Links for 1/11/09

Gilbert Cruz interviews Kevin Carey.

What information don't colleges want people to have?
There's the information that exists that they don't want you to know about, and then there's the information that doesn't exist that they don't want to exist. In the latter category, no one knows how much students learn at a given college or university…

Why is that?
There's no upside for them…

The argument is basically "If I'm unique, I'm incomparable. And if I'm incomparable, I'm not accountable, because no one can judge me." Colleges have a vested interest in being in a position where no one can judge them, because then they can do whatever they want.

it's reasonable to ask private colleges to disclose a lot more information. I do think that's a fair exchange for the public dollar…

People … won't really argue the point. They won't say, "Oh, there's nothing wrong with our K-12 schools. They're awesome. We just need to keep giving them more money and stay out of their business." But that's what a lot of people think about colleges. And colleges do more than anyone to perpetuate that myth. But it is a myth.

David Moltz

The third-largest university in the country could get a lot larger, thanks in part to an increasingly popular guaranteed transfer initiative it sponsors with four community colleges in Orlando.

The University of Central Florida, which enrolled a record 53,537 students this fall, introduced DirectConnect in 2006. The program offers guaranteed entrance and accelerated admission to the university for all students and alumni of Brevard Community College, Lake Sumter Community College, Seminole State College of Florida and Valencia Community College who complete an associate degree.

John Robertson

The big change appears to be that those in school have become increasingly less attached to the labor market. The percentage of school enrollees aged between 16 and 24 who are also participating in the labor market was relatively stable between 1989 and 1998 at around 51 percent. However, labor market participation by those in school declined between 1999 and 2008 from 50 percent to 42 percent. In contrast, labor force participation by those aged between 16 and 24 not enrolled in school has declined only modestly—from 82 percent to 80 percent between 1989 and 2008.

Michael Mandel on the change in earnings by degree.