American Higher Education in Crisis? : what everyone needs to know by
American higher education is at a crossroads. Technological innovations and disruptive market forces are buffeting colleges and universities at the very time their financial structure grows increasingly fragile. Disinvestment by states has driven up tuition prices at public colleges, and student debt has reached a startling record-high of one trillion dollars. Cost-minded students and their families - and the public at large - are questioning the worth of a college education, even as studyafter study shows how important it is to economic and social mobility. And as elite institutions trim financial aid and change other business practices in search of more sustainable business models, racial and economic stratification in American higher education is only growing. In American Higher Education in Crisis?: What Everyone Needs to Know, Goldie Blumenstyk, who has been reporting on higher education trends for 25 years, guides readers through the forces and trends that have brought the education system to this point, and highlights some of the ways they will reshape America's colleges in the years to come. Blumenstyk hones in on debates over the value of post-secondary education, problems of affordability, and concerns about the growing economic divide. Fewer and fewer people can afford the constantly increasing tuition price of college, Blumenstyk shows, and yet college graduates in the United States now earn on average twice as much as those with only a high-school education. She also discusses faculty tenure and growing administrative bureaucracies on campuses; considers new demands for accountability such as those reflected in the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard; and questions how the money chase in big-time college athletics, revelations about colleges falsifying rankings data, and corporate-style presidential salaries have soured public perception. Higher education is facing a serious set of challenges, but solutions have also begun to emerge. Blumenstyk highlights how institutions are responding to the rise of alternative-educational opportunities and the new academic and business models that are appearing, and considers how the Obama administration and public organizations are working to address questions of affordability, diversity, and academic integrity. She addresses some of the advances in technology colleges are employing to attract and retain students; outlines emerging competency-based programs that are reshaping conceptions of a college degree, and offers readers a look at promising innovations that could alter the higher education landscape in the near future. An extremely timely and focused look at this embattled and evolving arena, this primer emphasizes how open-ended the conversation about higher education's future remains, and illuminates how big the stakes are for students, colleges, and the nation.
Aspiring Adults Adrift: tentative transitions of college graduates by 
Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement by
This issue of New Directions for Community Colleges establishes a philosophical framework for civic learning and democratic engagement in community colleges; details several approaches to enhancing the civic capacities of students in these institutions; provides best practice examples and lessons learned from practitioners in the field; and addresses some of the sticky issues with which civic practitioners and scholars are wrestling.
Democracy and Education: an introduction to the philosophy of education by
John Dewey's Democracy and Education addresses the challenge of providing quality public education in a democratic society. In this classic work Dewey calls for the complete renewal of public education, arguing for the fusion of vocational and contemplative studies in education and for the necessity of universal education for the advancement of self and society. First published in 1916, Democracy and Education is regarded as the seminal work on public education by one of the most important scholars of the century.
Dewey in Our Time: learning from John Dewey for transcultural practice by
Dewey in Our Time brings together leading writers from around the world who are actively engaged in applying Dewey's thought to the challenges facing educational systems and teachers in school. Issues concerning equity, social justice, curriculum and pedagogy, teachers' roles and their professional identity are considered, with examples from the Americas, Asia and Europe.
John Dewey and the Future of Community College Education by
Today, community colleges enroll 40% of all undergraduates in the United States. In the years ahead, these institutions are expected to serve an even larger share of this student population. However, faced with increasing government pressure to significantly improve student completion rates, many community colleges will be forced to reconsider their traditional commitment to expand educational opportunity. Community colleges, therefore, are at a crossroads. Should they focus on improving student completion rates and divert resources from student recruitment programs? Should they improve completion rates by closing developmental studies programs and limiting enrollment to college-ready students? Or, can community colleges simultaneously expand educational opportunity and improve student completion? In John Dewey and the Future of Community College Education , Cliff Harbour argues that before these questions can be answered, community colleges must articulate the values and priorities that will guide them in the future. Harbour proposes that leaders across the institution come together and adopt a new democracy-based normative vision grounded in the writings of John Dewey, which would call upon colleges to do much more than improve completion rates and expand educational opportunity. It would look beyond the national economic measures that dominate higher education policy debates today and would prioritize individual student growth and the development of democratic communities. Harbour argues that this, in turn, would help community colleges contribute to the vital work of reconstructing American democracy. John Dewey and the Future of Community College Education is essential reading for all community college advocates interested in taking a more active role in developing the community college of the future.
