Tennessee Archives — The James G. Martin Center for Academic Renewal

The Right College: Students Using Data to Find Their Best Match

Jun 15, 2020 · Abigail Burrola · No Comments

Which college a student chooses to attend is a major decision that can affect the rest of their life. What students want to study, what they can afford to pay, and cultural fit can all influence their choice. Throughout the process, students have all sorts of vague information, but providing them with data specific to … Continue reading “The Right College: Students Using Data to Find Their Best Match”

Free College Is Just Another Middle-Class Entitlement

Jul 9, 2018 · Chris West · No Comments

Tennessee legislators received a shock in 2012 when a study from Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce predicted that by 2020, 55 percent of Tennessee jobs would require some kind of postsecondary education or job training. To elected officials in a state where only a quarter of citizens possessed a bachelor’s degree and … Continue reading “Free College Is Just Another Middle-Class Entitlement”

Our Old Educational Models Are Obsolete

Jan 22, 2014 · George Leef · No Comments

Glenn Harlan Reynolds argues that the information age will save American education from itself.

Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It? Aug 7, 2020
Credential inflation refers to an increase in the education credentials required for a job—for example, a job that used to be done by high school graduates but now requires new hires to have a college degree. Credential inflation has been going on for decades. One of the earliest mentions of it is in professor Randall … Continue reading “Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It?”
Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall Aug 6, 2020
Since COVID-19 hit, students have taken notice and altered their college plans. Some high school seniors are delaying enrollment until the pandemic has subsided, leaving universities with more openings. This year, according to data collected by Sean Mulholland, an economics professor at Western Carolina University, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 10 … Continue reading “Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall”
Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses Aug 5, 2020
Long the vanguard of liberal change, the American university now leads the appeasement of a hardened authoritarian China. The interest in promoting a broader community of scholars has given way to a toxic combination of business interests, the inability of college leaders to recognize their failure in influencing Chinese education, and their unwillingness to see … Continue reading “Universities Appease China, Ignore Human Rights Abuses”

If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement? Jun 26, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic probably won’t kill the SAT, but will no doubt leave it in a badly weakened condition. Both the SAT (and its close competitor, the ACT) have had to cancel administration of their tests for the last few months and, according to this Washington Post story, universities have decided that they will make … Continue reading “If We Jettison Standardized Testing, What’s Its Replacement?”
Why Do American Universities Lead the World in Scientific Research? Jun 24, 2020
Miguel Urquiola is professor and chair of the department of economics at Columbia University. His special field is education and his book Markets, Minds, and Money: Why America Leads the World in University Research is about American higher education—its history, its relationship to higher education in Europe, and the trajectory it has followed from the … Continue reading “Why Do American Universities Lead the World in Scientific Research?”
The Right College: Students Using Data to Find Their Best Match Jun 15, 2020
Which college a student chooses to attend is a major decision that can affect the rest of their life. What students want to study, what they can afford to pay, and cultural fit can all influence their choice. Throughout the process, students have all sorts of vague information, but providing them with data specific to … Continue reading “The Right College: Students Using Data to Find Their Best Match”

UNC’s Attempt to Grapple with ‘History of Racism and Oppression’ Aug 10, 2020
On June 8, interim UNC system president William Roper and chairman of the Board of Governors Randy Ramsey announced the establishment of a race and equity task force. The announcement came a day after three individuals associated with the UNC system wrote a letter requesting that such a task force be established. In the letter, … Continue reading “UNC’s Attempt to Grapple with ‘History of Racism and Oppression’”
Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It? Aug 7, 2020
Credential inflation refers to an increase in the education credentials required for a job—for example, a job that used to be done by high school graduates but now requires new hires to have a college degree. Credential inflation has been going on for decades. One of the earliest mentions of it is in professor Randall … Continue reading “Credential Inflation: What’s Causing It and What Can We Do About It?”
Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall Aug 6, 2020
Since COVID-19 hit, students have taken notice and altered their college plans. Some high school seniors are delaying enrollment until the pandemic has subsided, leaving universities with more openings. This year, according to data collected by Sean Mulholland, an economics professor at Western Carolina University, from the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), 10 … Continue reading “Did You Know? More Open Seats at NC Colleges This Fall”