Not Quite Achieving the Dream
Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute Back in 2004, Lumina Foundation for Education began pumping millions of dollars into its Achieving the Dream initiative, an effort to improve educational practice at two-year institutions through data-driven decision-making, the use of learning communities, and changing the way students are processed at community colleges. Seventy-six million dollars later, a new MDRC report suggests that … Continue reading Not Quite Achieving the Dream
The Passing of a Student Aid Giant: Remembering Lutz Berkner
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International As many people know, I am passionate about the pathways to and through higher education, and I follow the data with excruciating detail. Three letters—BPS—mean more to me than most people: Beginning Postsecondary Student. This is the name of the US Department of Education survey of 19,000 students attending mostly US institutions who are followed … Continue reading The Passing of a Student Aid Giant: Remembering Lutz Berkner
Merry Christmas: The Lasting Impact of the Economy and a Congress that Apparently Doesn’t Give a Damn
By Dr. Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute Okay, I could have written a softer, nicer, gentler, “funner” piece for Xmas. But I received an email yesterday from the Southern Education Foundation that said that “extreme poverty in the United States increased during 2009 by 12.9 percent, expanding the number of people living below 50 percent of the poverty threshold by more than 2.1 … Continue reading Merry Christmas: The Lasting Impact of the Economy and a Congress that Apparently Doesn’t Give a Damn
The Senator and the Schools
By Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Senator Tom Harkin has had a distinguished political career. He is seen as a moderate Democrat who gets along with his Senatorial colleagues and tries to do the nation’s business in a meaningful and tangible manner with decorum. He has been a supporter of college access and success throughout his career. To protect the interest of … Continue reading The Senator and the Schools
Postsecondary Persistence and Graduating Rates: A Little Insanity Can Go a Long, Long Way
by Watson Scott Swail, CEO, Educational Policy Institute/EPI International Last week was a big week for student retention and persistence aficionados. The Educational Policy Institute held its 2010 Retention 101 workshop in Dallas, Texas, complete with participants from across Canada and the United States. Coincidentally, the US Department of Education released two important data reports documenting graduation and persistence rates at institutions of higher education in … Continue reading Postsecondary Persistence and Graduating Rates: A Little Insanity Can Go a Long, Long Way
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 