Not for Profit: why democracy needs the humanities by 
Online Filter Bubbles by
Every time we check our feeds we create safety bubbles around ourselves. Thanks to technological algorithms, we are living an increasingly narrow existence, one in which the news we read, the products we purchase, and the people we interact with are tailor-made for each of us. We might feel informed and comfortable, but we are isolating ourselves from anything outside our bubble? Are online filters just an efficient way to connect, or do they spell the end of democracy? Anyone who reads this book will understand the potential dangers of a society whose assumptions are never challenged.
Postgraduate Outcomes of College Students by
The post-graduation outcomes of college students are being more widely used as key metrics to demonstrate institutional effectiveness to both external agencies and internal stakeholders. Institutional research offices play an integral role in these data collection efforts. However, underlying challenges exist regarding obtaining an adequate amount of survey responses and salary or earnings information.
This volume focuses on the first-destination outcomes (e.g., earnings, employment, graduate/ professional school enrollment) of college graduates while recognizing that other outcomes are also relevant across institutional settings. Through the use of current research, case studies, and best practices, each chapter highlights how postgraduate outcomes information is collected and used
across the higher education spectrum.
Stepping up to Stepping Out: Helping Students Prepare for Life after College by
Undergraduate students come to college from a myriad of pathways for a variety of purposes, and the same can be said of them as they leave to head off into their next endeavors. Arguably, the most important goal of higher education is to prepare students to achieve their postcollege aspirations, and campuses typically pursue that goal through a combination of curricular and co-curricular programs and services for students. This issue offers readers a glimpse into contemporary context and practice related to helping students with their after-college transition from one form of education (two-year or four-year) to the next (four-year, graduate, or professional school), from education to workforce, or from education to military service.
Western Democracy at Risk by
America's founding principles have long been held up as model of success to the rest of the world. Somewhat suddenly however, these principles don't seem as solid as they once did. Globalization has created economic growth, but has also widened the gap between rich and poor. A rising conflict between multiculturalism and nationalism has fragmented western populations and caused a surge of nativism. Fake news and filters undermine free speech and a free press. Political parties have fragmented, and election tampering is a valid concern. The viewpoints in this resource address the current state of western democracy.
Why We Need the Humanities: life science, law and the common good by
An entrepreneur and educator highlights the surprising influence of humanities scholarship on biomedical research and civil liberties. This spirited defence urges society to support the humanities to obtain continued guidance for public policy decisions, and challenges scholars to consider how best to fulfil their role in serving the common good.
Another Kind of Public Education: Race, the Media, Schools, and Democratic Possibilities by 
Democracy's Discontent and Civic Learning : Multiple Perspectives by
Around the globe, democracy is under assault. For a dozen years, global freedom has followed a downward slope, according to Freedom House. Once viewed as the world's model of freedom, the United States has slipped in world ratings of democracy. For a rising portion of the world's population, faith in democracy is flagging. At the same time, a wave of nationalism and xenophobia is rising in the West, questioning democracy's ability to meet the needs of its citizens. The contributors to this volume examine democracy's discontent from a variety of perspectives. What forces have produced the extreme partisanship and polarization roiling America's civic life and politics? How has today's populist movement challenged democratic norms and institutions? What role has social media played in democracy's discontent and its defense? How do we overcome persistent racism in the face of emboldened White supremacist and anti-immigrant agitation? Across the pages of this book, teachers, teacher educators, and education policy makers will recognize a common theme in responding to democracy's discontent – the need to rebuild the nation's civic infrastructure. Research on best practices in civic learning and engagement serve as a guide to transforming how we prepare citizens for democratic deliberation and civic action. Creative and effective teaching materials and approaches await only the will to invest the needed time and support. Repairing our civic infrastructure will help to restore confidence in our civic capabilities and trust in our ability to work together for the public good. Without a serious recommitment to the civic mission of schools, the nation will be ill prepared to defend against those within and beyond our borders who are intent on undermining democracy.
