Watchdogs That Don’t Bite
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute “For the most part, accreditation agencies are watchdogs that don’t bite.” That’s what US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said yesterday regarding higher education accreditation in the United States. The US Department of Education is putting pressure on accreditors to do more about quality in higher education. However, the Department serves mostly as a … Continue reading Watchdogs That Don’t Bite
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?
Revolution, Not Reformation
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scholar, Educational Policy Institute Well, it’s another school year. Students around the country have started the sojourn back to their elementary, secondary, and postsecondary schools—the pathway to enlightenment for some; the tunnel of darkness for others. This year’s return is framed by a political discussion that has raised the platform of education as a federal issue. Although we … Continue reading Revolution, Not Reformation
Trigger Warnings
by Stephen Joel Trachtenberg & Gerald Kauver It begins with a potch on the toches – a slap on the backside. From the moment an infant leaves the birth canal, the world’s stimuli assault a child’s senses and sensibility, an intersection of bright lights, discordant sounds and raw emotions, warm embraces, soothing moments and tender feelings. As the child matures, in-between these sensory interactions, ideas will swirl … Continue reading Trigger Warnings
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 