For many community college students, the path to a degree might be compared to a shapeless river: unending, with no current pushing them forward. Confronted with a vast array of options, students get lost, failing to take classes that build toward a clear goal. Many students wind up dropping out.

One of the most popular attempts to give this shapeless river some form has been a set of shifts for schools called Guided Pathways. A new report examines the progress of these practices in three states and what helps and hinders their adoption at scale.

Illustration: Cha Pornea

With the sticker price for a four-year degree high and rising, as well as the burden of student loan debt, it's reasonable for young parents to wonder: Are we saving enough? Should we be doing something differently?

Ron Lieber, an author and columnist for The New York Times, weighs in on saving for college, state-managed 529 plans, federal parent PLUS loans, and much more in this interview.

The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly is blocking pay raises for University of Wisconsin employees unless the university cuts diversity, equity, and inclusion spending by $32 million—a move that comes amid the Democratic governor’s calls for lawmakers to spend even more on higher education.

The fight in Wisconsin reflects a broader cultural battle playing out across the nation over college diversity initiatives.