Angeles Times published Luebchow's op-ed "Academic March Madness."

Lindsey Luebchow writes for New America's Ed Money Watch and Higher Ed Watch blogs.

Michael Dannenberg in Inside Higher Ed | 'Hedging Bets on Student Loan Availability'

Communications — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:02:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Hedging Bets on Student Loan Availability (Inside Higher Ed)

. . . “I think he’s doing the right thing in seeking to calm fears of parents or financial aid officers scared by newspaper headlines, and by demonstrating that Congress is ready to act should there be widespread problems for students themselves, as opposed to some lenders,” said Michael Dannenberg, director of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation. Dannenberg said that Kennedy’s plan should be viewed not as opening the door to students’ borrowing more but as allowing them to shift their borrowing to less-costly federal loans rather than more expensive private ones. . .

New America Foundation in Inside Higher Ed | 'A Student Loan Credit Crunch — But for Whom?'

Communications — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 08:34:00 -0400

New America in the News:

A Student Loan Credit Crunch — But for Whom? (Inside Higher Ed)

. . . “Students with poor credit ratings, particularly those at trade schools whose graduates have poor repayment track records, might be unable to find a willing private student loan provider,” the New America Foundation’s Education Policy Program wrote on its blog this month. “All students, however, who apply for a private student loan with a creditworthy co-signer should be able to obtain a loan and obtain it at a lower interest rate than they otherwise would receive. Private student loan borrowers who don’t have a creditworthy co-signer and who are pursuing academic programs at schools with dubious job placement and loan repayment track records should consider lower cost education options.”

The idea suggested in the New America post — that the credit crunch isn’t a major problem because it is affecting mostly students at for-profit colleges, and should actually prod students who take out costly private loans at for-profit schools to enroll instead in community colleges or other lower-cost institutions — has been a subtext of some of the discussion surrounding the credit crunch, and reveal just how differently the crisis is perceived in various quarters. . . .

The Budget Resolution and Education Funding: A Primer

Communications — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 09:37:00 -0400

Today the New America Foundation's Federal Education Budget Project released "A Primer on the Budget Resolution's Impact on Education Funding," by the project's Research Director Jason Delisle. The primer serves as an insightful guide to this confusing and often partisan process by which federal education funding is determined. Last week the Congressional budget committees adopted the first drafts of the fiscal year 2009 budget resolution, marking the start of the annual Congressional budget process.The proposals head to the full House and Senate for consideration this… more

Jason Delisle in CongressDaily PM | 'Senate Budget Would Boost Advance Approps By $4 Billion'

Communications — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 13:06:00 -0400

New America in the News:

Senate Budget Would Boost Advance Approps By $4 Billion (CongressDaily PM, subscription only)

. . . "There's no reason to do it other than to increase spending," said Jason Delisle, an education analyst at the New America Foundation. Backers "want the money by any means necessary, but the trade-off is the debate gets confused and the budget lacks transparency."

Advance funding for education grew out of a timing quirk whereby the academic year usually spans parts of two fiscal years. Beginning in FY96, Congress began using advance appropriations to increase education funding for a given school year while technically staying within that fiscal year's discretionary spending cap, according to a New America report.

Since then the gimmick has become wildly popular -- what started out as $1.3 billion in advance education funding in FY96 grew to $17 billion in FY08, the report notes.

The New America report said the use of advance appropriations makes it difficult to compare actual year-over-year education funding totals. It can also cause problems in future years should budgetary circumstances change. . . .

Michael Dannenberg in University Wire news | "Student Loan Field Takes Defense"

Communications — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 15:55:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Student Loan Field Takes Defense (University Wire)

. . . Michael Dannenberg, director of the education policy program for the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank investigating the student loan crunch, said the media had merged private student loans and federal student loans' susceptibility to the housing crisis, noting federal loan recipients won't be affected. He scolded the press for creating a sense of fear. "The bigger danger is that the fear, if not panic, could depress college access for students who think they can't get a loan," Dannenberg said. . .

Sara Mead in New York Times | Teaching Boys and Girls Separately

Communications — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0500

New America in the News:

New York Times | Teaching Boys and Girls Separately

. . . More recently, in what Sara Mead, an education expert at the New America Foundation, calls a “man bites dog” sensation, public and parental concerns have shifted to boys. Boys are currently behind their sisters in high-school and college graduation rates. School, the boy-crisis argument goes, is shaped by females to match the abilities of girls (or, as Sax puts it, is taught “by soft-spoken women who bore” boys). In 2006, Doug Anglin, a 17-year-old in Milton, Mass., filed a civil rights complaint with the United States Department of Education, claiming that his high school — where there are twice as many girls on the honor roll as there are boys — discriminated against males. His case did not prevail in the courts, but his sentiment found support in the Legislature and the press. That same year, as part of No Child Left Behind, the federal law that authorizes programs aimed at improving accountability and test scores in public schools, the Department of Education passed new regulations making it easier for districts to create single-sex classrooms and schools. . .

