ACTA's Must-Reads

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Addressing Intellectual Diversity From Within

In his essay, When Donors Pick the Courses, Professor Don Downs joins a growing chorus of academics troubled by the academy's failure to live up to its core educational purpose. Acknowledging the role that donors can play in bringing alternative -- and important insights -- to the often one-sided and politicized academy, Downs nevertheless finds that such funding offers an "imperfect remedy to an underlying disease." Admitting that the "perfect should not be the enemy of the possible," Downs joins ACTA in his call upon universities to rededicate themselves to "an ethical form of liberal education beyond politics."

Posted by Anne D. Neal on March 27, 2008 at 10:13 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Emphasis on diversity shortchanges fundamentals

Diversity and cultural awareness -- while laudable goals -- often trump more fundamental topics at schools of education, say Jay P. Green and Catherine Shock. In a new article entitled "Students Lose When Diversity is Main Focus," Greene, head of the Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas, and Shock, a research associate in the same department, compare the number of courses at the nation's top 70 ed schools focusing on social and political goals versus basic skills. Finding a significant imbalance in favor of the former, they suggest that a greater emphasis on math is in order.

Posted by on March 19, 2008 at 10:21 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Keep reading

Mark Bauerlein reflects on a recent talk by Jean-Pierre Garnier, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, to young professionals about the value of a liberal arts education -- no matter the profession chosen, including business.

Posted by Phyllis Palmiero on March 19, 2008 at 10:08 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

The anti-intellectual antidote

Some might call Susan Jacoby a curmudgeon. However, according to a recent article in the New York Times, "Dumb and Dumber: Are Americans Hostile to Knowledge?" Jacoby's outlook is a product of what she sees as a growing anti-intellectualism and down right hostility to scientific rationalism in America today. Jacoby joins a growing number of critics who lament the state of civic, scientific, and humanistic knowledge from elementary school all the way up to the university level.

Posted by Anne D. Neal on March 14, 2008 at 04:13 PM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

Isn't one transcript good enough?

In "Beware the Second Transcript," University of Wisconsin-Madison political science professor -- and author of Restoring Free Speech and Liberty on Campus -- Donald Downs offers up his thoughts on a new proposal by the UW administration to create a second, "extracurricular" transcript for students monitored by faculty members. As professor Downs sees it, this is a poor idea that will open the door for favoritism and discrimination against students not engaged in activities that coincide with faculty interests. Moreover, such transcripts will detract from UW's main pedagogical mission of imparting knowledge. Trustees should be on the lookout for such troubling developments at their own universities.

Posted by Anne D. Neal on March 14, 2008 at 04:05 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

Bold change vs. the status quo

In a recent edition of The Politico, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings takes Congress to task for failing to address critical problems of higher education quality and accountability at a time when the U.S. is losing its competitive edge. She reflects on a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Switzerland, where U.S. business leaders raised concerns about how America is lagging behind many competitor nations in student achievement and graduation rates. She laments the contrast between business leaders, who recognize the need for bold change, and the U.S. Congress, which -- in reauthorizing the Higher Education Act -- has defended the status quo and refused to adopt changes necessary to reform an ailing higher education system.

Posted by Phyllis Palmiero on March 11, 2008 at 04:23 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack

Fitzhugh on "The Whole Child"

Writing in Ed News, ACTA friend Will Fitzhugh -- founder of The Concord Review and other organizations emphasizing the learning of American history -- has penned an excellent piece entitled "The Whole Child." Fitzhugh's article sounds a call for a re-emphasis of the core mission of any school, namely academics. That's a call worth hearing for trustees, alumni, and policymakers in higher education and beyond.

Posted by Charles Mitchell on March 05, 2008 at 12:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack