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.
U.S. Department of Education recently announced that it will consider granting the 12 winners of the Race to the Top (RTTT) an extra year to finish the work promised in their grant applications. Race to the Top, a U.S. Department of Education program costing tax payers more than $4.3 billion, was created to stimulate innovation and reform in state and district K–12 systems. Now entering its fourth year, the program has been recognized for bringing change to states, and not just those that received grants.
It has been more than a year since the U.S. Department of Education began issuing waivers to states from some of the fundamental elements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). To date, 44 states and the District of Columbia have applied for a waiver; 35 have been approved, 10 states are awaiting a response, and six haven’t applied.
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.”
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.”
January 17 marked the deadline for the New York City’s teachers union and city officials to reach an agreement on a system to evaluate 75,000 public school teachers. They failed to compromise and as a result, the city risks losing up to $450 million in state aid and grants and increases the possibility of cuts to staff and programs, clearly impacting students.
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.
