by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute I’ve long made the connection between the relatively lack of connection between a college degree and the workforce in terms of skill sets. Sure, many of the skills developed in college are hugely beneficial in the private and public sectors. No argument. But for them to have impact, one must have an … Continue reading Matching Skills, Credentials, and Jobs
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Scholar, Educational Policy Institute This is an opinion piece I wrote for the Chronicle Review and published on January 23, 2004. I stumbled upon it the other day and thought it was worth a repost on The Swail Letter. Let me know if you agree, disagree, and whether the same holds true 13 years later. As Congress tackles the reauthorization … Continue reading Legislation to Improve Graduation Rates Could Have the Opposite Effect
by Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute According to a new study to be released in January of next year, the proportion of high school seniors earning an A average in school is increasing even as their SAT score is decreasing. One may suspect that teachers are passing on higher grades to students due to a variety of issues, not the least … Continue reading The Challenges of Grade Inflation
by Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute On Friday, the State of New York announced that it would provide free tuition to families earning less than $125,000. The cost of the program is budgeted at $163 million/year in today’s dollars, noting that those costs will escalate in the coming years beyond the cost of tuition. For those who support tuition-free policies, this is … Continue reading New York Takes the First Dive into Free Tuition
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute “This is hard for you because you think of the students as cuddly bunnies, but you can’t. You just have to drown the bunnies. Put a Glock to their heads.”\ The above is a quote from former Mount St. Mary’s University President Simon Newman earlier this year. I say former, because the quote, in part, forced … Continue reading “Put a Glock to Their Heads”
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 