Author: Educational Policy Institute

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is a Virginia-based research think tank on education and the social sciences. EPI conducts evaluation and policy studies on various educational issues from Pre-K to workforce outcomes in the United States, Canada, and beyond. Visit us at educationalpolicy.org.
2016, Politics, Research/Policy, Student Success

Musings on the 2016 Presidential Election and Ramifications for Education

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute In what will arguably go down as the “longest” election in the history of the United States, it is worthy of a conversation about the future of federal education policy. Why the longest? President Obama was inaugurated for the second time on January 21, 2013. One day later, the GOP started openly talking about … Continue reading Musings on the 2016 Presidential Election and Ramifications for Education

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2016, College Affordability, K12, Research/Policy

A New Higher Education? Free Tuition? Again? Really?

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute I read an interesting piece in iPolitics.ca by Ilona Dougherty about the issues of free tuition and the future of higher education—both issues I spend a fair amount of attention on. In the article, she mentions that the Canadian Federation of Students (CSF), a non-profit organization that, well, makes Bernie Sanders look like Ted … Continue reading A New Higher Education? Free Tuition? Again? Really?

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2015, College Access, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Research/Policy

America’s Newest Scholarship Provider: PornHub

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute I read an interesting article today about a $25,000 scholarship given to a Texas woman who was down on her luck. The 48-year old will use the scholarship to continue her education. MaryAnn Uribe completed a two-year associate’s degree and now wants to complete her BA. The philanthropist in this case is PornHub, one of … Continue reading America’s Newest Scholarship Provider: PornHub

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2015, Research/Policy

Watchdogs That Don’t Bite

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute “For the most part, accreditation agencies are watchdogs that don’t bite.” That’s what US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said yesterday regarding higher education accreditation in the United States. The US Department of Education is putting pressure on accreditors to do more about quality in higher education. However, the Department serves mostly as a … Continue reading Watchdogs That Don’t Bite

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2015, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy, Student Success

The Broken Record of Student Debt

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute I recently read an article by Mitchell Weiss of credit.com in USA Today titled “Student Loan Debt: America’s Next Big Crisis.” Weiss points out that the percentage of delinquent student loans rose from 11.1 percent to 11.5 percent between the first two quarters in 2015. On the surface, that doesn’t sound like much. But … Continue reading The Broken Record of Student Debt

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