Category: Research/Policy

2011, Research/Policy, Student Success

The Passing of a Student Aid Giant: Remembering Lutz Berkner

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International As many people know, I am passionate about the pathways to and through higher education, and I follow the data with excruciating detail. Three letters—BPS—mean more to me than most people: Beginning Postsecondary Student. This is the name of the US Department of Education survey of 19,000 students attending mostly US institutions who are followed … Continue reading The Passing of a Student Aid Giant: Remembering Lutz Berkner

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2010, Politics, Research/Policy

Merry Christmas: The Lasting Impact of the Economy and a Congress that Apparently Doesn’t Give a Damn

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute Okay, I could have written a softer, nicer, gentler, “funner” piece for Xmas. But I received an email yesterday from the Southern Education Foundation that said that “extreme poverty in the United States increased during 2009 by 12.9 percent, expanding the number of people living below 50 percent of the poverty threshold by more than 2.1 … Continue reading Merry Christmas: The Lasting Impact of the Economy and a Congress that Apparently Doesn’t Give a Damn

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2010, College Affordability, Research/Policy

The Senator and the Schools

By Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Senator Tom Harkin has had a distinguished political career. He is seen as a moderate Democrat who gets along with his Senatorial colleagues and tries to do the nation’s business in a meaningful and tangible manner with decorum. He has been a supporter of college access and success throughout his career. To protect the interest of … Continue reading The Senator and the Schools

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2010, College Affordability, Politics, Research/Policy

Taking it to the Streets: Student Protests and Higher Education Policy

by Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International This past Wednesday, British higher education students took to the streets of London to decry the Conservative government’s plans to significantly raise tuition fees. It has been reported that the government plans to raise the fees by as much as three times the current price to £9,000, or about $14,000 US/CDN. The protest involved an estimated … Continue reading Taking it to the Streets: Student Protests and Higher Education Policy

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2010, Research/Policy

Innovation, Exploitation, and Instigation (and it still isn’t enough!)

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Last week I was privileged to participate in a special seminar hosted by Stanford University’s SCOPE Center and the Canadian Education Association (CEA) at the University of Toronto. The event, Achieving Equity through Innovation: A Canada-United States Colloquium, featured educators, practitioners, and policymakers from the US and Canada, including Jim Shelton of the US Department of Education, … Continue reading Innovation, Exploitation, and Instigation (and it still isn’t enough!)

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