International
Universities told to tackle ethnic outcomes disparities | Universities in the United Kingdom must demonstrate their commitment to university-wide change as they seek to eliminate the student attainment gap for black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) students in UK higher education, a new report by Universities UK and the National Union of Students (NUS) says.
What’s it like to study while Black at university? | “While the number of Black students enrolled has increased since 1995, nearly four times as many White youth [as a proportion of population size] are enrolled at university than Black students (15% vs 54% White in 2014). Furthermore, White completion rates are on average 50% higher than rates of Black students,” the authors note.
Sociology and philosophy under threat in Brazil – a petition | The recent measures against sociology and philosophy in public universities that have been announced by the minister of education, and supported by the president, may seem surprising in a country whose motto, Order and Progress, adorning the national flag, is borrowed from the philosopher, and founder of sociology, Auguste Comte.
Report provides testimonies of “systematic” onslaught on higher education in India | Dissenting students and faculty have been subjected to targeted attacks, even use of brute force. Use of criminal mechanisms to curb dissent has seen a startling increase, with sedition law, unlawful activities, rioting, arson and several charges being foisted on dissenters.
OECD urges Finland to overhaul higher education admission system | The OECD on Tuesday published a report that urges the country to take immediate action to rationalise the benefit system and encourage young job seekers to find employment in order to reduce the share of under 30-year-old who are not in employment, education or training.
Learning governance lessons from China | While we are rightly proud of our democracy, there is much to introspect and learn from how the Chinese State has created accountable administrative structures that have delivered meaningfully better outcomes for its citizens.
U.S. National
The student debt crisis isn’t what you think it is | The debt crisis is best understood by dividing borrowers into three groups: students financially dependent on their parents, independent students (who are more likely to be older, attend college part time and work full time), and graduate and professional school students.
What Are Some Solutions to Our Student Debt Crisis? | How do we deal with the $1.5 trillion Americans owe for their educations? On Detroit Today, Stephen Henderson speaks with three people who think quite a bit about these questions.
‘The Scientific Attitude’ | I present the scientific attitude by way of contrast to the scientific “method,” because I don’t think there is actually any recipe for doing science. Philosophers of science in particular have spent decades trying to show that there is some in principle methodological or logical difference between science and nonscience, and they’ve come up dry.
U.S. States
Support Single Mothers in College to Make Education More Equitable for All | Unless colleges and policymakers do more to support single mothers in college—of whom 90 percent have low incomes—they will continue to struggle to access the education that is essential for economic success and a more equitable society.
College enrollment crisis hitting Vermont especially hard | The long-simmering crisis in higher education as college enrollment rates decline – which has been plaguing the Northeast and Midwest most acutely – is now hitting Vermont exceptionally hard. In the first quarter of 2019 alone, three private colleges have announced they will close. A fourth is on probation with its accreditor.
Institutional
Full Shutdown | Johns Hopkins students are refusing to leave administration building until officials cancel plans to form an armed police force. Activists are worried about the potential for racial profiling.
Solutions, or Data-Driven Decision-Making? | A data-informed approach recognizes the role that capable leaders and managers play in interpreting data and shaping understanding, including known weaknesses. Data are agnostic. Data only become useful when put into context, compared against another piece of data, or further “crunched” to a new form.
Johns Hopkins Calls In the Police to Arrest Protesters, Ending Student Occupation | On April 3 students and local community members began a sit-in at Garland Hall, an administration building near the center of Hopkins’s main campus. Protesters objected to the university’s attempt to get permission from the State of Maryland to create an armed campus police force, and to the university’s refusal to end contracts for education programs with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, known as ICE.
Discount Rates Hit Record Highs | A national study of college tuition discount rates has found that private colleges and universities offered incoming freshmen discounts higher than 50 percent during the last academic year and projects record high discounts this year.
Its City Was Hurting. The Schools Were Strapped. So This University Took Charge [Subscription required] | A controversial law giving Ball State University control of its city’s schools will soon be a year old. Can a state university confront long-term threats by focusing closest to home?