by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute Eight years ago I wrote a piece for EPI’s Student Success Magazine titled “Seven Guiding Questions for Student Retention.” That seems ions ago, but people still come up to me and comment on that particular writing sample of mine. I came across it the other day and found that, for better or worse, the … Continue reading Seven Guiding Questions for Student Retention
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute There seems to be renewed interest in the collection of student unit record in higher education. Back in 2008 during the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA), a provision was added to the law that restricted the federal government from collecting student-based unit record data. This followed a multi-year dialogue about how … Continue reading The Return of “Huge” Data
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute The opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games are always an emotional and uplifting event. The Sochi opening was no less spectacular than any previous opening ceremony, and, regardless of hotel and bathroom issues, the Russians did a simply exceptional job. After a late night in front of the TV, I woke up this morning to … Continue reading An Olympic Challenge to Higher Education
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute Last week, Robert Reich, the former Secretary of Commerce in the Clinton Administration, send this out on his Facebook account: HOW TO PAY FOR COLLEGE. This week I start teaching the second semester here at Berkeley. Many of my students and students at other universities are drowning in debt – which is distorting their career … Continue reading Robert Reich and College Affordability
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute This morning, the President and First Lady spoke at the White House Summit on College Opportunity. This was their bully pulpit push to expand postsecondary opportunity, especially to low-income and first-generation students. First Lady Michele Obama spoke about the “limitless capacity” that lies in our young people and reminded us that education is a two-way … Continue reading A White House Summit on College Opportunity
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 