By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute The New York Times David Leonhardt, one of the few journalists that I read on a daily basis, published an article this morning on the “new dropout crisis.” The crisis, in this case, is that the national college dropout rate has eclipsed the national high school dropout rate. While I am glad to see … Continue reading The New Dropout Crisis? Not so New
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute A new report released yesterday by the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) reported that undergraduate enrollments were down 1.3 percent from the previous year, equivalent to 231,674 students from the previous spring. The biggest losses were in the two-year public sector, which accounted for over half of the losses (53 percent; 107,393), and the four-year, … Continue reading Declining Enrollments? Not Such a Big Deal
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute The San Antonio Express-News wrote an opinion yesterday on the expansion of higher education in Texas. Senate Bill 828, which failed earlier this year, would give authority to expand higher education campuses to meet the growth and needs of the state. As noted by the state’s higher education commission, Raymund Paredes, building new facilities … Continue reading The Texas College Dilemma: How Big? How Much?
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Many of us that study and work in the student retention field understand how complex and challenging it can be. The work involved in changing schools, environments, and cultures to improve student success in higher education can be daunting. For institutional leadership that have to deal with state and federal guidelines, organizational budgets, human … Continue reading The Hardest Decision for Student Success: Hiring the Right President
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Alex: Well, we have a barn burner today, folks. Scott, you’re still in command of the board and close to clinching, so go ahead and make a selection. Scott: Thanks, Alex, let’s go “US Higher Education for $400,” please. Alex: Well, its today’s Daily Double. [crowd goes crazy] Scott: I’ll wager $2,000, Alex. Alex: … Continue reading I’ll take US Higher Education for $400, Alex
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 