Higher education has a serious perception problem, thanks partly to misinformation and the false "woke" narrative.

There’s an opportunity now to build bridges—despite the many signs of increased polarization. Among the reform efforts needed in higher education, we must reimagine the sector's role in preparing people for active, informed citizenship, writes Lumina Foundation's Jamie Merisotis in his latest column for Forbes.

Much of the attention on the troubled Free Application for Federal Student Aid rollout has focused on improving completion rates and communication with first-year applicants and their families. 

But current college students are struggling with the same issues, and many feel abandoned in the scramble to help new applicants.

With an eye toward purchasing her first home, Alexandra Pimentel was religiously checking her credit report. Everything seemed in order until she noticed a glaring discrepancy with her student loans. Instead of listing the $45,000 she owes, the report showed double the amount.

She's not alone. A problem with the transfer of student loan accounts is creating duplicate balances on credit reports, an error that can lower credit scores for millions of borrowers.