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Browsing by Author "Garcia, Rosa M."

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    Debt-Free College: Principles for Prioritizing Low-Income Students
    Garcia, Rosa M. (Center for Law and Social Policy - CLASP, 2019-02-01)
    Since the recession of 2008, skyrocketing college costs and state disinvestment in postsecondary education have forced millions of students to take on significant student loan debt. This $1.5 trillion of debt has made it more difficult for student borrowers to pursue additional schooling, purchase a home, start a family, or save for retirement—leading to greater wealth inequality, particularly in communities of color. This report identifies key principles and recommendations for federal and state policymakers to ensure that low-income students, students of color, and undocumented immigrant students can access and complete a postsecondary credential without incurring debt. These principles are based on CLASP’s expertise and policy research focused on today’s low-income students—youth and adults who face enormous challenges in accessing affordable postsecondary pathways that support their success in school and beyond.
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    Developing State Policy that Supports Low-income, Working Students
    Duke-Benfield, Amy E.; Garcia, Rosa M.; Walizer, Lauren; Welton, Carrie (CLASP, 2018-09-01)
    Students and state policymakers clearly understand how important postsecondary education is to financial wellbeing and state economic productivity. Those with associate or bachelor’s degrees earn 31 percent and 77 percent more, respectively, than people with a high school diploma. And college graduates are less likely to be unemployed. This report lays out an action framework that the higher education leaders, nonprofit advocates, state policymakers, and postsecondary students we gathered during an April 2018 roundtable agree are needed to support the educational success of low-income working students, particularly students of color. It also examines how states must expand their policies beyond the traditional postsecondary landscape to acknowledge the complexity of these students’ lives.