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Free speech on campus holds the cure to America's growing polarization
In July 2019, a California school board voted unanimously to paint over an 83-year-old, 1,600-square-foot mural chronicling the life of George Washington – in part depicting dead Native Americans and...
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The cabbage roll epiphany: Our best chance at depolarizing the United States
Dr. Kurt Gray of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill unpacks a psychological and political phenomenon: reactive devaluation.This negative phenomenon is driving polarization in the U.S.. The...
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3 unsung heroes who helped society overcome division
History's great men and women may enjoy name recognition, but everyday heroes can be anyone willing to talk.We profile three everyday heroes who helped society overcome adversity through civil...
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Participatory democracy is presumed to be the gold standard. Here’s why it...
Polarization and extreme partisanships have been on the rise in the United States.Political psychologist Diana Mutz argues that we need more deliberation, not political activism, to keep our democracy...
View ArticleAcademic freedom: What it is, what it isn’t and why there’s confusion
Academic expression is neither free expression nor political, though it is connected to both. Because of this misunderstanding, academic expression is often attacked, not because of the quality of...
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Without academic freedom, we might never see the truth. Here’s why.
The way we communicate is dictated in part by the setting that that communication takes place in. You're supposed to tell your doctor everything; on the other hand, you wouldn't tell your business...
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How academic freedom strengthens the bonds of accumulated knowledge
Humans are unique in that we learn socially and actively teach each other lessons of survival.Freedom of expression allows accumulated knowledge, that which is passed down through generations and...
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Protect the religious rights of Muslims. They are your rights, too.
Islam is being challenged as a religion in America today. Opponents claim it is not a religion, but a dangerous political ideology.Lawyer and religious freedom scholar Asma T. Uddin challenges that...
View ArticleHow can we improve the quality of higher education?
Viewpoint diversity describes a community where you have people approaching questions from a range of different perspectives. When you have a lot of people asking questions and interrogating claims...
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How outrage mobs silence academics — and what we can do to stop them
Social media has made it easier than ever to succumb to mob mentality and let our worst instincts and impulses run rampant. Outrage mobs pose a new and unique threat to professors' academic...
View ArticleThe right to know: How does censorship affect academics?
Academic freedom is what makes a university space work as a setting to develop students' capacities. It is the permission to think freely, and have contrarian discussions, that leads to new...
View ArticleBefore you write an open letter, make sure it meets this criteria
Open letters are welcome in an academic environment, but they should meet certain criteria to be considered valid. While scholars are always encouraged to share their critique of a published work or...
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Open academic culture, more crucial than ever, is in peril
The narrowing of academic freedom is a major problem for institutions of higher education.Social media, external pressures, and increasingly diverse student bodies — while providing some positives —...
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China tightens its grip on freedom in academics
Authoritarian governments that rely heavily on coercion must be more intrusive about how education shapes the personality and character of its members. In China, there are topics that scholars know to...
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America needs faster and cheaper pathways to good jobs
Since the COVID-19 crisis, Google has seen an explosion in searches for online courses. Yet it has not seen any uptick in searches for degree programs. Why is that?When it comes to time, cost, and...
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The remote-learning response to COVID-19 is remarkable. It also highlights a...
US higher education has a national graduation rate that is well below the performance of other developed countries and behind projected economic need (pre-COVID) for a well-educated workforce.Research...
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COVID surprise: Kids are doing all the stuff their helicopter parents used to...
The coronavirus pandemic may have a silver lining: It shows how insanely resourceful kids really are.Let Grow, a non-profit promoting independence as a critical part of childhood, ran an "Independence...
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Now, more than ever, student-focused education is critical
Regardless of the means of delivery—in person or remote learning during coronavirus—effective, high-quality education must focus on the student, writes Scott D. Pulsipher, president of online...
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Our schools are built differently. That’s how we’re weathering this pandemic.
During the coronavirus pandemic, students in close to 200 Big Picture Learning (BPL) schools worldwide have continued their education, thanks to BPL's unique school design. At BPL, each student is...
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Higher ed isn’t immune to COVID-19, but the crisis will make it stronger
America's higher education system is under great scrutiny as it adapts to a remote-learning world. These criticisms will only make higher ed more innovative. While there are flaws in the system and...
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Higher ed wasn’t built for today’s student. Let’s not go back to business as...
Across the US, only half of those who start college ever graduate—and that's before you disaggregate for race or class. That means 45 million Americans adults have tried college and not yet earned a...
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American education: It’s colleges, not college students, that are failing
COVID-19 has magnified the challenges that underserved communities face with regard to higher education, such as widening social inequality and sky-high tuition. At College Unbound, where I am...
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The world and workforce need wisdom. Why don’t universities teach it?
Many university mission statements do not live up to their promise, writes Ben Nelson, founder of Minerva, a university designed to develop intellect over content memorization.The core competencies...
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Imagine learning empathy at school. Global Oneness Project does just that.
Stories are at the heart of learning, writes Cleary Vaughan-Lee, Executive Director for the Global Oneness Project. They have always challenged us to think beyond ourselves, expanding our experience...
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How our micro-internships can help fill the COVID employment gap
Parker Dewey connects recent grads with top employers on a per-project basis.We think hiring is badly broken (nobody's fault!), and ours is a good solution.Over 90% of individuals who complete a...
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What if education were engaging for every student?
In 2012, I founded OpenStax as a then-radical solution to the Great Recession: Why not make college textbooks free for students? And why not make them open-licensed?Now we are faced with COVID-19,...
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The “new normal” paradox: What COVID-19 has revealed about higher education
Everywhere you turn, the idea that coronavirus has brought on a "new normal" is present and true. But for higher education, COVID-19 exposes a long list of pernicious old problems more than it...
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Better reskilling can future-proof jobs in the age of automation. Enter...
Outplacement is an underperforming $5 billion dollar industry. A new non-profit coalition by SkillUp intends to disrupt it. More and more Americans will be laid off in years to come due to automation....
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Remote learning vs. online instruction: How COVID-19 woke America up to the...
If you or someone you know is attending school remotely, you are more than likely learning through emergency remote instruction, which is not the same as online learning, write Rich DeMillo and Steve...
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Believe in learners. Education that empowers people, empowers society.
Education should fuel lifelong learning that encourages every individual to discover, develop, and deploy their unique aptitudes to improve their life and society. To improve education, we need more...
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