Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity
Member of the Department of Education's National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity; former Senior Vice-President responsible for the Education and Workforce program at the US Chamber of Commerce and president emeritus of Lafayette College in Pennsylvania
Will the US Invest in its Own Future? The Royal Society of England has released a report on the scientific output of various countries. It reports that China has already surpassed Britain as the second leading producer of research in the world and, at its present rate, it will overtake the United States in science in just two years. Meantime, education in the United States is in the cross hairs of both reformers and budget cutters.
Will the US Invest in Its Own Future? President Obama says the US has to "out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world," and industry leaders agree. However, while state after state challenges educators to produce a competitive workforce, they simultaneously cut spending from K through 12 to grad school. Meantime, the UK's Royal Society says China is producing enough research and trained professionals to " overtake the US in science " in two years. So why do Chinese parents do whatever they can to get their kids in to American schools? Does the US need education reform or more of the same?
Federal Money, Teachers' Unions and Education Reform Former President Bush produced “ No Child Left Behind .” Now President Obama has an education reform plan of his own. He calls it “ Race to the Top ."
Federal Money, Teachers' Unions and Education Reform President Obama is dangling $4.3 billion in stimulus money to promote charter schools, merit pay and standardized tests for evaluating teachers. He says states with laws against such evaluations won't get any money, which rules out New York and California. Even in other states, Education Secretary Arne Duncan could be up against opposition from teachers' unions, a major force in the Democratic Party. Will the prospect of all that money turn the unions around? What's the future of what the President calls "Race to the Top?"
Will College Become Unaffordable for a Majority of Americans? A moment ago, we heard about increased unemployment in the United States. The unemployment rate for college and university graduates is half what it is for the workforce as a whole. But rising costs are putting college and university degrees out of reach for most young Americans. In the past 25 years, tuition and fees have gone up 439% while median income has risen by 147%, and student loans are saddling graduates with more and more debt. For the first time in American history, older adults have more education than younger ones, while other countries are educating their children faster. That's ominous news for a country that attained world leadership because of higher education.
Is the threat from Russia missing from the Russia meddling probe? There's much being made about the Trump administration's possible ties with Russia. But the bottom line is Russia's effort to influence American democracy. Do the President and his aides care enough to take action before voters go back to the polls?
Replacing Obamacare: Now you see it… now you don’t As the Senate deliberates replacing Obmacare, health coverage for millions of people is at stake. There've been no public hearings, and a draft measure won't be made public. Is the House version so unpopular that that Senate is hiding a version that looks much the same?
Trump's new look at civil rights and global warming President Trump is reportedly ready to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. We look at the possible consequences. On the second half of the program, we hear about cuts in Obama-Era civil rights programs called for by the Trump Administration's first budget plan.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.