Education Policy Program: Publications, Events and More

Policy Analyst, Next Social Contract Initiative

Operations — Fri, 02 May 2008 15:51:00 -0400

Intro/Description

The New America Foundation seeks a Policy Analyst to provide research and analytical support to senior staff and Fellows working on the broad range of topics covered under our Next Social Contract Initiative, which was launched in early 2007. This Initiative, which brings together our core domestic policy programs, is designed to advance a new meta-narrative, organizing principles, and detailed policy proposals attuned to the 21st century. Overall, the Initiative seeks to inform and shape key social policy debates, especially those that figure in the 2008 presidential election as well as in the new Congress and administration in 2009. Policy areas include health care, economic security, retirement security, asset ownership, education reform, work and family, fundamental tax reform, and budget policy. For more information about the Next Social Contract Initiative, see http://www.newamerica.net/issues/next_social_contract.

Responsibilities

Provide analytical support and conduct secondary research.
Evaluate academic literature and economic data.
Perform analyses of policy proposals, and participate in policy design efforts.
Assist in pubic education and outreach efforts that focus on opinion leaders and policymakers.
Brief Members of Congress, congressional staff, administration officials, regulators, and other policymakers.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:

Proven quantitative, analytic, and research skills;
Demonstrated ability to accurately and concisely summarize complex information to multiple audiences;
Solid knowledge of and/or experience in the policy areas relevant to the Initiative;
At least three years of relevant experience, preferably at the national level;
Strong writing skills, especially the ability to communicate policy ideas and legislative proposals concisely and effectively to diverse audiences; and
Undergraduate degree in economics, public policy, social policy, law, or related fields.

Application Process

Please mail, fax, or e-mail a resume and a brief cover letter summarizing your interests and qualifications to: Human Resources, New America Foundation, 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20009. Fax: 202-986-3696. E-mail: jobs@newamerica.net. Please state “Policy Analyst, Next Social Contract Initiative” in the e-mail subject line. No phone calls, please.

Generous salary package commensurate with experience; excellent benefits. The New America Foundation is an equal opportunity employer.

Steve Burd in Reuters | "U.S. Student Loan Bill Advances, Bush Will Sign"

Communications — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:46:00 -0400

New America in the News:
. . . Stephen Burd, senior research fellow at think tank New America Foundation, said some lenders were having financing problems. "We just don't think the government should let the loan industry define the terms of the intervention." . . . For the complete article, go to Reuters.com.

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

Academic March Madness

Ron Tang — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 06:36:00 -0400

If you've watched any of the televised men's college basketball tournament this year, you've been bombarded by NCAA commercials that declare: "There are 380,000 NCAA student athletes... and just about every one of them will go pro in something other than sports."

It's an uplifting tagline, but there's a catch. In order to "go pro in something other than sports," that athlete needs a college degree. And far too many male athletes in top-tier Division I basketball programs never graduate.

The teams that played in the Sweet 16 this year have some of the worst academic records in the country, particularly the… more

Taming the Tuition Beast

Ron Tang — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 12:47:00 -0400

It's not news that the cost of a college degree has risen significantly over the last couple of decades.

Since 1990, tuition and fees have risen by nearly 225 percent at four-year public colleges and by 154 percent at private four-year colleges. The real story is that tuition growth rates often fluctuate wildly from year to year -- which makes it hard for families to plan ahead and budget enough to cover the costs.

Last year, students at Villanova faced an unexpected tuition and fee increase that was double the previous year's.

Students entering Penn State in 2002 had no way of knowing… 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.

Director, Education Policy Program

Operations — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 10:08:00 -0400

Intro/Description

The New America Foundation seeks a dynamic, visionary, and entrepreneurial director for its Education Policy Program. The program’s mission is to develop and support ideas that close multiple achievement and opportunity gaps for students from pre-kindergarten through graduate school. Currently, the program centers around three main policy areas: (1) federal education funding and school finance; (2) early education for children in grades pre-kindergarten through three; and (3) college financial aid modernization and higher education reform. In the future, the program intends to develop an overarching vision of the “Next Social Contract for Education.”

