Category: Student Success

2017, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

Legislation to Improve Graduation Rates Could Have the Opposite Effect

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

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2017, Research/Policy, Student Success

The Challenges of Grade Inflation

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

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2017, College Affordability, Financial Aid, Politics, Research/Policy, Student Success

New York Takes the First Dive into Free Tuition

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

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2016, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

“Put a Glock to Their Heads”

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”

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2016, College Affordability, Research/Policy, Retention, Student Success

So How Much Does Student Departure Cost Your Institution?

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute In 2013, state and federal governments spent approximately $150 billion on higher education. This includes funding for Pell Grants, state grants, research, and direct subsidies for students. To put this in some perspective, federal funding amounted to $227 per person in the US, and about double that if state funds are included. On the … Continue reading So How Much Does Student Departure Cost Your Institution?

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