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Practical solutions for improving higher education opportunities
for disadvantaged students Too many disadvantaged college students
in America do not complete their coursework with any college
credential, while others earn degrees or certificates with little
labor market value. Large numbers of these students also struggle
to pay for college, and some incur debts that they have difficulty
repaying. The authors provide a new review of the causes of these
problems and promising policy solutions. These circumstances stem
both from problems on the individual side, such as weak academic
preparation and financial pressures, and from institutional
failures. Low-income students disproportionately attend schools
that are underfunded and have weak performance incentives,
contributing to unsatisfactory outcomes for many students. Some
solutions, including better financial aid or academic supports,
target individual students. Other solutions, such as stronger
linkages between coursework and the labor market and more
structured paths through the curriculum, aim at institutional
reforms. All students, and particularly those from disadvantaged
backgrounds, also need better and varied pathways both to college
and directly to the job market, beginning in high school. We can
improve college outcomes, but must also acknowledge that we must
make hard choices and face difficult tradeoffs in the process.
While no single policy is guaranteed to greatly improve college and
career outcomes, implementing a number of evidence-based policies
and programs together has the potential to improve these outcomes
substantially.
San Miguel, a city located in central Mexico, is steeped in
history; it is the place where the Mexican war for independence
from Spain started in 1810. Today, San Miguel retains old-world
charm as many of its elegant buildings have been preserved; the
city is practically a museum of Spanish and Mexican history and
architecture. This unique book displays over 350 color photographs
and leads a tour of San Miguel's indoor living at its finest. Pass
into open courtyards, interior patios, and extraordinary homes
through doors that are closed to the average visitor. Fifteen
chapters illustrate its charming doors, living rooms, kitchens,
dining rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, stairways, furniture, lighting,
art, and talavera ceramics---all with intense color that pervades
the senses. Be inspired to include Mexican details into your next
building project.
Mexico's contemporary architecture was inspired by the vision of
Luis Barragan, one of Mexico's most influential 20th century
architects. This unique book showcases the original work of 26
contemporary Mexican architects, with a wide variety of impressive
architectural designs. Containing over 370 full color photos and
architectural plans, it takes readers into a world of creativity
and beauty, a world whose roots go back centuries. These same
architects succeed in creating their own version of modernism,
imbuing it with the warmth and vibrancy of their native Mexico,
featuring clean lines and raw color combinations. Yet their work is
infused with a modern ingenuity all their own. Each architect's
work is featured in a dedicated chapter showing one of their recent
projects. Today's Mexican architects, both young and old, bring a
new level of creativity to Mexico's architectural tradition.
In many towns throughout Mexico, houses still retain blank
exteriors facing the street, some with an occasional window.
However, beyond these canyon-forming walls, one is exposed to
interiors alive with rainbows of color. The front of the house may
be one story, but once inside the entrance, a visitor might be
exposed to two or more stories, probably with a rooftop terrace and
a fantastic view of a downtown skyline. The architecture of the
houses reflects eras when Mexico was at peaks in its history and
when some buildings were extravagant homes built by famous
families. Now they may be occupied by commercial or public venues,
but their details reflect the rich quality of architecture that has
not diminished with time. Over 240 color photographs present
fascinating doors, interior rooms, stairways, fireplaces, lighting,
ceilings, floors, and plenty of details that can inspire today's
homeowners, architects, and decorators who seek to live with
authentic Mexican character.
An invaluable primer on the role economic reasoning plays in campus
debate and decision making Campus Economics provides college and
university administrators, trustees, and faculty with an essential
understanding of how college finances actually work. Sandy Baum and
Michael McPherson explain the concepts needed to analyze the pros,
the cons, and the trade-offs of difficult decisions, and offer a
common language for discussing the many challenges confronting
institutions of higher learning today, from COVID-19 to funding
cuts and declining enrollments. Emphasizing the unique
characteristics of the academic enterprise and the primacy of the
institutional mission, Baum and McPherson use economic concepts
such as opportunity cost and decisions at the margin to facilitate
conversations about how best to ensure an institution's ongoing
success. The problems facing higher education are more urgent than
ever before, but the underlying issues are the same in good times
and bad. Baum and McPherson give nontechnical, user-friendly
guidance for navigating all kinds of economic conditions and draw
on real-world examples of campus issues to illustrate both
institutional constraints and untapped opportunities. Campus
Economics helps faculty, administrators, trustees, and government
policymakers engage in constructive dialogue that can lead to
decisions that align finite resources with the pursuit of the
institutional mission.
This unique book of over 325 full color photographs takes you into
a little-known world of magic, mystery, and color, behind the walls
of some of the most exclusive living areas in Mexico. Here you can
see what typical visitors are forbidden; a world created by each of
the homeowners. As an invited guest, you will witness the ingenuity
of Mexican workers with a bent for the exotic, as no two gardens
are alike. The variety and creative effort highlights the richness
of Mexican architecture that has not diminished with time. Take a
trip to Mexicos private gardens and patios through seventeen
chapters that illustrate outdoor living and dining rooms, rooftop
terraces and shelters, garden walks and sculpture, outdoor
fireplaces, and gardens, all in colors of the rainbow. Be inspired
to include a Mexican environment into your next outdoor project.
