Erik Cascio’s Post

In Wortis v. Trustees of Tufts College, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court held that a college may have violated an agreement to provide "economic security" in a tenure contract by a change in school policy to tether salaries to the amount of grants obtained by the professor. The promise of economic security, the Court reasoned, would ring hollow without some assurance of salary: "There is a reason champagne corks pop when tenure is awarded, and economic security is one of those obvious reasons." Economic security in this context means something. That said, the Court was uncertain what the term meant and found it ambiguous. Therefore, the question for a factfinder will be whether the program at issue violated the reasonable expectations of the parties. This will depend on a fact-specific analysis of the school, the program and the professor. In this way, the case reminds me of a breach of fiduciary duty case. The school owes its professors a duty to provide some reasonable salary but whether it satisfies that duty may look different from school to school and even from professor to professor. https://lnkd.in/ek_PG-mE

California's Ban on Legacy Admissions: A Game-Changer or Hard to Enforce? California has taken a bold step by banning legacy admissions not just for public institutions, but also for private ones. As other states consider similar legislation, this move could set a precedent for higher education across the nation. Key points from our recent discussion with Jeff: - The ban's extension to private institutions is particularly noteworthy. - This continues the trend of attempting to regulate college admissions processes, following the SCOTUS decision on affirmative action. - Enforcing such regulations may prove challenging, especially for selective institutions with more applicants than available seats. The actual impact on admissions outcomes remains uncertain, as other factors correlated with legacy status (such as resources and preparation) may still influence admissions. What are your thoughts on this development? Will it lead to significant changes in the admissions landscape, or will it be difficult to implement effectively? #HigherEducation #CollegeAdmissions #EducationPolicy #LegacyAdmissions

There's a lot you don't know about the Chicago Teachers Union. That's because they're infamously hostile to transparency. But one thing you do know is that they're militant in ideology and strategy alike. Look no further than their new, aggressive slate of demands. As student performance and enrollment rolls dwindle, CTU's appetite for money and power only accelerates without interruption. Now, with one of their own occupying City Hall – and thus the opposite side of the bargaining table – Chicago taxpayers and parents should be watching with considerable interest. Our new explainer unpacks it all. ⬇️ #education #publicpolicy #politicalscience

Illinois has become the fourth state to ban legacy preferences at public colleges and universities in the state. However, none of Illinois' public institutions currently practice legacy admissions, so the move is largely symbolic. #GreatCollegeAdvice #CollegeAdmissions #LegacyAdmissions

Many things will likely change with the election of Donald Trump. One area for change is education, which is sorely needed. "Adding to the primal scream of the left following Trump’s win are the many administrators and faculty in our higher-education blob. They have been enjoying their fat years (decades, actually), and that’s likely to change under Trump 2.0. In today’s Martin Center article, Professor Richard Vedder looks into his crystal ball for policy changes that would give us more education for less money. Could we, for example, finally rid ourselves of that Carter disaster, the Department of Education?" "By most indicators, American education today is worse off than when the department began operations in 1980. For starters, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR), which meddles incessantly on behalf of woke obsessions such as equalizing student punishment rates, could be abolished, with legitimate collegiate civil-rights concerns handled by other agencies, such as the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. OCR has long been the domain of leftist radicals who have used it, among many other things, to decree that colleges must adopt lopsided rules for adjudicating sexual-harassment claims. Eliminating OCR would remove a major source of contagion." "Another good idea that might get traction is requiring colleges that take federal financial aid money for students have to repay some or all of it if the students don’t. Having some “skin in the game” would do wonders to make them think hard about the students they enroll and their academic standards. https://lnkd.in/gpW347ag

As Illinois students return to the classroom, we are once again reminded of the hypocrisy displayed by Democrats and the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU). The CTU continues to prioritize political agendas, money, and power over education. The CTU has: Demanded billions in our taxes while reducing their own contributions. Pushed for climate initiatives in contract negotiations that could disrupt schools. Paid teachers to skip school and lobby for their radical, partisan agenda. Asserted that "standardized testing is a tool of white supremacy." Meanwhile, education spending has soared by 97%, yet student performance has dropped by more than 70% Governor JB Pritzker and Mayor Brandon Johnson are pouring billions of our tax dollars into the CTU's extreme, partisan agenda. Rather than funding leftist political indoctrination, we must focus our tax dollars on teaching students core skills. It's time for new leadership. Suburban CTU leftists like Sean Casten, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Brad Schneider, Jan Schakowsky, Bill Foster, and Lauren Underwood have voted with the extreme Biden-Harris agenda over 99% of the time, including: 1. Supporting the "Inflation Reduction Act," which delivered historic high inflation 2. Supporting the so called "American Rescue Plan" that led to unprecedented waste and out of control spending 3. Voted against the Secure the Border Act.

Today (2 September 2024) we had the announcement that in future Ofsted grades will no longer be one word. Naturally Education secretary Brigette Phillipson and Prime Minister Keir Starmer have been on the media rounds. One of the disappointments for me is that in their pronouncements they both drew on what I see is the meaningly trope of 'driving standards up'. Scholars like Pring and Onecea have considered this in the past and made the point that in order to make some evaluation of such a claim is that we need to know what it is that is being improved. The point for me is that 'driving up standards' is really a kind of political 'dispotif'. First, it is hard to argue with. Nobody would argue for driving them down. So in terms of political rhetoric it is slippery. Second, no politician seems able to tell us what standards are being driven up. Is it grades? The quality of classroom roofs? More children with their shirts tucked in? Better teacher retention? The list goes on. Third, the clever thing about the aim 'to drive standards' up is it so vague it is almost impossible to hold politicians to account. Lastly, one could be forgiven for thinking that in this political rhetoric what matters most is standards rather than children. Is the function of the children merely to act as the means by which the standards are driven up? What do people think?

In Massachusetts this fall, voters will decide whether passing the standardized tests should be a graduation requirement for high school students. If Question 2 is approved, high schools would still administer the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System, or MCAS, tests to comply with federal law for evaluation of teachers and schools. But kids would no longer have to pass the tests in order to receive a diploma. The ballot measure pits teachers unions trying to curb the use of high stakes testing against Democratic Gov. Maura Healey, other state officials and business groups who say the MCAS is the best way to hold schools and kids accountable to the same standards across the commonwealth. Learn more about the ballot measure and its implications here: https://lnkd.in/eYpXZTvF

ALERT | Governor Signs Bill Banning Donor and Legacy Preferences in College Admissions in California | 10.02.2024 A bill that we have been following has become law. On September 30, 2024, California Governor Gavin Newson signed AB 1780 into law, enacting Education Code §66018.4. This prohibits California private colleges and universities from giving admissions preference to applicants who are related to donors or alumni. Click here to read more: https://lnkd.in/g97EcWk3 #AALRR #CollegeAdmissions