Author: Educational Policy Institute

The Educational Policy Institute (EPI) is a Virginia-based, not-for-profit 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 www.educationalpolicy.org.
2022, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy

The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Earlier today, the Biden Administration unleashed the Biden Administration’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan (SLDRP?), a new series of policies aimed at reducing student loan burden for millions of current and past students across the country. My organization and hundreds (perhaps thousands) of others around the country have been diligently advocating for improvements to college access … Continue reading The Problem(s) with Biden’s Student Loan Debt Relief Plan

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2022, College Access, K12, Politics, Research/Policy, Student Success

College Access, Equity, and the Tower of Babel

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist NOTE: I wrote this before learning of the brutal elementary school shooting in Texas this week. Much of what I write here, about left and right, also applies to our inability to do anything about gun safety and control in the US. The tragedies will continue, unfortunately. I recently read Jonathan Haidt’s piece in The Atlantic, … Continue reading College Access, Equity, and the Tower of Babel

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2021, admissions, ROI/College Outcomes

College Rankings, Big Business, and Fraud

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist CLICK HERE for an audio version on Spotify Yesterday, a jury in Pennsylvania found a former dean of the Temple University School of Business guilty on fraud related to falsifying information for the US News & World Report Best Colleges ranking system, arguably the largest and most utilized ranking system in the world. According to InsideHigherEd.com, … Continue reading College Rankings, Big Business, and Fraud

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2021, Research/Policy, ROI/College Outcomes, Workforce

A Reconsideration of the Three-Year Degree

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist In this morning’s InsideHigherEd.com, Emma Whitford writes about “A New Push to Create a 3-Year Degree Option.” In it, she quotes work by Penn Research Bob Zemsky and University of Minnesota researcher Lori Carrell on work they are doing on this issue. As Zemsky is quoted, “We did not ask people to commit to doing a three-year … Continue reading A Reconsideration of the Three-Year Degree

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2021, admissions, Research/Policy

Bloodsport: Recruiting for Public Universities

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Interesting piece in InsideHigherEd.com this morning by Scott Jaschik about the recruitment activities of public universities. A recent study out of UCLA suggests that many public universities spend more time recruiting out-of-state compared to in state. The study authors suggest that much of this is because our devolved higher education system requires students to search out … Continue reading Bloodsport: Recruiting for Public Universities

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