A bipartisan group of lawmakers reopened the fight over a federal "unit record" system on Thursday, introducing legislation in both chambers of Congress that would link individual student records to wage data in an effort to "empower" prospective college students.
The Institute for Public Policy Research recently released a report on the impending and current challenges faced by higher education and lays out the implications if educators do not heed these warnings. Escalating costs, increasing displeasure among employers, and rising competition from overseas are a few of the obstacles that confront higher education institutions in the U.S. and UK. “An Avalanche is Coming: Higher Education and the Revolution Ahead” argues that institutional leaders who fight innovation and remain too comfortable with the status quo will ultimately put their institution’s future at risk.
The first results of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s effort to redesign the federal financial aid system are in: 15 white papers totaling 587 pages, nearly all calling for an overhaul of at least part of the nation’s system for helping students pay for college in order to improve graduation rates.
It wasn’t said in his actual State of the Union address, but President Obama again put higher education on notice when it comes to affordability. Within the address’ accompanying document, "The President's Plan for a Strong Middle Class and a Strong America,” Mr. Obama asks Congress to make changes to student aid eligibility so as to improve college affordability “either by incorporating measures of value and affordability into the existing accreditation system; or by establishing a new, alternative system of accreditation that would provide pathways for higher education models and colleges to receive federal student aid based on performance and results.”
Student and business leaders from around the U.S. gathered in Washington, D.C., Tuesday, calling for colleges and universities to release more information about how well their graduates do. At the event, co-sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the youth advocacy group Young Invincibles, speakers said that publishing the average salaries of graduates and their majors would allow young people to make better decision about courses of study.
A business heavyweight tells local leaders that education is the key to the nation's future. State Farm CEO Ed Rust was the featured speaker at the Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce Public Affairs series.
Business leaders need to get more involved in politics to help ensure they can recruit workers with the necessary skills, said Ed Rust Jr., State Farm’s chairman and CEO.
The CEO of Bloomington-based State Farm Mutual Insurance sounded a call for education reform before an audience of 330 people Friday at a Peoria Area Chamber of Commerce-sponsored breakfast meeting at Four Points by Sheraton.
A recent Bloomberg news report laid out one of America’s greatest—and one of its least reported on—challenges in stark terms: Despite almost 13 million Americans looking for work and 8 million more settling for part-time jobs, almost half of U.S. employers surveyed by Manpower say they can’t find workers to fill positions.
It’s tough to come across a day when MOOCs—massive open online courses—aren’t discussed. While most columns are either laudatory or speculative as to their potential, MOOCs are starting to garner a not-inconsequential number of critics and skeptics as well. Take, for instance, this New York Times piece by John Markoff, who calls the completion rate of MOOCs a “dirty little secret.” He states, “If as few as 20 percent of students finishing an online course is considered a wild success and 10 percent and lower is standard, then it would appear that MOOCs are still more of a hobby than a viable alternative to traditional classroom education.”
The Central Florida Education Summit will be hosted by the Central Florida Partnership and sponsored by the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, in partnership with the National Chamber Foundation, the Institute for a Competitive Workforce, and the Central Florida Public School Board Coalition.
U.S. News STEM Solutions 2013 will bring together business, education and government leaders who have long recognized the need to connect the dots between STEM education and careers. Adding to last year’s successful conference format, the second edition will give more dedicated time for these leaders to interact and collaborate.
