9/20
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
The Missing Low-income Students
Since 2008, student aid from federal and institutional sources has increased. Political and foundation leaders have also focused on the importance of a postsecondary education, and the need to increase college attainment. But in the years since 2008, the proportion of low-income recent high school graduates who enroll in college has seen a significant drop, according to a new analysis from the American Council on Education. In 2008, 55.9 percent of such high school graduates enrolled in college. By 2013, that figure dropped to 45.5 percent.
Penn In the News
Campus Libraries Rethink Focus as Materials Go Digital
Sari Feldman, president of the American Library Association, sees a coming transformation of academic libraries thanks to technology. She says they are taking on greater roles in creating teaching materials and scholarship — and preserving tweets as well as books.
Penn In the News
Why So Many New Graduates of Elite Colleges Flock to the Same Kinds of Jobs
New graduates of elite colleges are concentrated in just a few career paths, in consulting, finance, and tech. Why is that? Amy J. Binder, a professor of sociology at the University of California at San Diego, wanted to find out, so she and her collaborators studied how students at Harvard and Stanford Universities are channeled into those fields — what the researchers call "career funneling." Their findings, which focus on the role universities themselves play in promoting certain careers, are out in a new paper published by the journal Sociology of Education. We caught up with Ms.
Penn In the News
College Enrollment Rates Are Dropping Especially Among Low-income Students
Low-income high school graduates were far less likely to enroll in higher education in 2013 than in 2008, a downward trend that came at the same time the Obama administration was pushing to boost college access and completion, according to a new analysis of Census Bureau data. College enrollment rates have fallen for all students since 2008, which is not surprising given that the economy has improved since then and therefore more young people can find jobs right out of high school.
Penn In the News
Torn Over Tactics: Activists Refine Their Demands as Protests Over Racism Spread
Shaun Harper of the Graduate School of Education is quoted about how the national black student population is “not a monolithic group” regarding ways to address racism on college campuses.
Penn In the News
Audio: Local Charities Capitalize On Holiday Rush With Day of Giving
Kat Rosqueta of the School of Social Policy & Practice’s Center for High Impact Philanthropy is interviewed about charitable giving during the holiday season.
Penn In the News
‘MOOCs, High Technology and Higher Learning’
Where are massive open online courses now, and where are they going? Robert A. Rhoads, professor of education at the University of California at Los Angeles, tackles those questions in MOOCs, High Technology and Higher Learning (Johns Hopkins University Press), in which he places MOOCs in the broader context of open courseware. In the book, Rhoads formulates seven theses about MOOCs to frame his arguments, writing that the loosely defined “MOOC movement” presents problems of diversity, faculty life and academic freedom, among others.
Penn In the News
Data-mining Firm Searches for Voters by Combing High School Yearbooks
John DiIulio of the School of Arts & Sciences is mentioned for guiding former students as they developed a data company that focuses on taking social-network analysis offline.
Penn In the News
Jefferson Is Next Target
In the last week, Princeton University students who object to having Woodrow Wilson's name on an academic unit and a residential college occupied the president's office and left only when promised that the university would review its use of the Wilson name. The students pointed out that Wilson was a racist who, as president of the United States, had federal government agencies segregated, reversing progress toward civil rights for black people. Many observers have wondered which historical figure honored on American campuses would next capture critical attention.
Penn In the News
Early Lead Exposure Linked to Sleep Problems
Jianghong Liu of the School of Nursing is quoted for leading a study that reveals that lead exposure in early childhood is connected to an increased risk for sleep problems.