North Carolina Strikes a Blow Against Credentialism
Last week, following an executive order by Gov. Roy Cooper, North Carolina joined a growing movement to pull down unnecessary barriers to public employment. Bearing the modest title “Recognizing the…
How a Private College Mandated Civics Instruction
In the fall of 2020, Cairn University in southeastern Pennsylvania implemented a revised core curriculum that introduced, among other things, a new required course in civics and government. Reactions to…
Davidson College Affirms Free Speech
Last week, faculty at Davidson College affirmed their commitment to free expression on campus by approving their own version of the Chicago Principles. It’s a step that the pro-free-speech organization…
How to Make Study-Abroad Programs Better
Studying abroad presents students with opportunities to earn course credit, gain exposure to different languages and cultures, and engage with students and faculty of different backgrounds. Improving the University of…
An Ivy League Degree for Nontraditional Students
When an Ivy League school breaks with its storied past by introducing a degree for nontraditional students, the relevance for other institutions of higher learning can’t be overlooked. In 2016,…
Colleges Are Gambling with Students’ Lives
In 2018, the Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, which prohibited states from allowing legal gambling. Since then, 36 states have legalized sports betting, and 26…
American Colleges Are Committing Suicide
The evidence is everywhere: American colleges and universities are dying. Not all will die very soon—indeed, probably only a modest portion will. But the trend is unmistakably downward. Why? Is…
Why Can’t UNC-System Education Programs Fix Literacy Instruction?
Members of the UNC Board of Governors are not happy. A years-long effort to align teacher training with the best scientifically proven methods to teach reading has fallen flat on…
The University as Life Coach
What do you call an employee who is emotionally unprepared to work? Why, a recent college graduate, of course. So says a new report by the Mary Christie Institute, a…
Don’t Eliminate Standardized Testing for Teacher Candidates
North Carolina is facing a teacher shortage. The state is struggling to produce enough teachers for its K-12 schools and is currently relying heavily on substitute teachers to fill the…