Category: K12

2013, K12, Research/Policy

Gone Viral—The Hidden Agenda of a High School Student’s YouTube Video

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute Last week, a video of a high school student in Tennessee went viral. The student, Ethan Young, made an extraordinarily impressive statement to the Knox County School Board about the challenges and problems with Common Core Standards. Anyone who watches the video will undoubtedly be impressed by this young man’s oratorical skills. I immediately wanted … Continue reading Gone Viral—The Hidden Agenda of a High School Student’s YouTube Video

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2013, College Access, College Affordability, Financial Aid, K12, Research/Policy

Addressing our Higher Education Woes

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute I am stunned how many really bright people still want to fix college during the college years. OK, let’s back up. What do I mean? The biggest challenges with college, with regard to college access and completion, occur way, way before a student approaches matriculation. College access is fundamentally about academic preparation. All other … Continue reading Addressing our Higher Education Woes

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2013, College Access, K12

How Much Mathematics is Enough?

By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute and EPI International The National Council on Education & the Economy, the organization led by Marc Tucker, released a series of new reports on Tuesday called What Does it Really Mean to be College and Career Ready? The reports, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and focusing on mathematics and English, explore what is … Continue reading How Much Mathematics is Enough?

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2010, K12

Where the Hell is Superman?

By Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, EPI International & Educational Policy Institute If you are an educator, and unless you have been hiding under a rock for the past month, everyone is talking about Waiting for Superman, the new documentary by Davis Guggenheim, the producer/director of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, which won an Oscar a few years back. Superman has brought much-needed focus … Continue reading Where the Hell is Superman?

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2010, K12, Student Success

The Fierce Urgency of Now

Early today, President Obama spoke at the National Urban League Annual Conference in Washington, DC. He used the platform to talk mostly about education and his Race to the Top (RTTT) agenda. Race to the Top is a $4 billion initiative of the Obama Administration to improve education in US schools by awarding states who undertake “ambitious yet achievable” plans for reform. In March 2010, Delaware and Tennessee were awarded the first RTTT funds, with Delaware receiving $100 million and Tennessee $500 million. On July 27th, US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan announced an additional 18 states (plus the District of Columbia) to be in the running for an additional $3 billion in funds. Continue reading The Fierce Urgency of Now

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