The Week in Review / Educational Policy Institute

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The Geopolitics of Higher Education

February 8, 2008

Alex Usher, Vice President, Educational Policy Institute

One of the most fascinating recent developments in higher education is the changes in its geography and geopolitics. It used to be that that students and professors were fairly immobile. You went to school within your own country and you taught within your own country. Sudden floods of professors from one country to another were cause for concern, not celebration. Canada spent a good chunk of the late 60s worrying about how many American profs were being hired by our universities (which were growing quickly and needed more instructors than our small PhD programs could provide)...Read More

Self-Efficacy in Science

In the recent PISA study of science education in 57 countries, the self-efficacy of students (i.e., the belief that they can handle tasks effectively and overcome difficulties) was measured. Interestingly, self-efficacy was highest in Poland, the US, Canada, and Portugal, and lowest in Japan, Korea, and Italy. ...Read More

Source: The 2007 PISA Executive Summary, OECD





	Election Year Hints at Shifts for Unions Vaishali Honawar and Bes Kellar, Education Week The National Education Association is poised for a change in leadership this year as its president of six years, Reg Weaver, bumps up against term limits. Now, speculation is widespread that Edward J.McElroy, his counterpart at the American Federation of Teachers, might not seek re-election in July. Mixed Results for New Jersey Students on Statewide Tests Winnie Hu, The New York Times New Jersey public school students performed better on last year’s statewide math tests than they did the previous year at elementary and middle schools, but slightly worse at high schools, according to results released Wednesday by the state’s Education Department.	Report: NCLB May Be Aiding Students With Disabilities Christina A. Samuels, Education Week The accountability systems created by the federal No Child Left Behind Act have led to some benefits for students with disabilities, but it’s too soon to link the law with improved academic outcomes for such students, a presidential advisory group says. Students, Parents Rise In Defense of Programs Michael Alison Chandler and Ian Shapira, The Washington Post Almost 200 Fairfax County residents last night protested school budget proposals that would increase class size, cut subsidies for Advanced Placement tests and trim programs that serve minority or disadvantaged students.


	College eligibility within reach of many in L.A. Howard Blume, The Los Angeles Times Many L.A. students are one or two courses shy of what they need to apply to Cal State and UC, a report shows. In Summer, Hitting the Books, Not Just the Beach Roger Mummert, The New York Times At winter fairs in high schools around the country, precollege summer programs are now being pitched to teens and parents, many of whom see these “taste-of-college-life” programs as a vital part of the college planning process. Recession or not, interest in these programs, which can run as high as $7,800 for six weeks (excluding airfare), is intense, with many programs fully booked by early spring.	House Revises Tuition ‘Watch List’ Provisions in Major Bill Kelly Field, The Chronicle of Higher Education The changes, in key legislation the full House is to take up this week, would result in far fewer colleges coming under the threat of federal sanctions. For-Profit Colleges Lobby Against Proposed Cohort Default Rate Changes Cody Brumfield, AACRAO More than fifty representatives of for-profit colleges visited Capital Hill this week in an effort to remove a provision from the Higher Education Act that would increase the time-window used to calculate “cohort default rates” from two years to three.


	Private Schools Catering to Foreign Students in Dubai Mary Ann Zehr, Education Week Alternatives are crucial when public schooling is closed to non-Arabs. Report Urges Sweeping Changes in Higher Education Across the Arab World Aisha Labi, The Chronicle of Higher Education The educational systems of many countries in the Middle East and North Africa need a complete overhaul, warns a World Bank report released this week.	Jordan Opens Schools to Iraqis, But Not All Come Mary Ann Zehr, Education Week Imran Riza, the representative in Jordan for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said in a Feb. 3 interview that the enrollment of 24,000 Iraqis in Jordan’s private and public schools this school year is “extremely low.” U.N. officials had expected about 50,000.


	uManitoba renews partnership with uNairobi uManitoba press release It has been nearly 30 years since the University of Manitoba and the University of Nairobi began their relationship in collaborative medical/microbiology research; a relationship that has produced one of the world's best HIV/AIDS research programs and culminated in January 2007 with the opening of a state-of-the-art infectious diseases research facility at the University of Nairobi in Kenya. On January 13, 2008 the two universities took another step forward together by formally recognizing five new agreements designed to expand their partnership into new areas of mutual interest.	Province commits over $3 million to new student centre at Mount Allison (08/02/04) New Brunswick Provincial news release A significant investment for a new student centre at Mount Allison University was announced today by Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour Minister Ed Doherty. Largest union organizing drive in Ontario history kicks into high gear OPSEU media release The drive to win union representation for more than 12,500 Ontario college workers is kicking into high gear this week, the Ontario Public Service Employees Union says.


	Plan sabotages teacher supply, union warns Gerard Noonan, The Sydney Morning Herald THE ability of principals of easy-to-staff public schools to select their own teachers would reduce the capacity of hundreds of disadvantaged schools in country areas and poorer city suburbs to attract and retain qualified teachers, the NSW Teachers Federation says.	Foreigners are 'exploited' Milanda Rout, The Australian CONTRARY to their image as cashed-up BMW drivers, many overseas students cannot afford to eat, are paid well below the minimum wage and are among those most vulnerable to exploitation in this country, new research says. Funding extension 'will improve PhDs' Bernard Lane, The Australian AUSTRALIA could turn out better PhDs if Labor goes ahead with a new proposal to extend the term of scholarships, according to the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.


	The Landscape of Noncredit Workforce Education: State Policies and Community College Practices Community College Research Center This final report discusses the many roles of community college noncredit workforce education, its place within the organization of community colleges, and the outcomes it provides for students and employers. Top 10 State Policy Issues for Higher Education in 2008 American Association of State Colleges and Universities The American Association of State College and Universities (AASCU) recently released a policy brief titled, “Top 10 State Policy Issues for Higher Education in 2008.” The report presents the top 10 state higher education issues (in the view of the state policy and research staff at AASCU) most likely to be at the forefront of discussion and action in the 50 states. The Road Not Traveled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa The World Bank Education is at the crossroads for the future of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). It plays a crucial role in promoting poverty alleviation and economic growth, both at national and at household levels. It reflects the aspirations of the people for a successful integration into the global economy in an ever changing world. Education is also a strategic priority for the World Bank in the MENA region and worldwide. The preparation of this report has benefited from the experience accumulated from Bank collaboration with the region in education—a relationship that has lasted for more than 40 years. This report traces the successes and the challenges facing the development of education to identify promising education reform options for the future.


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.