Academic And Aspiring Adults Adrift: Review Of 2 Books

COLLEGES’ FAILURES COST STUDENTS, writes New America’s Kevin Carey at The New York Times. The study “Academically Adrift” and its recent follow-up “Aspiring Adults Adrift” show students learn little in college, with big implications in the workplace. Read it at The New York Times.

Promising Programs To Reduce Accepted Students From Not Entering College

Programs target crucial summer before college

Posted: 01 Sep 2014 10:00 PM PDT

Summer programs target the phenomenon known as “summer melt,” in which high school seniors who graduate and are accepted to college never show up. Low-income or first-generation college students are the most likely to melt away.

College Is Not The Only Gateway To The Middle Class

BY Robert Reich , Professor Of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley. Reprinted from his website

This week, millions of young people head to college and universities, aiming for a four-year liberal arts degree. They assume that degree is the only gateway to the American middle class.

It shouldn’t be.

For one thing, a four-year liberal arts degree is hugely expensive. Too many young people graduate laden with debts that take years if not decades to pay off.

And too many of them can’t find good jobs when they graduate, in any event. So they have to settle for jobs that don’t require four years of college. They end up overqualified for the work they do, and underwhelmed by it.

Others drop out of college because they’re either unprepared or unsuited for a four-year liberal arts curriculum. When they leave, they feel like failures.

We need to open other gateways to the middle class.

Consider, for example, technician jobs. They don’t require a four-year degree. But they do require mastery over a domain of technical knowledge, which can usually be obtained in two years.

Technician jobs are growing in importance. As digital equipment replaces the jobs of routine workers and lower-level professionals, technicians are needed to install, monitor, repair, test, and upgrade all the equipment.

Hospital technicians are needed to monitor ever more complex equipment that now fills medical centers; office technicians, to fix the hardware and software responsible for much of the work that used to be done by secretaries and clerks.

Automobile technicians are in demand to repair the software that now powers our cars; manufacturing technicians, to upgrade the numerically controlled machines and 3-D printers that have replaced assembly lines; laboratory technicians, to install and test complex equipment for measuring results; telecommunications technicians, to install, upgrade, and repair the digital systems linking us to one another.

Technology is changing so fast that knowledge about specifics can quickly become obsolete. That’s why so much of what technicians learn is on the job.

But to be an effective on-the-job learner, technicians need basic knowledge of software and engineering, along the domain where the technology is applied – hospitals, offices, automobiles, manufacturing, laboratories, telecommunications, and so forth.

Yet America isn’t educating the technicians we need. As our aspirations increasingly focus on four-year college degrees, we’ve allowed vocational and technical education to be downgraded and denigrated.

Still, we have a foundation to build on. Community colleges offering two-year degree programs today enroll more than half of all college and university undergraduates. Many students are in full-time jobs, taking courses at night and on weekends. Many are adults.

Community colleges are great bargains. They avoid the fancy amenities four-year liberal arts colleges need in order to lure the children of the middle class.

Even so, community colleges are being systematically starved of funds. On a per-student basis, state legislatures direct most higher-education funding to four-year colleges and universities because that’s what their middle-class constituents want for their kids.

American businesses, for their part, aren’t sufficiently involved in designing community college curricula and hiring their graduates, because their executives are usually the products of four-year liberal arts institutions and don’t know the value of community colleges.

By contrast, Germany provides its students the alternative of a world-class technical education that’s kept the German economy at the forefront of precision manufacturing and applied technology.

The skills taught are based on industry standards, and courses are designed by businesses that need the graduates. So when young Germans get their degrees, jobs are waiting for them.

We shouldn’t replicate the German system in full. It usually requires students and their families to choose a technical track by age 14. “Late bloomers” can’t get back on an academic track.

But we can do far better than we’re doing now. One option: Combine the last year of high school with the first year of community college into a curriculum to train technicians for the new economy.

Affected industries would help design the courses and promise jobs to students who finish successfully. Late bloomers can go on to get their associate degrees and even transfer to four-year liberal arts universities.

This way we’d provide many young people who cannot or don’t want to pursue a four-year degree with the fundamentals they need to succeed, creating another gateway to the middle class.

