by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist, Educational Policy Institute I’ve long made the connection between the relatively lack of connection between a college degree and the workforce in terms of skill sets. Sure, many of the skills developed in college are hugely beneficial in the private and public sectors. No argument. But for them to have impact, one must have an … Continue reading Matching Skills, Credentials, and Jobs
The question for many of those that do change occupations is whether their changes are due to their lack of a “higher education,” or because they do not possess the requisite skills to earn a stable living in a volatile world? The common perception, and a perception voiced in Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce, is that high school students do not possess the attributes for this and future workforce because many of the future jobs will require postsecondary education. Continue reading Debating How Much Education Society Really Needs
By Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Scholar, Educational Policy Institute This is an opinion piece I wrote for the Chronicle Review and published on January 23, 2004. I stumbled upon it the other day and thought it was worth a repost on The Swail Letter. Let me know if you agree, disagree, and whether the same holds true 13 years later. As Congress tackles the reauthorization … Continue reading Legislation to Improve Graduation Rates Could Have the Opposite Effect
By Watson Scott Swail, Ed.D. A new publication Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report illustrates that the most popular undergraduate programs remain in the arts and humanities, social sciences, and journalism. However, they are also the least employed of college graduates. The best employed are the STEM graduates: those in engineering, manufacturing, and construction. They are employed at a rate of 88 percent compared … Continue reading Pushing Tin
by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & Senior Research Scientist Yesterday the Trump Administration, through the auspices of Steve Mnuchin and Gary Cohn, released a trial balloon to test their tax plan in the media and Congress. True to Trump’s word, this is potentially the biggest change in the tax system in generations, starting with the reduction of corporate tax from 35 to 15 percent … Continue reading What Impact do the Trump Tax Cuts Have on Education?
The Swail Letter on Higher Education 