San Miguel de Allende, a city located in central Mexico, is steeped
in history and old world charm. Many of its elegant buildings have
been preserved and it is practically a museum of Spanish and
Mexican history and architecture. This unique book displays over
325 color photographs and leads a tour of San Miguel's outdoor
living at its finest. Pass through massive gates into open
courtyards, exposed rooftop patios, and extraordinary homes that
are closed to the average visitor. Fifteen chapters illustrate its
charming facades, gates, patios, gardens, fountains, columns,
pools, cantera, windows, walls, cupolas, wrought iron, street
graphics, construction... all with intense color that pervades the
senses. Be inspired to include Mexican details in your next
building project.
See beautiful hammered copper vessels made long ago and today at
Santa Clara del Cobre, Mexico, a small town in the southwest state
of Michoacan. From nothing more than a chunk of copper or sheet
metal, artists here have spent centuries creating both useful and
decorative copper items, with specially made hand tools and
machinery. The richness of the work has undergone a marked
improvement in design, materials, and finish during the second half
of the twentieth century. Hundreds of copper items from the Museo
Nacional de Cobre illustrate the art's evolution. 393 colorful
photographs, an historical perspective, list and introductions to
540 copper artists, and detailed descriptions combine in this
impressive reference. Be inspired to visit Mexico's Michoacan state
and Santa Clara del Cobre, to meet the artists in their workshops.
William Spratling was a U.S. educator whose artistic impact caused
a successful silver jewelry industry to arise in Taxco, Mexico, in
the 1940s. This book examines Spratling's Mexican work and explores
how his talent attracted the attention of the U.S. Interior
Department. In 1945, he was invited to create a similar program for
Alaska, where it was felt that the indigenous people needed to be
encouraged for their own artistic expression and economic gain.
Thirty never-before-seen Alaskan models, lost for over 50 years,
have been found and now are preserved at the Smithsonian
Institution's National Museum of the American Indian. These and
original designs for the project, made in 1949, are presented here
along with Spratling's original 1945 report to the Arts and Crafts
Board. Also featured are Spratling's designs that inspired a new
company's formation to carry on his legacy at Taxco. Clearly,
innovation in designs and inspiration for generations of new
artists have risen from Spratling's work.
Each year, many students with affordable college options and the
academic skills needed to succeed do not enroll at all, enroll at
institutions where they are not well-positioned for success, or
drop out of college before earning a credential. Efforts to address
these challenges have included changes in financial aid policy,
increased availability of information, and enhanced academic
support. This volume argues that the efficacy of these strategies
can be improved by taking account of contemporary research on how
students make choices. In Decision Making for Student Success,
scholars from the fields of behavioral economics, education, and
public policy explore contemporary research on decision-making and
highlight behavioral insights that can improve postsecondary access
and success. This exciting volume will provide scholars,
researchers, and higher education administrators with valuable
perspectives and low-cost strategies that they can employ to
improve outcomes for underserved populations.
Each year, many students with affordable college options and the
academic skills needed to succeed do not enroll at all, enroll at
institutions where they are not well-positioned for success, or
drop out of college before earning a credential. Efforts to address
these challenges have included changes in financial aid policy,
increased availability of information, and enhanced academic
support. This volume argues that the efficacy of these strategies
can be improved by taking account of contemporary research on how
students make choices. In Decision Making for Student Success,
scholars from the fields of behavioral economics, education, and
public policy explore contemporary research on decision-making and
highlight behavioral insights that can improve postsecondary access
and success. This exciting volume will provide scholars,
researchers, and higher education administrators with valuable
perspectives and low-cost strategies that they can employ to
improve outcomes for underserved populations.
This book analyzes reliable evidence to tell the true story of
student debt in America. One of the nation's foremost experts on
college finance, Sandy Baum exposes how misleading the widely
accepted narrative on student debt is. Baum combines data,
research, and analysis to show how the current discourse obscures
serious problems, risks misdirecting taxpayer dollars, and could
deprive too many Americans of the educational opportunities they
deserve. This book and its policy recommendations provide the basis
for a new and more constructive national agenda to make paying for
college more manageable.
Why higher education is not a silver bullet for eradicating
economic inequality and social injustice We often think that a
college degree will open doors to opportunity regardless of one's
background or upbringing. In this eye-opening book, two of today's
leading economists argue that higher education alone cannot
overcome the lasting effects of inequality that continue to plague
us, and offer sensible solutions for building a more just and
equitable society. Sandy Baum and Michael McPherson document the
starkly different educational and social environments in which
children of different races and economic backgrounds grow up, and
explain why social equity requires sustained efforts to provide the
broadest possible access to high-quality early childhood and K-12
education. They dismiss panaceas like eliminating college tuition
and replacing the classroom experience with online education,
revealing why they fail to provide better education for those who
need it most, and discuss how wages in our dysfunctional labor
market are sharply skewed toward the highly educated. Baum and
McPherson argue that greater investment in the postsecondary
institutions that educate most low-income and marginalized students
will have a bigger impact than just getting more students from
these backgrounds into the most prestigious colleges and
universities. While the need for reform extends far beyond our
colleges and universities, there is much that both academic and
government leaders can do to mitigate the worst consequences of
America's deeply seated inequalities. This book shows how we can
address the root causes of social injustice and level the playing
field for students and families before, during, and after college.
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