Over the past few years, performance-based funding has picked up momentum across the nation. Yet there’s little consensus on the best way to carry out the controversial strategy, which rewards or punishes colleges for their graduation or retention rates. A report released on Thursday by HCM Strategists, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates … Continue reading
Filed under Assessment …
Why Are So Many College Students Failing to Gain Job Skills Before Graduation?
If you watch college sports on television, you’ve probably seen the ad for Enterprise Rent-A-Car featuring former college athletes working behind the counter at your nearby Enterprise location. Enterprise – which hires more entry-level college graduates annually than any other company in the U.S. — likes recruiting college athletes because they know how to work … Continue reading
A Fool-proof Guide to Accreditation
Over the last decade I’ve helped hundreds of colleges and universities across the United States prepare for accreditation reviews. I recently summarized much of what I’ve learned through my work in a new book, Five Dimensions of Quality: A Common Sense Guide to Accreditation and Accountability. Let me share with you some of the many … Continue reading
The Credit Hour Is Here to Stay, at Least for Now
The Carnegie Unit has been around for more than a century, and unless someone can come up with a better way of tracking college credit, it won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. It presents challenges, but it has value because it sets minimum instructional standards. That’s the conclusion of a report being released [last week] … Continue reading
Freshman Year Key to College Career
The classes a student takes in his or her freshman year have the power to make or break the rest of their college career. Yet fundamental courses like first-year composition are increasingly relegated to the instruction of adjunct instructors or are moved online. For the MLA, the topic of teaching first-year classes, particularly composition courses, … Continue reading
For City College of San Francisco, New Year a Matter of Survival
In the last two years, City College of San Francisco, one of the nation’s largest community colleges, has seen its student enrollment shrink by more than 20 percent, from more than 100,000 students to fewer than 80,000, according to college officials. Several top administrators have also departed, according to a board member. The California Federation … Continue reading
Experts Divided Over Impact of Absent Father-themed College Admission Essays
When high school students from low-income households craft their college admission essays, chances are good that many of them will focus on or at least mention the absence of their fathers. At a charter school in Washington, D.C., for instance, a Class of 2015 student wrote of how her father walked out of her life … Continue reading
One State’s Shakeup in Remedial Education Brings a Slew of Headaches
Enrollments in remedial courses dropped by half at many of Florida’s community and state colleges this fall, but not everyone is cheering. Just as many poorly prepared students are showing up, but thanks to a new state law, many are jumping straight into college-credit classes. The optional-remediation law is forcing professors in college-level composition classes … Continue reading
In India, Revealing the Children Left Behind
Right now, all over rural India, this is happening: Two local volunteers with a few days’ training come into the village. They knock on randomly selected doors, asking to see all children ages 6 to 16 who live there. In the front yard of the house, they test the children one by one in reading … Continue reading
Colleges Find Success With New Approaches to Developmental Education
Every year, thousands of adults, some high school graduates, apply to a community college. But first they have to take tests that assess their English and math skills. Nationwide, 60 percent fail at least one of the tests, according to the Community College Research Center. Traditionally, those applicants have been required to take — and … Continue reading
