A critical juncture

PEN Newsblast

A new report from the American Dream 2.0 Coalition argues that unless our nation ushers more citizens through college graduation, society will divide into post-secondary haves and have-nots and the economy will founder. Federal aid programs are a common-sense part of the solution. The same investment that gets students into college can be put toward helping them finish. The report therefore calls for policies that focus federal resources on the neediest students; innovate and evaluate new strategies to make quality education affordable and better suited for today's students, including increasing numbers of adult matriculants; simplify aid and present students and parents with a transparent picture of college costs, repayment obligations, and career and earnings prospects; and hold institutions, states, and students accountable for completion. As a nation, we have no time to waste: By 2018, the United States will need 22 million more credentials to fill good jobs--but will fall short by three million. "The moral imperative is huge, because we have failed too many people in early childhood and K-12 education," says Dr. Michael McPherson, president of the Spencer Foundation and chair of the coalition. "We cannot abandon them now. For most, a postsecondary credential is their only way to success." More