The Name of My Book Will Be…..

Things are in flux.  You see, the title of my book is changing (again) which means I will no longer have this blog at this URL.  However, until I find out FOR SURE what the final title will be, I don’t want to move this blog or start a new one.
So, things are on hold [...]

MAILBAG: Flood of Emails About The World Is Your Campus

Each week, I am getting an increasing number of emails from students, parents, educators, school administrators and of course, numerous study abroad program reps who want me to plug their programs.
I’ll be hiring someone to help me sort through these, as I really want to respond to most of them but don’t have the time [...]

Better, Cheaper, Safer: Why I Won’t Promote College Study Abroad Programs In My Book

In the last few months, I’ve received some interesting emails from those who work for study abroad programs.  In most cases, these individuals are responsible for marketing packaged study abroad plans to college students in the United States.  They’ve read my blog, they know I’m writing a book (The World Is Your Campus) about ways [...]

Shocking Truth–Most US Colleges Are NOT Promoting Global Education

There’s a lot of talk about the value of a global education, and numerous US college administrators are thumping their chests about their emphasis on internationalization. 
Chest thumping. Lip service.  But not a lot of actual global education goin’ on.
In fact, even though it seems like every college is tooting its own horn about their [...]

Hard Times In Florida: UF Slashes Jobs, Enrollment

According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel, the University of Florida is in hunker-down mode.  UF is slashing undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 students, laying off 138 faculty and staff members, and eliminating some courses and degree programs to make up for the loss of $47 million in state money.
The sweeping cuts announced Monday by [...]

Number of Student Loan Providers Continues To Drop

According to this article in the Boston Globe, two more major lenders have stopped issuing student loans. 
New York-based CIT had already stopped offering private student loans last year.  Now, it will stop issuing even the government-guaranteed student loans.    NorthStar, a nonprofit organization in St. Paul, will “temporarily suspend” processing applications for federally backed Stafford, PLUS, [...]

Seeking Unschool Parents and Older Students

Right now, I’m working on the chapter in my book about those who unschool–that is, they don’t enroll in any school, and may choose to homeschool or put together their own educational plan. 
I’m looking for stories from any unschoolers between the ages of 17 and 25.  I know there are a lot of younger unschoolers, but [...]

Time To Treat Teachers As Rock Stars? High Pay Offered At NYC Charter School ExcitesTeachers

I’ve written before about the idea that paying superstar teachers top salaries and skimping on the frills might be the very best way to get kids learning and teachers grinning.
This article in the New York Times shares the story of a former Teach for America participant who is starting a charter school in NYC for [...]

Is There A RIGHT Way To Study Abroad?

Well, there are better ways to do it, and better times to do it, but study abroad is valuable even under the “worst” circumstances (living and studying with other Americans, traveling with other Americans, and avoiding contact with locals or time alone.)
And don’t get me started on those $50,000 full-year abroad experiences (which would cost you [...]

Surprising Truth: Only Five Percent Of College Students Actually Study Abroad

For all the talk about global education on university websites, the fact is that only five percent of college students actually study abroad. 
But here’s the really interesting part:  55 percent of college-bound students say that they are “certain or fairly certain” that they will study abroad while at university.
(Read the full report on the lastest [...]