From the Dispatch

Report: Dropout Rates Across the States

PSN — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 08:38:53 -0700

As President Obama mentioned earlier this year, the United States has "one of the highest high-school dropout rates out of any industrialized nation." Currently only about 7 out of 10 public school students graduate high-school with a diploma.

DREAMing of a Better Tomorrow: In-State Tuition for Undocumented Immigrants

Caroline Fan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 08:43:53 -0700

In contrast to the drumbeat of anti-immigrant attacks in past legislative sessions, this year has seen states across the country proposing in-state college tuition rates for undocumented students, a move mirrored by Congress' proposed DREAM Act, which was re-introduced at the federal level on March 25th.

New PSN Report: The Anti-Immigrant Movement that Failed

Nathan Newman — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 03:28:00 -0700

Today, the Progressive States Network is releasing a new report: The Anti-Immigrant Movement that Failed: Positive Integration Policies by States Still Far Outweigh Punitive Policies Aimed at New Immigrants. The Executive Summary is available online, as well as the full report in PDF and HTML format.

Making College Affordable for All

PSN — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 07:06:00 -0700

The benefits of a post-secondary degree are plentiful. For example, an employee with a four year college degree earns 60 percent more than a worker with only a high school diploma. Paying for college, however, has become a daunting task and strain for many American students and families. The cost of higher education across the country is rapidly increasing, at almost double the rate of inflation, outpacing increases in financial aid and many families ability to pay. The combination of these factors result in too many students being unable to earn or complete their degrees due to financial constraints.

Helping Poor and Working Families Build Financial Assets

PSN — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 05:32:00 -0700

By one estimate, the federal government spent over $367 billion in 2005 aloneon subsidizing Americans' retirement savings and tax breaks to build upother assets like buying a home. Unfortunately, those subsidies gooverwhelmingly to those Americans who already have high-incomes; almostnone of it goes to the poorest Americans who need the most helpbuilding the financial assets that can lead to long-term economicopportunities and security.

The Right-Wing Assault on University Campuses

PSN — Thu, 07 Feb 2008 05:44:00 -0800

Right-wing interests have been mounting a political assault on university professors they do not like, led by the American Council of Trustees and Alumni (ACTA), which is promoting so-called "Intellectual Diversity" (ID) Legislation in various states across the country. The concept was pioneered by right-wing activist David Horowitz (see this profile site for more on Horowitz).

MA to Make Post-High School Education Universal

Adam Thompson — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 04:39:00 -0700

Massachusetts Governor, Deval Patrick, has announced a far-reaching education reform, including free community college and universal pre-K. Although many details have yet to be worked out, the proposed 10-year Readiness Project, would dramatically increase access to public education and aims to put Massachusetts at the forefront of education policy by making sure high school graduates have the option of either free community college or vocational options to strengthen workforce development for all students.

New York Acts to Restrict Improper Influence of Student Loan Companies

PSN — Thu, 19 Apr 2007 08:07:00 -0700

We highlighted the problems of predatory lending industry a few weeks ago and now, problems are coming to light with the student loan industry. In one of the more egregious examples, Student Loan Express, a student loan company that is a unit of CIT Group, Inc, is alleged to have paid more than $21,000 for Johns Hopkins University's director of student financial services to attend graduate school. Coincidentally (or not), Student Loan Express happens to be on the preferred lender list at Johns Hopkins.