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May 28, 2025

The Challenge: A Complex and Inefficient Student Loan System

OP_Akers_The-Challenge-A-Complex-and-Inefficient-Student-Loan-System-1Download…

May 14, 2025

Graduation in the Time of COVID: The Weakened Relationship with Chronic Absenteeism

…to over 100,000 fewer graduates—if not for its weakened relationship with absenteeism. Educators and policymakers must purposefully contend with whether emergency pandemic policy changes have enduring effects on students and…

May 12, 2025

To Improve Student Outcomes, Focus On Classroom Practice, Not Policy

…by my recent Marquette Today piece, the event—hosted in collaboration with the College of Education—brought together educators, researchers, and policymakers to discuss how improving classroom practice is the linchpin of meaningful…

May 7, 2025

Republicans Unveil Plan to Rein in Student Debt and Waste in Higher Education

In a significant development for higher education policy, House Republicans have unveiled a sweeping proposal to reform student loans and financial aid through the federal budget reconciliation process. This effort, which complements…

May 5, 2025

What’s in House Republicans’ Student Loan Overhaul

…where lawmakers have proposed their own set of student loan reforms that differ on some points. However, the policies in the House package stand a better chance of becoming law than any…

April 24, 2025

It’s About Time: Bring Back Those Student Loan Collections 

This week, the Department of Education announced that on May 5 it will begin collecting on defaulted student loans. This will be the first time since March 2020 that borrowers who have…

April 17, 2025

Turn Public Service Loan Forgiveness into a State Block Grant

As Congress negotiates a bill to overhaul the federal budget, lawmakers looking to save money should note $30 billion in potential savings hiding in plain sight. The Public Service Loan…

March 25, 2025

Reimagining Federal Education R&D: IES, Workforce Skills, and State Leadership

…countries that participate in the study (over 30 in PIAAC). This produces a diffuse survey covering far too many aspects of skills than are needed by US policy makers. An…

March 21, 2025

Increasing Financial Aid Isn’t the Solution to High College Costs

…federal Pell Grant, which advocates claim has lost its “purchasing power” over time. This narrative is misleading. In fact, policymakers have made financial aid programs such as Pell Grants far…

March 18, 2025

Rebuilding Higher Education Finance: Reform Through Reconciliation

…Council Moderator: Beth Akers, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute 4:45 p.m. Q&A 5:00 p.m. Adjournment Related Content A Conservative Vision for Higher Education Reform Beth Akers | American Enterprise Institute…