Too often in modern America, we equate “equal opportunity” with an opportunity to get a four-year liberal arts degree. It should mean an opportunity to learn what’s necessary to get a good job.

http://robertreich.org/post/96377869820

Tuition Rises Quicker Than Student Financial Discounts

State Lottery-Funded Scholarships Are a Gamble

A Gamble with Consequences: State Lottery-Funded Scholarship
Programs as a Strategy for Boosting College Affordability

Several states utilize lottery-funded scholarship programs with a chief objective to improve college affordability. With strong bipartisan legislative support, these programs have grown in popularity and are touted as an ideal means for earmarking revenues to advance state higher education priorities.
This policy brief discusses the evolution of state lottery-funded scholarship programs and provides a critical look at both the benefits and drawbacks in the programs’ design and outcomes. The paper reveals that, when examining these programs through the frameworks of finance, college access and affordability, and issues of politics and philosophy, many unintended and detrimental consequences may arise. The paper includes observations on the recently announced Tennessee Promise scholarship program, and concludes with a set of recommendations for enhancing state lottery-funded scholarship programs aimed at more equitably enhancing college affordability.

Authored by Kati Lebodia, Contributing Policy Analyst, AASCU

California Higher Education Systems Pledge Common Core Support

By Catherine Gewertz

The leaders of the four branches of California’s public and private higher education establishment have proclaimed their support of the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced tests, saying that they are adjusting admission requirements and teacher-preparation programs to line up with the new expectations.

The announcement came in a letter signed by University of California President Janet Napolitano; California State University Chancellor Timothy P. White; Brice W. Harris, the chancellor of California’s community college system; and Kristen F. Soares, the president of the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities.
“We believe California’s implementation of the Common Core standards and aligned assessments has the potential to dramatically improve college readiness and help close the preparation gap that exists for California students,” they said in their Aug. 29 letter to the state board of education.

Education Week

14 Online Resources For Business Administration And Entreprenuership Students

BY Jessica Millis

So you’re attending college to get that business degree and launch yourself into the corporate world. Congratulations! Welcome to the bottom of the barrel, or field, where each crab or otherwise known as student, perpetually claws its way to the top yet rarely ever makes it. “But my focus is in entrepreneurship. I’ll run my own business so that way I’ll be at the top of the food chain,” you say. Any and every one with internet access can run their own business from home.

Here are 14 Online Business Resources for College Students to help you not only land the job you want, or run your startup business to the best of your ability, but also some resources that will help you excel in your business and entrepreneurship courses.

1. Noobpreneur

Noobpreneur, the featured, spotlight here today was voted one of Forbes ‘100 Best Websites for Entrepreneur’ in 2013! Noobpreneur stands for Newbie Entrepreneur, but is best defined as “someone who is not afraid to learn new knowledge and try new things,” right from Founder/CEO Ivan Widajaya’s mouth. The overall aim of Noobpreneur is to offer tips and ideas for small business owners, written by various small business owners and business professionals for small business owners and business professionals.

2. Elite Daily

Elite Daily, ‘The Voice of Generation-Y,’ is a “natural amalgamation of the voices of your millennial peers,” with a mission to dictate a story that will engage its reader and foster a distinctive connection with its readership.  Elite daily is very unique in media publication due to the staff being entirely comprised of millennials. There isn’t any resource quite like Elite Daily that speaks to college students on terms that they can directly relate to and understand.

3. Under30CEO

Under30CEO is the result of two college graduates who put in ungodly hours to turn their basement empire into a five-figure monthly business, and a six figure travel business. They desire nothing more than to provide you with all of the tools and resources that they used so that you can reach the level of success you desire. Instead of being stuck in your mom’s basement, unable to make it in the “real world,” due to your college degree not teaching you what you really need to know or accruing another $100 to $200k in debt for your MBA.

4. Student Competitions

Student Competitions (SC) is an online resource not just for business and entrepreneurship students, but for any student who understands the benefits of student competitions. SC specializes in organizing and marketing global, regional, or local competitions with the sole intended purpose of connecting student talent such as yourself, to “glocal” demand. Winning or competing in student competitions can provide you with the opportunity to travel, network with potential employers and peers, win prizes and most importantly have fun!

5. Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur Media, Inc. is a media publishing company that runs the award winning Entrepreneur website to stand as a resource and provide news about the entrepreneurial world, small business management and business opportunities. Young Entrepreneur is a spinoff from Entrepreneur, and can be found at this web address, which essentially takes you back to entrepreneur.com.
6. Black Enterprise

Black Enterprise focuses on four content channels to help you achieve results. Black Enterprise call “the only yardstick for success that matters,” which include Publishing, Digital, Broadcast and Events. The singular mission of Black Enterprise is to help its readers become full participants in wealth creation within the global economy through education and empowerment.

7. Inc.

Inc.com is the publisher of Inc. magazine, the premier print publication for entrepreneurs and business owners for over 30 years, and the one-stop shop to find everything you need to know to start and grow your business now. In 1982 they started the Inc. 500 to showcase the fastest-growing privately held companies in the United States, then expanded the list to the Inc. 5000 twenty-five years later to provide a more holistic look at the entrepreneurial landscape in the US. Use their wisdom, to grow your business.

8. MarketingProfs

MarketingProfs is trusted by 611,000 professionals globally for their real-world marketing education. You can find training, best practices, research and other content at MarketingProfs, through their Industry Leading Business-to-Business (B2B) Marketing event, 451 different Seminars, 121 Podcasts and over 18,600 articles. Their top topics are usually based on marketing strategies, email marketing, and social media, provided from a union of professors and business professionals who bring together an expertise of publishing, technology, academia and marketing.

9. Open Forum by American Express

Open Forum by American Express is a place where business professionals come to exchange advice and ideas on how to improve products/services, customer relations, tax help, and improve leadership by tackling leadership issues. The driving message behind Open Forum is to help you make smarter decisions. You can start by choosing to use Open Forum as one of your business resources.

10. Small Business Trends

Small Business Trends is another award-winning online publication who prides themselves on being the premier source of information, breaking news and advice covering issues of key importance to small businesses. Business is ever-evolving, so it’s important to stay up with the trends. Do so here with Small Business Trends.

11. Hubspot

Hubspot make their culture code publically available, and have been awarded the Employees’ Choice Best Places to Work award in 2014. Hubspot’s mission and vision is to “make the world more inbound, one business transformation after another.” Inbound marketing, is the proper business terminology for content marketing, by following the process of attracting strangers and turning them into visitors of your website, then converting them into business leads.

12. Social Media Today

Social Media Today is another highly popular independent, online community that is geared towards helping any professional gain a thorough understanding of social media, including but not limited to Public Relations, marketing, and advertising. Social Media Today LLC is focused on not just simply publishing content, but creating community.

13. Small Business Association

Small Business Association offer tools, such as training, local assistance, contracts you can apply for and help creating business plans, amongst their plethora of other services provided to small businesses since July 30th of 1953. Their mission is to help Americans start, build and grow businesses.

14. B2B Marketing Insider

B2B Marketing Insider is led by 20 year marketing veteran Michael Brenner. B2B Marketing insider is dedicated to providing the information necessary to drive the results in business that people care the most about: sales, leads, and customer loyalty. You won’t go wrong, learning from a pro, like Michael Brenner.

Navigate to the site that fits your style the best, and provides you with resources you’ll utilize the most. Save them into your favorites today!

Jessica Millis, aspiring writer and editor. Her dream is to publish her first novel.

Political Origins Of State Performance Funding

Accounting For Higher Education Accountability: Political Origins of State Performance Funding for Higher Education

by Kevin J. Dougherty, Rebecca S. Natow, Rachel Hare Bork, Sosanya M. Jones & Blanca E. Vega
Examination of the political origins of state performance funding for higher education in six states (Florida, Illinois, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Washington) and the lack of its development in another two states (California and Nevada).

