Category: Education

One of the greatest things the Economic Policy Institute does is publish an annual State of Working America. It aggregates and beautifully presents almost all of the statistical indicators that someone interested in inequality, poverty, labor, and other similar subjects needs. Well, the 2012 edition is out and things look terrible, as expected. I might… Continue reading State of Working America 2012 edition is out

The New York Times ran a long and very good article on poverty. In it, they quote Education Secretary Arne Duncan: “What I fundamentally believe — and what the president believes,” Duncan told me, “is that the only way to end poverty is through education.” This thinking is the biggest enemy of poverty reduction. Poor… Continue reading The biggest enemy of poverty reduction

Having a college degree delivers relative economic advantages. In most cases, job applicants with college degrees will receive more consideration and priority than those without them. Consequently, college degree holders capture more of the limited stock of good jobs than their non-degreed peers, and therefore receive higher compensation. Problematically, many individuals — upon observing that… Continue reading College is not the solution

The Wall Street Journal has an article today about the rising student debt burdens of the well-off. In the article, the WSJ details findings from the newest Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Finances. Among households in the 80th-95th income percentile — the WSJ’s definition of “upper-middle-income households” — 25.6 percent had student loan debt in… Continue reading Student debt disproportionately burdens the well-off

Senator Harkin completed a massive report on the state of for-profit schools in the United States titled For Profit Higher Education: The Failure to Safeguard the Federal Investment and Ensure Student Success. The New York Times and the Washington Post both have coverage. There are so many terrible things going on in for-profit schools that… Continue reading Explosive for-profit school report details horrific exploitation