Divorced and paying her ex’s student loans

More than 14,000 people consolidated their loans with a spouse through a short-lived program. But those who got divorced could be stuck with the debt. [View this email online]( [NPR Education]( February 13, 2022 This week, we looked at new research on preschools, states dropping mask mandates, and Dolly Parton. --------------------------------------------------------------- Katie Hayes Luke for NPR Happy Sunday, Sequoia here. This week, I spoke to a woman named Angela Powell – she met her "prince" during her freshman year of college. She had dreams of a happy marriage, a successful career and a couple of great kids. After graduation, she got married and started on the other two, attending business school while her husband got his law degree, before the two settled down to start a family in Arizona. Around that time, they decided to consolidate their loans under a new Department of Education program for married couples. The perks were high — a lower interest rate for their debt and only one payment to worry about per month. "I didn't think it was a big deal because we're going to pay all this off. We're going to be married forever, right?" Powell said. "Fast-forward to the housing market crisis in 2009/2010. Not a happy marriage anymore. Everybody loses their jobs." After the divorce, Powell's relationship with her ex soured. Documents reviewed by NPR show he has not made regular payments to the loan since 2016. That's despite the fact he'd originally taken out almost double her debt. Through consolidation, they are now on the hook together for nearly $200,000 — more than five times the amount of Powell's initial loan. "I'm stuck with having this thing on my back," says Powell, "and knowing that at the end of the day, if he chooses not to pay, guess what? My monthly payment is $1,942.50." More than 14,000 borrowers participated in the short-lived program, which Congress shuttered in 2006. For those borrowers, there is no way to disentangle the debts – even in cases of divorce or domestic violence. So what is being done to remedy this? I wrote about what Congress is doing to fix this program. You can read more about it by clicking below. [Read More]( Now, let’s get into some news … A top researcher says it's time to rethink our entire approach to preschool. Researchers at Vanderbilt University followed two groups of children all the way through sixth grade. At the end of their first year, the kids who went to pre-K scored higher on school readiness — as expected. But after third grade, they were doing worse than the control group. And at the end of sixth grade, they were doing even worse. They had lower test scores, were more likely to be in special education, and were more likely to get into trouble in school, including serious trouble like suspensions. So why did a statewide public pre-K program, taught by licensed teachers, housed in public schools, have a measurable and statistically significant negative effect on the children in this study? [Read about it here](. — [Anya Kamenetz]( Correspondent, NPR Ed --------------------------------------------------------------- Newsletter continues after sponsor message --------------------------------------------------------------- States announce they're dropping mask mandates for schools. Oregon announced plans to lift its statewide mask mandate for schools, following announcements this week from New Jersey, California, Connecticut and Delaware. The loosening guidelines are signs that states are changing how they manage the COVID-19 pandemic as cases from the omicron surge continue to subside. [Read more here]( — Joe Hernandez and Jonathan Franklin, NPR Newsdesk So called 'Don't Say Gay' bill would limit discussion of sexuality and gender in Florida schools. The proposed legislation in Florida would restrict how teachers can discuss sexuality and gender in the classroom, the latest effort by Republican lawmakers to remove the teaching of LGBTQ issues from schools. Supporters say the measure empowers parents who deserve to have a say in what their children learn, but critics argue that it will strip protections from LGBTQ kids and have a chilling effect on educators. [Read more here](. — Joe Hernandez, NPR Newsdesk And before you go, the latest Dolly Parton news… People who work at Dollywood will soon be eligible for free tuition. Dollywood employees will soon be eligible for free tuition, books and fees for select programs. The initiative, announced this week, will fund educational costs for all full-time, part-time and seasonal employees of the Dolly Parton resort in Tennessee and other subsidiaries of parent company Herschend Enterprises, which include the Harlem Globetrotters and the Newport Aquarium in Kentucky. The program, open to the company's 11,000 employees, will officially launch on Feb. 24, the company says. [Read more here](. See you next week. --------------------------------------------------------------- Listen to your local NPR station. Visit NPR.org to find your local station stream. [Listen Live]( [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: [npred@npr.org](mailto:npred@npr.org?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback) Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! [They can sign up here.]( Looking for more great content? [Check out all of our newsletter offerings]( — including Music, Politics, Code Switch and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Education emails. This email was sent by National Public Radio, Inc., 1111 North Capitol Street NE, Washington, DC 20002 [Unsubscribe]( | [Privacy Policy]( [NPR logo]