21st Century Scholar

Recently, a friend asked us for a loan. This is someone we have known for a long time and because of the vagaries of the stock market and a downturn in the economy he has seen his savings diminish at the same time as he lost his job. The prospects in this economy for a [...]

For many at-risk students, the path to college is fraught with barriers and pitfalls. I have conducted interviews with nearly 60 African American or Latino high school seniors. Of these young men, nearly all say they want to attend college. In fact, only two provided an outright “no” when asked the question. Of the 60 [...]

by Bill Tierney Here’s another movie on the same theme as Waiting for Superman and The Cartel. We have four cute kids who are trying to get into “good” (a.k.a. “charter”) schools in Harlem by way of a lottery. Geoffrey Canada once again is the voice of reason saying how important good schools are and [...]

by Bill Tierney At least the graphics and background music in Waiting for Superman were professionally done. In The Cartel we have another documentary about schools made by a reporter, Bob Bowden; this time the storyline is largely about New Jersey public schools. Early on in the movie he gives us a voiceover that what [...]

by Bill Tierney Certain topics tend to generate a great deal of controversy. Speech codes, infringements on academic freedom, issues related to diversity and affirmative action are likely to provoke readers to respond to an article with a torrent of opinions. Other topics, however important, generate only the most pro forma of discussions. Pension reform [...]

by Bill Tierney College Enrollment in California Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, 2010 The California Postsecondary Education Commission estimates that by 2019 over 385,000 additional individuals will be interested in enrolling as undergraduates in a public postsecondary institution, with total enrollment projections rising as high as 2.75 million students.  These numbers are sobering when [...]

by Bill Tierney This was an op-ed I penned on Sunday for 900,000 of my closest friends (the readers of the LA Times).  The many comments, although they may disagree with one or another aspect of the op-ed, were largely respectful and thoughtful.  See what you think (view the article online here).  We’d welcome your [...]

by Bill Tierney UC students are understandably bent out of shape that the Regents have raised their tuition again, and this time a jaw-dropping 32%.  My guess is that the legislature will dither, propose gimmicks, and cut even further, which in turn will have the Regents propose another fee hike, this time around 18%.  They [...]

by Bill Tierney In the seemingly interminable debate about health care, much ado is made about “the public option.”  Liberals believe that such an option will help drive costs down, and that it will enable individuals who otherwise might be denied health care to get it from the government.  Conservatives believe that such an option [...]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPzkwwTUlI0&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0] Last summer, Los Angeles Unified School District canceled summer school for K-8, leaving tens of thousands of children without, among other things, guided instruction.  Of course, wealthy Westsiders had their pick of summer programs.   Those with a little less, had to make do as they could.  Students in my Writing 340: Advanced Writing course [...]