As a college professor and former academic dean, I have long heard that Advanced Placement courses are generally not the equal of their college equivalents. Each of the 38 AP … Continue reading “AP Economics is a Model of Academic Rigor”
Like an overlong proxy war, the “canon” skirmishes of the 1980s and ’90s no longer feature in the media, though the conflict persists. As in a battle over this or … Continue reading “Why the Canon Wars Still Matter”
Is higher education the highest priority for East Carolina University, or is the institution just pushing a political narrative? On August 19th, ECU held its 2022-23 faculty convocation, and the … Continue reading “ECU Makes the Secret Hurt Visible”
It’s no secret that black students fare poorly on the academic achievement scale. Their scores on standardized achievement tests, their academic performance while in school, and their rates of enrollment … Continue reading “Why Blacks Must Be Responsible for Closing the Racial Achievement Gap”
A constant concern in my academic sub-field of comparative politics is how to create concepts and measurements that stand up to scrutiny when applied to several cases. When we hear … Continue reading “Measuring the Spread of DEI”
The SAT has been in the news again, this time because of the claim that test-optional policies are a way for colleges to covertly impose affirmative action. It’s true that … Continue reading “What SAT Scores Say About Teacher Effectiveness”
When both Republicans and Democrats agree on an issue, the issue must be rather basic. Both parties agree that inflation is not ideal. Both parties agree that literacy is important. … Continue reading “Did You Know? Both Parties Agree that College Needs to Change”
It’s a sad fact that many of our teachers are weak. They’re weak on knowledge of their subjects and weak on teaching technique. Unfortunately, we know little about effective professional-development … Continue reading “America Needs Better Teachers”
Higher education suffers from a multitude of flaws. University marketing departments habitually over-promise the benefits of their degree programs to unsuspecting high-school students. Mandatory “general education” classes extract sizable tuition … Continue reading “No, There Is Not a “Neoliberal” Poltergeist in Higher Ed”
Among the arguments against the policy of admitting students to colleges because they have the right ancestry—that is, they appear to come from “underrepresented” minority groups—is the fact that it … Continue reading “The Truth About Student Mismatch”