In The News

The Luckiest Girl

Nicholas D. Kristof July 7, 2008
Beatrice was destined to become another statistic in Africa, a woman without education or much chance of social mobility. But then a goat donated by schoolchildren in Connecticut changed her destiny. Heifer International is a program that encourages church groups and schools to raise funds and donate livestock to the poor in developing nations. A goat reached Beatrice’s village in Uganda, her...

Iraq: Teachers Told to Rewrite History

Richard Garner March 19, 2008
A 1996 British law requires balance in the teaching of political issues. But on the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion, Britain’s biggest teacher union gives low grades to a lesson plan devised by the Ministry of Defence that includes no mention of Iraqi civilian casualties or the lack of United Nations’ approval for the war. The teachers question why the lesson plans rely on US spellings...

Struggling to Squelch an Internet Rumor

Samuel G. Freedman March 5, 2008
The internet has revolutionized the way information is passed, making mass communication possible with the click of a mouse. And yet, such power left unchecked can ease the spread of misinformation. Samuel Freedman, Columbia University journalism professor, cites an example at the University of Kentucky, in which confusion over an e-mail suffix from the UK, led to thousands of e-mails forwarding...

Europe’s Philosophy of Failure

Stefan Theil February 14, 2008
Two of the world’s most advanced industrial democracies use textbooks with biased and distorted lessons against capitalism, suggests an analysis by Newsweek economics editor Stefan Theil. Even as France and Germany’s political leaders attempt to open their countries’ economies to the free market and give citizens incentives to create new jobs instead of relying on the government, the schools...

Happy Families

February 13, 2008
Bolsa Família, or the Family Fund, pays a benefit to mothers with low earnings, provided they send their children to school, show up for vaccinations and meet some other conditions. The program began in Mexico and quickly spread as far as Brazil, Eastern Europe and New York City as a way to allow children escape poverty. The program boosts the economy, with education building a skilled work force...

Iran: Does Government Fear Educated Women?

Iraj Gorgin February 12, 2008
Iran’s parliamentary research arm has reported on new trends of rising numbers of Iranian women enrolling in higher-education programs. Women in the Islamic society must contend with limited rights in the law and the workplace, and thus many pursue education to become competitive for the limited opportunities available to females, suggests one activist. Increased female enrollment could lead to...

Universities Rush to Set Up Outposts Abroad

Tamar Lewin February 11, 2008
International programs and students have long lent universities more diversity and cachet, while serving as informal diplomatic agents among nations. Finding and training the best talent can lead to innovative research, patents, economic growth and eventually alumni donations. University administrators in the US now discover that they are the experts in this exporting higher education and that...