| | | | |  | | By Bianca Quilantan | Presented by Sallie Mae® | SADDLED WITH INTERGENERATIONAL DEBT — It's common knowledge that many students take on loans each year to go to college with the hopes of boosting their earning potential. Lesser known is that so, too, are their parents — and they're not reaping the benefits. Parents who have taken out loans through the Parent PLUS Loan program are taking on "one of the riskiest federal student loan options," according to an analysis from The Century Foundation. And though more than 3.7 million families owe more than $104 billion in federal student loans, they have largely been left on the sidelines of discussions on sweeping debt cancellation. — Ten years after parents start repayments, 55 percent of the principal remains unpaid, said Peter Granville, author of the report and TCF senior policy associate, in an interview. "Many borrowers are just treading water to cover the interest month to month and, if possible, pay down the principal, he said. "If you look 20 years out, even then, still 38 percent of that principal remains unpaid. "If you just do the math, that means for a lot of parents; they're spending more time paying off those loans than the time they spent with their child at home raising them before they went to college," he said.
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President Joe Biden is looking to finalize his federal student loan forgiveness plans. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images | — Why have they been left out? Granville said it might be because of a lack of data. "Researchers have kind of been feeling around mostly in the dark when it comes to Parent PLUS because there's very little data on these parents themselves," he said, adding that there is "much less known about actual parents and their outcomes when it comes to taking on these loans." — Granville's report is based on new data released last year in the College Scorecard system that included new data on repayment, including for Parent PLUS. It's the first deep dive into the data, and the report's release comes as President Joe Biden is looking to finalize his federal student loan forgiveness plans. The report highlights the importance of extending any relief to parents with PLUS loans. IT'S MONDAY, JUNE 6. WELCOME TO WEEKLY EDUCATION. HAVE WE MET YET? Let's grab coffee. Ping me at bquilantan@politico.com to chat. Send tips to my colleagues Juan Perez Jr. at jperez@politico.com and Michael Stratford at mstratford@politico.com. And follow us on Twitter: @Morning_Edu and @POLITICOPro. NOTABLE — Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas is traveling to Uvalde, Texas, today to meet with "the workforce, as well as local officials."
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| | | WHO STANDS UP FOR PARENTS? — Last year, dozens of civil rights groups demanded in a letter that parents and other types of loans be included in any sweeping debt forgiveness plan. They called on the Biden administration to cancel $50,000 in student loans per borrower. The Education Trust, which signed on to the letter, is working on further reports on the Parent PLUS programs and supports recommendations in the TCF report, according to Brittani Williams, who leads the group's student loan debt work. — Racial disparities are highly prevalent in the program, Williams said. "Particularly for low-income families, and Black and Latino families as well, parents are disproportionately taking out Parent PLUS loans," she added. "Because of that heavy use and the terms that are set up, it can be deemed as unfavorable … and the conditions really exacerbate the racial wealth gap." — Especially for Black and Latino families, Williams said , the notion "that a college degree equates to upward mobility or upward economic status" still holds true, which means they take on the loans with the belief that it will pay off. "Sometimes, the truth is that that mobility just is not there due to the burden of debt," she said. "That's why Ed Trust is calling for cancellation." — Other issues that need to be fixed: Parents are excluded from key relief options, including income-driven repayment and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness waiver, according to Persis Yu, Student Borrower Protection Center policy director. "They've been cut out of so many different relief programs thus far," Yu said. "But from the advocacy perspective, it's critical that they be included, whether or not we're talking about widespread debt cancellation." — "It is so overwhelming that now it requires intergenerational debt in order to afford college," Yu said. "It does put a big burden on the families who don't have the wealth … and unlike the debt for the student — at least in theory — this debt is not going to be contributing to the parents' increase in earning potential. And we know that that's not necessarily true for a lot of students either."