Teachers College Record

Transforming College Learning: A Book Review

excerpt from review by Edward J. Brantmeier & Emily L. Kohl — August 21, 2014 in Teachers College Review on line

Title: Transforming Students: Fulfilling the Promise of Higher Education
Author(s): Charity Johansson
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore
ISBN: 1421414376, Pages: 128, Year: 2014
Search for book at Amazon.com

Transforming Students unpacks the process of engaging undergraduates in transformative learning, that is, learning which fundamentally changes the way individuals think, perceive their role in the world, and dedicate themselves to a “lifetime of purposeful action” (p. 79). This kind of deep learning aligns with visionary university mission statements. So what is the measure of a successful college career? How does an institution of higher learning ensure its students are emerging as dynamic thinkers and agents of transformative change? These are the sorts of questions Johansson and Felten explore in this engaging little text. Drawing from student interviews and the success of various educational programs around the country, they present six essential elements that must be present for transformative learning to take place. Overall, these experts make an impressive evidence-based argument for more intentional engagement at an institutional level. The reader, whether a university faculty member, administrator, staff, or even student, is challenged to become cognizant of his or her own role in fostering a campus-wide environment conducive to transformative learning.

The book provides a solid introduction to transformative learning without overwhelming those unfamiliar with the literature on engagement theory and high impact educational practices.  Essentially, each chapter explores a key component to promoting transformative learning across campus beginning with disruption, reflection, action, and integration. In this accessible read that moves with great speed, each chapter builds upon the next in a logical and narrative way—quite engaging and effortless to read.

In the first chapter, Johansson & Felten emphasize the importance of creating a welcoming, safe environment for new students that still manages to promote change and growth. While seemingly paradoxical, they find successful campuses are those that balance a sense of home with a healthy dose of inviting challenge—a blend of the familiar and foreign. Students engage with varied opportunities for self-exploration while ensuring they know they can retreat to more familiar territory if need be—this is the groundwork for breakthrough, transformative learning. Moving between one’s comfort zone and zone of disruption is an integral part of the journey of transformation.

European University Perspective on Global Challenges

by Dr. Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute

I was running through some aged writings online the other day and came across a presentation I made on March 20, 2009 at the invitation of the European University Association (EUA) in one of my fav cities, Prague.  I remember the convention being one of the most organized, academic-conferences I had been to, and I was invited to keynote the First Cluster defined for the event, which focused on the university as an “inclusive and responsive institution.” I hope this is of interest to our readers for a comparison, and also to our European members for a reminder. Also see this piece via our Policy Perspective Series. 

The Bologna process in the European Union has created many questions regarding the role of the university, let alone the entire tertiary/postsecondary system of education. The issues being discussed in the EU are not only pertinent in that arena. Rather, they are living issues being debated around the world: what is the purpose of the university? What role does research play? How does the institution interact with community and contribute to the local, regional, and global economy and society?

These are not trivial issues, and the stakes are quite high. In an era of continued globalization and massification of higher education (AKA, the higher education arms race), countries are looking increasingly to the tertiary sector to rescue economic markets from current instabilities, while also ensuring that its citizens are globally competitive. To be fair, the sense around the EU, at least of people at the EUA conference, is that, while there are opportunities within Bologna for institutions to work together, there is more pressure to compete for international students. This can be counterproductive to the questions posed by the EUA and acknowledged above.

Oxford University

Cluster One focuses on three questions:

• Is an institutional strategy on access, retention and quality essential and why should university leaders engage in this debate?
• How can universities deliver high quality programmes to a diversified student population?
• How can universities measure the success of their activities?

First, I think it is important to address the nexus, or connection, between widening participation and institutional/educational excellence. I believe that many educators and professionals see these issues as mutually exclusive. That is, you can’t have both open access and institutional excellence, however defined. My sense is that, if true, we have lost before we start because we need both issues to work concurrently, such that they are mutually inclusive, not exclusive.

On one hand, keeping institutions as pure institutions of “higher education” has meaning; we want to create a knowledge base within our intra-societies to create further knowledge and develop our economy. Higher education has historically served only the top academic and social tiers of society. But if we want to question the role of universities beyond research, then we must think in a broader scope of what society really demands of and from us. Shouldn’t higher education reflect the country as a whole? Should it not be a critical and involved component of society? And should it not connect with all people, not just the “chosen” few?

With this, I will address the three questions posed in the cluster.

Is an institutional strategy on access, retention and quality essential and why should university leaders engage in this debate?

