Wayne Taliaferro

Education and training after high school, long known to be a vehicle for economic mobility, will play a pivotal role in our recovery, but only if that promise is just as true for communities of color. Systematically, however, that has not been the case for Black, Hispanic, Latino, and Native America

The last recession consumed the modest wealth of Black and Hispanic communities, further deepening racial wealth divides and burdening college students from these communities with higher loan debt. Today, the United States is experiencing another severe economic downturn, with record-high unemployme

In an interview with Janette Martinez, a senior policy and research analyst at Excelencia in Education, I discussed the importance of Hispanic voices in policy dialogues about affordability and student borrowing.

In an interview with Dominique Baker, assistant professor of education policy, Simmons School of Education & Human Development, Southern Methodist University, I discussed the importance of Black voices in policy dialogues about affordability and student borrowing. Read more on Lumina’s “Borrower

The federal stimulus plan directs $6.28 billion in emergency aid to college students. The relief fund has drawn support for its novelty as well as criticism amid its restrictions and rollout.  But what it does include is an additional avenue of support for a group that is often overlooked in higher

Nearly half a million adults in the Los Angeles area have completed some college but didn’t finish their degrees, according to the U.S. Census. Nationally, the figure is about 35 million Americans, or roughly 20 percent of the population between 25 and 64. Responsibilities at work and at home can

In a town marked by partisan gridlock, criminal justice reform conversations in Washington have surprisingly moved beyond those frequent stalemates. Yes, challenges and disagreements endure, but access to higher education for people in prison has gained new levels of attention and support. The boost

April is National Second Chance Month, a month dedicated to centering the voices, experiences, and promise of people affected by the criminal justice system. It’s a time to unify around the principles of justice, fairness, and redemption.

Since 1994, when the Violent Crimes Act banned incarcerated people from receiving federal financial aid, millions of Americans have cycled through prisons, only a fraction able to obtain high-quality higher education.

This week, the U.S. Department of Education began negotiating regulations that govern higher education. We at Lumina Foundation care deeply about this process and its results.