Summary/Critique

Critique of Debt Education

Jeffrey J . William 's article Debt Education describes the detrimental effect of student debt upon individuals and the country . It initially looks at how costs of student loans have increased drastically in past years . It goes on to investigate changing attitudes towards higher education and how those attitudes have justified the increased costs of student loans . It leads on to identifying the specific effects that student debt has on individuals , society , the economy , and the country Finally , it offers alternatives and solutions to the current approach of

expensive loans to finance higher education

The article successfully conveys its message on at least two fronts The logical layout with equal space given to first identifying the scope of the problem , then exploring the historical context of how the current situation has arisen , then assessing the depth of the current situation to paint a bleak picture of the future , then finally suggesting solutions , convinces one that the author has succeeded in presenting an objective , well thought-out view of the current situation . Williams also cleverly presents the consequences of debt by presenting them as various lessons , fitting for an article addressing an issue of education e .g . `Debt teaches career choices , `Debt teaches a world view , and `Debt teaches that higher education is a consumer service

There are a couple of points on which the article could have been stronger . The first two paragraphs of the article refer to the numbers of students that graduate with student debt as...