Thread by @M_Dannenberg1

Tweet storm here pegging off a recent report by @edtrust on systemic racism in #highered. There’s a lot in the report, but particularly shocking is new data on the Black student loan default crisis, yes crisis, that deserves much more discussion. 1/16

edtrust.org/resource/hard-…

@EdTrust Reported in the trade press & examined further by academics & wonks like @EduBenM is a finding first made by @rkelchen that nearly half of Black student loan borrowers default over a 12 year repayment period. Nearly 1/4th of Black bachelor degree holders default. Horrible. 2/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen I've tried to make the case that there's a moral imperative to extend the education reform paradigm to higher ed & suggested a series of policies in furtherance thereof. 3/16

edreformnow.org/blog/moral-imp…

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen But new data compiled by @DrAndrewNichols & @TiffanyJonesPhD showing that 1/3 of Black student loan borrowers COMING FROM HIGH INCOME FAMILIES default is especially shocking. That's SEVEN TIMES THE RATE of White student loan borrowers from high income families. 4/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD What are the sources of the Black student loan crisis? Well, my off-line back & forth with @DrAndrewNichols has me thinking about 10 key causes. I’ll leave it to Drew to agree or disagree with any or all or to expand on the list. 5/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD #1. Underperforming K-12.

High schools are inadequately & inequitably preparing students, especially Black students, even those from high income families, for college-level work. 6/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD #2. Bad college matching / selection.

Too many students are going to shoddy for-profit colleges. Too many qualified to go to four year colleges are going to community colleges where their likelihood of success is 30 percentage points lower as compared to similar students. 7/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD #3. Underperforming "good" colleges.

Some colleges are doing a good job in serving & graduating students, but others like #MichiganState are producing grossly inadequate & inequitable degree completion levels. Someone should tell @LJFamFoundation about #UAkron data below 8/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation #4. "Elite" colleges artificially limit enrollment.

Set aside #affirmativeaction & policies that undermine it. Why doesn't Harvard & the like enroll more students? Why is it year after year, they always seem to enroll only 6-7% Black students? @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias 9/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias #5 & #6. Academic major and occupational choice.

Racial minorities disproportionately major in academic areas & work in occupational fields that are not compensated at nearly the levels they should be (e.g. #nursing, social work, early childhood #education). 10/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias #7. Racial minorities have social networks less connected to high wage jobs.

My grandfather used to tell me, "it’s not what you know, but who you know." I disagreed, resented the statement, and now know it was partially right. 11/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias #8. Discrimination in employment & pay.

H/T to @YoungInvincibles, @TomAllison & @kmugglestone on data indicating minorities essentially need to earn two extra degrees to match the employment outcomes of Whites. 12/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias @tomallison @kmugglestone #9. Less family financial help in times of distress.

Most family wealth rests in housing or the value of housing passed on over generations. Until relatively recently, redlining was legal. GenX is the first generation born after the #FairHousingAct. @ShaunDonovanNYC 13/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias @tomallison @kmugglestone @ShaunDonovanNYC #10. Last but not least, graduate school.

For many minorities, pursuit of a graduate degree & assumption of the heavy indebtedness involved is in part a function of attempting to overcome items 1-9 above.

It's the icing on a bad cake. 14/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias @tomallison @kmugglestone @ShaunDonovanNYC Bottom line: The Black student loan default rate is a crisis of epic proportions that cries out for a comprehensive response leaving no stone unturned. @SenWarren, @JoeBiden, @MikeBloomberg, @BernieSanders, @PattyMurray, @BobbyScott --the country needs you. 15/16

@EdTrust @EduBenM @rkelchen @DrAndrewNichols @TiffanyJonesPhD @LJFamFoundation @DrShaunHarper @mattyglesias @tomallison @kmugglestone @ShaunDonovanNYC @SenWarren @JoeBiden @MikeBloomberg @BernieSanders @PattyMurray @BobbyScott Every #Democrat running for President & working on the #HigherEducation Act reauthorization in Congress should be thinking about how they propose to reduce the Black student loan default rate SIGNIFICANTLY. Because partial steps & short-term measures aren't enough. /End