In the sociological imagination, capitalism is now regarded as a sin standing next to sexism and racism. Routinely, sociologists call for their colleagues and students to oppose capitalism and use … Continue reading “It’s Time for a Liberty-Loving Sociology”
Institutional change typically happens slowly and in ways that are difficult to see from a distance. Over the past several decades, institutions of higher education have been steadily adopting more … Continue reading “How Woke Transformation Grinds Forward in Higher Education”
In May of 2021, the Duke Health System sent a draft “pledge” to the employee community, affirming that the organization “stands against racism, bias, and hate.” This pledge, since published … Continue reading “Duke Health’s Antiracist “Pledge” Is Not Guided by Science”
Science is not supposed to be filtered through a belief system. It’s supposed to go wherever the facts lead. But the human brain doesn’t work that way. Our brains zoom … Continue reading “The Politicization of Social Science”
In September 2022, three researchers published the provocatively titled article, “Do Introductory Courses Disproportionately Drive Minoritized Students Out of STEM Pathways?” That article got loads of social media publicity for … Continue reading “Why the Left Relies on Statistical Illiteracy”
Last year, Forbes published a headline, “Americans rank a Google internship over a Harvard degree.” It seems higher education is quickly losing hold of its value proposition as the best … Continue reading “Are Students Learning the Right Skills? Why Academia Needs to Go Back to the “Basics””
I recently submitted a manuscript to an education journal, a review essay of another scholar’s work. It opened with a compliment of the author’s “highly-praised and influential work.” To that … Continue reading “Peer Review, a Tarnished “Gold Standard””
Most American children are trapped in public elementary and secondary schools that are either mediocre or dysfunctional. Readers who wonder if this statement is polemical should know that for almost … Continue reading “Reforming Dysfunctional Teacher Education: ‘Back to the Future?’”
A recent report from Payscale showed that a majority of college graduates regretted their college decision. Out of the 250,000 students surveyed, about 12 percent had some regret the major … Continue reading “Did You Know? Regret Comes with Taking Student Loans”
One of the three “Sokal Squared” academic hoaxers, Peter Boghossian of Portland State University, has been accused of violating his university’s research policies. Boghossian is the only one of the … Continue reading “Did the Hoaxers Do Anything Wrong?”