Academe Today

Teaching

Are Small Classes Best? It’s Complicated

The idea that a professor teaches better when there are fewer students makes intuitive sense. But even when that’s true, it comes with trade-offs.

Teaching

Want More About What Works in the Classroom?

Sign up for our new Teaching newsletter, which brings together insights about teaching and learning. Check out a recent sample here.

Government

Trump Says the Campus Free-Speech Crisis Is ‘Overblown’

Diverging from the typical conservative talking point, the president said on Thursday that the “vast majority” of people on campuses “want free speech.”

Government

These Programs Would See Funding Increases in the New Congressional Spending Deal

The omnibus bill would raise the Education Department’s budget by $3.9 billion, but would also stymie some of Secretary Betsy DeVos’s plans.

Competition

I Set Out to Find the College With the Best Name. Help Me Pick the Winner.

Oxnard. Brazosport. Moody Bible. Assumption. Defiance. Slippery Rock. Truckee Meadows. Dordt. Which college has the best name?

Idea Lab: Student Success

Colleges are increasingly being judged by how well they retain and graduate students, especially those who are first generation or low income. In our latest Idea Lab collection on student success, we profile successful efforts to help students who struggle in college. The 42-page booklet has tips on mentoring, advising, using student data, and more.

Commentary

A Fair Wage for Elite Athletes? How About $750,000?

While the NCAA sticks to its “amateur” story line, the value of elite unpaid players to their colleges’ revenue is soaring.

Lingua Franca

In an Old House in Paris, Thinking of ‘Madeline’

Abed in Paris, Lucy Ferriss realizes what a deeply strange book is Madeline, about another recovering patient away from home.