In the past several years, online higher education has come under increased scrutiny by the federal government and policymakers. As a relatively new trend, online education has been closely examined by some, not so closely examined by others, and has a number of critics. In a recent report called “Odd Man Out: How Government Supports Private-Sector Innovation, Except in Education,” published by the American Enterprise Institute, author John Bailey notes that an acute lack of support and engagement from government agencies to the private sector in education is not only out of sync with other public-private enterprises, it is counterproductive in attempting to reform higher education. … Read the rest
Tag Archives | President Obama
Veterans Day 2011
Today is Veterans Day, a day designed to celebrate our nation’s armed forces, their commitment, and their ultimate sacrifices. Though this day comes only once each year, the special individuals to whom it is dedicated deserve our thanks every day. The last year has been a tumultuous one for the entire world and the men and women of the American military have been engaged in various theaters of operations beyond Iraq and Afghanistan. At home and abroad, US military forces continue to provide proof of General Douglas MacArthur’s statement that, “Americans never quit.”
Our military responded to a series of natural disasters this year. … Read the rest
Reviewing a Decade of College Spending
Last month the Delta Cost Project released its annual report on college spending, Trends in College Spending 1999-2009: Where Does the Money Come From? Where Does It Go? What Does It Buy? Examining the decade between 1999 and 2009 the report paints a bleak picture of the current state of higher education spending with very small but notable improvements in specific areas.
In general, the report finds that revenues are down and spending (overall and per student) reflects that decline. Recession-related state budget cuts meant deep cuts to educational appropriations. … Read the rest
Revisiting No Child Left Behind
The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, which received bipartisan support for its passage in 2001, requires that states implement a variety of assessment mechanisms for students and teachers in order to qualify for federal education funding. This federal act does not establish criteria to which all states must adhere; the means of assessment are left to each state to implement as it sees fit. In January 2001, President George W. Bush said of NCLB, “’These reforms express my deep belief in our public schools and their mission to build the mind and character of every child, from every background, in every part of America.’” Calling it the “cornerstone” of his Administration, President Bush touted the various components of NCLB.… Read the rest
Is the Value of a College Degree Still Worth the Cost?
Today’s higher education environment vis-à-vis the national economic situation has ignited a debate over whether a college degree is worth the cost. Significant budget cuts in many states have meant that colleges are raising tuitions, increasing fees, and offering less in scholarship money to students. Few students had enough money saved to pay for college prior to the economic downturn which has had a catastrophic impact on many schools (see my daily headline postings and links in the “Impact of the Economy on Higher Education” section of my blog for some examples). … Read the rest
Back From School
In December, I wrote a post about why the frequency of my writing slowed and would continue to slow. The explanation was simple: I had entered a doctoral program and was engaged in the final writing stage of my dissertation. I am pleased to say that I satisfactorily completed all the requirements for my doctoral program at the University of Pennsylvania including defending my dissertation. Now that I have had a couple of weeks to savor the accomplishment, I am ready to resume some of my “free time” activities that I postponed or slowed in order to go back to school and earn my doctoral degree. … Read the rest
The “Manageable” Debt Load of Recent Graduates
An August 11th article in The New York Times caught my attention. Written by Tamar Lewin, the article describes a policy brief released by the College Board which concludes that for the most part, recent graduates are carrying “manageable” debt loads. Using data published in the Department of Education’s National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, the policy brief notes that while the number of students using loans to pay for their post-secondary educations has increased in the last five years, the volume of students who carry overly burdensome levels of debt upon graduation remains small in comparison.… Read the rest
The Education Gap
I recently read an interesting article by David Brooks called “The Education Gap.” Published in The New York Times on September 25, 2005, Brooks talks about the ability of colleges to address the inequities between poverty and wealth. He points out the fact that only 28 percent of Americans have college degrees but that most of those with degrees find themselves in social situations where almost everybody has been to college.
Brooks notes that behavioral differences are starting to surface between the groups. … Read the rest
President Obama Offers a Boost to Community Colleges
Last week President Obama announced the American Graduation Initiative, a 10-year, $12 billion plan focused on community colleges. Community colleges play an integral role in the American higher education system and will play an even bigger role as America works toward President Obama’s goals of regaining America’s place as the world’s leader in college completion rates and establishing an American workforce that is able to compete with that of other nations.
According to a May 2009 report published by the Brookings Institute, enrollments in community colleges increased between 2000-2001 and 2005-2006 by 2.3 million students. … Read the rest
- Why Private Schools are Dying Out
- Celebrating Innovation in Education at the 2013 Milken-Penn GSE Education Business Plan Competition
- College (Un)Bound by Jeffrey J. Selingo
- Nature and Needs of Higher Education
- Contagious: Why Things Catch On
- The “Myths” About Online Education
- Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
- Charlene Li’s Groundswell
- Higher Ed’s Economic Challenges
- My Vote is For Apple
- WallyBoston.com | Education Innovation: Fad or Burgeoning Industry?: [...] the disrupters by utilizing the technology a...
- WallyBoston.com | Earth Day: [...] is Earth Day and it seems fitting to share a...
- Disruption in Higher Education | Wallace Boston: [...] written about MOOCs in the past (see “What...
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Juan Rosado: All, Dr. Delbanco is giving a webinar/class on th...
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Recommended Readings
