By Mary Rittling. The college completion agenda has stalled. A decade in, a smaller percentage of first-time students are earning a degree or certificate. Read more...

By Scott Jaschik. Philosophy association issues statement against the way some scholars are being treated. Some praise the effort. Others fear it could limit free expression. Read more...

By Phil Hill. With all of the talk about the high cost of college textbooks and the buzz about free online alternatives, it is surprising how little is understood about how much students spend on required course materials. More...

By Eric Johnson. Financial-aid nights offer a fascinating window into the state of the world. Spending long hours talking with students, parents, guidance counselors, and legal guardians in a rural high-school or a downtown community center, I am always struck by the chasm that separates bloodless policy discussions from lived reality. More...

By Monica Osborne. Literary and philosophical studies have long been the symbolic refuge for the broken, the oppressed, the silenced. But the most powerful literature blurs distinctions between the dichotomous categories of right and wrong. More...

By Marc Parry. The selling of sociology’s next great hope began with a long talk between a literary agent and her potential client. Jill Kneerim was a veteran dealmaker known for helping Boston-area academics publish trade books. More...

By David K. Hecht. Why should we believe what scientists have to say? Unlike a lot of people who raise this question, I do believe what scientists have to say — and I am firmly convinced that you should, too. More...

By Cass R. Sunstein. It’s easy to sneer at academic journals. But they make even the best general-interest magazines look like thin gruel. More...