| | A message from Sallie Mae®: Responsible student lending means setting students up for long-term financial success. That's why Sallie Mae, an education solutions provider, offers students the easy option to start repaying their private loans while still in school. More than half of Sallie Mae customers choose to do just that, saving them money while developing smart financial habits early. | | | | | | EXCLUSIVE: GROUPS URGE CARDONA TO ADOPT A WHOLE-CHILD STRATEGY FOR PANDEMIC RECOVERY — The Science of Learning and Development Alliance, along with 50 education and youth development organizations, is sending a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona that outlines a recommended path to Covid-19 recovery. — The public letter , "Charting a path to Covid recovery for all young people," explains "how accelerating Covid recovery requires a focus on the whole child." The groups call for three initial, immediate actions: — First: The groups say the Education Department and education providers should commit to "adopting a shared mindset" that it will take several years to recover. Recovery requires "sequenced, comprehensive, targeted and flexible approach to supporting young people's academic, social, emotional, and health needs." — Second: Educators and state and local leaders need "the best information we have from existing evidence and continuously improve that information over time." The groups ask for consistent "actionable, evidence-based guidance" for educators. — Third: The groups say that redesigning and aligning schools and other learning environments is crucial.
| | | | A message from Sallie Mae®:   | | | | | EDUCATION AND THE MIDTERMS | | 'TROUBLEMAKING' MOMS — Today, thousands of suburban women are slated to attend the National Troublemaker Training , led by Red Wine & Blue, a Democratic-leaning group that has trained and connected nearly half a million suburban women. They train women and moms in how to mobilize and organize their friends to "fight extremism — from book bans to government-mandated pregnancy to gun violence — and hold extreme politicians accountable in November." — The training is also part of the group's Great Troublemaker Turnout, a new organizing campaign to urge women to "do more than vote in the 2022 midterms," according to a press release. Moms Rising and local parent organizations will also participate in the launch event. — Democratic Michigan State Sen. Mallory McMorrow is expected to be part of the training alongside suburban moms from North Carolina, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Red, Wine & Blue founder Katie Paris will also share announcements about the program and target states. Watch the training at 8 p.m.
| | | | DON'T MISS DIGITAL FUTURE DAILY - OUR TECHNOLOGY NEWSLETTER, RE-IMAGINED: Technology is always evolving, and our new tech-obsessed newsletter is too! Digital Future Daily unlocks the most important stories determining the future of technology, from Washington to Silicon Valley and innovation power centers around the world. Readers get an in-depth look at how the next wave of tech will reshape civic and political life, including activism, fundraising, lobbying and legislating. Go inside the minds of the biggest tech players, policymakers and regulators to learn how their decisions affect our lives. Don't miss out, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | PARENTS SUE SCHOOL FOR CONCEALING STUDENTS' PRONOUNS — Alliance Defending Freedom, on behalf of a group of parents and teachers, is suing the Harrisonburg City Public School Board for its policy that requires staff to use pronouns a student identifies with but forbids staff from sharing them with parents. — ADF, in a press release, accused the school board of "usurping parents' right to direct the upbringing of their children and forcing school staff to violate their religious beliefs by affirming the board's view on gender identity." It also said the policy instructs "staff to mislead and deceive parents." — The lawsuit, A.D.F. v. Harrisonburg City Public School Board, was filed in the Rockingham County Circuit Court after sending a letter in January about the district's Gender Transition Action Plans, which clarify that students' families should be involved only where it is deemed "appropriate," ADF said. — "Parents — not public schools or government officials — have the fundamental right to direct the upbringing, care, and education of their children," said ADF senior counsel Ryan Bangert. "Teachers and staff cannot willfully hide kids' mental health information from their parents, especially as some of the decisions children are making at school have potentially life-altering ramifications."
| | A message from Sallie Mae®: What does responsible private student lending look like in action? At Sallie Mae, it means helping students reduce their overall student loan debt by giving them the easy option to start repaying their loans while still in school. We show them that even a small monthly payment can end up saving them money in the long run. And more than 50% of our customers choose to make in school payments, not only reducing their total debt but also building credit and developing smart financial habits early. That's why Sallie Mae makes sense. | | | | | | — Looking to boost Native American education while preserving tribal culture, federal education representatives visit North Idaho as $1 million grant rolls out: The Spokesman-Review — A fake online university pretending to be UNO is scamming potential students thousands of dollars: NOLA.com — Growth of women's sports: A timeline of Title IX: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette — Iowa's public universities eye expanding online education: The Gazette — Opinion: What happened to P.E.? It's losing ground in our push for academic improvement: The Washington Post | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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