Does social science research and understanding suffer because most of the individuals working in the field are on the left side of the political spectrum? A new book gives us strong reasons to think so. The book is entitled The Politics of Social Psychology and was edited by professors Jarret Crawford and Lee Jussim. Its … Continue reading “Psychology Professors Argue Against Groupthink in Their Field”
In his long-awaited book, George Mason University economist Bryan Caplan argues that “the education system is a waste of time and money.” He is emphatically not against people learning skills and knowledge but argues that our current system of education does a poor job of that, and at inordinate cost. Caplan puts his case starkly: … Continue reading “How Could a Professor Make ‘The Case Against Education’?”
Once again, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has kicked the hornet’s nest, this time by changing the rules for deciding if a student will be relieved of his or her obligation to repay federal college loans. The way our higher education finance system works, the federal government makes it easy for students to borrow money for … Continue reading “The Furor Over Student Loan Forgiveness”
When students (and others) disrupt events where speakers are trying to make arguments they dislike, they say that their conduct is justified. Most commonly, the disrupters maintain that they are merely preventing “hate speech,” which allegedly doesn’t enjoy the protection of the First Amendment. Therefore, they are perfectly free to keep such speakers from being … Continue reading “The ‘Right’ to Disrupt Free Speech on Campus Doesn’t Exist”
Zachary Wood is a remarkable young man. He’s black, attends a predominantly liberal elite college (Williams) and believes that robust and civil arguments are vital to America’s continuing success. He is the president of a student group at Williams called Uncomfortable Learning (UL), which has the mission of bringing to campus notable speakers who can … Continue reading “When a Black Student Dares to Speak Up for Free Speech”
The federal government has no constitutional authority to spend money on higher education, to give or lend students money for it, to direct how colleges will function, or anything else. By far the best course of action would be for Congress to dismantle the Department of Education and repeal all U.S. statutes pertaining to education. … Continue reading “The One Instance Where the Feds Should Spend More on Higher Education”
In last year’s campaign for the presidency, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders tried to attract votes with promises of free college. In the British elections earlier this year, one reason for the Labour Party’s surge was its pledge to do more to help students afford college. Higher education has become a very big political issue, … Continue reading “If There’s a College Affordability Crisis, What Should We Do About It?”
On November 2, House Republican leaders unveiled their tax reform plan. A number of its provisions affect higher education. While this is only a proposal, it’s worth looking into those provisions. Several of them eliminate tax preferences for college-related activities and two impose new taxes. Those that take away tax preferences are beneficial, but the … Continue reading “The Good and the Bad for Higher Ed in the Republican Tax Proposal”
Harvard history professor Jill LePore tells this story. She was hosting an event in her home for new students, promoting the university’s history and literature program. One of the students there was suddenly distracted by urgent text messages from her parents telling her, “Leave right now, get out of there, that is a house of … Continue reading “Liberal Arts Education Is Not (Necessarily) a Waste of Time”
Former Harvard University president Derek Bok can’t stop thinking and writing about higher education. Ten years ago, he wrote Our Underachieving Colleges, in which he lamented that on the whole, American colleges and universities don’t do very well. Many students don’t graduate and among those who do, many seem to have gotten little intellectual benefit … Continue reading “Why Is It Such a Struggle to Reform Our Colleges?”