Today, approximately 43 million Americans hold a federal student loan. When these borrowers fall behind on payments, they become delinquent on their loans; once the loans reach 270 days past due, borrowers are in default. As of March 2021, roughly 1 in 5 borrowers was in default, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. Failing to…

Employment is foundational to young people's successful transition into adulthood, yet many youth with lived experience in the foster care system struggle to obtain employment that provides a living wage. Youth with foster care experience typically do not have the same contacts and connections to employment opportunities as youth who have not been…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a growing field of research over the past two decades because students need to be psychologically stable and academically strong. While academic success is important, the SEL of students is vital to their performance. The setting for this quantitative descriptive study was a recognized rural Head…

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has become a growing field of research over the past two decades because students need to be psychologically stable and academically strong. While academic success is important, the SEL of students is vital to their performance. The setting for this quantitative descriptive study was a recognized rural Head…

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions and lived experiences of some low-income and first-generation students of color who participated in and graduated from the UB program. This qualitative study utilized the narrative inquiry research method to understand the lived experiences of seven former Upward Bound students. Program…

Students increasingly borrow money to attend postsecondary education. Yet, little attention in the literature has been paid to the repayment of student loans, aside from failure indicators like default. This study examines a nationally representative sample of bachelor's degree recipients and the time it takes to reach different repayment…

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) play an important and unique role in the higher education system. For example, more than one-third of African-Americans who received a doctorate in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics in 2016 obtained their undergraduate degrees from an HBCU, and many also received their doctorates…

Postsecondary education is often out of reach for students with low incomes, many of whom receive little or no financial support from their family for school and who have significant unmet need, even after financial aid. Students of color (approximately 40 percent of all college students) face additional systemic barriers that hinder access and…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the longitudinal, bidirectional relations between receptive and expressive Spanish and English language and internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in a sample of 97 preschool children from Spanish-speaking, homes who were enrolled in a U.S. Head Start program. Eight cross-lagged path…

As a result of patchwork policies, early childhood education (ECE) providers combine funding from multiple sources, known as blended funding. However, little is known about the consequences of blended funding for policy goals. We use national ECE provider data to identify the prevalence of blended funding models, and detailed state quality rating…

Drawing provides opportunities for children to communicate their thoughts even when they do not have the vocabulary or the English proficiency to fully explain their ideas. This practical guide presents foundational information on the role of drawing in vocabulary development. The authors describe a research-based intervention designed to support…

This article compares state expenditure data to see how the operating budgets of public community colleges specifically, and public higher education institutions generally, have fared over the past 30 years. Data from the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO) have long tracked major state expenditure categories, including the…

In July 2025, the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NASFAA) conducted a second national survey of financial aid administrators to assess how the March 2025 reduction in force (RIF) at the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and Office of Federal Student Aid (FSA)--along with broader efforts to dismantle ED--are continuing…

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' (NASFAA's) National Student Aid Profile is an annual publication designed to give a high-level overview of the federal student financial aid programs that provide funding to millions of students each year. This profile includes an overview of: (1) The Federal Pell Grant Program; (2) The…

National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators' (NASFAA's) National Student Aid Profile is an annual publication designed to give a high-level overview of the federal student financial aid programs that provide funding to millions of students each year. This profile includes an overview of: (1) The Federal Pell Grant Program; (2) The…