An unusual organization of policy leaders has joined the chorus for higher education reform. Chief state budget officers rarely speak collectively or publicly about higher education—instead focusing on state revenue issues, adjusting budgets in light of revenue surpluses (a rare event of late) or shortfalls, and enacting a budget.

But in a recent report, these state officials spoke out oContinue Reading »

You owe it to the Chinese. Stephen Colbert gives the 2013 Valedictory Address at the University of Virginia and tells students they don’t owe the previous generation anything and to choose the hard path in life. “While traditional paths may seem harder to find, that also means that you may learn sooner than most generations the hard lesson that you must always make the path for yourself.” (YouTContinue Reading »

“That’s why science is so exciting—because you don’t know what’s going to happen.” Fifth-graders at one California school send various items (popcorn kernels, jellybeans, marshmallows) to the edge of the atmosphere and hypothesize what will happen next. (NBC Nightly News)

“The most radical experiment in education.” Sudbury Valley School, outside Boston, doesn’t have teachers, structured Continue Reading »

Identifying potential dropouts in middle school. A Louisiana school is seeing reduced suspension and failure rates, plus a higher attendance rate, thanks to—officials say—a data-driven program that flags students who show signs of falling behind. (PBS NewsHour)

Who will hold colleges accountable? Kevin Carey argues for elimination of the “antiquated credit hour.” How else can we measure Continue Reading »

In the Sunday Washington Post reporter Anne Hull tells the moving, heart-breaking story of Tabitha Rouzzo, a hardworking, earnest, working class young woman, desperately trying to make a better life for herself in New Castle, Pa. The odds against Tabitha are steep. The Rust Belt is in a deep depression and finding well-paying work is nearly impossible; going to college is a dream. “This town isContinue Reading »

It’s unsettling to hear that some 90 percent of teachers believe that today’s technologies are creating “an easily distracted generation with short attention spans.” Unsettling, not for the fear mongering it conjures about the future of student achievement, but for the belief that technology exposure actually reduces the ability to learn and progress and achieve. Technology is ever-present in oContinue Reading »

Dear Pearson VUE, Prometric, and other computer-based testing centers,

I will be the first to admit it: I am addicted to chapstick (specifically, the pure Vaseline kind). I also drink a lot of water. I think it’s refreshing, and it keeps my eyes—and my fussy contact lenses—hydrated. And sometimes I like to wear a wrap to keep my arms or legs warm in an overly air-conditioned offiContinue Reading »

Budgets are tight and tuitions are rising. But on college campuses, construction cranes are still sprouting like towering trees. “America’s universities and colleges have spent more than $11 billion on new facilities in each of the last two years—the depths of the economic downturn—which is more than double what they spent in 2000.” (Hechinger Report)

Filling in the (music) notes. An aContinue Reading »

Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski made the Obama Administration’s big announcement at yesterday’s Digital Learning Day festivities: the release of a “digital textbook playbook” to support the goal of ensuring that every student has a digital textbook in the next five years. The playbook is a helpful resource, the federal involvement helps to legitimize tContinue Reading »

Educators from coast-to-coast will celebrate the nation’s first Digital Learning Day on Wednesday. Amidst the cool technology demonstrations, shiny gadgets, and debates about online learning, it’s essential not to overlook the country’s most expensive — and perhaps most ambitious — initiative to use digital technology.

Just under 18 months ago, the U.S. DepaContinue Reading »