Inexperienced companies chase U.S. school funds — from the NY Times by Sam Dillon [via GetIdeas.org blog]
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On 08/10/2010,
in Walmart of Education, business, community colleges, cost of getting a degree, economics, education, higher education, legislation / legislatures,
by Daniel Christian
Education ‘the economic issue of our time,’ Obama says in UT speech — from statesman.com by Ralph K.M. Haurwitz
President Barack Obama said in a speech at the University of Texas this afternoon that education “is the economic issue of our time.”
Addressing a friendly and appreciative audience in Gregory Gym, the president sought to underscore the link between long-term economic prosperity and a better-educated population.
“It’s an economic issue when the unemployment rate for folks who’ve never gone to college is almost double what it is for those who have gone to college,” he said. “Education is an economic issue when nearly eight in 10 new jobs will require workforce training or a higher education by the end of this decade. Education is an economic issue when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that countries that out-educate us today will out-compete us tomorrow.”
Obama said his administration is pursuing a three-pronged higher education strategy: making college more affordable, ensuring that college students – especially those at community colleges, the fastest-growing sector – are prepared for a career and boosting graduation rates.
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On 07/30/2010,
in UK, adjunct faculty, copyright / royalty-free, faculty, lecture capture, legislation / legislatures,
by Daniel Christian
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On 07/13/2010,
in budgets, colleges, community colleges, legislation / legislatures, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Most public colleges face budget cut threats in 2011 — from usnews.com (via Academic Impressions) by Kim Clark
Map shows which state university systems are more likely to suffer budget cuts.
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On 06/11/2010,
in 21st century, K-12 related, change, curriculum, information overload, leadership, legislation / legislatures, policy,
by Daniel Christian
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Also see:
- Remarks by the President at Kalamazoo Central High School Commencement
Western Michigan University Arena | Kalamazoo, Michigan - http://vimeo.com/12395212
- Kalamazoo area has accomplishments in education over many years – mlive.com
- President Barack Obama’s message of self-reliance resonates with educators — mlive.com
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On 04/21/2010,
in K-12 related, disruption, legislation / legislatures, pace of change, policy, virtual K-12 schools,
by Daniel Christian
From DSC:
Consider the following timeline of the Florida Virtual School according to this article:
1997: Florida Virtual School is founded.
2002: Hillsborough County establishes a virtual school program for high school classes.
2007: Hillsborough County starts offering middle school classes.
2008: Hillsborough County starts the elementary program.
2009: New state law requires school districts to offer full-time virtual classes for K-12 students.
Now consider that they started with 77 students.
Now consider that the “…program served more than 71,000 students during the 2008-2009 school year, according to its Web site.” (emphasis DSC)
Do not underestimate the disruptive impact of technology.
And I realize it’s not just about the technology…it’s about people.
But technology can connect people to each other at ever-increasing speeds.
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On 04/15/2010,
in budgets, funding / grants, higher education, legislation / legislatures, universities,
by Daniel Christian
Moving the cliff -- from InsideHigherEd.com
As state legislators around the country craft their budgets for the 2011 fiscal year, public college officials are afraid that they are about to be thrown off “the cliff” — the steep drop in available funds once the tens of billions of dollars that the federal government made available through last year’s economic recovery legislation run out.
But like a movie character whose vehicle magically grinds to a halt just before it goes over the edge, public higher education could catch a break, in the form of legislation introduced Wednesday by several Democratic senators that essentially move the cliff. The none-too-subtly titled “Keep Our Educators Working Act of 2010,” sponsored by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and others, would provide $23 billion to extend for a year the fund in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act that gave states money to ward off budget cuts and tuition increases.
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On 04/13/2010,
in future of higher education, game-changing environment, higher education, innovation, legislation / legislatures, online learning, online media, open courseware and systems, policy,
by Daniel Christian
Moving college into the 21st century — politico.com (see quotes below)
Today, we’ve reached another turning point. The global economy is changing, and the United States needs to educate its way to a better economy for the 21st century. President Barack Obama has set a goal that by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. To reach that goal, we need to bring 5 million more Americans into higher education and ensure that future generations will have the same opportunity for a college education and success in the work force.
The president has proposed a comprehensive agenda to keep a college education within reach, especially for America’s poorest families, and to dramatically increase college graduation rates in the next decade. President Obama’s agenda includes the largest increase in federal financial aid since the GI Bill — a 30 percent increase in fiscal 2010 alone. In addition, the president’s American Graduation Initiative would provide $12 billion more during the next 10 years to improve community colleges and help students gain access to higher education and ensure that they earn their degrees.
Beyond these investments in our future, one part of the AGI has the potential to have a lasting impact on the future of higher education: The president is proposing to invest $500 million over the next 10 years to create world-class online college and high school courses that will be available to all 24/7/365. Colleges, universities, publishers, other institutions and related consortia will be invited to compete to create state-of-the-art online courses that combine high-quality subject matter expertise with the latest advances in cognitive and computer sciences. Such courses will enable students to move through the material at their own pace. When students do not understand a particular lesson or concept, carefully designed assessments will identify the gap in their learning. They’ll relearn the material and have another chance to demonstrate mastery (emphasis DSC).
From DSC:
- Along these same lines, see: The Forthcoming Walmart of Education.
- If done well, these courses are going to be highly-engaging, while using state-of-the-art technologies and instructional methods. Can one faculty member compete with this team-based approach? No way! (And I mean no disrespect at all here — it’s just too much for one person to keep up with, be interested in, and have the time and resources to do all of this.)
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On 04/07/2010,
in K-12 related, assessment, change, changing business models, legislation / legislatures, policy,
by Daniel Christian
House Education Committee approves merit pay for teachers — from Education-Portal.com
“The House Education Policy Council approved a controversial bill on Monday that will tie teacher pay to student performance rather than tenure. Supporters of the legislation say that it will reward good teachers. Those who oppose it argue that it targets teachers and puts too much focus on test scores.”
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