Times are tough for everyone lately. Education, recently one of the only two growing industries–it has since lost this title, leaving health care lonely at the top–is being hit hard by budget cuts, deficits, and general re-allocation of funds. Is this a trickle-down effect, or are there more sinister forces at work here? By sinister forces, I mean, of course, the slow-brewed, new American anti-intellectualism over the last decade. (more…)

Americans are spending less and saving more this year. The savings rate got up to a 14-year high of 5.7 percent of our disposable income in April or this year. This is the sharpest increase in saving since the numbers started being tracked in the early 1950s. It’s also the first year since WWII that Americans spent less than they did the year before. One big expense that’s getting dropped? Dream schools. (more…)

On April 7th, 2009, the journalism school at the University of Missouri made a bold move: they sent out an email to all incoming freshman telling them that, in addition to their other school supplies, they’ll be required to have an iPhone or iPod Touch. The requirement has since been changed to include other Internet-ready, portable gadgets–quashing brand-specific criticisms–but the debate rages on. (more…)

The phrase haunts the halls of academia: publish or perish. It refers to the need for professors to publish work, lest their contracts run out. It’s stressful, and it takes valuable time away from teaching. While the online education world is far too broad to make sweeping generalizations about, it follows that if students seek out online education for its flexible schedule, wouldn’t teaching online free up some time for research? (more…)

Possibly one of the most idiotic assumptions of all time–namely, that men are innately better than women when it comes to math and science–has been shot down once again. This cultural belief has always baffled me, perhaps because I grew up with a sharp-as-a-tack mother working on both the quantitative and qualitative sides of marketing research. Any man who’s ever been completely shut down by a math class (Calc 3 and I didn’t get along) can attest to the absence of this supposed innate ability. A study has recently come out that shows–gasp–that it’s our culture, not the brains we were born with, that’s responsible for the gender gap in math. (more…)

Online education programs are more popular than ever before. For programs that started off online, this just means that business is really taking off. For programs with brick-and-mortar roots, though, increasing online enrollment means it may be time for an agonizing reassessment of the whole scene. Why? Small, distance-learning programs have grown, thanks to the Internet, and many have grown so rapidly and to such an extent that a majority of enrolled students don’t ever step foot on campus. (more…)

Loan forgiveness is a big deal in today’s job market. The idea that simply by putting in some hard work in the right place, students can get some or all of their loans forgiven is a big draw. Forgiveness programs in nursing, for example, influence many students’ decisions to go into the field. After finishing a nursing degree, graduates can take jobs with the state, and after a given amount of time, have a large portion of their loans forgiven. In today’s economic climate, students are concerned about whether or not forgiveness programs will remain intact. (more…)

At the commencement ceremony for Arizona State University, President Obama delivered quite a call to action:

“Did you study business? Go start a company or why not help our struggling non-profits find better, more effective ways to serve folks in need. Did you study nursing? Understaffed clinics and hospitals across this country are desperate for your help. You study education? Teach in a high-needs school where the kids really need you.” (more…)

The House just passed a bill that would give $6.4 billion to rebuilding–and greening–schools. This investment in America’s future has some controversy attached, though. Much like any investment, the return needs to be factored in. Will this bill actually work as part of an economic stimulus, or will it be something more on the order of frivolous spending? (more…)

During any economic rough spot, studies of previous downturns and recessions start popping up all over the place. Sometimes they offer a little light at the end of the tunnel, but some new studies show just the opposite for recent graduates. Entering the worst job market in 25 years isn’t the only cross to bear for these recent grads, studies are showing that the effects of the recession could last for 15 more years before getting back to normal. (more…)