When state budgets are tight, Pell Grants can indirectly give states more financial flexibility to support the success of innovative state and local ideas. Conversely, cuts to Pell, or the failure to maintain current provisions such as tying the value of it to inflation, can have lasting negative impacts on the success of state postsecondary…

After a number of years of enrollment growth at the nation's community colleges, total headcount enrollments leveled off in fall 2011 from the previous year. A collaborative analysis of the American Association of Community Colleges and the National Student Clearinghouse shows an enrollment decrease of almost 1% from fall 2010 to 2011. Despite…

Almost a year after assuming leadership, the administration of Barack Obama has taken on enormous tasks in confronting the recession that has gripped the U.S. economy. Americans have watched tentatively as the president has extended federal powers into handling corporate bailouts, overseeing the rehabilitation of banks and General Motors, laying…

Stateline.org recently called this recession the worst in 50 years for state budgets. As has been the case in past economic downturns, higher education looks to be particularly hard hit. Funds from the American Recovery and Relief Act may have postponed some of the difficulty for many colleges and universities, but the outlook for public higher…

Insufficient funding for college work-study programs, increased student loan defaults, unanticipated deficits in the federal Pell Grant program, and the climate of recession are creating serious problems for student financial aid. Some fear enrollments will be affected and federal programs will be further reduced. (MSE)