Public Schools: Eating Your Own Cooking
It’s no secret that many public schools at the elementary and secondary levels are underperforming. Overcrowded classrooms, out-dated textbooks, bureaucratic red tape, rising violence: there are many reasons why the system isn’t working. And every few years (conveniently around election time), politicians start throwing about detailed plans and sound bites about how they will do better. After the polls close of course, it’s back to business as usual. Business as usual often means everything but education. But here’s a novel thought: what if all elected officials had to send their children to public schools? Shocking, I know. How crazy I must be to think that local, state, and Federal politicians should eat their own cooking.
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Are Online Degrees Truly the Time Savers They Claim to Be?
You may have heard about the scheduling flexibility and convenience offered by online degrees. But maybe you’re busier than most. Perhaps in addition to a full time job, you also have family commitments, a hectic social schedule, and various hobbies to juggle as well. When you look at your monthly calendar, you can’t imagine taking on even more responsibilities. But before you abandon the notion altogether, consider these tips:
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Do PMBAs Match Up To Traditional Business Schools?
For many aspiring business professionals, personal MBAs (PMBAs) represent a breath of fresh air. Essentially, you follow an online syllabus, read selected course materials, and complete projects and papers at your own pace. Some PMBA networks even have peer review options and online discussion groups so that you don’t have to work in isolation. With a reading list of 50-100 books (your biggest expense by far), PMBAs are an attractive alternative to more mainstream MBA programs costing $80K or more. But….
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With every advance that educational technology brings (from “Oregon Trail” back in my day to laptops in every classroom), there are some drawbacks. Today’s roundup includes a few examples of the constant debate between the “technology will change our lives” camp and the “technology is melting our children’s brains” camp. (more…)

When most industries hit hard times, there follows a flood of talent into the unemployment lines.  Good luck finding auto factory jobs when the big car manufacturers begin laying off people in droves.  And when the Internet bubble burst, it took awhile for programmers to find their groove again.  But do MBAs follow the same general trend?  With Lehman Brothers, Fannie Mae, and Merrill Lynch getting bought out or dismantled, won’t business experts suddenly inundate the unemployment lines?  Won’t their degrees suddenly become worthless as the larger financial markets face dwindling opportunities and increased competition?

Not necessarily.  There are many ways in which MBA degrees can partially shield you from a failing economy: (more…)

Fiercely independent and notoriously distrustful of authority, Albert Einstein was a true renaissance man who enjoyed learning for learning’s sake.  He chaffed under the rigid practices of traditional academia, and his patent clerk position probably didn’t offer much escape once he graduated from university.  So why do I suspect that the world’s most celebrated genius would have embraced online degrees?  Simple.  Online education offers unprecedented flexibility, independence, and opportunity to those questing for knowledge and advancement. (more…)

Seems like education is finally getting a bit more attention outside its traditional circles. Last week, The Other 85 Percent did a nice job of culling the relevant bits of the Republican Party’s education platform. There’s a summary here of everything in the platform that references non-traditional learners and adult students. (more…)

Wouldn’t it be nice if estimating the true cost of college was as easy as multiplying the first year’s tuition by four? But the truth is, tuition continually rises, many courses include special fees, textbook costs can vary wildly each quarter or semester, and then there are living expenses to consider. Nothing is a given. (more…)

Picking a college major that’s “in demand” by employers is a huge step in the right direction towards landing your first job and increased job opportunities. But are you sabotaging your chances of career success with your career training and online education choices? Interesting stats have emerged that show a disparity between which job skills, majors, and college degrees that employers are looking for, and which majors students are picking.

As Bill Genereux writes in his TechIntersect blog: “In many cases, college students are not choosing majors that align with the career paths that will provide them with the best opportunities!” According to the Job Outlook 2005 Survey from the National Association of Colleges and Employers), the 10 most in-demand college degrees that employers are seeking are: (more…)

It’s no surprise when groundbreaking research is published by a university. But colleges can also provide a refreshing new look at politics and become a hub of discussion for the upcoming election. (more…)