For years, scammy “for profit” schools have been making a killing destroying our young people as they go to college. The plan is simple: first, open up a decent looking school. Second, exploit bogus accreditation to qualify to get tuition loans for students. Third, open up enrollment (especially online) and annihilate standards so the school […] … learn more→

Apparently job search firms routinely conduct online searches on academics. Inger Newburn recently reported that she quickly found online information about someone for whom she had been asked to provide an independent tenure commentary, and she urged us all to google ourselves. But I wonder how much checking actually goes on outside of the job and promotion […] … learn more→

If you take a typical Australian classroom and line up the students by their current achievement levels, you will find a five- to six-year spread between the most and least advanced 10% of students. When students are being left behind the solution presented is often to hold them back a grade, making them repeat a […] … learn more→

p>I’ve certainly pointed at the excesses of a Poo Bah at a for-profit school, and I’ve mentioned that the same can be found at a non-profit school as well. So I may as well complete the trifecta by showing that excessive Poo Bah lifestyles are to be found at publicly funded schools. As always, it […] … learn more→

“And so it begins … ISIS flag among refugees in Germany fighting the police,” blared the headline on the Conservative Post; “with this new leaked picture, everything seems confirmed”. The image in question purported to show a group of Syrian refugees holding ISIS flags and attacking German police officers. For those resistant to accepting refugees […] … learn more→

Attending a traditional college or university comes with certain drawbacks, such as increases in tuition, costly textbooks, and competition for courses. This is why so many students are searching for alternative ways to access higher-level education. In the last few years, more students have recognized the benefits of taking online classes. Currently, there are more […] … learn more→

Higher education’s business plan, as I argue in  “The Rise and Coming Demise of the Corporate University,” has collapsed, challenged by fiscal constraints of declining government aid, bloated administrative costs, and charges that the quality of its product has eroded, producing fewer students who are either job ready or academically proficient. But a new school […] … learn more→

On the floor of the Senate last June, Sen. Lamar Alexander compared student loans to car payments. While financial aid experts argue this comparison is inappropriate, debt counselors have inadvertently promulgated similar misinformation. By adopting debt management advice that applies to private markets and repurposing it for federal student loans without evaluating its usefulness, many borrowers […] … learn more→

Last time I looked at an article that bemoans the dumbing down of higher education, which is certainly true, and worthy of bemoaning. The article complains, cluelessly, that higher education is turning into job training. I grant that it’s a bad thing that “education” and “job training” are becoming synonymous, but I’m not clueless about […] … learn more→

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that the company is finally working on a much-desired feature: a “dislike” button. According to Zuckerberg, this feature has long been one of those most-requested by the Facebook audience. Although his comments suggest that the new button more likely will express sympathy or empathy, rather than simple dislike, Facebook […] … learn more→