Students increasingly take on massive amounts of debt to pay their high college tuitions. And they face diminished job opportunities upon competition of their degree. Just ask Danielle Jokela. Jokela, a resident of Chicago, spoke before a Senate judiciary subcommittee on her personal level of indebtedness (about $98,000 in outstanding student loan debt) and her … Continue reading
Category Archives: Education
Ravenous Cookie Monsters and Higher Education
In a recent New York Times piece, Robert H. Frank attempts to explain the dynamics behind the continued growth in college tuition in the United States. Using elegant analogies, Frank points to rising costs for universities, such as increasing salaries for professors and technological degrees.[1] Responding to the President’s recent call to tie subsidies to … Continue reading
At the Fulcrum of Change
At the Fulcrum of Change Last week Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum came under fire for comments he made about higher education in the United States. “President Obama once said he wants everybody in America to go to college. What a snob.”[1] In the heat of a campaign, his comments unfortunately were entirely of a … Continue reading
How NCLB Waivers Make a Bad Situation Worse
With the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind (NCLB) on the horizon, the Obama administration has complicated the issue by creating a process by where states may apply for waivers for the restrictions implemented by this law. While the standards implemented by NCLB are counterproductive, the way the waivers are distributed may end up doing … Continue reading
STEM Cannot Support Top-Down Policy
STEM Cannot Support Top Down Policy In 2008, over 61% of advanced degrees in engineering from American universities were awarded to non-U.S. citizens. For mathematics, 50% of advanced degrees went to foreigners. But foreigners only composed 8% of those who received education degrees.[1] This trend is alarming for two reasons. First, it shows that the … Continue reading
The Disconnect Between Higher Education and Workforce Demands
Last week, the Pew Research Center released a report examining the lives of young Americans in the wake of the Great Recession. Unsurprisingly, 41 percent of those interviewed felt that young people, ages 18-24, face greater challenges weathering the economic storm than their older counterparts. That said, perhaps the most astonishing statistic from the report is … Continue reading
Diversity of Thought and NCLB
Later today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be launching an initiative to secure $5 billion “to transform the teacher profession from top to bottom.” [1] While there is quite a bit of political maneuvering surrounding this announcement, it truly represents the worst of the flawed ideology that has seriously damaged education in America. Perhaps … Continue reading
How the Economy is Affecting the Millennial Generation
Policy issue areas for the college-aged (Millennial) generation: 1. The National Budget 2. Growing National Debt 3. Entitlement Programs 4. Great Recession General Background Information: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Millennials face unemployment rates above 25% and are still searching for the return on educational investments Fully 55% of those ages 18 to … Continue reading
Economy / Education / Energy / Foreign Policy / Healthcare / Regulation
News of the Day: What We’re Reading
Economy Employment Rate For Young Adults Lowest In 60 Years, Study Says http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/09/employment-rate-young-adults_n_1264241.html Just 54 percent of Americans ages 18 to 24 currently have jobs, according to a study released Thursday by the Pew Research Center. That’s the lowest employment rate for this age group since the government began keeping track in 1948 Regulation … Continue reading
Why Education Will be a Top Issue for the 2012 Election
In 2011, education emerged indirectly as a hot button issue during the public sector collective bargaining battles in states across the country. The bitter pill offered by Republican governors has still left a bad taste in the mouths of voters and has resulted in the recall of lawmakers and the repeal of legislation. Unfortunately for … Continue reading
Policy Interns 
You must be logged in to post a comment.