| International |
There are better ways to capture graduate outcomes data | Early indications are that the United Kingdom Higher Education Statistics Agency’s new Graduate Outcomes survey, due to be published in spring 2020, is in danger of falling short of benchmark response rates and is even undermining the credibility of the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF). As importantly, the benefit to students of high-quality data on graduate outcomes would be lost.
Somalia: Boosting Education Outcomes is Critical for Sustained and Inclusive Growth | Improving education outcomes of the younger generation is key for enhancing productivity, sustaining economic recovery, boosting inclusive growth and promoting poverty reduction in Somalia, says the 4th edition of the World Bank’s Somalia Economic Update (SEU).
Successful universities – Common contributing factors | A survey done last year found that 71% of African students studying outside Africa thought a degree earned abroad represented a higher-level qualification than a degree at home. The exodus can be attributed to numerous reasons. These include inadequate funding of tertiary education resulting in dilapidated campuses and obsolete study programmes that are not adapted to developments in science and technology. Other factors include an absence of research policy and insufficient resources. All these result in a perception of low-quality African universities.
Higher education needs to step up efforts to prepare students for future: OECD | Demand for tertiary education continues to rise, but its further expansion will only be sustainable if it matches the supply of graduates with labour market and social opportunities, and gives them the skills required to navigate the future, according to the OECD report “Education at a Glance 2019” published on Tuesday. Among 25-34-year-olds, 44 percent held a tertiary degree in 2018, compared to 35 percent in 2008, on average across OECD countries. The employment rate of tertiary-educated adults is 9 percentage points higher than that of adults with upper secondary education, and they earn 57 percent more, finds the report.
| U.S. National |
The Real Divide Over Higher Ed? Cost | The [survey] results show that Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, generally agree that some kind of education beyond high school is valuable, especially for individuals seeking a better paying job. But they split sharply on who should pay for higher ed: Eighty percent of Democrats said the government should, because education is good for society. The majority of Republicans, 59 percent, said individuals should fund higher education because they personally benefit, while 37 percent said the federal government should pay for the costs of college. (In the previous year’s survey, 76 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of Republicans said the government should pay for higher ed.)
The Connection Between Student Loan Debt And The Racial Wealth Gap | The research makes clear, she said, that it’s time for the U.S. to move away from a system so reliant on debt, towards one that is financed by public investment. It would not only benefit Black families, but create a more healthy and stable economy for all Americans. Fellow researchers agreed, noting the use of student loans to finance higher education has exacerbated inequalities in the country’s higher education system.
How the student debt crisis falls hardest on black Americans | The question of student debt leaves Americans caught between a hammer and an anvil: Taking on that debt is a crucial tool by which students (and, by extension, their families) gain access to higher education. But at the same time, that debt is a threat to students’ future financial prospects. What the Roosevelt team teases out is that, thanks to the racial wealth gap — both the historical circumstances that birthed it, and its ongoing economic consequences — that paradox is worse for black students and their families.
What Americans Get Wrong About Student Debt | Certainly, student debt on the cumulative level is significant, but an over-focus on the total outstanding debt misses the mark on the nuance of student debt. At the event covering the report, Sarah Sattlemeyer of Pew Charitable Trusts said student loans are both a good and bad news story. She said the cumulative number can be misleading because it’s partially due to more people are going to college, especially students of color and low-income students. That truly is a good thing. And with more students enrolling in graduate school, many borrowers are leaving with more debt—but also to earn larger salaries.
Data-Driven Accountability | [A]ccreditors and federal and state policy makers face new choices about which measures of student success and value to include in their oversight of the industry, as well as how to assess the financial stability of institutions in an increasingly volatile market. Amid this backdrop, the Lumina Foundation pulled together a group of regulators, college leaders and workforce experts to develop a starting point for a new model for advancing quality and equity in postsecondary education. The 20-member task force, which released a report on their conceptual model today, hopes it will start a broad conversation across higher education, with implications for lawmakers and regulators.
| U.S. States and Territories |
Study: Low-income, students of color squeezed in Michigan’s college affordability crisis | Michigan allocates $5,492 per public university full-time equivalent student, ranking the 12th-lowest nationally. The state spends $3,265 per community college student, which ranks the 15th-lowest in the country. According to the study, this is even lower for students of color. The authors of the report say they estimate that the median black student enrolled in a public university is supported by $4,461 in state appropriations, compared to the median white student, who is estimated to be supported by $5,466 in state funding.
The Great Enrollment Crash [subscription required] | Students aren’t showing up. And it’s only going to get worse.
Report: ‘Enormous’ affordability gaps at flagship universities | State funding for higher education fell an average of 16% per student from 2008 to 2018, according to an analysis by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Just four states spent more on higher ed in 2018 than they did in 2008. In its report, IHEP notes that states’ contribution to per-student costs dropped from 71% to 54% since 2000, while the share picked up by students and their families rose from 29% to 46%.
| Institutional |
End Legacy College Admissions | For nearly a century, many American college and university admissions officers have given preferential treatment to the children of alumni. The policies originated in the 1920s, coinciding with an influx of Jewish and Catholic applicants to the country’s top schools. They continue today, placing a thumb on the scale in favor of students who already enjoy the benefits of being raised by families with elite educations. Of the country’s top 100 schools (as determined by the editors at U.S. News & World Report), roughly three-quarters have legacy preferences in admissions. These anachronistic policies have been called “affirmative action for the rich” and “affirmative action for whites.”
Columbia focuses on affordability to fix low graduation rates | The Chronicle of Higher Education ranked Columbia at 733 out of 969 private nonprofit colleges for its 6-year graduation rate in 2017, when Columbia’s graduation rate was 44%. Columbia’s graduation rate has increased to 48% for full-time first year students who started at the school in 2012. Vice President of Enrollment Management Michael Joseph said the number is expected to be closer to 50% in 2019, due in part to administrators taking a closer look at students’ long-term financial barriers.
Hype vs. Reality at the MIT Media Lab | In recent months, The Chronicle has spoken with five people connected with the lab who say the claims Harper has made in talks, to journalists, and to visitors of the Media Lab are exaggerated. They say he has led the public to believe that his grand idea for what the project might one day achieve has already come to fruition. Some would not speak on the record, fearing Harper’s ire and possible damage to their professional lives. But others, having lost patience with what they see as his distortions, have started talking to reporters, including one at Business Insider, which reported on some of the accusations on Saturday.
Keys to an Analytics Future: Governance, Collaboration, and Communication | Analytics has the power to help higher education tackle some of its biggest challenges. Colleges and universities have access to vast stores of data from the numerous systems that run virtually every aspect of the institution, but putting the need for informed decision-making together with the available data in a way that results in useful analytics can be harder than it seems. However, it’s work that can have an enormous impact on the health and future of our institutions. Colleges and universities can leverage analytics to address important institutional challenges, but to be successful, multiple stakeholders need to work together through an effective governance process, close collaboration, and intentional communication across all areas of the institution.