HGSE in the Media

January 2007

A Forgotten Implication of Student-loan Debt
"'Dropouts are frequently left with substantial debt but do not enjoy the job-market advantages and earnings premiums enjoyed by their counterparts who complete degrees,' write Bridget Terry Long, an associate professor of education and economics at Harvard University; and Dana Ansel, research director at the Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth, a public-policy think tank." (The Chronicle of Higher Education, 1/22/07. Paid registration required.)

Business Community Looking at Child Care
"'In a global economy, we can't afford to have a portion of society poorly educated and poorly trained,' [Jack] Shonkoff said." (Spartanburg Herald Journal, 1/19/07)

Teach us, Mr Mayor; Education in New York
"Last summer the editors of the Harvard Educational Review warned that mayoral control can reduce parents' influence on schools." (The Economist, 1/18/07. Paid registration required.)

Why Preschool Matters
"'There's increasing evidence that children gain a lot from going to preschool,' says Parents advisor Kathleen McCartney, PhD, dean of Harvard Graduate School of Education, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 'At preschool, they become exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes. And, more important, they learn how to socialize -- get along with other children, share, contribute to circle time.'" (Parents.com, 1/18/07)

Standards Get Boost on the Hill
"'The national assessment was never designed to set targets with state accountability systems in mind', said Daniel Koretz, a professor of education at Harvard University's graduate school of education. 'Nobody had judges sit down and say, What's reasonable?' he argued. 'If we want common content standards, we need to do some work, and it's not clear to me that a small, federally appointed board is the right place to do that.'" (Education Week, 1/17/07. Paid registration required.)

The Science Behind the Violence
 "Because these programs nurture brain development, they help with crime prevention, closing the educational achievement gap and easing health disparities among racial groups, says Dr. Jack Shonkoff, head of Harvard's Center on the Developing Child." (The Boston Globe, 1/17/07)

At Universities, Plum Post at Top Is Now Shaky
"'A university presidency, once a plum post, has become 'a position of extraordinary precariousness,' said Richard P. Chait, a professor of higher education at Harvard. He described the no-confidence votes as signs that faculties and administrators were so much at odds that they were 'close to having irreconcilable differences.'" (The New York Times, 1/9/07)

Analyze This
Professor Howard Gardner reviews Peter Kramer's book Inventor of a Modern Mind. (The Washington Post, 1/8/07)

Headhunters at Harvard May Pick a Woman
"'I think the tough thing for the corporation is they want someone like Derek Bok, who doesn't cause any unnecessary sparks, but also who is tough enough to negotiate with the faculty, which feels somewhat empowered,' said Howard Gardner, a professor of cognition and education, referring to a former law school dean and Harvard president who was summoned from retirement to be the interim president." (The New York Times, 1/8/07)

As College Costs Grow, State Chips in Smaller Share
"'With the exception of some for-profit colleges, the tuition prices paid by students do not cover the costs of their educations,' [HGSE Associate Professor Bridget Terry Long] said." (The Wichita Eagle, 1/1/07)