top of page


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 25, 20181 min read
College, college, college — what about trades?
While U.S. students are told that a four-year college degree is the only route to success, employers are paying top dollar for those...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 24, 20182 min read
From ‘early college’ to careers
uses job-market data to help students plan their futures, reports Catherine Gewertz in Education Week. Students at iLEAD Academy...
0 comments
Joanne Jacobs
Apr 19, 20181 min read
Career-tech students work hard, learn ‘soft’ skills
“Students who take a lot of career-and-technical-education classes in high school are hard workers who are less likely than their peers...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 18, 20182 min read
Put students on the adulthood track
The primary purpose of education isn’t preparation for college, writes Ray Domanico, director of education policy at the Manhattan...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Apr 2, 20182 min read
College for all — but not college degrees
More first-generation, low-income students are going to college — but not completing a degree, writes David Leonhardt in the New York...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Mar 22, 20182 min read
Udacity ends nanodegree job guarantee
Udacity has ended its get-a-job-or-your-money-back guarantee for its Nanodegree Plus program, reports Lindsay McKenzie at Inside Higher...
0 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Mar 14, 20182 min read
Honest diplomas
The only way to award honest high school diplomas is to give students a choice of meeting basic, career-ready or university-ready...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 21, 20181 min read
Equality widens STEM’s gender gap
In gender-equal Norway and Finland, 20 percent of college graduates in science, engineering and math are women, compared to 41 percent in...
0 comments

Joanne Jacobs
Feb 13, 20181 min read
Degree inflation doesn’t pay
Now that unemployment is down, employers may think twice about degree inflation, writes Preston Cooper in Forbes. They can’t afford to be...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 12, 20181 min read
For most, AA degree leads to low-wage jobs
The cheapest route to a bachelor’s degree — in theory — is to live at home, go to a low-cost community college, earn an associate of arts...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 12, 20181 min read
Who’s college ready? Let’s find out
States vow to graduate students who are college- and career-ready but have no idea if they’re succeeding, writes Checker Finn. The...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 8, 20181 min read
Computer science instead of Algebra II?
Ohio students will be able to take advanced computer science instead of Algebra II under a new law, reports Leo Versel in Education Week....
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Feb 7, 20181 min read
New Mexico: Apply to college or else
New Mexico will make applying to college a high school graduation requirement, under a bill moving through the Legislature. “Exceptions...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 19, 20181 min read
Help wanted: Need master’s in janitorial science
sheepskin effect” requires a master’s degree. “If trends continue, by 2025 we will be offering master’s degrees in janitorial science.”...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 16, 20182 min read
Why retraining usually doesn’t work
Retraining usually doesn’t work, writes Jeffrey Selingo is part of the Lumina-funded series, What makes a worker?, in The Atlantic....
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 8, 20182 min read
Auto shop is sold as STEM training
Pushed to offer more college-prep classes, California high schools have cut auto shop and other vocational classes, reports Carolyn Jones...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 7, 20181 min read
‘Career-ready’ at 18? It’s a myth
In the 21st century, the “career-ready” 18-year-old high school graduate is a myth, write Anthony P. Carnevale, who...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 3, 20181 min read
Ohio: No job skills needed to be ‘career ready’
Ohio will put a career readiness seal on the diplomas of graduates who’ve mastered skills such as teamwork and creativity,...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 9, 20172 min read
Against education
Most people don’t learn much in college beyond basic literacy and numeracy, writes Bryan Caplan in The Atlantic. A degree shows mastery...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 7, 20171 min read
Grad rate rises as diploma’s value falls
America’s high school graduation rate is at an all-time high, yet a high school diploma doesn’t signify college readiness, career...
0 comments
bottom of page