International
Is internationalisation creating inequality in higher education? | If we assume that internationalisation of higher education improves the quality of education and research and if this process is undertaken only by higher education institutions that are already engaged in it and not by those that are not and are therefore more in need of it, the result can only be growing inequality between higher education institutions.
A time of haunting uncertainty for universities | British universities are staring at a bleak year ahead, facing a potential triple whammy from Brexit, funding reform and a credit crunch.
Public financial management crisis – What role for universities? | To the best of this author’s knowledge, only two South African universities at present provide specialised qualifications in public sector financial management (one of them at diploma level, the other at postgraduate diploma level), but no specialised public sector qualifications are offered by any university at the crucial undergraduate bachelor’s level.
View: India needs to improve its educational outcomes to catch up with China | Both China and India started building their national education systems under comparable conditions in the late 1940s. Different policies and historical circumstances have, however, led them to different educational outcomes, with China outperforming India not just in terms of its percentage of literate population and enrollment rates at all levels of education, but also in terms of number of world-class institutions in higher education, and greater research output.
U.S. National
Wealthier students borrow more for college. Here’s why. | The study argues discussions around college affordability should consider the “long-run return” of students’ tuition investments. Although students at high-priced institutions often pay more and have higher levels of debt, the findings suggest most expect to benefit from higher salaries in the long run.
Takedown of Online Education | Protopsaltis and Baum’s broadside on online education includes a focus on federal policy and is timed to influence discussions about changing regulations to encourage innovation in online and competency-based education, most notably the negotiated rule-making session the U.S. Department of Education kicked off this week.
The ‘Moneyball’ solution for higher education | Georgia State isn’t the only university using “big data” to tackle the problem of college completion, but it stands out for two reasons: First, the program has been operating longer than most of the others, and second, because it has improved outcomes with low-income, first-generation and minority students—groups that have the hardest time succeeding in higher education.
U.S. States
Student debt crisis is a moral failing | Recently, the Federal Reserve released a startling finding: total student loan debt in the United States just surpassed $1.5 trillion. That may be news to a lot of us, but it’s not news to Pennsylvania’s college graduates in particular, which lead the nation in having the most student debt per person.
It’s a really bad way to fund schools — but Texas may adopt it anyway | or several years there has also been discontent around the college readiness of its high school students. The Texas decline should come as no surprise. For nearly a decade, the state has decreased its funding for schools, making an inequitable school funding system even more unequal. The rapid expansion of charter schools has further drained public schools of funds.
On heels of town hall, New Mexico First seeks to stabilize what’s working in higher ed | At New Mexico First’s 2018 town hall, “Strengthening Higher Education and Tomorrow’s Workforce,” participants recommended financial support for students so they encumber as little debt as possible while completing well-defined higher education pathways, from certificates to professional degrees. To that end, we are working on two urgent pieces of legislation that will prevent the shuttering of two important projects: the College Affordability Fund and the SUN PATH program for students aspiring to healthcare careers.
Minnesota’s persistent higher-ed gap: Are new efforts making a difference? | Minnesota ranks among the most educated states in the country, with nearly half of adults aged 25 to 64 holding an associate degree or higher. But that impressive statistic masks severe racial disparities in degree completion: The state has the second largest attainment gap between whites and blacks in the nation, according to the Education Trust.
Institutional
Gresham’s Law and the Academy | Gresham’s law – that bad money drives out good – also applies to the academy: Low-quality instruction increasingly threatens high-quality teaching. In recent years, the language of innovation has been leveraged to undercut the essence of a high-quality education: a rich relationship between a knowledgeable, highly trained instructor and individual students. In the name of access, affordability, and personalized adaptive learning, new educational models are spreading that place academic rigor and quality standards in jeopardy.
Report: Stereotypes in College STEM Classes Harm Black and Asian Students | Dr. Ebony O. McGee, author of the report, conducted interviews documenting the academic experiences of 61 Black and Asian STEM students from six universities and colleges across the United States. The report titled “‘Black Genius, Asian Fail:’ The Detriment of Stereotype Lift and Stereotype Threat in High-Achieving Asian and Black STEM Students,” was published in the American Education Research Association (AERA) Open Journal.
Posted: January 31, 2019
Note: Delayed by holiday schedule…and then Block Editor (Gutenberg update) to WordPress 5.0. Here is the most helpful article I found about the new Block Editor functionality in WordPress:
How to Disable the Block Editor (aka Gutenberg) and Use the Previous WordPress Editor | The block editor is an intriguing system, but it’s also generated a lot of criticism. As such, some people would prefer not to use it at all. That’s actually easy to do, using a dedicated plugin created by the core WordPress team (more on this later).