Democracy's Good Name: the rise and risks of the world's most popular form of government by 
The Democratic Dilemma of American Education: Out of Many, One? by 
Dewey's Democracy and Education Revisited: Contemporary Discourses for Democratic Education and Leadership by
Dewey's Democracy and Education Revisited focuses on democratic schools/democratic education and the work of teacher and leader practitioners in the new millennium, taking into consideration the complex and dynamic nature of preparing leaders for changing roles in schools amidst the challenges of standards and accountability, the No Child Left Behind Act, licensure/certification issues, increasing diversity, issues of social justice, shifting demographics, and the myriad of social issues that make democratic leadership necessary. The book presents a collection of contemporary discourses that reconsider the relationship of democracy as a political ideology and American ideal (i.e., Dewey's progressivist ideas) and education as the foundation of preparing democratic citizens in America. Jenlink takes the reader into a reflective and critical examination of Dewey's ideas on democratic education, set forth in the classic philosophy text, Democracy and Education. Each chapter draws the reader into a discussion of the salient and relevant points Dewey argued, and juxtaposes Dewey's points with the issues challenging educators today, in particular focusing on the challenge of fostering democratic education and leadership for America's schools.
The Future of the Urban Community College: Shaping the Pathways to a Mutiracial Democracy by
Urban community colleges--and the cities they serve--are undergoing rapid, multidimensional changes in response to new conditions and demands. The challenge for all community colleges, regardless of size or location, is to reinvent themselves so they can better meet the particular needs of their respective communities. This national higher-education mandate is vital to democracy itself, especially given the multiracial nature of metropolitan areas, where challenges and opportunities have always been most pronounced. This volume looks at how urban colleges are vigorously exploring new strategies for sustainability and success. Some of the most prominent practitioners examine every major aspect of the change-engagement process, including the role of governing boards, workforce development, community partnerships, and redesign of outdated business and finance models. This is the 162nd volume of this Jossey-Bass higher education quarterly report series, an essential guide for presidents, vice presidents, deans, and other leaders in today's open-door institutions, this quarterly provides expert guidance in meeting the challenges of their distinctive and expanding educational mission.
Learning to Be Latino : How Colleges Shape Identity Politics by
In Learning to Be Latino, sociologist Daisy Verduzco Reyes paints a vivid picture of Latino student life at a liberal arts college, a research university, and a regional public university, outlining students'interactions with one another, with non-Latino peers, and with faculty, administrators, and the outside community. Reyes identifies the normative institutional arrangements that shape the social relationships relevant to Latino students'lives, including school size, the demographic profile of the student body, residential arrangements, the relationship between students and administrators, and how well diversity programs integrate students through cultural centers and retention centers. Together these characteristics create an environment for Latino students that influences how they interact, identify, and come to understand their place on campus. Drawing on extensive ethnographic observations, Reyes shows how college campuses shape much more than students'academic and occupational trajectories; they mold students'ideas about inequality and opportunity in America, their identities, and even how they intend to practice politics.
No Citizen Left Behind by
While teaching at an all-Black middle school in Atlanta, Levinson realized that her students’ individual self-improvement would not necessarily enable them to overcome their historical marginalization. In order to overcome their civic empowerment gap, students must learn how to reshape power relationships through public political and civic action.
