Bowling Green Newspaper Editor Fired over Gun-Related Editorial

I recently did a post on an Ohio gun group’s criticism of BGSU faculty and staff who contacted their legislators to oppose campus-carry legislation that has passed the Ohio House and is now being considered by the Ohio Senate: https://academeblog.org/2015/12/01/ohio-gun-group-castigates-bgsu-faculty-for-expressing-opposition-to-campus-carry-legislation/ In a very related story, the editor of the local newspaper, the Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune,…

Chicago Teachers Authorize Strike

The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) has voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike, the union announced today.  If that happens it would be the union’s second walkout in four years. “Chicago Teachers Union members do not want to strike, but we do demand that you listen to us,” Jesse Sharkey, the vice president of the union,…

“Debt-Free College” Being Pushed toward the Front for the 2016 Election

Writing for Bold Progressives, Marissa Barrow has highlighted the attention being given to legislative proposals to allow students to graduate from colleges and universities without debt: “Legislators in 10 states nationwide will be introducing debt-free college legislation, making debt-free college a central 2016 campaign issue from the top to bottom of the ticket. “This state-level…

Follow-Up on EAA Protests at Eastern Michigan University

This past week, there was a protest at Eastern Michigan University against the continuation of the Education Achievement Authority (EAA) that Governor Snyder’s administration created ostensibly to “save” Detroit’s “failing” public school system. The EAA has promoted charter schools at the expense of the already under-funded public schools, while producing no improvement in the educations…

More on Student Evaluations

Two days ago I posted an item, Questioning Student Evaluations, which reported on two studies that call into doubt the utility of student evaluations of teaching as a mechanism for determining teacher effectiveness.  In response, AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum, an economist, shared the following paper, adapted from an FAQ he prepared years ago for faculty…

Impoverishment among College Students Is a Very Real Issue

In today’s Community Colleges newsletter, Steve Kolowich interviews Hattie Elmore, who works with impoverished college students. The article, titled “’Sometimes I Cry’: A Ground-Level View of Student Poverty,” opens with the following overview of the problem: “Student hunger and homelessness can be hard to notice, but Hattie Elmore sees them up close, all the time. “Ms. Elmore is director…

Questioning Student Evaluations

Most colleges and universities are nearing the end of their fall terms.  Hence it’s time not only for final examinations but also for collecting student evaluations of teaching (SET).  Student ratings can be  high-stakes.  They’re used to evaluate teaching when faculty members are being considered for tenure or promotions.  They’re also employed in decisions as…