Nearly 3,000 high school dropouts went through the GED pilot program that began in summer of 2008, at a time when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan strained the capacity of the Army to provide enough soldiers for the fighting.

 

Nowadays, with the Iraq war winding down and the slumping economy making the military an attractive option for many high school graduates, the Army doesn’t need those without a diploma. In 2008, about 83% of those who enlisted in the Army were high school graduates. A year later, the rate was up to 94.6%.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

Army Ending Its GED Program for Aspiring Soldiers (by Susanne Schafer, Associated Press)

Government Paid off $62 Million in Student Loans for Federal Employees (by Noel Brinkerhoff, AllGov)