More than 19K Michigan residents apply for tuition-free community college in first 24 hours
mLive
On Tuesday afternoon, Michigan officials launched a program aimed at helping people over 25 without college degrees pay for community college or skilled trades training. As of 1 p.m. Wednesday, more than 19,000 people have already applied for community college tuition assistance.
House removes Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene from her committee assignments
NPR
The House on Thursday voted to strip Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) of her assignments on the Budget Committee and the Education and Labor Committee.
Commentary: If free college is the goal, start with community college
Politico
Events this year in Michigan show that the best political strategy is to first make community colleges tuition-free.
White House signals willingness to consider executive action on student debt cancellation
Washington Post
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday the Biden administration is looking into whether it can use executive authority to cancel some portion of the $1.6 trillion in federal student loans owed by 43 million Americans.
Black and Latino enrollment plummets at Massachusetts community colleges
Boston Globe (subscription required)
Massachusetts community colleges saw enrollment of first-year Black and Latino students decline by one-third this past fall, a stunning drop that underscores the upheaval and economic distress the pandemic has caused in communities of color.
Commentary: These are the students free community college programs help the most
The Conversation
An analysis of 33 college promise programs found that they increased the number of first-time, full-time Black, Latino and White students, but did not affect enrollment numbers for Asian and Pacific Islander students. The largest effects were seen among Black and Latina women, with enrollment gains of about 50% for each group.
