See Thru Edu is a project of the Texas Public Policy Foundation
Thomas K. Lindsay, Ph.D., Editor in Chief and Director, Center for Higher Education, Texas Public Policy Foundation
How did those 60 and older—who thought they’d be looking forward to a hard-earned rest during their retirement years—come to be the fastest-growing age-group for student loans?
College costs have become staggering and continue to rise unabated. SeeThruEdu’s Tom Lindsay and Ron Trowbridge outline areas where costs can be reduced, with commensurate savings to students.
Contrary to some analysts’ claims, struggling colleges that reduce tuition rates are not signing their own death certificate. Rather, they are enhancing their competitiveness, which in turn is reaping benefits for students and parents.
Happy New Year! It’s time to get serious about rising costs and sinking performance at the places young people go to get their minds — or whatever — trained and shaped up. There’s plenty to do before it’s January 1 again.
With an [education savings] account, the state deposits a child’s funds from the state education formula into a private bank account that Melanie and Wade can use to buy educational products and services for their children. Texas lawmakers are considering making these accounts available to state families.
This is an oversight with real consequences. State law requires that all students be encouraged to pursue a costly education and given the tools to pay for it on debt, but it does not require that students are informed of the costs of such a choice.
These findings suggest that thoughtfully designed peer-advising programs are a low-cost, potentially useful way to increase student retention in postsecondary settings.
Hundreds of colleges are offering programs that simply aren’t worth the expense. And while it’s difficult for families to figure out which schools are a good deal, a new report suggests the reality is: depressingly few.
Colleges and universities need to stand back and take a critical look at their admissions practices and ask why getting into their programs is more challenging than excelling in them.
Reflecting on where the country and the college community find themselves, it seems to me that a truly visionary small college could aggressively control costs by developing an academic niche that would be highly attractive to students, provide a benefit to society as a whole, and help to ensure the future of the college itself.
