In The News

Reuters: Private University in North Korea Seeks Texas A&M Academic Help

Jon Herskovitz February 1, 2017
Universities and their innovations thrive with collaboration. “The leaders of the only private university in North Korea asked Texas A&M University, known for its agricultural economics and public health programs, for help on Monday in teaching subjects such as how to grow food in a land of chronic shortages,” reports Jon Herskovitz for Reuters. The Pyongyang University of Science and...

More Chinese Send Children to US Schools

Miriam Jordan January 5, 2017
Many Chinese parents regard US universities as a pinnacle in education, and the number of Chinese sending children to study in US elementary schools is rising. The numbers are still relatively small – 2450 elementary students and just over 46,000 high school students in 2015. Parents interviewed by Miriam Jordan for the article in the Wall Street Journal express appreciation for independent...

What the Latest Standardized School Tests Tell Us

Karin Klein December 9, 2016
Strong education systems contribute to strong economies. Every three years the Programme for International Student Assessment, PISA, tests the skills and knowledge of 15-year-old students in math, reading and science. More than 80 countries have participated, and many obsess about rankings. Comparisons based on raw scores can be tricky, warns Karin Klein for the Los Angeles Times. Researchers...

The Decline of the West, and How to Stop It

Javier Solana and Strobe Talbott October 25, 2016
Western democracy’s many achievements are in jeopardy as cooperation erodes at both the global and national levels, warn Javier Solana, former secretary general of NATO, and Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution. “A vital lesson of the modern era is that internationalism has stabilized the world, while lapses into bellicose nationalism have wreaked havoc,” the two write. Nations...

Is Globalization Sowing the Seeds of Its Own Undoing?

Jay Ogilvy October 14, 2016
Globalization’s fast pace is destabilizing, and the economic market is becoming more influential than the nation-state, writers have argued. Inequality is entrenched with economic and cultural divisions in education, income and employment. “Those ‘who can take advantage of the global economy’ are clearly benefiting from globalization and tend to cluster in the same clubs, colleges and communities...

Brexit Vote Revives Dream of EU Army

Jonathan Marcus September 9, 2016
The United Kingdom spends more on defense than any other country in Europe, including Russia, reports Global Firepower. As the United Kingdom prepares to leave the European Union, the regional bloc considers defense development. “The UK – by far the most capable European military player, along with France – has always been a brake on such an idea, fearing unnecessary duplication with Nato,”...

Why Parents Are Often the Biggest Obstacle to Achievement

Paul Phillips June 6, 2016
Education is a long route to prosperity. Parents who view children as a resource that can contribute to a family farm, business or retirement often dissuade children from pursuing full education opportunities. “Because they equate education with loss,” writes Paul Phillips, principal and chief executive of Weston College. “That is to say, if a person gets an education they will leave and never...