"Future of American Politics" Event on C-SPAN

Communications — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 15:20:00 -0500

New America in the News:

The first panel spoke on the changing political culture in the United States and how it will affect the next social contract. Panelists focused on the growing demand for post-partisanship, teamwork, and tolerance among younger voters. The second panel discussed political institutions and elections, including the past political era, which began in 1978, and the possible shape of the new political era that panelists believe is beginning. The third panel discussed possible policies in the next political era? Some topics were broadening asset ownership, modernizing the tax system, and workplace flexibility. The final panel spoke on political parties in the next political era. They discussed how each party is struggling to build a new majority coalition and the growing popularity of the Democratic Party, particularly among young people. Following each panel panelists answered questions from members of the audience. For the video, visit the C-SPAN Event Page.

Stephen Burd of New America Foundation's Higher Ed Watch.Org Blog Receives National Education Reporting Award for Investigating

Communications — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 17:11:00 -0500

Higher Ed Watch.Org's staff writer and a lead investigator on the 2007 student loan scandals, Stephen Burd, is the winner of a 2007 National Award for Education Reporting, the Education Writers Association announced on Monday. Burd is a Senior Research Fellow with New America Foundation's Education Policy Program and a former Senior Writer at The Chronicle of Higher Education. Burd's two award winning articles from April 2007 appear here on the Higher… more

Michael Dannenberg in Minneapolis Star Tribune | 'Students Pinched by Credit Markets'

Communications — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:09:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Students Pinched by Credit Markets (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

..."There is zero danger that federal Stafford loans will not be available in the foreseeable future. Zero danger," said Michael Dannenberg, director of education policy at the New America Foundation in Washington.

Only about 10 percent of all college loans come from private lenders, he said. Many of those students could turn to federally backed loans if other sources of cash dry up, in Dannenberg's view.

New America Foundation in Chronicle of Higher Education | 'President Bush: A Friend of Higher Education After All?'

Communications — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 17:00:00 -0500

New America in the News:
President Bush: A Friend of Higher Education After All? (The Chronicle of Higher Education, subcription only)

... Mr. Bush has, however, given researchers, and their colleagues throughout higher education, something else of value: money. The president has been "highly successful" in winning increases for higher education from Congress, according to an analysis published last month by the New America Foundation, a Washington-based research and advocacy group that is often critical of the Bush administration.

"Congress adopted nearly all of the significant higher-education funding and policy proposals included in the president's budget requests from 2002 through 2008," including increases in Pell Grants and loan-forgiveness programs, the foundation noted. more

Michael Dannenberg in Cox News | 'House Democrats to Vote on Cutting Student Loans'

Communications — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:17:00 -0500

New America in the News:

House Democrats to Vote on Cutting Student Loans (Cox News Service)

...Michael Dannenberg, director of the Education Policy Program at the New America Foundation, said the federal government has wasted "billions of dollars" each year on excess lender subsidies. "Financial aid should be helping students, not banks," he said.

Stephen Burd in Pittsburg Post-Gazette | 'Market Doubts Hit Private Student Loans'

Communications — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 18:29:00 -0500

New America in the News:
Market Doubts Hit Private Student Loans (Pittsburg Post-Gazette)

...Sallie Mae and others are experiencing a growing default rate. The sub-prime mortgage crunch has spilled over into the student loan area, too, with investors less willing to buy loans of different kinds, said Stephen Burd, senior research fellow at New America Foundation, a nonprofit think tank.

"It's just a question of securitization right now," Mr. Burd said. ...

Steve Burd in St. Louis Post-Dispatch | 'Loans Feeling Credit Crunch'

Communications — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 16:59:00 -0500

New America in the News:

Student loans feeling credit crunch, too (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Those students, though, paid interest rates of up to 20 percent to finance their educational dreams. Stephen Burd, senior research fellow at the New America Foundation who blogs about higher education, says the lending practices got out of hand. "We actually think that this is a positive development that subprime lending in for-profit education is being curtailed, because we don't think students should have been stuck with these high-interest, high-cost loans in the first place."

Michael Dannenberg in AARP Bulletin | 'What An Outrage!'

Communications — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 15:34:00 -0500

New America in the News:

What An Outrage! The Money That Got Away (AARP Bulletin)

Nelnet denies it broke any laws. Still, "for a good number of years, Nelnet had a river of dirty money flowing through it," says Michael Dannenberg, director of the education policy program at the New America Foundation in Washington.