Dive Brief:

• Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told a conference of journalists this week that loan forgiveness for students at the shuttering Corinthian Colleges is “on the table,” along with everything else.
• Duncan said the department doesn’t have clear processes in place to deal with student allegations that they shouldn’t have to repay loans when their colleges are guilty of misconduct — there have only been a handful in more than a decade.
• Also in Corinthian news this week, Inside Higher Ed reports California state regulators have banned Corinthian’s Everest and WyoTech colleges from enrolling new students, leaving just a few Corinthian-owned campuses without that restriction.

Dive Insight:

Duncan spoke at the Education Writers Association conference in Chicago this week, mentioning a range of issues — including the proposed federal higher education ratings system — but giving very few, if any, concrete details about the department’s actions or processes. More than 100 Corinthian Colleges students have lobbied the federal government to forgive their loans, and legislators are joining the call. Furthermore, several elected officials have introduced resolutions in the House and Senate advocating debt-free college. The push to address the nation’s $1.2 trillion student loan debt is gaining more momentum all the time.