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DEBT WITHOUT DEGREE: The human cost of college debt that becomes “purgatory”

The Hechinger Report

Students who withdraw are also much more likely to default on their loans; dropouts make up two-thirds of defaults nationwide. The number of dropouts with federal loans at these institutions has grown from 35,443 in 2007-09 to more than 56,600 in 2013-15. In that time the median student debt at most schools more than doubled.

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What if we hired for skills, not degrees?

The Hechinger Report

One day, a friend forwarded an email about Resilient Coders, a boot camp that trains people of color for web development and software engineering jobs. They cited research showing that the proportion of job listings requiring a four-year degree increased by more than 10 percentage points from 2007 to 2010. . Closing the gap.

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School counselors keep kids on track. Why are they first to be cut?

The Hechinger Report

Aimed at curbing dropouts, improving graduation rates and sending more kids to college and other postsecondary programs, the corps is designed to offset a growing achievement gap in this relatively affluent but increasingly diverse state. “When there’s a budget cut, counselors are the first to go.”.

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