Sadly, in today’s world of higher education, the institutions that Madison trusted to “diffuse knowledge” have used that trust to take knowledge, money and fame for themselves. Of course, when I say institutions, I don’t mean every institution, or every member of any particular institution. But everyone does bear some responsibility for stopping this. It […]
Prof. Mankiw Has Not a Clue
December 18, 2015 by
There are three forces at work that are making college increasingly expensive. So what should we do about it? Source: Three Reasons for Those Hefty College Tuition Bills I posted two comments. I’m a former math professor (I taught at Wash. U. in St. Louis.) and am well aware of the flaw in arguing – […]
Very Important Elucidating New Data
September 13, 2015 by
At some expensive colleges, the salaries of students 10 years after enrollment are bleak, and there is an earnings gender gap at every top university. Source: Gaps in Alumni Earnings Stand Out in Release of College Data – The New York Times I commented on the article, but I will be posting more comments about […]
New Data Gives Clearer Picture of Student Debt – But What About Student Assets? Do They Have Them? AND What Data? Appropriate Data? I’m Afraid Not
September 10, 2015 by
The increases in debt and default rates are concentrated among students at for-profit and community colleges, even though those students borrow less on average. Source: New Data Gives Clearer Picture of Student Debt – The New York Times Here was my comment. Two points, one just about data, the other simple business sense. First, the […]
“Class of 2015 Is Summa Cum Lucky in the Job Market” But Who Knows for Sure, Given the Data Source
May 29, 2015 by
Source: Class of 2015 Is Summa Cum Lucky in the Job Market – WSJ I wrote, “You write that, “…Members of the class of 2014 had an average starting salary of $48,127 a year…according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers, a group made up of schools as well as companies that recruit from […]
The Headline is Correct; But For the Wrong Reason
April 24, 2015 by
Why getting a four-year bachelor’s degree brings large benefits to those seen as marginal. Source: College for the Masses – NYTimes.com Here is my comment. “Back then, a high school education was the new ticket to the middle class. Today, a college education is.” This is patently not true. Study after study contradict this – […]
America: A flagging model | The Economist
March 29, 2015 by
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 […]
Measuring Benefits of Smaller Amounts in Same Container
March 16, 2015 by
Is your degree worth it?: It depends what you study, not where | The Economist. There is a fallacy in these statistics. I commented. Just as consumers can be fooled into believing that today’s can of “whatever” contains the same amount as yesterday’s, so can “consumers” of today’s degrees be fooled into thinking they contain […]
The STEM Crisis Is a Myth Says IEEE Spectrum; Probably Not Says I.
December 9, 2014 by
The STEM Crisis Is a Myth – IEEE Spectrum. “As long as people continue to believe that a STEM “degree” is a STEM “education”, they will continue to believe that the STEM “education” shortage is a myth. Just consider that today’s average engineering student is required to study about half the time that they were […]
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