With Beth Akers

2 weeks ago | aei.org | With Beth Akers |Preston Cooper |Beth Akers |Howard Husock

With the Department of Education’s latest announcement on resuming student loan collections, a “student loan default cliff” is fast approaching. After years of paused payments and evolving forgiveness policies, millions of borrowers now face a dramatic shift in their financial obligations—and the federal government faces renewed pressure to manage a ballooning loan portfolio. What will this mean for students, taxpayers, and the broader economy?

Aug 28, 2024 | aei.org | With Beth Akers |Kevin Corinth |Yuval Levin |Matt Weidinger

On September 11, AEI’s Scott Winship gathered distinguished experts to launch the new edited volume Doing Right by Kids: Leveraging Social Capital and Innovation to Increase Opportunity, a call to increase opportunity and upward mobility for children from poor families. The first panel focused on the importance of place. Panelists discussed how to contextualize violent crime, trends in geographic inequality, and the need to promote economically diverse neighborhoods through housing reform.

May 3, 2024 | aei.org | With Beth Akers |Michael Brickman |Beth Akers |Colin Dueck

Implementing the legislatively approved, simplified Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) has been disastrous for many families and institutions. While the Biden administration has pursued other goals on higher education—namely, loan forgiveness—FAFSA’s launch was three months late, the portal had glitches, call lines were long, and students and families were left in the dark about what grant and loan packages they were eligible for.

Apr 18, 2024 | aei.org | Katherine Knott |With Beth Akers |Beth Akers |Frederick M. Hess

The federal government has played a large role in student lending for over half a century, and it is now responsible for over 90 percent of outstanding student loans. As the Biden administration once again pursues student loan forgiveness, there’s rising sentiment on both sides of the aisle that the system desperately needs reform.

Sep 8, 2023 | aei.org | With Beth Akers |Beth Akers |Yuval Levin |Leon Aron

On October 17, AEI’s Beth Akers hosted economists, policy experts, and practitioners at AEI to discuss the prospect of holding institutions of higher learning accountable for the economic outcomes of their graduates.