I’ve been planning a conversation lesson around the 2008 US presidential election and I thought I would share some resources I found.
With any conversation class, you want to make sure you have lots of background information. When dealing with something as complicated as the US election for president, the class is going to have a lot of questions. So you either need to read up and bring materials to look up anything you didn’t memorize. Or you need resources that the students can read and research themselves.
Here is some great …Continue

All Things Considered is running a nice comparison of the education policies of presumptive US Presidential candidates Barak Obama and John McCain.
Of most interest to international students is probably that both candidates support lowering costs for universities. Obama has a plan that would give students a tax credit worth $4000 in exchange for 100 hours of community service. He would also reform the government lending system and give the Department of Education a more direct role.
McCain’s plan also focuses on American students by increasing federal Pell Grants for needy …Continue

Inside Higher Ed has a great article up arguing whetherThe Bachelor’s Degree Is Obsolete.
The argument is primary economic, arguing that the amount of debt and time spent preparing for a four-year bachelor’s degree outweighs any benefits from having the degree.
The capital markets have pulled out of major segments of lending for college loans. Wouldn’t even a Finance 101 student say this exit means the capital markets are challenging the value of a college degree? The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has demanded explanations about outcomes from the wealthiest colleges and …Continue

Barak Obama, leading candidate for President of the US, announced today his plan to fund all universities directly from the government budget. In a speech in Pennsylvania, which holds its primaries in 3 weeks, he said:
Education should be available to everyone at every level regardless of ability to pay. The only way to lift the poor from disadvantage is through education. Education means better jobs and higher salaries and more self-respect.
He went on to cite the problem of how prestigious universities often set extremely high tuition costs which most …Continue

International education was mentioned a few times in the recent Democratic candidates’ debate. Primarily education came up in discussions of immigration issues. For example, there are plans to build a border fence between the US and Mexico which would but down the middle of the University of Texas, Brownsville. The campus has territory on both sides of the border. Senator Hilary Clinton condemned the plan, calling it absurd.
Another controversial immigration bill which would make it easier for undocumented college students to gain legal residence was endorsed by Senator Barack Obama. …Continue

Right now as Congress is working on amendments to the 1965 Higher Education Act, the big issue on the table is tuition. The bill under debate would among other things create a “watch list” of universities that increase their tuition by more than 6%. Some analysts note that this list may likely punish less well-endowed universities i.e. those that increase tuition drastically because they need the money. Universities like Harvard or Princeton who have high tuition and little need for income also tend not to increase tuition by more than …Continue