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.
2009, Research/Policy

The Political Dimension of Education

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute I began my post-Memorial Day morning by turning on my favorite TV show, Morning Joe, with former Republican Congressman Joe Scarborough. One of the guests was Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and the subject came to Race to the Top Funds. The US Department of Education is providing over $4 billion in funds to states that … Continue reading The Political Dimension of Education

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2010, Politics

Leading by (a Bad) Example

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute and EPI International On May 20, The Texas State Board of Education voted to what some people have called “whitewashing” the history and social studies curriculum in the state to counterbalance “liberal-leaning academics.” Some of the changes debated included adding and deleting current political figures from third-grade social studies standards, dismissing the “socialist” United Migrant Workers, … Continue reading Leading by (a Bad) Example

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2010, Research/Policy, ROI/College Outcomes, Workforce

(What) to Be, or What not to Be

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute This past week I was privileged to speak with the faculty and Board of Governors of Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. Fanshawe College is an example of a decades-old institution that has undergone massive growth in the new millennium. Today, Fanshawe serves 16,000 full-time students and approximately 30,000 part-time students. The campus is immaculate; state-of-the-art, … Continue reading (What) to Be, or What not to Be

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2010, College Access, College Affordability

Nights in Columbus

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute This was one of those weeks. Started in Miami on Sunday morning talking with the Council on State Governments on the new US Common Core Curriculum Standards that are going through in the US. Moved on to New Orleans, where I met at the AACRAO conference to discuss higher education ranking systems, and ended up in … Continue reading Nights in Columbus

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2010, College Access, Research/Policy

Rethinking the Postsecondary Transition

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute Recently I’ve been talking with many of the college access professionals who work with students in the transition from secondary to postsecondary school. For those who are more affluent, the idea of summer programs abroad or other bridges before college are more the norm than the exception. But for those from lower- and middle-income families, high … Continue reading Rethinking the Postsecondary Transition

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