Recent Articles

Prime Mortgage Defaults Grow Faster than Subprime Defaults

August 26, 2008 13:20

Defaults in prime mortgages -- loans made to borrowers with relatively high credit ratings -- outpaced delinquencies in subprime loans, as reported by the Economic Times. However, overall delinquency rates for subprime loans remains considerably higher for subprime loans. To wit: "Overall,...

The Housing Bubble -- Part 3 of 3

July 03, 2008 21:14

WaPo's third installment in its analysis of the housing crisis focuses on a less visible (at least compared to the more visible increase in foreclosure filings) effect of the imploding subprime lending market -- namely, the impact on state run investment funds. To wit, Florida officials prohibited...

DC Public Schools & Performance-Based Compensation

July 03, 2008 21:13

Michelle Rhee, a Teach For America alum and current chancellor of DC public schools, is proposing a ground-breaking change to teacher compensation in the District's public schools. From the Washington Post:D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee is proposing a contract that would give mid-level...

The Housing Bubble -- Part 2 of 3

June 18, 2008 22:52

As shown in the chart above, courtesy of the Center for Responsible Lending, home prices have dropped precipitously, and are poised to continue their slide.Localized pricing data provides a bit more insight:While the loss in homeowner equity is troubling by itself, this sustained downward trend is...

The Housing Bubble -- Part 1 of 3

June 17, 2008 17:21

The Washington Post recently opened a three part series on the mortgage crisis and housing bubble. Part One opens with a Gatsby-esque soiree of housing industry barons. The article then takes a more thoughtful turn to the historical underpinnings of the modern mortgage market. In describing some of...

Education Reform -- Gateway to College launches in Philadelphia (Part 3 of 3)

June 10, 2008 12:59

The last installment of the Inquirer's look into Philadelphia's dropout crisis can be found here. The story is heavy on sentamentalism and light on introspection, but a few quotes are worth including:[The need for programs for dropouts] still far outstrip the options. Since a study by Johns...

Education Reform -- Gateway to College launches in Philadelphia (Part 1 of 3)

June 05, 2008 13:02

In the first of a three-part series, the Philadelphia Inquirer explores the problem of high school dropouts in the City of Brotherly Love. A recent study showed that roughly 50% of public-school ninth graders actually graduate high school in four years; more than eight thousand drop out every year...

Education Reform -- Gateway to College launches in Philadelphia (Part 2 of 3)

June 05, 2008 13:02

Part II of the Inquirer's look at Philadelphia's efforts to remediate its high drop out rate delves into the causes behind students dropping out of the Gateway program. The program launched with two classes of twenty students:Of the original 20, only 13 remained.One student was arrested. Another...

Charter School Debate

May 27, 2008 18:27

Washington Post reviews Keeping the Promise? The Debate Over Charter Schools--key quote:[T]he book's overall message is that charters are not what the happy stories in the media make them seem and that there should be better ways to improve learning. Many people agree with that thesis. Yet the book...

Subprime Crisis: Effects on Future Purchasing

May 26, 2008 23:36

Rachel Godsil and I will be publishing Protecting Status: The Mortgage Crisis, Eminent Domain, and the Ethic of Homeownership in Fordham Law Review later this year. A series of posts will follow on this topic. First--the effects of bankruptcy, foreclosure, and "short selling" on a homeowner's...