Interesting Reads This Week

Was this forwarded to you by a friend? Sign up, and get your own copy of the news that matters sent to your inbox every week. Sign up for the On EdTech newsletter. Interested in additional analysis? Try with our 30-day free trial and Upgrade to the On EdTech+ newsletter.

I spent the past week in Mérida, Mexico, attending MoodleMoot Global 2024 - a full conference report will be coming early next week. I learned a lot and enjoyed plenty of delicious Yucatan pork, including these beauties I found at the airport on my way out. They were by far the spiciest dish I had all week—but absolutely delicious. I wish every airport served food like this!

Wandering in the desert

At On EdTech, we have long been interested in the topic of educational deserts—geographical areas under-served by higher education institutions. This topic is intriguing on its own, but it’s becoming even more relevant as institutions face closures or consolidate.

A new research paper by Riley Acton, Kalena Cortes, Lois Miller, and Camila Morales, published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University, delves into this issue and offers some fascinating insights. The authors focus on Texas, examining how students' proximity to public two- and four-year institutions affects their enrollment decisions and degree attainment, with particular attention to disparities across race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES).

Their findings reveal that proximity to community colleges shapes both enrollment choices and educational outcomes differently for various demographic groups.

Subscribe to Premium to read the rest.