By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute After 25 years as an educator and 15 as an evaluator, data geek, and policy wonk, I’m forever fascinated and amazed at the arrogance and ignorance people have toward evaluation of educational programs. Maybe I’ve been hanging out with the wrong crowd for too long, but I don’t think so. I’ve worked for a variety of … Continue reading Arrogance, Ignorance, and Evaluation
By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute Tuesday was a special day. Every four years we have a wonderful opportunity to put aside partisan bickering and heal for a moment in an event so uniquely American, but also so important and consequential that the world stops to take notice. This, of course, was not the typical inauguration. It was the inauguration of the … Continue reading A Place Called Hope?
By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO, Educational Policy Institute Last week, Claiborne Pell, a six-term US Senator from Rhode Island, passed away at his home in Newport, Rhode Island. Senator Pell was an extraordinary man whose passing signals the end of an era, in many ways. Most people know Pell because of the namesake grant named after him. According to accounts, the Pell Grant, which … Continue reading Farewell to a Giant — Senator Pell
By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute and EPI International Every two years, the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education releases its biennial report, “Measuring Up,” which documents the progress (or lack thereof) of states and the nation on an assortment of indicators, including college preparation, high school completion, college access, affordability, college completion, and ROI (returns on investment). The Center … Continue reading Time to Measure Up
By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute and EPI International My friends and colleagues at The College Board (dot.com, no less), led by the industrious Sandy Baum, released the annual Trends in College Pricing report yesterday. As many of our readers know, I am quite familiar with the Trends reports, having co-directed that series in the late 1990s. In fact, I had dinner … Continue reading $17,000 a Year… Scary as Hell!
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 