Marian Wang
Marian Wang is a reporter for ProPublica, covering education and college debt. She has been with ProPublica since 2010, first blogging about a variety of accountability issues. Her latest stories have focused on how rising college costs and the complexity of the student loan system affect students and their families.
Georgia Is Segregating Troublesome Kids in Schools Used During Jim Crow
A Department of Justice investigation found that Georgia is giving thousands of kids with behavioral issues a subpar education and putting them in the same run-down buildings that served black children decades ago.
The Many Failures of the New York City Housing Authority
The country’s largest public housing agency says it’s made major progress responding to residents’ requests for repairs. Residents tell a different story.
Inside the Wild World of Charter School Regulation
Charter school “authorizers” are charged with making sure schools can be trusted with kids and with public money. The problem is, many lack the tools to do the job.
Ignoring One of the Big Problems With Charter Schools
A top official in the New York State Comptroller’s Office has urged regulators to require more transparency on charter-school finances. The response has been, well, non-existent.
When Charter Schools Are Non-Profit in Name Only
Some charters pass along nearly all their money to for-profit companies hired to manage the schools. It’s an arrangement that’s raising eyebrows.
Turning Public Education Into Private Profits
Baker Mitchell is a politically connected North Carolina businessman who celebrates the power of the free market. Every year, millions of public education dollars flow through Mitchell’s chain of four non-profit charter schools to for-profit companies he controls.
We're All Paying When Parents Can't Repay College Loans for Their Kids
New Department of Education data shows rising default rates on federal loans to parents.
Should We Force Colleges to Disclose How They Allocate Financial Aid?
Universities rarely release the specific criteria behind their aid decisions. Could a little-known regulation help open the black box?
Retail Theater: How College Pricing Is a Lot Like Holiday Store Sales
Those slashed retail prices that fueled your holiday shopping binges might be illusions. We explain why college pricing is similar—but even less transparent.
This Year's Best Reporting on Education
We review some of 2013’s best education-related accountability news.
A University President's Thoughts on Turning His Campus Into a Club
He brought sushi to campus dining halls and revamped the dorms. Why one former university president wonders whether he did the right thing.
George Washington University Has for Years Claimed to be Need-Blind
After years of repeatedly claiming to practice “need-blind” admissions, administrators at George Washington University now acknowledge that the school has long given an edge to wealthier students.
Breaking Away: Why Several Top Public Universities Are Going Private
Many are worried that as public universities gain freedom, they will end up sidelining broader goals such as access and affordability.
Are Public Universities Completely Failing Our Neediest Students?
Chasing prestige and battered by state funding cuts, many public colleges and universities with a historic responsibility to provide access to an affordable education have turned to “financial aid leveraging,” offering wealthy or high-scoring students discounts on tuition.