Is College Affordability The New Black?

In The News

December 3, 2008

Reading Tamar Lewin’s piece in the NY Times this morning made me antsy. My oldest son just handed in his NYC high school application packet yesterday, which means we have only four years to figure out how in God’s name we’re going to pay for his college education. (And his brother is right behind him.)

So I totally get the push right now to deal with the college affordability issue.

I worry what happens, though, when this issue starts to edge out college readiness as the focus of our national education push.

The higher ed lobby is doing a great job getting people to understand the economics here. It would be nice if professors would start piping up about the quality of the students they are getting, and that for too many of our nation’s students, affordability isn’t what is standing between them and a successful college career. We’ve got a LONG way to go.