Several elements in today's news caught my eye. Here are things worth watching more closely...
... A Tennessee bill that would link Temporary Aid to Needy Families to poor children's school performance. Senate Bill 132, which appears to have legs, would cut up to 30% of a family's cash assistance if a child in the family failed to meet satisfactory academic progress in school. This approach is consistent with a policy trend towards individualizing societal problems and blaming victimless children and their families for collective failures to protect "we" the people.
...Trends in student fees. While most of the country is tracking rising tuition, how many people realize that institutions can fairly easily raise revenue while escaping scrutiny by leaning on fees? What are the links between rising student fees and efforts by colleges and universities to "pay for the party" that they think upper-class students demand?
...Year Up. According to a new report from the UW-Madison Institute for Research on Poverty, an evaluation this popular program is producing some evidence of success, though not with regard to college outcomes. Since it's visibly implemented on campuses including Miami Dade College, I'm eager to see the longer-run evaluation findings and whether these findings are used in considering further program development.
