In the course of presenting a very interesting paper on international college rankings at an accountability conference I co-hosted yesterday, Ben Wildavsky made an observation that I strongly endorse: international competition in higher education isn’t a zero-sum game. In fact, I think there’s a good argument that America would be better off if we no [...]
All Posts Tagged: 'Finland'
Dancing Around the Elephant in the Room
A few weeks ago, conservative education historian/contrarian Diane Ravitch was asked to judge a “best education reform idea” contest. The first entry came from the “Center for Union Facts,” a sort of clearinghouse for union-hating agitprop. The “Center” proposed to—and I’m not paraphrasing here—”demonize” teachers unions. With billboards and radio and stuff. Ravitch noted that [...]
Learning From Finland, Or: The Semi-Voluntary Internationalization Theory of Higher Education Reform
What does the Finnish War of 1808 have to do with contemporary higher education policy in America? Plenty! You can read all about it in my new Chronicle of Higher Education column, here.
Finlandia
We returned from Finland on Saturday, so here are my initial overall impressions, focused mostly on the implications for K–12 education. To begin, let me acknowledge that one can’t draw firm conclusions about cause and effect after a short visit. Spending a week in a far-off country means you return knowing a lot more than [...]
Balance
A few years ago, while on vacation in Italy, my wife and I toured a winery in Tuscany and ended up spending an hour or so chatting with the in-house sommelier, a woman in her early thirties. After pouring a really terrific Vino Nobile de Montepulciano, she off-handedly mentioned that she had earned a law [...]
Lowering Student Loan Default Rates: What One Consortium of Historically Black Institutions Did to Succeed 
College and Career-Ready: Using Outcomes Data to Hold High Schools Accountable for Student Success
03/19/10 | Ben Miller is quoted on college graduation rates and the NCAA Tournament in the Detroit Free Press.
03/19/10 | Linda Perlstein links to Education Sector's "College- and Career-Ready" event.
03/17/10 | Ben Miller's column on graduation rates and NCAA Tournament eligibility is mentioned on The Wall Street Journal's The Daily Fix.
03/17/10 | Kevin Carey's critique of Diane Ravitch's latest book is quoted in Doublethink's Conventional Folly blog.
03/15/10 | Ben Miller pens an op-ed for US News & World Report on using graduation rates to determine NCAA Tournament eligibility.