By Jim Dwyer. Like other Persian Gulf states, the United Arab Emirates imports much of its labor force from Bangladesh, Indonesia and the Philippines. And it imports prestige from liberal Western institutions like universities and museums.
Among them is New York University, which has settled into a campus built for it — free, thanks to capital from the Emirates and the cheap labor of migrant workers — on an island called Saadiyat, which is being developed by the Emirates as a cultural center and a temple to lavish, luxe, yacht-borne life. More...

By Stephanie Simon. In the high-stakes world of American education, Pearson makes money even when its results don’t measure up. More...

By Gary Newbold. The BYOD trend is gaining popularity in Asia-Pacific and the region will continue to witness strong growth, driven by burgeoning consumer demand for smartphone and tablet. In 2013, mobile devices utilized under the BYOD model accounted for 22.5 percent of all consumer smartphone sales, followed by notebook PCs (11.7 percent) and tablets (4.9 percent). More...

By Miles Kimball. If I were to make a nomination for the most destructive belief in our culture, it would be the belief that some people are born smart and others are born dumb. This belief is not only badly off target as a shorthand description of reality, it is the source of many social pathologies and lost opportunities. For example:

• Those who get low test scores think they are just not as smart and avoid tough majors that lead to some of the best jobs.
• A strong belief within an academic field that talent is innate goes along with that field having fewer women and African-Americans.
• Many people utter the black magic spell “I’m bad at math” and it becomes so. A lucky few have that spell broken, and find they can become good at math after all. 

People misunderstand the past and imagine a dystopian future, not realizing that each generation is smarter than the last. More...

By Jordan Maddox and Lenore Sobota. Illinois community college presidents are pushing for the ability to grant students four-year degrees in some programs. 
The controversial idea, if adopted, would make Illinois the 22nd state to grant baccalaureate degrees at the traditionally two-year institutions. More...

By Julie Horschfeld Davis. President Obama on Friday pressed voters to demand that their representatives reach across the political aisle to pass initiatives in his budget including free community college, more generous child care subsidies and new roads and bridges, making the case for his agenda in a heavily Republican state. More...