An ill-conceived boycott could damage educational reform and undermine the Common Core standards. Source: Opting Out of Standardized Tests Isn’t the Answer – The New York Times I’m a former math professor. The k-12 problem is obvious – and testing can fix it, but not the way most people think. The problem is not the […]
What I Would Ask the Candidates About College
August 11, 2015 by
Young Americans buried by student loans want fresh thinking from presidential candidates on the crisis. Source: Democrats Offer Ways to Make College Affordable – The New York Times My questions: The fundamental problem in higher education today is not affordability. It’s ACCOUNTABLITY – or, rather the lack of it. The real questions for each candidate […]
CORRECTION: Link to Article Referred to in the Post: A Prudent College Path
August 11, 2015 by
Teacher Shortages Spur a Nationwide Hiring Scramble (Credentials Optional)
August 10, 2015 by
Just a few years after the recession caused widespread layoffs for teachers, school districts now find themselves with numerous job vacancies and few qualified candidates to choose from. Source: Teacher Shortages Spur a Nationwide Hiring Scramble (Credentials Optional I don’t know if this will be good or bad. It could be bad if colleges irresponsibly […]
Federal Aid’s Role in Driving Up Tuitions Gains Credence – WSJ (BUT ONLY BY USING VERY FLAWED DATA)
August 3, 2015 by
View long held by conservatives is being adopted by more mainstream economists; New York Fed study faults government aid for letting colleges boost prices Source: Federal Aid’s Role in Driving Up Tuitions Gains Credence – WSJ Here is an explanation of the problem, which I put in a comment, “…We focus our attention on sticker-price […]
Gap Widening as Top Workers Reap the Raises – The New York Times (It’s NOT the lack of degrees – It IS the lack of education.)
July 25, 2015 by
For most American workers, including many college graduates, the economic recovery has not meant significantly higher wages, research shows. Source: Gap Widening as Top Workers Reap the Raises – The New York Times I explained. “The cause of this phenomenon is staring us in the face. It is our beliefs that a college education is […]
Good News: Editor of NY Times “Upshot” Encourages More Discussion on Kevin Carey’s “The Fundamental Way That Universities Are an Illusion”
July 24, 2015 by
Our contributor Kevin Carey has written an important and eye-opening piece on this subject, and I encourage you to read it. Source: How Colleges Are Weak – The New York Times But as I state in my comment, Mr. Carey can use help with views from the inside. I wrote, Kevin Carey’s insights into, and […]
The Fundamental Way That Universities Are an Illusion – The New York Times. Here is Another, Per Gross and Bok (and me)
July 23, 2015 by
Source: The Fundamental Way That Universities Are an Illusion – The New York Times “…Because universities aren’t as they appear, systems designed to improve them tend to fail…” That is a critical observation. Here is Bill Gross’ view of what colleges really are, and why it is so hard to change them. “…Universities are run […]
William Deresiewicz’s Incisive Observation Taken to Its Logical Conclusion
How college sold its soul to the market Source: [Essay] | The Neoliberal Arts, by William Deresiewicz | Harper’s Magazine I commented. To truly change higher education, the critical observation that college is neoliberal, needs to be followed to its logical conclusion. What has damned higher education in America is the neoliberalist view of colleges […]