Student debt fears lower the bar for low income students
BY JODIE ADAMS KIRSHNER, OPINION CONTRIBUTOR — 03/01/21 10:01 AM EST
As the pandemic stretches on, President Biden has come under pressure from Democrats to cancel student debt in amounts larger than he has supported. They argue the move would narrow the racial wealth gap and help lead an economic recovery and they have demanded immediate executive action.
Biden has promised to address student debt but spoken in terms of only $10,000 in relief. This month, Senators Charles Schumer, Elizabeth Warren and others called for $50,000 of debt to be forgiven for any American, regardless of income level, raising the ante against prior Senate and House resolutions that called for smaller amounts of relief.
With the political rhetoric so charged and a major policy decision potentially looming, I decided to look closely into the issue of how college debt affects low-income students in higher education and their families. Over the last year and a half, after talking with many in different parts of the country, I observed first-hand the crumbling of the national promise to provide equal access to higher education and educational opportunity to all.
… [read more at https://thehill.com/opinion/education/540965-student-debt-fears-lower-the-bar-for-low-income-students]