Interesting Reads This Week

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It’s the dog days of summer here in the high desert, and despite the heat, it’s been an action-packed week for EdTech. But I spent the week trying to consider some of the larger forces affecting education and EdTech. What did I read, or, more importantly, what did I find worth sharing?

Higher ed value depends on who and how you ask

Something caught my eye this week: two seemingly conflicting sets of survey findings from Gallup. Examining these findings and pondering why they appear at odds offers some interesting insights into the state of higher education.

Earlier this month, Gallup released the results of a survey gauging public confidence in higher education. The results weren't positive, showing a steady decline in those with high confidence in the system.

The more recent and significant shifts in percentages of people with "some" confidence (down from 40% last year) and "no confidence" (up from 23% last year) are troubling. These shifts reflect the beatings (self-inflicted and external) higher education has taken in the US over the past year.

However, the decline in those with "a lot of confidence" is most concerning, especially when considering their perceptions of value.

My interpretation of the results is that the percentages represent those who are either very or somewhat positive about higher education. Here's the worrying part: only 24% of this group believe education fosters more opportunities, 19% think it provides good training, and 13% value the quality of education itself.

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