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"Debt-Free College:" a Meme Is Born

The push for “debt-free college” began only last fall. But, politically, this meme has everything: It’s an earnest response to a genuine policy problem, the rise in student debt loads. It captures the dreams and anxieties of millennial voters and their families. And it touches on the wrenching changes underway in a vital American industry — higher ed. Late last year, a paper from the think tank Demos outlined how more federal support for state universities could allow students, or at least those with modest part-time jobs, to graduate without debt.
In the media
Dante Ramos

Voting Rights Advocates Settle Long-Running Voter Registration Suit

MassHealth, EOHHS, and SOC Agree To Remedy NVRA Compliance Problems

BOSTON, NEW YORK, and WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 17, 2015) – Voting rights advocates and Massachusetts officials announced today that settlements have been reached in a three-year old federal lawsuit regarding the requirement to provide voter registration opportunities to low-income citizens who receive public assistance benefits.

Press release/statement

The Future of Change: Demos at 15 Years

For our 15th anniversary Demos Transforming America Awards and Gala, Demos President Heather McGhee—alo

In the media

New Walmart Ads: an Exercise in Lip Service

Nine dollars an hour, by the way, is still poverty wages. On that wage, if an employee were working 40 hours per week every week of the year they would make just under $19,000 per year -- still below poverty.

In the media
Richard Zombeck

New York Times Writer Who Defaulted on Student Loans Differs From Many Borrowers

Some community-college students don't get support from their families, while others had subpar high-school educations and have to play catch-up right away. In fact, a 2010 study by the public-policy organization Demos found that six out of 10 students entering community colleges have to take remedial courses to compensate for the skills and knowledge they never attained in high school.

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In the media
Abby Jackson

Hillary Clinton Free College Plan, Student Debt Crisis Could Define 2016 Election

Students have turned to loans to keep up with the price hikes. The class of 2015 has the most debt in U.S. history, with each student graduating with an average of $35,051 in loans. The national total recently reached an all-time high of $1.2 trillion.

In the media
Julia Glum

This Is What Hillary Clinton Could Propose to Reduce the Cost of College

Warren has led the charge in promoting college affordability as a major issue in the 2016 presidential race, calling for the elimination of student debt at public colleges. That debt-free college initiative, the brainchild of liberal think tank Demos, has been endorsed by Democratic contenders Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley.

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In the media
Danielle Douglas-Gabriel

For Young Latinos, Student Loans Could Be Hot-Button Issue in 2016 Campaign

While Latinos acquire slightly less student-loan debt than their white counterparts, on average $49,700 as opposed to $54,000, this does not mean that they are in any better position when – or if – they finish school. Many Latinos opt to work through college instead of taking on a large debt burden, Maldonado said, and that leads to a longer amount of time spent in school and a lower chance of actually graduating.

According to statistics from the public policy organization Demos, 31 percent of Latino students drop out of college.

In the media
Andrew O'Reilly

Primates of Times Square: A Case Study

Journalists, wrote Sean McElwee recently in Salon, “write about the things they know and things that interest them and the people who surround them.
In the media
Margaret Sullivan