Posts tagged with

“standardized tests”

Jan 11, 2016 · Jay Schalin

A Million Dollars More? Only for Some

We’ve all heard the refrain: “college graduates make a million dollars more in their lifetimes than high school graduates.” The “college premium,” as it is called, is used to justify a wide variety of personal and policy decisions. But the real college premium is an exceedingly complex concept that cannot be captured by a single number. As Margaret Spellings takes the leadership role in the University of North Carolina system, let us hope that she does not fall for the simplistic rhetoric concerning the benefits of college attendance that has led her predecessors to push for expanded enrollment—and that she has at times fallen for as well.

Jan 4, 2016 · Jesse Saffron

Finally, a Sober Appraisal of North Carolina’s Public Universities

The Pope Center’s latest report, The State of the State University 2015: Critical Facts about the University of North Carolina System, is a must-read for students, parents, taxpayers, and policymakers who want the UNC system to achieve its highest potential—and its peak efficiency. Here’s hoping that, in 2016, North Carolina leaders, instead of sugarcoating the shortcomings identified in this report, choose instead to address them head on.

Dec 30, 2015 · Martin Center Staff

What a Year! Ten Trends in Higher Ed in 2015

Looking back at all that happened in higher education this year is enough to make your head spin. One minute, state politicians are finally making good policies; the next, university officials are caving to irrational demands. At the other end of the spectrum, politicians are promoting policies of monumental stupidity, while the courts are making surprisingly good decisions (but not always). A majority of students favor putting extreme limits for political correctness on free speech, while an opposition is coalescing around protecting the First Amendment and due legal processes. And on and on it goes. To try to capture the spirit of 2015, the Pope Center staff identified ten of the year’s major trends and events.

Oct 5, 2015 · Jenna A. Robinson

It’s Time to Clear Up the Impending Confusion in UNC Admissions Standards

This year the North Carolina State Board of Education is lowering grading standards in all North Carolina high schools, while the College Board is rewriting the SAT to align with Common Core. Because of these two changes, it’s imperative that UNC raise its minimum admission standards. And uncertainty surrounding the new SAT leaves GPA as the only potentially reliable measure. Raising the minimum required GPA to 3.0 for all 16 UNC institutions would preserve academic quality in the system and provide a clear, consistent standard for admissions officers to apply to incoming students.

Sep 28, 2015 · Jesse Saffron and Jenna A. Robinson

Despite Its Big Spending, N.C.’s Higher Ed Budget Tackles Big Issues

The state’s higher education budget is usually a mixed bag of “the good, the bad, and the ugly,” and this year’s is no exception. However, the legislature should be commended for addressing a number of important issues that traditionally have been neglected or overlooked.

Aug 23, 2015 · Jenna A. Robinson and Jay Schalin

Rising UNC Student Loan Default Rates Indicate Fundamental Problems

Rising student default rates at University of North Carolina schools are rising, with particularly troubling rates at the system’s HBCUs.

Jul 20, 2015 · Jenna A. Robinson

Remediation’s End?

For quite a few years, North Carolina’s colleges and universities have blurred the line between higher and basic education by admitting students who need remedial classes before they can handle college-level work. Fortunately, several provisions moving through the General Assembly may change the face of remediation by shifting it back to lower levels of education where it belongs.

Apr 24, 2015 · Jenna A. Robinson

10 ways the Ivory Tower is eroding American values

Students are not actually trained to think for themselves. And radical professors and administrators simply replace one dogma with another instead of creating open-minded critical thinkers. In other words, professors spend their time tearing down American values only to replace them with alternate campus values.

Jan 30, 2015 · Jesse Saffron

State officials seek to reform UNC’s teacher preparation programs

Teacher quality was the central theme of an education summit held by the UNC system’s Board of Governors at the SAS Campus in Cary, North Carolina, on January 27.

Jan 9, 2015 · Sarah Curry and Jenna A. Robinson

How the legislature could craft better education laws

During each legislative session, education is at the forefront of budget and policy discussions. Expenditures on elementary, secondary, and higher education (the University of North Carolina plus the community college system) added up to more than $11.5 billion last year, or 58 percent of the North Carolina General Fund budget.