Education Policy Program
 

Higher Ed Initiative

The Higher Ed Initiative is dedicated to promoting analysis and discussion of ways to increase college access, affordability and quality. We focus on improving the efficiency and effectiveness of federal student aid programs, and holding institutions of higher education accountable for student access and success.

A major element of the Higher Ed Initiative is our policy blog, www.HigherEdWatch.org. The overriding mission of this blog is to support programs and policies that make post-secondary education more accessible, affordable, and rewarding for all. We post on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday of each week. Additionally, we provide a weekly News Roundup on Friday of the most relevant news items published that week.

About Us

Program Staff

  • Sara Mead
    Director, Early Education Initiative, Education Policy Program

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Articles

The Subprime Student Loan Racket

At the age of forty-three, Martine Leveque decided it was time to start over. For several years, she had worked in the movie business, writing subtitles in Italian and French for English-language films, but her employer moved overseas. She then tried her hand at sales, but each time the economy dipped sales tumbled, along with her income, and as a single mother with a teenage son, she wanted a job that offered more security. She decided to pursue a career in nursing, a high-demand field where she… more

Stephen Burd | The Washington Monthly | November/December 2009

Advice for Duncan: The Thinker

I recommend early focus on education finance matters. The administration needs to meet and improve upon campaign promises requiring substantial resources. There are pressing student loan issues and pent-up demands for No Child Left Behind (NCLB) funding. Because the stimulus and budget are being developed now, you have a window of opportunity to address all three areas.

Michael Dannenberg | Washington Post | January 12, 2009

BCS Teams Flunk Off the Gridiron

In a few weeks, the Florida Gators and Oklahoma Sooners will face off on college football's biggest stage in the Bowl Championship Series' National Championship game. Unfortunately, many of the college seniors playing in this game will not be walking across the graduation stage next May. Instead, their schools will revel in the short-term glory of gridiron success, while the players will have to face the long-term consequences of joining the workforce without a college degree. 

Lindsey Luebchow | Chicago Tribune | December 21, 2008

David Paterson Can Help Ground Skyrocketing College Tuitions

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to the housing bubble. We created a college tuition bubble as well. As with housing, a toxic combination of easy credit and unsophisticated and unrealistically optimistic consumers has driven college prices sky-high.

Those prices aren't coming down anytime soon - and as the credit crisis continues, that means there's a risk that students who max out on federal loans and need extra private aid won't be able to borrow enough to afford expensive colleges.

Tuition Hikes, Not Loan Access, Should Frighten Students

For months, the Wall Street credit crisis has made many families nervous that the widespread availability of student loans will dry up. But no matter how many banks fail, there is no danger that families will be deprived access to federal student loans. None.

More than 100 banks have stopped issuing student loans, but about 2,000 continue to originate federal student loans. The government maintains two "fail-safe" systems. To date, not a single student has been unable to get a federal Stafford Loan. Every family, regardless… more

Michael Dannenberg | USA Today | October 22, 2008

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Higher Ed Initiative Funding

The New America Foundation’s Education Policy program and the Higher Ed Initiative receive generous support from the Foundation for Child Development, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, William & Flora Hewlett Foundation, and the Institute for College Access and Success. Our non-education finance work is financed by New America Foundation general operating funds. The Higher Ed Initiative accepts no funding from student loan banks or institutions of higher education, their shareholders or employees. If, however, you fall outside those groups and would like to make a tax-deductible gift to underwrite our work, we would greatly appreciate and could use your support.

The opinions expressed by the Higher Ed Initiative on student loans and other matters are those of the authors identified on individual pieces or the New America Foundation and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of our sponsors.