Now That The SAT Has Been Revised… Let’s Revise How We Use The SAT

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Two days ago, more than a quarter million students around the country sat down for the inaugural debut of the newly revised SAT. The College Board had promised a new SAT to be more representative of their prior learning in school. Traditionally, the ACT is a test that is very reflective of school-based learning, … Continue reading Now That The SAT Has Been Revised… Let’s Revise How We Use The SAT

Musings on the 2016 Presidential Election and Ramifications for Education

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute In what will arguably go down as the “longest” election in the history of the United States, it is worthy of a conversation about the future of federal education policy. Why the longest? President Obama was inaugurated for the second time on January 21, 2013. One day later, the GOP started openly talking about … Continue reading Musings on the 2016 Presidential Election and Ramifications for Education

The Broken Record of Student Debt

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute I recently read an article by Mitchell Weiss of credit.com in USA Today titled “Student Loan Debt: America’s Next Big Crisis.” Weiss points out that the percentage of delinquent student loans rose from 11.1 percent to 11.5 percent between the first two quarters in 2015. On the surface, that doesn’t sound like much. But … Continue reading The Broken Record of Student Debt

Early College: A Good Public Policy Option?

By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute PBS NewsHour ran a story the other night titled “Does early college for high school students pave a path to graduation?” The piece featured Pharr-San Juan-Alamo School district in Pharr, Texas, a suburb of McAllen, and only a few hops and a jump from the Rio Grande River and the US-Mexican border. The high … Continue reading Early College: A Good Public Policy Option?

Lest We Forget — The GI Bill and Educational Opportunity

By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute On a day where we take time to remember the service members who sacrificed for our countries, it is an appropriate time to talk about how we repay them. The GI Bill has been seen as a critical safety net for our military men and women when they return from service. The GI Bill, created in … Continue reading Lest We Forget — The GI Bill and Educational Opportunity