The Hill is Alive (Finally)

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute There was a potpourri of activity on Capitol Hill this week. From the passing of the College Cost Reduction Act (CCRA) of 2007 (and it seems like the Taxpayer Relief Act of 1997 was only yesterday…), to a firm stand by Ted Kennedy on loan agencies and the “inducement” scandal, this has been a busy … Continue reading The Hill is Alive (Finally)

Outcomes from Retention 2007

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Two weeks ago hundreds of us converged on San Antonio for Retention 2007, our second annual international conference on student retention. This year’s event doubled the attendance from 2006, and we’re anticipating a much larger crowd next May in San Diego. Beyond the collective sigh of relief from our staff that we can put “R7,” … Continue reading Outcomes from Retention 2007

Answering the “Hard Questions”

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Further travels with me this week involve a visit to the American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. I’m here with 15,000 of my closest friends. I think I’ve shaken hands with half of them. AERA is one of those conferences that forces one into a strategic mode just to navigate: sessions at … Continue reading Answering the “Hard Questions”

Remembering the Alamo

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute In this week’s news, we feature a new study by the DC-based Alliance for Excellent Education, which finds that over $1.4 billion is spent at US two-year institutions for developmental (remedial) education. The issue of remediation continues to become an increasing challenge for educational institutions in the US and Canada. Critics of remedial programming suggest … Continue reading Remembering the Alamo

Ensuring Diversity in Higher Education

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute The affirmative action debate has been hanging around the collective heads of public higher education for the last three decades, with the debate coming to a head more recently with the impact of Proposition 209 in California and the expansion of similar legislative actions in a number of states. Higher education has always had preference … Continue reading Ensuring Diversity in Higher Education