RealClearPolicy introduces a new series, titled "Educating for Success," on new ideas in education. Ongoing changes in the economy and employment have presented new challenges to current models of both Pre-K–12 and higher education. And questions have emerged about the capacity of educational institutions to catalyze success, both for individuals and in society more broadly. But these challenges also present opportunities for innovation and improvement.
Questions the series will address include:
- How can colleges and universities best respond to the economic challenges students face, including student debt, low graduation rates, and income inequality?
- What are the best ways to measure college success, especially for the now majority of students that come from "nontraditional" backgrounds?
- How can apprenticeships, career academies, and joint programs address ongoing changes in the labor market, including the so-called " the "skills gap"? What partnerships can and should be created between employers and education institutions to foster success?
- How can new models of K–12 education — including social-emotional learning, high-tech classrooms, and personalized learning — help make students from a variety of different backgrounds successful?
- What role does early childhood education play in future success? How should policymakers and parents approach early childhood education?
- Can schools and education be used to foster deficits in "social capital" and "social infrastructure"? How can schools help foster economic health and entrepreneurship in communities?
Less Data, More Problems: Helping Students Make Informed College Decisions. In the first article in the series, Tamara Hiler, Deputy Director of Education at the think tank Third Way, writes about how better data can help address the uncertainty facing students as they make decisions on where to go to college.
Solving Our Work Problems. The R Street Institute's Andy Smarick proposes a bottom-up framework for addressing deficits in job training and the labor market.