The quick answer is yes and no. If an institution only aspires to continue to be internationally ranked and recognized, then no, it is not essential. Top tier institutions can survive in this way, the way many of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Rankings top 100 institutions do. They have the ability, in many cases, to attract 100 percent of the entering classes from outside their borders.

Even if they enroll a much smaller percentage of international students, they still identify and attract the best in the world. They can continue to do this, and will.

However, institutions with this capability reflect a minute percentage of institutions around the world. In the United States, only 20 percent of all universities are considered “selective” in their admissions practices, meaning 4 of 5 institutions operate on a mostly open admission policy.

For arguments sake, let us suggest that less than five percent of the world’s institutions are selective enough not to worry about access and equity issues. The argument then follows: is that good enough? From a societal point, is that sufficient, to have a certain, finite number of institutions attending to global prominence, without consideration of state or nation-wide issues? And, if so, who chooses which institutions are given this special status? Are they the Harvards, Stanfords, and Oxfords of the world? Or the polytechnics? In this age of globalization, it seems that all institutions want to serve the world, both for prestige and financial gain (understanding that foreign students typically bring in more money to the state). But we must ask whether this is the best role for institutions to play within our own societies.

In preparation for the discussion, EPI staff looked at the mission statements of the top European institutions of higher education. For example, embedded in the mission statement of the University of Cambridge (World Rank = 4) is that they are to serve “the widest possible student access to the University.” The University of Oxford (World Rank = 10) says that it is to “encourage access to the University by a wider range of applicants and significantly to expand its contribution to vocational and non-vocational Continuing Education,” and also to be “more widely accessible, both by broadening recruitment to its degree courses, and by expansion of opportunities for life- long learning…” Other institutions, such as the Technische Universität München (World Rank = 57) do not mention access and participation to any degree. For the power elite– Cambridge and Oxford–we can see through their mission statement that they believe their responsibilities lay beyond the academics to serve society and to embrace, to a degree, broader participation. Conversely, other institutions do not overtly state a desire or mission to serve the broader population. In the end, this may mean little. It is one thing to have a mission statement that details a commitment to broadening tertiary participation; it is entirely another to “live” that mission and ensure that the policies and practices of the institution put the mission into practice. Still, I think it is worthy to acknowledge that upper tier universities often do not see themselves as only serving an upper tier purpose, but contributing to local and societal growth and improvements. In the US, Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, is located in an economically-depressed area. Yale has taken on the responsibility of working with the community to improve the conditions for students and community members. This is a great example of a world-class institution working to do more than educated the best and brightest—it also showcases a cognizance that more is required of their advantage in society.

For argument, even if we take the top-tier institutions out of consideration, leaving them to a special, global-service mandate, we are left with 95 percent of institutions that cannot—feasibly— make a similar choice because they are not selective enough, even if they think, via mission creep, they are. Thus, the only viable answer to the original question is “yes:” an institutional strategy on access, retention and quality is essential.

For these institutions, I believe that they must require access and broad participation as a key, if not critical, part of their mission. As mostly non-profit organizations, led by external Boards of Directors, they should abide by their mission and serve the communities and society. If they do not, they risk losing the support of the vast voting public, which is democratic and believe in entities that support the democracy. If taxpayers and citizens do not see the overt value of an institution, it should be hardly surprising that they do not support it in the long term. If an institution or system is purely seen as elite, in the sense that it is open only for higher classes or castes, the public will only support it to a certain degree and reduce budgeting over time. Public stakeholders want institutions that are meaningful to them, and not just ranked top 100 in the Shanghai or THES rankings.

Institutions that do not serve a broader population also risk becoming isolated from the social and cultural fabric of society. They become distant to the pulse of the nation it was designed to serve, and will lose favor. To a degree, this has happened in the United States. While people understand the importance of a postsecondary, especially a bachelor’s, degree, they do not necessarily see universities as always serving in the best interest of society, and occasionally, see them as self serving. This is a dangerous tact and one that is difficult to correct.

The ultimate question is one of philosophy: do the leaders of these institutions–including Rectors, Presidents, Provosts, Chancellors, Chairs, and Directors–believe that their institution has a broader mission to serve society at large and the people of that society? The answer needs to be yes.

