HIGHER EDUCATION BUBBLE UPDATE: Marco Rubio Goes To Bat For Higher Ed Reform.
His interest in the subject actually dates back to at least two years ago, when he co-sponsored (with Democratic Senator Ron Wyden) the Student’s Right to Know Before You Go Act. The bill aims to make data on graduation rates, transfer rates, average graduate salary, and future employment for every college program publicly available to policymakers, parents, and students. Versions of the bill have been kicking around Washington since 2012, but Rubio has renewed his push for the bill in recent months, joining with his co-sponsor last week to stump for the bill in an op-ed at Inside Higher Ed. . . .
This week Rubio devoted time to the proposal in one of his biggest policy speeches of the year. He mentioned a few other reform proposals as well, including a plan to allow investors to pay students’ tuition for a cut of future earnings and a measure to increase the use of income-based repayment plans for college loans.
As Marco Rubio and other fellow Republicans like Mike Lee begin to stake out positions on higher ed reform, their colleagues across the aisle may begin to follow suit.
It’s a winning issue if handled well. So is K-12 reform. So study up.