What do we mean when we talk about “going to college?” The answer is that we mean many different things. In principle, there’s nothing wrong with that. Our higher education system is vast and varied. But in practice, the definition deficit can be a problem when it comes to public discussion of postsecondary education. Too often, we just talk past one other.

Here’s the example I’ve had inContinue Reading »

Not everyone is destined for academia, even if only for a four-year degree, which is why Robert Samuelson’s argument earlier this week to “rethink” the “college-for-all” mentality is certainly valid and necessary. But although college isn’t for everyone, higher education—in some way, shape, or form—is. High school diplomas don’t cut it anymore, and by 2018, two-thirds of American jobs will requContinue Reading »

‘College for All’ is a phrase that is thrown around a lot in the media and in policy debates – sometimes by people who support it, other times by those who deride it. But there are two important things to remember in this discussion: 1) College for All doesn’t mean Harvard for all – it can include vocational and technical training and 2-year as well as 4-year degreContinue Reading »

Or, that’s what this EdWeek article should have said. The report, available here, actually is quite bullish on college. The conclusion has this rather clear paragraph:

As President Obama has said, we now need every young American not only to complete high school, but to obtain a post-secondary credential or degree with currency in the labor market. Most Americans now seem to have gContinue Reading »

I spent yesterday morning participating in a panel discussion (video here) at the Center for American Progress, responding to a couple of new papers they’ve commissioned about higher educaiton. The first, by Sara Goldrick-Rab and Josipa Roksa, makes a comprehensive case for expanding the federal higher education agenda beyond the current monolithic focus on student financial aid. The papeContinue Reading »