How can universities deliver high-quality programmes to a diversified student population?  Again, this is not an antithetical dilemma. Institutions can choose to have high-quality programmes and a diversified population, but it takes crafting and a focus on three particular issues. An institution must first take the philosophical plunge and direct policies toward the success of all students, especially those that may be considered more at-risk (e.g., first generation, low-income, rural, students with disabilities). Until that happens, real change cannot take place. If this philosophy is mandated by the administration, then there must be appropriate support to ensure it happens. Three examples of how this needs to play out are as follows:

• Institutions must carefully assess all incoming  students, with special focus on those that may be considered  more at-risk as to their academic and social abilities. Only when an institution “knows” the student can it plan for his or her success. It students are diagnosed before matriculation, then the institution can make appropriate plans and accommodations for the student. This can be accomplished on an individual basis with a learning plan designed for every single student. While there are detractors who do not believe this is possible or plausible, this is absolutely “doable.”
• Review and revise curriculum to align with institutional missions and EU-wide standards. The curriculum and resulting pedagogy used in the classroom needs to encompass the learning needs of students with broader learning styles. If students come to an institution with various levels of academic preparation, the curriculum, to a point, needs to respond to that diversity. This, of course, leads to the final example …
• Provide safety net programs to ensure that all students can succeed,understanding that many  students may need additional academic and social supports.  Remembering that broadening participation ultimately means admitting more students of lower-levels of academic preparation, then there must be an acknowledgement that these students will need additional support structures in place to succeed. Simply letting them in the door is not tantamount to student success. Rather, it is an institutional strategy destined for failure. Students need to targeted for support programs, including tutoring and mentoring, to give them the foundation for future success. If the institution is unable or unwilling to provide this level of support, then they shouldn’t admit these students in the first place.

Regarding the last point, it is argued that this may be the equivalent of “hand-holding,” which I was gently accused of during my EAU presentation by a Dutch gentleman. Interestingly enough, it is the Dutch that always argue this point with me. If identifying students with additional academic and social needs is hand-holding, I plead guilty. If providing necessary supports to encourage and make success possible is hand-holding, I please guilty. In fact, I argue that doing less is being disingenuous to the student. Promising something that cannot truly be attained does not serve anyone, particularly the taxpayer, well. To the argument that students need to be responsible for their education, I do not argue. But in some cases we have to teach students that level of responsibility if they do not possess it at matriculation. Where students are deficient, we need to prop them up. If not, we need not admit them. In the end, students will become responsible, focused, and educated, if we do our jobs well. However, we need to set up the rules of engagement between institutions and students. That is our responsibility.

How can universities measure the success of their activities?

On the final question, measurement is more easily addressed. Institutions, by nature, are large corporations that require leadership with business acumen. Although supported in large part by public funding, they operate in a competitive environment with the goal of serving society.

Leadership requires the use of business tools in order to better understand the wellness, efficiency, and efficacy of the organization. Total Quality Management, continuous improvement, Six Sigma—these are business processes that need to be followed by institutions of higher education. Institutions need to collect and analyze data to determine where it succeeds and where challenges remain. With regard to the latter, it then needs to diagnose the problems and find solutions that conclude with better outcomes for students.

Three practical examples include:

• Developing individual learning plans for students  and assessing theachievement of those learning  plans. Institutions need to work with students to design pathways to success, for the student and the institution. These plans can be assessed on an ongoing basis as students achieve their goals and objectives.
• Mining institutional datasets to learn where students fail or fall.  Most institutions have the data needed to diagnose problem areas. Any institutional research office can advice leadership of gatekeeper courses where students are lost. Analysis such as this can lead to proactive strategies for improving student retention and success.
• Surveying students, faculty members, and the community. Institutions should be asking stakeholders, from within and beyond, about what it does well and its role in the community. Survey data is not a replacement for more empirically-driven academic data, but does provide a reflection for the university to consider in reforming its activities in pursuit of excellence.

In sum, we understand that broadening participation in higher education is not a lightly-taken concept. It is difficult work, especially in the context of our current economic crisis where budgets are shrinking and enrollments are increasing. European institutions, through the Bologna Process, have an opportunity to make directional changes to create an even better tertiary system of education, and those of us outside of the EU should take notice because there is much to learn from this natural experiment.