by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist There are many superhero powers that some of us dream about. As a kid, I wanted to fly. Not like a plane, but rather, hold my arms out and fly like Superman. I often dreamed of flying out of my bedroom window over to Oakenwald Elementary across the street. I’m sure I wasn’t isolated in that … Continue reading Being Invisible
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist They watched. They listened. They acted. And once they understood the depths of the pandemic from the experts, college presidents at some of our finest institutions decided it was okay to open up their campuses to students. Brown University was the figurehead for opening up, stating in an open letter that they would open carefully … Continue reading The Utter Ignorance of Higher Education
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute On Friday, President Trump signed an executive order that would allow the federal government to hire by merit rather than by degree. “Degree-based hiring is especially likely to exclude qualified candidates for jobs related to emerging technologies and those with weak connections between educational attainment and the skills or competencies required to perform them. … Continue reading Skills Versus Degrees: The Administration Got This One Right
Today, June 5, the United States reached the 110,000 COVID-19-related death mark. As a policy analyst and researcher, I follow the data very closely. In fact, I am in Day 80 of tracking new daily cases, new daily deaths, and total deaths for the virus, which I then repurpose into charts on Facebook and Twitter. The frustrating part is that I’ve found the numbers erratic, … Continue reading Why are COVID-19 Data so Inconsistent?
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute Over 25 lawsuits are currently being levied against universities by various student groups (and their legal representation) in demand of tuition and fee refunds due to COVID-19 closures. The argument is that students are paying a standard fee for online classes that are not of the same quality as those provided in person. In … Continue reading Should Colleges Reduce Tuition Charges Due to COVID-19?
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 