America: A flagging model | The Economist. This is a continuation of the “Must Read” in The Economist. I commented. This article makes the critical observation that “…returns [to individual students] have held up not because graduates have done so well but because those with only high-school degrees have done so badly…” That is an […]
Archives for March 2015
Why So Few Online Courses? Quotes From “The Economist” 3/28/2015 Edition on Universities
March 28, 2015 by
“…Since the value of a degree from a selective institution depends on its scarcity, good universities have little incentive to produce more graduates..” (From <http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21647285-more-and-more-money-being-spent-higher-education-too-little-known-about-whether-it>) which may be why, even though “…Technology offers the promise of making education both cheaper and more effective, but universities resist adopting it…” (From <http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21646985-american-model-higher-education-spreading-it-good-producing-excellence>)
It Cost a Fortune NOT to Grade Teachers by Their Students’ Test
March 25, 2015 by
Grading Teachers by the Test – NYTimes.com. Raj Chetty coauthored an important paper cited in this article, but, apparently not completely believed. I commented. “Professors Rockoff, Chetty and Friedman, found something more than that “…teachers who improved students’ scores…raised the students’ chances of going to college as well as their salaries later in life…” They […]
More On Holden Thorp
March 24, 2015 by
Interview: Jay Smith And Mary Willingham, Authors Of ‘Cheated’ : NPR. I commented. ” I’m surprised that no one has mentioned what happened to Holden Thorp, the Chancellor of UNC. First, though, here is a quote from Greg Easterbrook’s review of “Cheated” – a quote that, from my reading of the book, I agree with. […]
“We’re Frighteningly in the Dark About Student Debt” – But Even More in the Dark About What We Are Buying
March 22, 2015 by
We’re Frighteningly in the Dark About Student Debt – NYTimes.com. I commented as follow: (Please note the “fixes” to the poor writing I submitted.) We are loaning money to naïve – and by definition – uneducated “consumers” so that they can “buy” an education. Yet the “sellers” in blocking block all attempts for either the […]
Scientists “Forced” to Cheat Says Medical School Professor
March 21, 2015 by
That statement is immediately after the bullets in this article. Amid a Sea of False Findings, the NIH Tries Reform – Research – The Chronicle of Higher Education. Poor scientists! “Forced” to cheat to get all that money. (Top medical school professors make from $500,000 to a few million.) Here are some posts on the […]
Good News: Today’s Anxious Freshmen Declare Majors Far Faster Than Their Elders – WSJ
March 20, 2015 by
Today’s Anxious Freshmen Declare Majors Far Faster Than Their Elders – WSJ. But they need advice. I wrote. I am a former professor who taught at Washington University in St. Louis. With honest advice these earnest students will do well. Unfortunately, they cannot count on college officials to always give them that honest advice. In the words of David Riesman […]
A Must Read From The Economist (This Week’s Cover Story)
Universities: The world is going to university | The Economist. This link is to the introduction. Here is the link to the complete report. http://www.economist.com/news/special-report/21646985-american-model-higher-education-spreading-it-good-producing-excellence I commented on the introduction. “”…price becomes a proxy for quality. By charging more, good universities gain both revenue and prestige…” I am a former professor. I taught math at one […]