Teaching young people — and their parents — how to better save and spend their money is a critical component to increasing college-going rates in the U.S., warned a panel of experts who spoke this week at the National Association of State Treasurers meeting in Salt Lake City. According to panelist Margaret Clancy, director of the College Savings Initiative at Washington University’s Center for Social Development, it is not enough anymore for K – 12 students...

Anthony Rosado was in the National Honor Society when he graduated from the Rochester City School District. Now a freshman at Monroe Community College, Rosado, a young Latino male, says he knows he’s bucking the odds. “I was seeing others around me – my friends – and they made some bad decisions,” he says. “Most of them aren’t here today. I learned from that.” Rosado, who is planning a career in broadcasting,...

New Yorkers are facing higher taxes and fees and more and more cuts to critical services thanks to a looming $9.2 billion budget deficit. At a time when New Yorkers are already feeling the financial strain of the grim budget crisis — from their pocketbooks to their children’s classrooms — the legislature has been given a rare opportunity to help relieve the pressure by passing legislation that would allow New York to receive $700 million in new,...

A report produced by Citizen Action of New York indicates that spending cuts included in the governor’s budget proposal would increase racial and ethnic disparities in New York. The report, called Race Matters Impact of the 2010-2011 Executive Budget Proposals, seeks to show how cuts to state programs would fall disproportionately on ethnic and racial minorities. It also proposes possible solutions to fill the budget gap. Bob Cohen, policy director for the...

Amid debates about encouraging all Americans to get at least some postsecondary education, a potential downside has been identified. Social scientists have long speculated that those who aspire to a college degree but fail to attain one will suffer psychologically as a result of reaching too high for dreams they couldn’t realize. But new research suggests otherwise, and may reinforce the views of those who (like President Obama) say that aiming high is always...

ALBANY, NY (01/20/2010)– which represents 26 accredited, degree-granting colleges throughout New York, urged the Legislature to reject the governor’s proposed cuts to the state’s vital Tuition Assistance Program. Governor Paterson on Tuesday released his proposed 2010-11 Executive Budget, which included proposals to reduce all TAP awards by $75 and cut the maximum TAP award for all students in two-year degree programs from $5,000 to $4,000. Where...

President Barack Obama, speaking at Macomb Community College in Warren, Mich., in July, proposed a multibillion-dollar investment in the nation’s community colleges. 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...