Notes in the Margins: Federal profits, loan data and a takeover of schools

Colleges could take over schools in N.Y. city Plan is effort to save some of city's most struggling schools. (USA Today)

Student Loan Data Gap Hinders Government Understanding Of Risks To Economy For example, officials are unable to determine the number of borrowers delinquent on their obligations, or the share of distressed borrowers in repayment plans that are based on their monthly incomes. (The Huffington Post)

A Computer Academy in France Defies Conventional Wisdom Internet mogul Xavier Niel believes his new college, called 42, will produce graduates who are more employable, but some educators criticize its nontraditional methods. (The New York Times)

Will the price of U.S. college tuition fall with enrollment? In classical economics, lower demand typically triggers lower prices, at least until unprofitable companies merge or go out of business and shrink supply. It does not necessarily work that way, though, in the world of higher education. (Reuters via NAICU)

Federal Student Loan Profits Help Duncan Cut Education Spending To Lowest Level Since 2001 In a sign of just how important student loan profits have become for the Education Department’s bottom line, its reported gains off lending to students and their families over the last year comprised nearly half of the agency’s total outlays, the biggest share since at least 1997. (The Huffington Post)

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