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 »

Higher ed disclosure. Under the Higher Education Opportunity Act, which was reauthorized in 2008, colleges must provide Pell graduation rates, credit transfer information, employment placement, and textbook prices to prospective students. Armed with these stats and others, students will be able to make more informed choices during their college search. But a new report by Education Sector’s KevContinue Reading »

I’m a big fan of a lot of the ideas and blog posts that the Center for College Affordability and Productivity churns out.  Higher education can only benefit from more agitators relentlessly questioning why college students are going further in debt to fund more golf courses and the latest round of special interest centers springing up on campuses.  And, our society needs some continuous eContinue Reading »

“Is College Overrated?” is the giant headline on the top of today’s Washington Post Style section. What follows could best be described as a wealthy hedge fund manager with some doctoral work and Dr. Richard Vedder telling people not to go to college. It’s certainly a piece designed to generate controversy, the kind of thing that probably started as a pitch to Slate.

Yesterday Slate called out the New York Times for bogus trend stories (Circle lenses are all the rage! But they’re potentially dangerous!). Throw this one in the same heap. It’s about a 24 year-old named Scott Nicholson who graduated from Colgate College University in 2008 and hasn’t been able to find a job, despite sending 4-5 applications a week to corporate job openings*. NContinue Reading »

In a Reykjavik-level summit of “people who irritate me,” Deborah Solomon interviewed Charles Murray in the New York Times Magazine college issue over the weekend, producing this priceless exchange:

What do you propose that 18-year-olds do instead of trying to learn the difference between macro- and microeconomics? Oh, the world of work out there!

I’m sure you’re awareContinue Reading »