Category: Politics

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2026, College Access, College Affordability, Politics, Research/Policy, Workforce

The Workforce Pell Grant—A Cautionary Tale

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Last July, Congress passed a budget reconciliation bill that included Workforce Pell, which will provide—for the first time—Pell Grant funding to students who enroll in short-term, workforce-oriented training programs and certifications. These grants will be available to students starting July 1, 2026. Programs must be between 150 and 599 clock hours and last between 8 … Continue reading The Workforce Pell Grant—A Cautionary Tale

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2025, College Access, K12, Politics, Research/Policy, STEM, Student Success

It’s All About the Math

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist There is an interesting article on the Washington Post website dated yesterday (November 18, 2025) about how race is aligned with who gets to take algebra in middle school. The thesis of the article is that early algebra is offered less to Black and Hispanic students than other students, including and especially White and Asian … Continue reading It’s All About the Math

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2025, Politics, Research/Policy

Will Anyone Stand Up for America?

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist UPDATED 4:10PM EST, OCTOBER 16, 2025 Since writing this piece and publishing the morning of October 16, 2025, both Brown University and Penn University have also pushed back on the Trump Compact. That brings them in line with MIT and Dartmouth and leaves four other institutions mulling the Administration’s offer over. Expect more dominoes to … Continue reading Will Anyone Stand Up for America?

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2025, K12, Politics, Research/Policy, Workforce

House Slashes Education Funding This Week

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist This morning a new jobs report showed a sluggish economy by way of the lowest addition of jobs in recent memory which is tied to an increase in unemployment rates. This comes during a week where concerning news came out of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies … Continue reading House Slashes Education Funding This Week

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2025, Politics

Is this the end of the US Department of Education?

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist There has been a lot of hub-bub about the cuts to the US Department of Education, and, as of yesterday, we can call it the complete annihilation of the Department (or, as AFT’s Randi Weingarten says: “We’ll see you in court”). Understand that these issues are completely politically driven, and no one could envision these … Continue reading Is this the end of the US Department of Education?

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