Really? Another Standardized Test for College Graduates? Really!
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute Last month, Time Magazine and Minnesota Public Radio both interviewed me about the use of the Collegiate Learning Assessment PLUS (CLA+) as a measure of “workforce readiness.” For the uninitiated, the CLA+ is a reuse of the “College Learning Assessment,” created by Rand Corporation with support of several large philanthropies back in the 2000s. … Continue reading Really? Another Standardized Test for College Graduates? Really!
My College Orientation
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute About a month ago, I was privileged to participate in the annual “college orientation” indoctrination process at a major public institution. My middle son is off to college in a few weeks, and, for our part, we were to visit the institution, he was to stay over the night, and I was to hang … Continue reading My College Orientation
College for Free? Not Really…
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute A few weeks ago, InsideHigherEd.com reported about the Oregon’s proposal to eliminate tuition fees at public colleges and universities. That statement, in isolation, isn’t exactly factual. Nothing is for free, is it? Or, at least, nothing good is generally for free. And the Oregon plan is not remotely close to free. What Oregon plans to … Continue reading College for Free? Not Really…
Addressing our Higher Education Woes
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute I am stunned how many really bright people still want to fix college during the college years. OK, let’s back up. What do I mean? The biggest challenges with college, with regard to college access and completion, occur way, way before a student approaches matriculation. College access is fundamentally about academic preparation. All other … Continue reading Addressing our Higher Education Woes
How Much Mathematics is Enough?
By Watson Scott Swail, President and CEO of Educational Policy Institute and EPI International The National Council on Education & the Economy, the organization led by Marc Tucker, released a series of new reports on Tuesday called What Does it Really Mean to be College and Career Ready? The reports, funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and focusing on mathematics and English, explore what is … Continue reading How Much Mathematics is Enough?
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 