Philosophy with Teenagers: Nurturing a Moral Imagination for the 21st Century by 
Public Engagement for Public Education: Joining Forces to Revitalize Democracy and Equalize Schools by
Community participation plays a large role in the success or failure of our public schools. This book focuses attention on the problem of inequality in public engagement, considering how race, class, ethnicity, language, and immigration status shape opportunities for engagement. Without the active participation of the public, chances for improving school systems are limited. Without equal opportunity for public engagement, those in the lower reaches of stratified society are left largely on the outside looking in--and that all too easily becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. Public Engagement for Public Education speaks to the potential for students, parents, community members, and civic leaders to join forces and create more equitable schooling. Such engagement can expand access to quality educational pathways which in turn paves the way to a stronger voice in society and the promise of the American dream. If segments of society are blocked access to those pathways, the book argues, nothing less than the health of American democracy is at stake.
Rebuilding Public Institutions Together : Professionals and Citizens in a Participatory Democracy by
The Laurence and Lynne Brown Democracy Medal is an initiative of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Pennsylvania State University. It annually recognizes outstanding individuals, groups, and organizations that produce exceptional innovations to further democracy in the United States or around the world.In this book, Albert W. Dzur argues that some of the most innovative and important work in democracy is taking place face-to-face and is being led by professionals who bring those involved into the decision making process. These'democratic professionals'create a culture that leads to better decisions and overcomes what he calls'civic lethargy.'He focuses on how this democratic professionalism manifests itself in the operation of a wide range of public institutions, including schools and local government, as well as in the reform of our criminal justice system, from juries to prisons.
Transforming Higher Education: Economy, Democracy, and the University by
The university is being transformed and can be transformed. This doubleness informs this book. 'Transforming' in 'transforming higher education' can be read as adjective, suggesting that higher education is being transformed by the social and political situation in which it is enmeshed. 'Transforming' can also be read as a gerund, implying the critical activity of changing the university, as signaling a creative and political act of radical possibility. The essays in this book address the transformation of higher education and the transformative possibilities of its current conditions. Only by viewing the university as a historical construction can we assess the dangers and opportunities of the new conditions of higher education, and chart a reasonable course for the future. The essays in this book are critical of recent developments in universities and higher education. Most of us come from public universities, and all remain committed to a democratic higher education that we see threatened by recent developments. There is a danger that the combination of economic crisis, market ideology, and global pressures will continue to structure the debate about higher education in ways that freeze out the transformative and politically critical possibilities of the university. Part I of the book examines the historical transformation of the university as it has changed into its current form. Part II examines both the transformation of the university into a neoliberal institution and makes the case for the more political and radical idea of transforming the university in opposition to how it has been transformed in recent years. Part III offers a number of studies aimed at illuminating possibilities for transforming the university in a more progressive, democratic direction.
Unequal Higher Education : Wealth, Status, and Student Opportunity by
American higher education is often understood as a vehicle for social advancement. However, the institutions at which students enroll differ widely from one another. Some enjoy tremendous endowment savings and/or collect resources via research, which then offsets the funds that students contribute. Other institutions rely heavily on student tuition payments. These schools may struggle to remain solvent, and their students often bear the lion's share of educational costs. Unequal Higher Education identifies and explains the sources of stratification that differentiate colleges and universities in the United States. Barrett J. Taylor and Brendan Cantwell use quantitative analysis to map the contours of this system. They then explain the mechanisms that sustain it and illustrate the ways in which rising institutional inequality has limited individual opportunity, especially for students of color and low-income individuals.
Understanding Equity in Community College Practice by 
Uniting America: Restoring the Vital Center to American Democracy by
In Uniting America, some of the country’s most prominent social thinkers—among them Francis Fukuyama, Daniel Yankelovich, Amitai Etzioni, Alan Wolfe, Uwe Reinhardt, and Thomas E. Mann—reject the myth of polarization. On topics ranging from the war on terrorism, health care, economic policy, and Social Security to religion, diversity, and immigration, the authors argue that there are sensible, centrist solutions that are more in keeping with prevailing public sentiment and that would better serve the national interest. On issue after issue, the authors show how the conventional framing of the debate in Washington has misled Americans, creating a series of false dilemmas and forcing choices between two extremes—at the expense of more balanced and pragmatic policy solutions based on enduring American values. Uniting America provides a blueprint for a fresh approach to American politics, grounded in moderation, pragmatism, and the shared values that unite Americans.
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