Defunct University
What to know: According to new reports, the 21st century may no longer favor college graduates.
The TPPF take: Colleges should heed this wake-up call.
“Colleges have failed students. Colleges have failed America,” says TPPF’s Cameron Abrams. “The old education regime is now recognized in all its naked, decrepit form. Their weakening grip on the American psyche has started to atrophy. Maybe, just maybe, they can finally be laid to rest. And in their place, a return to form can be marshaled.”
For more on Higher Education, click here
Hammering Homeowner
What to Know: The Harris County Commissioners’ Court gave preliminary approval to “the highest county property tax rate in modern history in a bid to bridge a more-than $180 projected deficit.” The Court’s tax hike pushes the average homeowner’s county tax bill to $2,160 per year — that excludes city, ISD, and special district taxes.
The TPPF take: Harris County’s huge tax hike is more evidence that local governments are out of control.
“Harris County treats property taxpayers as an endless money source with which to fund social justice campaigns and progressive misadventures. This unceasing abuse demands a state legislative response,” says TPPF’s James Quintero. “The next Texas Legislature must get runaway local government taxes and spending under control.”
For more on Local Government, click here
Who’s Teaching the Teachers
What to know: An investigation of 10 graduate education programs raises serious questions about whether GSEs are preparing teachers for the realities of the classroom or instead shaping teachers’ worldview.
The TPPF take: Modern education schools have abandoned the pursuit of truth, producing mediocrity and politicization instead.
“The purpose of education has been clear for most of Western history: the pursuit of the good, the true, and the beautiful,” says TPPF’s Kate Bierly. “Modern education schools are not merely flawed but are fundamentally incompatible with education’s true purpose. They promote mediocrity, politicization, and research divorced from classroom practice. Admission standards remain notoriously low: education majors consistently post the lowest GRE scores of any major field.”