Education and Career Advancement
Education is a cornerstone of economic security, and we are committed to breaking down barriers to advancement. We research student parents, career training opportunities through apprenticeships and workforce development, and other policies that reduce student debt and make college more accessible for women, particularly women of color.

Navigating the Thorny Landscape of College Unaffordability
For many low-income college students, the prevailing Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) delays are causing added panic to our ever-growing educational crisis of soaring college costs. For me, the annual FAFSA form was always an unnerving part of my college experience because [...]
Majorities See Education as a Worthwhile Investment and Favor Student Debt Forgiveness in New Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) Poll
Washington, D.C. — Amid the nationwide debate about the value of education and student debt programs, a new IWPR poll, conducted by Morning Consult, shows that more than three in four adults who attended college think their education was a worthwhile investment. The same [...]
Majorities See Education as a Worthwhile Investment and Favor Student Debt Forgiveness in New IWPR Poll
This poll was conducted between October 10–12, 2023, among a sample of 2,207 adults. The interviews were conducted online, and the data were weighted to approximate a target sample of adults based on age, gender, race, educational attainment, region, gender by age, and race [...]
A Call to Cancel Student Debt
While higher education is generally considered to be a driver of upward economic mobility, student debt is one of the biggest hurdles that prevents students from acquiring wealth. People of color experience the burden of student debt more acutely due to historic intergenerational wealth gaps, [...]




