When government subsidies are shrinking anyway . . . shouldn’t the subsidies to for-profit colleges be rethought? In today’s New York Times, Floyd Norris says yes:

Whatever the case used to be for subsidizing these highly profitable companies, it ought to be a lot less compelling now when the country is slashing subsidies for other types of schoolsContinue Reading »

Soliciting student input whatever way possible. Kindergartners in Georgia will be asked to circle smiley, neutral, or frown faces next to statements about their teachers’ performance. It’s part of a pilot program aimed at incorporating student feedback into personnel decisions. (The Hechinger Report)

‘The Morality of a For-Profit College, in One Act.’ A former for-profit college admissioContinue Reading »

Mitt Romney is a big fan of for-profit colleges, although he doesn’t seem to know much about them.

An article that ran in Sunday’s New York Times highlighted recent statements that the Republican presidential frontrunner has made on the campaign trail praising the for-profit higher education sector for offering an affordable alternative to traditional higher education. Romney, for Continue Reading »

Prospective students, beware: the job placement rates that for-profit colleges are required to disclose remain as unreliable as ever. The Obama administration had a chance to ensure schools release more accurate data, but fumbled it. And judging from a notice that the U.S. Department of Education issued shortly before Christmas, the administration doesn’t plan to make another play on it anytimeContinue Reading »

There’s no doubt that the ongoing crisis of governance in California and resulting disinvestment in the University of California system is deplorable. But this recent Washington Post dispatch from UC-Berkeley doesn’t exactly paint a picture of a campus in deep crisis:

Star faculty take mandatory furloughs. Classes grow perceptibly larger each year. Roofs leak; e-mail crashes.Continue Reading »

Copyright Ritz-Carlton

If Representative Cummings was looking for a backdrop to announce his investigation into CEO pay at for-profit colleges, he couldn’t have asked for better than last week’s welcoming reception for the Association of Private Sector Colleges and Universities at the Ritz Carlton, where throngs of well-heeled lobbyists, lawyers, and CEOS nibblContinue Reading »

Clearly, we have Thanksgiving on the brain. So here, in the spirit of the season, are our Turkey Day Quick Hits. (We resisted the all-too-easy temptation to call anyone a turkey.)

Giving thanks. The public radio project Storycorps wants Friday to be a Day of Thanks for teachers. The goal is to encourage people to write to former teachers, interview them, or just “friend” them on FacebookContinue Reading »

For-profits and job placements. An investigation into an Illinois-based, for-profit college firm last week found that officials inflated job placement rates. Of the company’s 49 schools nationwide, 36 had placed fewer than 65 percent of their 2010-11 graduates into jobs, which is required to maintain their accreditation. Education Sector analysts examined gainful employment reporting requiremenContinue Reading »

Setting standards. An Arizona community college decided this week to strengthen their admissions requirements by mandating a placement test for all incoming students. Those who don’t perform at a 7th-grade level or higher in reading, math, and writing will be required to take non-credit remedial classes. No problem, right? Wrong. Officials expect that 2,300 students will fall into those remediaContinue Reading »

Are middle-class public schools as successful as their communities think they are? No, according to a report released today by Third Way, a Democratic think tank. The report looks at data from recent national math, reading, history, math, and geography exams and finds that low-income students are making more progress than middle- or upper-class students. (Wall Street Journal)

A guide to Continue Reading »