The program has become a leading resource for policymakers, political candidates, advocates, and the media. In 2006, the program helped craft a national education standards plan subsequently introduced by Senator Christopher J. Dodd (D-CT) and Congressman Vern Ehlers (R-MI). In 2007, the program’s Higher Ed Watch policy blog broke news of the national student loan “pay for play” scandal, identified billions in inefficiently allocated taxpayer resources, and proffered a series of multibillion dollar financial aid modernization concepts subsequently embraced in law. This year, the program officially will launch a Federal Education Budget Project that will serve as an interactive, definitive resource on the size, distribution, and effectiveness of federal education funding. Throughout the year and into next, the program aims to influence public debate regarding the No Child Left Behind Act’s reauthorization and the national early education expansion and reform movement.

For more information, see http://www.newamerica.net/programs/education_policy.

Responsibilities

Articulate and implement a strategic plan for the program that builds upon its existing resources and maximizes its future impact on education policy.
Manage and develop professionally an eight-person staff that researches and analyzes education-related data and proposes new ideas in various education policy areas, especially those relating to federal education funding.
Maintain the program’s funding base and build its infrastructure, including securing additional long-term financial support and recruiting top talent for new initiatives that advance the program’s agenda.
Develop new policy ideas applicable at the federal, state, and local levels by analyzing data, program evaluations, academic literature, press reports, and the policy proposals of others.
Write, edit, and publish op-eds, articles, issue briefs, policy blog posts, and in-depth reports on new policy ideas.
Brief and provide advice to Members of Congress, congressional staff, administration officials, candidates for elected office, advocates, researchers, and the media.
Serve as chief spokesperson for the program and raise its overall visibility and credibility.
Contribute to the management and growth of New America as a senior staff member.

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will have the following qualifications:

Deep and well-recognized expertise in the education policy issues advanced by the program.
Ability to articulate a compelling vision for education policy and the New America Foundation’s Education Policy Program.
Proven understanding of the policymaking and political processes.
Ability to manage a growing, entrepreneurial staff; secure funding; and attract top talent for new and existing initiatives.
Outstanding writing, public speaking, and organizing abilities.
Eagerness to contribute to the management and growth of the New America Foundation.
At least eight years of relevant work experience.
Graduate degree in economics, public policy, social policy, law, or related fields.

Application Process

By Friday, May 2, 2008 , mail, fax, or e-mail a resume and cover letter (maximum two pages) summarizing your interests and qualifications to: Danielle Maxwell, New America Foundation, 1630 Connecticut Avenue, NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20009. Fax: 202-986-3696. E-mail: maxwell@newamerica.net. Please state “Director, Education Policy Program” in the e-mail subject line. No phone calls, please.

Generous salary package commensurate with experience; excellent benefits. The New America Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. Minorities and women are encouraged to apply.

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.

Partners In Closing the Achievement Gap

Education Policy — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:47:00 -0400

Over the past eight years, states have dramatically expanded their support for publicly-funded pre-k programs, and the number of children enrolled in these programs has grown significantly. States are investing in pre-k because research shows that high-quality pre-kindergarten programs can have a positive long-term impact on children’s life outcomes, help narrow the achievement gap between poor and affluent youngsters, and that the benefits of these investments to children and the taxpaying public outweigh their costs. In other words, high-quality pre-k is a key weapon in the arsenal of public policies that we can use to combat poverty and inequality and strengthen the skills of our workforce for the… more

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

A Primer on the Budget Resolution’s Impact on Education Funding

Education Policy — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 03:31:00 -0400

The budget resolution put forward by Congress each year -- which sets out the congressional budget plan for the next five years -- and the ensuing budget process itself are enormously significant for education funding. However, the arcane procedures under which Congress produces and acts upon the budget resolution are often confusing to the media and education advocates alike. This confusion is made worse by political rhetoric and partisan spin. This brief by the New America Foundation’s Federal Education Budget Project is meant to shed light on how the budget resolution affects education funding.

This primer clarifies certain aspects of the… 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. . .

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.