Barack Obama promotes online search tool with college-specific data

President Barack Obama on Saturday debuted a redesigned online tool with college-specific information about student costs, loans and potential earning power, scaling back a planned ratings system that critics derided as too subjective and unworkable. The College Scorecard — at https://collegescorecard.ed.gov — provides a snapshot of what former students of each school might earn, how much debt they leave with, and what percentage can repay their loans. “Everyone should be able to find clear, reliable, open data on college affordability…