posted on
Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
Facing budget constraints and demand for greater accountability in higher education, states are tying public college and university funding to the schools’ ability to retain and graduate students. But a new paper from the Century Foundation argues that such performance-based funding models are reinforcing disparities within public higher education and doing little to move the needle on completion. (The Washington Post)
It’s been a rough year for Pearson Education, the largest education company in the world, which is best known in the U.S. for its array of testing platforms. It is perhaps that prominence that’s gained the company so many critics in the wake of the anti-testing movement that’s swept across the country as a result of years of high-stakes testing. (US News)
Whites, blacks, Asian-Americans and Hispanic-Americans are all graduating from college at higher rates now, but stubborn racial and gender gaps are widening, a new federal report finds. Women earn more college degrees than men but receive lower wages, while whites and Asian-Americans continue to earn bachelor’s degrees at higher rates than blacks and Hispanics. (Hechinger Report)
Groups that support the expansion of charter schools in California are spending big this year to support the campaigns of sympathetic Democrats vying for open seats in the state Legislature. (KPCC)
Colorado businesses are enjoying a robust recovery from the recession. Good jobs and great quality of life are luring college graduates to the state. But Colorado’s own students are at a disadvantage. (The Atlantic)
Arizona school funding and policy were the center of several intense debates this legislative session. Some of the most contentious bills never made it to Gov. Doug Ducey’s desk. (AZ Central)