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Higher Education
Black borrowers are hit hardest by the student debt crisis
Released by the NAACP, a report by Penn GSE’s Jalil Mustaffa Bishop argues for the cancellation of student debt and reinvesting in institutions that serve the most Black students.
Academic freedom in an age of global digital delivery
During a virtual forum, Penn experts across disciplines discussed specific implications online learning can present for international students and their freedom of expression.
Penn scholars record lectures for AP students
Lecturers and staff contributed video lectures that aid AP students in their ongoing studies during the pandemic.
Rooting out systemic bias in neuroscience publishing
An interdisciplinary research team has found statistical evidence of women being undercited in academic literature. They are now studying similar effects along racial lines.
A task force for higher education’s pandemic budget challenges
A policy brief from Penn GSE lays out principles to guide state policymakers through higher education’s trying summer and beyond.
Penn launches no-cost, online summer program for rising high school seniors
PennRSSA has the capacity to reach thousands of School District of Philadelphia students with content meant to boost academic, career, and postsecondary preparation.
Higher education system faces the inequities COVID-19 exposes
With pandemic budget cuts looming, Penn GSE’s Laura Perna says policymakers should prioritize low-income college students.
The push for 2020 Census participation, amid a pandemic and data privacy fears
Groups across Penn are working to ensure that college students and hard-to-reach demographics get counted in the once-a-decade tally.
Tough conversations and innovative outlooks in higher ed
President Amy Gutmann and Graduate School of Education scholar Robert Zemsky took part in a “fireside chat” at this year’s Higher Education Leadership Conference at Penn, which also awarded Gutmann the Zemsky Medal.
University of Pennsylvania announces $10M gift from alumni Mindy and Jon Gray to support first generation students from NYC
The gift from 1992 Penn graduates, Mindy and Jon Gray, supports undergraduate financial aid for students from New York City, and the Penn First Plus program for students who are low income and/or the first in their families to attend college.
In the News
The college financial-aid scramble
Laura Perna of the Graduate School of Education worries that this year’s financial-aid fiasco might diminish trust in the FAFSA system, which requires families to submit a huge amount of personal information.
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The line between two- and four-year colleges is blurring
Robert M. Zemsky of the Graduate School of Education says that higher education needs to do something to make the product better, more relevant, and less costly to students.
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Colleges are putting their futures at risk
Jonathan Zimmerman of the Graduate School of Education argues that universities don’t build social justice messages to account for multiple perspectives.
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Is the SAT making a comeback? More colleges are returning to test score requirements, but effectiveness remains questioned
A 2021 study by Penn found that standardized test scores are positively correlated with family income at two times the rate of high school GPA.
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How North Idaho College’s accreditation fell under threat
Peter Eckel of the Graduate School of Education says that it’s uncommon for poor university governance to reach the point where it threatens accreditation, though dysfunction can seriously limit an institution’s ability to thrive.
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A plan to overhaul Pa.’s higher education landscape is a long time coming, but questions remain
Joni E. Finney of the Graduate School of Education says that Gov. Josh Shapiro’s efforts to tackle higher education reform in Pennsylvania are an accomplishment but fail to address the problem with Penn State’s Commonwealth campuses.
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