Barone and Martinez: 3 Ways Governor Phil Murphy Could Clean Up PARCC High School Testing Mess

Governor Phil Murphy announcing yet another PARCC testing proposal at the Golden Nugget Casino “New Jersey’s testing and high school graduation policies are proving increasingly confusing. Over the years, the state has repeatedly changed the role of PARCC and other assessments in awarding high school diplomas. Current high school testing requirements are so complicated that the state

The Current State of Immigration Play

by Janette Martinez Earlier today, the House defeated a bill purported to address DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) and other immigration issues. The vote was 121 to 301. All Democrats and 112 Republicans voted no. What follows is a brief explainer of how we got here and what happens next, in both political and

Immigration Policy Affects College Students, Too

by Janette Martinez  Earlier this week, we highlighted how current immigration crackdowns threaten to undo decades of progress in the Latinx* community, and how those crackdowns are hurting K-12 students. Today, we look at how immigration policy also affects higher education. More Latinx students are enrolling in college than ever before. The gap in college

Four More March Madness Matchups to Watch

By Emily Labandera and Janette Martinez Earlier this week, we brought you five matchups to watch in this year’s March Madness tournament. Today, we bring you three more real March Madness head-to-head matchups (and one hypothetical) based on institutional costs and student outcomes. Check out our matchups based on enrollment, cost, aid, debt, and graduation

Immigration is an Education Issue

by Janette Martinez    Latinxs* are the fastest growing racial group in the United States and make up the largest percentage of non-white school-age children. Latinx students also make up a third of public charter school students. Latinx adults are likely to be immigrants and trail other ethnic groups in education. In 2015, about half

#HereToLearn, #HereToTeach

by Janette Martinez   After the Trump administration rescinded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, we wrote that DACA’s rollback threatened an education and moral crisis, especially for students in higher education by worsening the college dropout rate. But DACA’s rollback also negatively impacts K-12 schools, and it hurts more than just undocumented K-12

DACA Rollback Threatens an Education as well as a Moral Crisis

by: Janette Martinez The Trump administration’s announcement to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (DACA) undeniably will harm students of all ages. Approximately 800,000 current DACA recipients’ lives hang in limbo and an additional 400,000 DACA-eligible youth can no longer apply for DACA protection as a result of the Trump-Sessions announcement today. But

The Damage Caused by State Higher Ed Budget Cuts Extends Beyond Increased Tuition

by Janette Martinez When public flagship universities have to grapple with decreased state financial support, low-income and racial minority students pay the price in a variety of ways. As public universities look for ways to increase revenue in a response to state funding cuts, increasingly they have turned to policies that favor students who can