Hi all!
In these tumultuous times for higher education, it’s heartening to hear of states that want college graduates so much they will help pay off their loans, as long as the graduates stay and work for a certain amount of time. Vermont and Maine in rural New England, along with other states that have aging populations and worker shortages, are offering incentives of as much as $100,000 toward paying off student loan debts of college graduates to stay, said our story by Jon Marcus, in partnership with Vermont Public Radio.
Arkansas is in the game as well, Olivia Sanchez reports, by making a bachelor’s degree free for families making less than $100,000 a year.
Another state, California, is struggling – but having some success – in helping foster students fulfill their college dreams by providing stable housing, our story with the Los Angeles Times found. And on the K-12 front, Proof Points columnist Jill Barshay explains some of the confusion around the growth of school staffs at a time of declining enrollment.
On a personal note, I’d love to hear what readers think about many of the new alternatives to public education springing up throughout the country, a topic I heard a great deal about at the Harvard Kennedy School conference I wrote about last week. More states are offering financial help for these new options, but questions remain about both their viability and the impact they will have on the nation’s public schools, which still enroll the majority of our students.
I always love to hear from our readers, but I also hope you will share our stories with friends and colleagues, and urge them to become members and support our journalism. The in-depth, nuanced reporting we provide sheds light on some of the most urgent problems and solutions in education, and we need your help. Thanks in advance.
Liz Willen, Editor
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Main Idea