The National Bureau of Economic Research recently released a new study by Richard Murnane analyzing patterns of high school graduation rates over the period of 1970-2010. The good news: rates of high school graduation are increasing. The concerning news: experts do not fully understand the factors that are spurring the increased graduation rates. It is important to understand the factors influencing increased graduation rates so federal and state policymakers can support these positive factors and encourage the trend in graduation rates to keep improving.
Study summary:
I…
The Pew Center on the States released an important study this week analyzing how the economic downturn has affected three groups of students 1) high school graduates 2) associate degree recipients and 3) college graduates. The report focused exclusively on students who graduated or entered the workforce during the economic downturn.
The goal was to explore how the recession has uniquely impacted each group of students and if a college degree conferred the same advantage it did before the economic downturn. Using data from the 2003–2011 Current Population Survey for 21- through 24…
As the 112th Congress expired, our nation and CEE lost a valiant champion in the United States Senate. Senator Joseph Lieberman retired after 24 years of faithful service in the world’s greatest deliberative body.
Senator Lieberman has been a tremendous supporter of CEE and graciously served as a CEE Honorary Board Member for 18 years.
As a tribute to Senator Lieberman, CEE will proudly present the “Senator Lieberman Award” each year to an alumnus of the Center’s RSI or USABO programs for outstanding achievement in science and technology. Additionally, CEE alumni and…
An important article by Betsey Stevenson at the University of Michigan and Justin Wolfers at the University of Pennsylvania discusses possible reasons why elite universities are not attracting low-income, high-achieving students.
Substantial resources have been devoted to making tuition at top-tier universities affordable - or even free - for low-income students. Despite these efforts, research has shown that many high-achieving, low-income students choose to go to a school below their potential even when that school may be more expensive than a more highly ranked school which the…
The National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) recently posted a thorough report outlining important trends in U.S. doctoral education. The report calls attention to the changing characteristics of U.S. doctorate recipients over time, including the increased representation of women, minorities and foreign nationals; the emergence of new fields of study; the time it takes to complete doctoral study; the expansion of the postdoctoral pool; and employment opportunities after graduate.
The report offers a great source of empirical data for stakeholders interested in…
New Common Core State Standards in English are gradually being unveiled and it is anticpated that these standards will take effect in 2014. Specifically these new common core standards require that nonfiction texts represent 50 percent of reading assignments in elementary schools. By the time students reach grade 12 the requirement grows to 70 percent. Among the suggested nonfiction pieces for high school juniors and seniors are Alexis de Tocqueville’s “Democracy in America,” “FedViews,” by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco (2009) and “Executive Order 13423: Strengthening…
There is growing acknowledgment that technical skills and training are vital to employment prospects in the 21st Century.
The following Huffington Post article by Edie Fraser, CEO of STEMconnector, highlights the growing divide between the skillsets widely found in the labor marketplace and the skillsets increasingly demanded by industry. As Ms. Fraser writes, "We have little to no supply to meet the ever-growing demand. Think of it, in this economy with record unemployment rates, U.S. businesses are unable to fill jobs because of basic skills gaps in the workforce."
A…
Today, Tuesday, November 27, 2012, is being celebrated as #GivingTuesday, and with your help it will make history. The goal is to launch a day of giving at the start of the annual holiday shopping season and to show that holiday shopping can be about both giving and giving back. Please consider supporting CEE as part of the #GivingTuesday campaign.
People everywhere including retailers, charities, online organizations, community centers, individuals, families and more will come together with one common purpose ‐‐ to help others and incentivize ways to give more, give smarter, and…
The two-day National Association for Gifted Education Conference just wrapped up in Denver. The conference was sponsored by the National Association of Gifted Children and brought together stakeholders in gifted education to address the unique challenges and barriers to serving high-ability students.
Presentations included "Supporting Gifted and High-Potential Learners in a Common Core State Standards Environment." and "Gifted Leading the Way: National Priorities and Opportunities for Action." among others.
For a thorough summary and play by play action of the conference,…
Much analysis has been offered on the unequal quality of education and the need to close gaps in education. In a recent Op-Ed by Arthur Levine in the Wall Street Journal, it was asserted that there was a growing divide among U.S. students, as well as a divide between U.S. students and their international counterparts.
The divide between advantaged and disadvantaged school districts in the U.S. has received generous attention. However, it is also important to analyze the possible gap between the brightest U.S. students and the brightest students from other countries. The purpose…