Federal student loan interest rates have surged to their highest levels in over a decade, posing yet another challenge for Missouri students and families navigating paying for college.

Delays in the Federal Application for Student Aid application process are adding to the stress, leaving parents and students scrambling to find the best way to cover the rising costs of college.

Brian Walsh, head of advice and planning at the personal finance company SoFi, said it is essential for Missourians to make informed decisions about their loans and overall financial planning for higher ed.

"The most important thing is to review your financial aid package, build out a budget to figure out exactly what you're going to be spending across all different areas and know where to cut," Walsh outlined. "Really weigh all your different options before deciding schools."

One important decision is whether to take out loans in a parent's name or in the student's name with a parent co-signing. Walsh noted the choice is crucial, because it determines who is responsible for the debt. With rising interest rates, more families are carefully considering their options, as the costs and responsibilities can vary greatly.

Walsh is a big fan of work-study opportunities in financial aid packages, advising students to use them to reduce the amount they need to borrow. He also urged families to explore scholarships and other forms of financial aid to minimize reliance on loans. He added it is important to consider the net cost associated with staying in Missouri versus going out of state to school.

"If you're a Missouri resident and you go to a Missouri school, that'll end up being the lowest net-cost way to, you know, ultimately go to college," Walsh pointed out. "Followed by that would be private schools."

Finally, Walsh advised families to compare loan rates and terms. He emphasized many overlook the step despite its significant financial impact, stressing researching and comparing loan options can lead to better financial outcomes and lower student loan debt.

Support for this reporting was provided by Lumina Foundation.

Mississippi's decade-long focus on early literacy has transformed the state.

According to the Mississippi Department of Education, the state's fourth graders are making the nation's largest gains on reading assessments. They once ranked last on the tests. Media reports have dubbed the transformation the "Mississippi miracle."

Harry Patrinos, professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas, said the turnaround is anything but luck.

"Mississippi was 49th in the state in fourth grade reading. In just a decade, they went to 21st place in reading, and these gains continued to impress," Patrinos explained. "The country was hit with the school closures during COVID-19 but since then, Mississippi has not lost anything in terms of learning outcomes, which is rare in the country and the world."

The state's progress stems from its 2013 Literacy-Based Promotion Act, which emphasized speech-based instruction, early intervention and retention for students not meeting reading benchmarks.

Michelle Nowell, executive director of elementary education and reading for the Mississippi Department of Education, said the so-called "miracle" comes from sustained reforms focused on teacher training.

"We have renamed it the Mississippi Marathon," Nowell noted. "When I say we, I mean the department, the literacy coaches, because it really was a marathon, not a miracle because so much hard work went into it."

Nowell believes it is the human element behind the policy success, describing how literacy coaches from the state's education department built trust in schools across the state.

"In the past, anytime you mentioned MDE and MDE visiting a school district, it wasn't always a good thing," Nowell acknowledged. "It was either for an audit, and we wanted to change that perception. It's not a gotcha, we're here to help you. So we had to really build those relationships."

According to Patrinos, the reforms had an extra cost of $32 per student annually. The Trump administration recently announced $132 million in cuts to Mississippi's education funding, threatening the long-term success of its literacy programs.


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North Dakota's legislative session is scheduled to end in May, and the issue of using public funds for what's called school choice remains unresolved.

Republican lawmakers are pushing competing bills that would create Education Savings Accounts, giving North Dakota families money to enroll their kids in private schools.

One cleared the state Senate last week after winning House approval, and now both chambers have to sort out the differences. A separate measure has advanced, but not quite as far.

Superintendent Rick Diegel of the Kidder County School District said he doesn't want either one becoming law, noting small public schools like his need the money instead.

"I could use a STEM teacher out here, and our school used to offer family consumer science," said Diegel. "Those CTE programs are vital for kids that decide they don't want to be doctors and lawyers and such. However, because of the cost, I had to cut that program."

He and other bill opponents, including some Republicans, argue private schools are hard to come by in rural counties - and don't have to accept everyone who applies.

But supporters say parents should have more choice, especially if they feel their child needs a more personalized learning environment.

State Sen. Michelle Axtman, R-Bismarck, is a main sponsor of an ESA bill that would allow eligible families to use their funds for specialized public school programming, not just private school enrollment.

"Students do not learn in a one size fits all approach," said Axtman, "and that demand has transferred to our school systems."

But Nick Archuleta, president of the teacher's union ND United, warned about going down the school choice path.

He said with North Dakota raising the threshold for ballot initiatives to pass, now at 60%, local districts are in a tougher position to win local support for funding critical needs.

"We've had 58%, 59% of voters in specific communities vote to do something positive," said Archuleta, "to build either a new school or refurbish an existing school. And they aren't able to get the bonding because it wasn't 60%."

The Texas school voucher program is on its way back to the Senate, after it was approved by members of the House of Representatives in an 85 to 63 vote.

Senate Bill 2 would give families a taxpayer-funded $10,000 voucher for private school. The $1 billion voucher program was Gov. Greg Abbott's top priority for the session.

It's also supported by President Donald Trump, who spoke with Republican lawmakers in the Texas House before they approved the voucher proposal.

Texas American Federation of Teachers President Zeph Capo said he's more concerned with how the bill was passed than the actual legislation.

"When you can level that level of threat, when you can have that much control over who's elected to office," said Capo, "the people don't stand a chance until the people decide to completely do away with who's sitting in power."

In a written statement, Gov. Abbott said it is an extraordinary victory for the thousands of parents who have advocated for more choices when it comes to the education of their children.

Also moving to the Senate is House Bill 2, which would increase the amount of money school districts get by $395 per student and give teachers a pay increase.

Capo said while that's a small victory, Texas schools are still severely underfunded.

"Since there hasn't been any increase since 2019, and when you add the inflationary degradation of schools' buying power to those numbers," said Capo, "it would take about $1,000 more just to bring us back to where we were in 2019."

The allotment would automatically increase every two years, and lawmakers could also increase the amount while the bill is in committee.

The nonprofit Every Texan is also opposed to the voucher bill. The group's Director of Policy and Advocacy Chandra Villanueva said private school vouchers will only hurt low-income kids.

"Even with some tuition assistance for the really high-performing, elite private schools," said Villanueva, "low-income parents will never be able to access those schools, let alone get their children accepted into them. So we see the voucher as a giveaway for wealthy families."