The Progressives' Handbook

In early 2006, the Republican-controlled Congress approved tax breaks for the rich, yet cut $12 billion from programs supporting students - which didn't make it any easier for those struggling to meet college costs. As the advocacy group Student Debt Alert (www.studentdebtalert.org) observes, almost two-thirds of four-year college grads have educational loans and three times more students graduate owing over $25,000 than did since the early 1990s.

The Student Debt Alert site offers information on grants and loans, as well as resources and action tips. There's a running Debt Clock showing the total federal student loan debt, a Student Debt Yearbook with real-life examples of students' financial struggles, and topic-related reports. Sign up for the Student Debt Alert campaign newsletter and visit the site's More Ways to Get Involved page; creative suggestions range from setting up a campus "debtors' prison," complete with fake weights students carry around the whole day, to putting up a "debt photo gallery" where students struggling with debt can post their personal stories.