Book Tackles Old Debate: Role of Art in Schools
Robin Pogrebin , NY Times
Two Harvard researchers who previously published a book stating that art classes do not improve students overall academic performance are publishing a new book that expands on the topic.  Ellen Winner, Lois Hetland along with two other collaborators claim, in a new book due out this month, they argue forcefully for the benefits of art education, while still defending their precious book's thesis.

'Baby Einstein': a Bright Idea?
Amber Dance, LA Times
In what is sure to become a controversial study, Infants shown such educational series end up with poorer vocabularies. Researcher says 'American Idol' is better.  For every hour a day that babies 8 to 16 months old were shown such popular series as "Brainy Baby" or "Baby Einstein," they knew six to eight fewer words than other children.

Congress Passes 'Competitiveness' Bill
Sean Cavanagh, Education Week
Congress approved legislation that seeks to bolster mathematics and science education through improved teacher recruitment and training and promote successful classroom practices through federal grants. Members of Congress have dubbed the proposals "competitiveness" legislation because they believe it will strengthen the quality of the U.S. workforce and gird the American economy against foreign competition.

Education Dept. Criticized for Loans Oversight
Jonathon D. Glater, NY Times
A report by the Government Accountability Office found that the Education Department had "no oversight tools" to see whether lenders were giving improper incentives to colleges to steer student borrowers their way.  The report further stated that that since 1989, the department had offered lenders no “comprehensive guidance” on what incentives might be forbidden.

Free college credit program doesn't lure many students
Ellen Jan Kleinerman, Plain Dealer
Less than 5 percent of Ohio students have taken advantage of a program that allows them to earn high school and free college credits at the same time.  This is the assessment of Ohio's 18-year-old dual enrollment program called Post Secondary Enrollment Options was recently released.  However, inconsistent and incomplete state data made it impossible to determine the impact of Ohio's program.

More Are Taking a Rain Check on College
Ian Shapira, Washington Post
Growing numbers of student are taking a "gap-year" between high school graduation and college. Students often seek deferrals for missionary work, public service jobs, to decide what they will pursue in college, or just to have some time off. This growing phenomenon has sparked a small industry that will advise students on how to handle their "gap-year."

Federal Guidance on Grant Programs
Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed
The U.S. Education Department on Tuesday proposed rules designed to carry out the Academic Competitiveness Grant and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent Grant Programs. The rules do not deal with many of the issues that have most vexed higher education officials about the programs, which were designed to encourage more students from low-income families to enter science, math and other high-demand fields.

Higher Education's Operating Costs Rose by 3.4% in 2007, Down From Last Year's Rate
Elizabeth Quill, Chronicle of Higher Education
The inflation index that many colleges use to predict their costs increased by 3.4 percent in the 2007 fiscal year, less than last year's rise of 5 percent.  The Higher Education Price Index, known as HEPI, helps colleges to project future budget increases and maintain purchasing power and investments. HEPI is calculated by the Commonfund Institute, the research arm of the Commonfund, which helps colleges and universities manage their endowments.

'Sweden Has Too Many Universities'
The Local
 Less is more when it comes to universities. That at least is the opinion of Anders Flodström, newly appointed University Chancellor at the National Agency for Higher Education. Flodström has indicated that he would like to see today's fourteen state-run universities pared down to a more manageable five.

Italian Official Bans Honorary Degrees, Saying Celebrity Recipients Bring Dishonor
Francis X. Rocca, Chronicle of Higher Education
Citing the need to protect the "prestige" of Italy's university system, the country's higher-education minister, Fabio Mussi, ordered its 66 public universities on Wednesday to stop granting honorary degrees for the rest of the year. The move followed last week's controversy over the University of Turin’s decision to award an honorary bachelor’s degree in economics to a former medal winner in equestrian events, who is currently chairwoman of one of Italy's largest insurance companies.

Ryerson University Considering New Waterfront Campus
Erin Millar, Macleans.ca
University President Levy speaks out on how universities can revitalize neighborhoods.  A new Ryerson University campus on the waterfront in Toronto is one of the possibilities being considered to address a surge of students expected in the next five years in the Greater Toronto Area. Although the proposal is in early stages, the campus could help revitalize the neighborhood at the foot of Jarvis Street.

Middle-Class Students Caught in Tuition Crunch
Louise Brown, The Star.com
Too rich to qualify for full student loans but too poor to pay the tab themselves, Canada's middle-class students are being squeezed into troubling debt and daunting work schedules to cover the cost of higher learning, a new study shows.

No Place Like Home
Milanda Rout, The Australian
A SHORTAGE of students willing to study abroad is causing international embarrassment for Australian universities, which stand accused of being more interested in export dollars than educational exchanges

Reviewers' Anonymity Compromised
Bernard Lane, The Australian
The National Health and Medical Research Council is seeking urgent advice about whether to formally notify expert grant reviewers in Australia and overseas after a breakdown in its system to protect their anonymity.

Education still the key to good job: ABS
Sydney Morning Herald
The notion that a good education leads to better employment opportunities is reinforced in the latest Australian Bureau of Statistics figures.  In a reflection of overall employment trends, the jobless rate is down for almost all education groups, with those who have tertiary qualifications doing the best.

The Global State of Higher Education and the Rise of Private Finance

The Institute for Higher Education Policy's Global Center on Private Financing of Higher Education (GCPF) released a report that explores the growing importance of private capital to nations where governments seek additional resources to share the rising per student costs and increasing enrollment rates. The report, The Global State of Higher Education and the Rise of Private Finance, also provides an overview of international good practices and lessons learned from individual countries where the business of tapping into private finance as a supplemental funding source has increased in the past two decades.

The Educational Policy Institute is an international non-profit think tank dedicated to the study of educational opportunity. The Week in Review is a weekly publication that highlights the top news stories, reports and statistics related to academic preparation and access and success in the US, Canada, and beyond. The publication also features a commentary written by either President Watson Scott Swail, EdD or Vice-President Alex Usher.

To submit comments, news releases, or submissions, please email Dr. Watson Scott Swail at wswail@educationalpolicy.org or call (757) 430-2200.