Penn in the News

Momentum for passing a national free community college program may have slowed, but businesses and private donors are picking up the slack. While state movements to increase access to college in several localities, such as in Tennessee, have generated headlines across the country, many locally based “promise” scholarship programs are funded by private dollars and donations. At the Kalamazoo, Mich.-based W. E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Michelle Miller-Adams estimates there are about 80 local, place-based scholarship or promise-type programs across the country.

Penn’s newly completed Stephen A. Levin building which will house the psychology, biology and behavioral sciences departments is profiled.

Edna Foa of the Perelman School of Medicine questions the impact of service dogs paired with veterans with PTSD.

Marybeth Gasman of the Graduate School of Education answers listeners’ questions about the impact of living in “better” school district areas on a student’s college admissions chances.

The M in STEM education, say many in the field, is lagging behind the other fast-evolving letters. Most universities are still forcing all their students through the same precalculus or college algebra courses. But demand is growing for nonmath majors with mathematical know-how relevant to their fields, and others, both in and out of STEM, often find their college math requirements to be an unsurpassable barrier. “Math has been, I think, the single biggest obstacle to retention and completion,” William E.

Yet again, Pearson, the world’s largest education company, finds itself in the center of a storm of criticism. This week, it was blasted after its computer-based  Common Core testing platform in New Jersey malfunctioned and the state was forced to postpone the tests for grades 3 to 8 and 11.

For the class of 2016, it’s the best job market in years. The number of employers looking to hire college graduates this year is the highest in nearly a decade, according to a survey out Thursday. But if you’re a male college graduate, your job prospects are even better. Fresh out of college, men far outstrip women when it comes to wages. Male college graduates, ages 20 to 24, earned 8 percent more in 2016 than they did in 2000.

Simon Martin of the Penn Museum is featured for collaborating with Iron Maiden on their latest album, The Book of Souls.

Salamishah Tillet of the School of Arts & Sciences is quoted about the resurgence of singer Nina Simone in the media.

Christina Simeone of the School of Design’s Kleinman Center for Energy Policy comments on how Philadelphia’s ozone levels do not meet federal standards.