Two years ago, Steve Schneider, a high school guidance counselor in Sheboygan, Wisc., had been fairly satisfied. More than 90 percent of his students graduated every year, and according to senior exit surveys, about three-quarters went to a four-year institution, with the remaining enrolling in local, technical colleges.

Or so he thought.

In fact, about half of South High School gContinue Reading »

In 1994, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchinson (R-Texas) claimed that criminals had discovered “that Pell grants are a great scam: rob a store, go to jail, and get your degree.” At the time, 27,700 state and federal prisoners were using Pell grants—far less than one percent of the overall program. But following Hutchinson’s anti-rehabilitation rhetoric, the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act baContinue 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 »

It was a little strange to be sitting in the Mayflower Hotel this morning listening to U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings say that “Rome is burning!” with respect to American educational outcomes when Wall Street really does seem to be burning, but these events get scheduled far in advance and her larger point that perpetual achievement shortfalls and large socio-economiContinue Reading »