Western Oklahoma State College's name comes up whenever athletes get themselves in a jam: They've failed a class. They've dropped another. Maybe they're just short on credits. But they still want to play. Western Oklahoma gives them a chance, offering three credits in two weeks--and for less than $400. Almost as appealing: The community college…

American-style summer programs in China, catering to Chinese-born students, have taken American universities by surprise. They are yet one more player in the complex and often opaque Chinese education industry, an industry in which American colleges are finding themselves increasingly entwined. These programs have become a booming enterprise,…

The author discusses the role of student internships. Recognizing that internships are important for college students' eventual success in the job market, the writer expresses concern that the current system of mostly unpaid internships reinforces the divide between "haves" and "have-nots" among undergraduates. Those can afford to do so, take such…

Who needs college credit when one can have a makeshift diploma from a superstar professor? One such example is David Wiley who taught an online course at Utah State University recently and let anyone fully participate, even if they were not enrolled. The unofficial students paid no tuition and got no formal credit, but they did end up with…

The author discusses fundamental misunderstandings about Advanced Placement (AP)courses, which are intended to provide high-school students with an academic college experience, typically at the level of an introductory college course. Popular misconceptions include: (1) AP is about memorization and does not require students to think critically;…

This article discusses how to help struggling students in high school. The author describes the Early College High School Initiative that helps minority and low-income youths to earn one to two years of college credits while in high school. The program is part of a nationwide effort to bridge the gap between secondary and postsecondary…

Engineers in America are too scarce and too white. That complaint comes from corporate chieftains and education leaders alike, who see those shortfalls as a virtual guarantee that jobs and innovation will head overseas. Now many are looking to remedies to both problems from an unsung source: community colleges. Thanks to low tuition, overall…

It took five years, dozens of drafts, and a total of 14 extensions, but Congress last week was finally on the verge of passing a bill to renew the Higher Education Act, the major law governing federal student aid. The bill, after approval by the U.S. House of Representatives, was headed to the Senate, where a final vote was planned for late last…

The National Labor College was created to increase educational opportunities for union members, and its bachelor's-degree programs, like labor studies and the political economy of labor, focus on material that is immediately applicable to workers' day-to-day union roles. The idea is to make those blue-collar workers more effective at negotiating,…

Greater numbers of high-school students are taking Advanced Placement (AP) examinations and are faring better on them than in the past, said a report released by the College Board. The board, a nonprofit association, administers 37 AP exams, which allow high-school students to earn college credit or exemption from introductory-level college…

After nearly three years of planning, Ohio's higher-education officials are finalizing an ambitious program to grant college credit for some technical courses offered at the state's adult-education centers. The program, called the Career-Technical Credit Transfer, is the latest in a string of state efforts to more closely link work-force training…

There are 11,000 or so people in Kentucky who came within a course or two of earning a college degree, but never did. Almost half a million more took a few college courses but then dropped out. Now educators are trying to lure back those erstwhile students to finish what they started. Over the next 12 years, Kentucky wants to double the number of…

This article focuses on Italy's Higher Education reforms and hotly debated developments. These developments are experience credits and online universities. The reform replaced the existing degree system, in which most undergraduate programs lasted four years--although the average graduate actually took more than seven years to earn a degree--with…