Media Archives - Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/category/media/ Thu, 26 Mar 2026 20:11:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Redefining Success: A New Social Contract for Higher Ed | SXSW EDU 2026 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/redefining-success-a-new-social-contract-for-higher-ed-sxsw-edu-2026/ Mon, 23 Mar 2026 20:23:16 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3919 At SXSW EDU 2026, Timothy Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joined Ted Mitchell, president ... Read more

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At SXSW EDU 2026, Timothy Knowles, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, joined Ted Mitchell, president of the American Council on Education, to discuss a pivotal shift in how we understand institutional excellence in higher education.

For more than 50 years, the Carnegie Classifications has served as the nation’s gold standard for organizing postsecondary institutions. At SXSW EDU, Knowles and Mitchell reflected on that legacy while outlining a bold evolution for the future.

They described how the Carnegie Classifications are moving beyond traditional indicators like prestige, student selectivity, and degrees awarded. Instead, the new Student Access and Earnings Classification surfaces more urgent and meaningful reflections on how well are institutions setting their students up for success in the real world.

This reimagined approach evaluates institutions using two critical metrics:

  • Access: Who institutions serve—and whether they expand opportunity for all students
  • Earnings: What students achieve after completion—capturing the economic impact of their education

These measures offer a clearer, more equitable understanding of institutional impact that’s grounded in student outcomes rather than institutional reputation.

Knowles and Mitchell emphasized that this shift marks more than a methodological update, representing a fundamental redefinition of excellence in higher education that aligns institutional priorities with the success of the students they serve.

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]]> The Three-Year Option https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/the-three-year-option/ Wed, 18 Mar 2026 18:34:29 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3910 In 2009, Robert Zemsky, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a radical idea: a three-year college ... Read more

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]]> In 2009, Robert Zemsky, a professor of education at the University of Pennsylvania, proposed a radical idea: a three-year college degree, which, he argued, would serve as a catalyst for fundamental change in higher education. “It’s time to look for something that will really make us rethink everything instead of just rethinking the things along the perimeter,” he told Newsweek. The idea barely registered. Higher education, long accustomed to the comfortable architecture of 120 credits spread across four years, was not ready to question itself. Accrediting agencies were opposed. Zemsky pressed on anyway, arguing that only a genuine “dislodging event” would force the academy to question its assumptions all at once.

Read more on AAC&U…

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]]> IPR Scholar to Lead Work on Student Learning and Development as a Carnegie Senior Fellow https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/ipr-scholar-to-lead-work-on-student-learning-and-development-as-a-carnegie-senior-fellow/ Wed, 25 Feb 2026 21:08:00 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3933 IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin was named a senior fellow by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in January, joining ... Read more

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IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin was named a senior fellow by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in January, joining a group shaping the next generation of skills that high school students need to thrive in a fast‑changing world.

Read more on Northwestern Institute for Policy Research…

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]]> ‘Stage Is Shifting Rapidly’ for High Schools: Are States Helping Them Keep Up? https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/stage-is-shifting-rapidly-for-high-schools-are-states-helping-them-keep-up/ Wed, 18 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3895 The rise of artificial intelligence and other technology has traditional high schools scrambling to keep up — with states doing ... Read more

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]]> The rise of artificial intelligence and other technology has traditional high schools scrambling to keep up — with states doing an uneven job of encouraging schools to embed critical thinking skills, and offer students access to internships and college courses, according to a new report.

Today’s world, the nonprofit XQ Institute argues in its new report The Future Is High School, “requires an entirely new kind of educational experience — one that traditional high schools were never designed to deliver,” the report found. 

Read more on The74…

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]]> Enlisting ROI to Better Align Academic Credentials and Workforce Needs https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/enlisting-roi-to-better-align-academic-credentials-and-workforce-needs/ Thu, 12 Feb 2026 22:37:53 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3861 As higher education struggles with declining enrollment, states are using return on investment reviews to merge education and workforce systems ... Read more

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]]> As higher education struggles with declining enrollment, states are using return on investment reviews to merge education and workforce systems and enhance economic outcomes.

Incorporating ROI metrics has become common practice, with at least 46 states reporting college success outcomes and 35 states reporting workforce outcomes, according to Britebound, a nonprofit that helps students identify academic and career opportunities. ROI measures try to capture the amount of time it takes for a college graduate to break even on the cost of their postsecondary education and begin to earn more than a high school graduate. ROI formulas that estimate a program’s break-even point provide more nuance than those looking solely at earnings data.

Read more on National Conference of State Legislatures

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]]> Purdue, Career Academy leaders say partnership makes new opportunities https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/purdue-career-academy-leaders-say-partnership-makes-new-opportunities/ Fri, 06 Feb 2026 15:00:00 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3896 Officials from Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) South Bend and Career Academy Network of Public Schools (CANOPS) say that the new partnership between the two ... Read more

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]]> Officials from Purdue Polytechnic High School (PPHS) South Bend and Career Academy Network of Public Schools (CANOPS) say that the new partnership between the two charter systems is a chance to create more transformative learning opportunities for South Bend students.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the PPHS Board of Directors voted to relinquish PPHS South Bend’s charter at the end of the 2026-27 school year and enter into a memorandum of understanding with CANOPS, which, CANOPS CEO Jeremy Lugbill said, stands as a strong collaboration between the two schools.

Read more on South Bend Tribune…

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]]> Rising Demand for Career Education Prompts College Board to Expand Its Footprint https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/rising-demand-for-career-education-prompts-college-board-to-expand-its-footprint/ Mon, 02 Feb 2026 18:42:01 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3745 The College Board is making more moves into the career exploration and preparation space, driven by growing demand by students ... Read more

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]]> The College Board is making more moves into the career exploration and preparation space, driven by growing demand by students for more opportunities to build job-related skills.

The nonprofit organization, which runs major programs aimed at students who plan to attend college, announced a partnership with the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in December to expand the teacher pipeline for career-connected coursework. Then, in January, the College Board announced that it acquired nonprofit District C and its flagship work-based learning program Teamship.

Read more on EdWeek…

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]]> Carnegie Recognizes Colleges for Community Engagement https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/carnegie-recognizes-colleges-for-community-engagement/ Tue, 13 Jan 2026 18:58:00 +0000 https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/?p=3675 The Carnegie Foundation announced on Monday that more than 230 colleges and universities received its Community Engagement classification. The designation ... Read more

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]]> The Carnegie Foundation announced on Monday that more than 230 colleges and universities received its Community Engagement classification.

The designation from the American Council on Education and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching highlights institutions that have formed and sustained successful community partnerships. Of the 237 institutions recognized in 2026, 48 received the classification for the first time. The group includes157 public colleges and universities, 80 private institutions and 81 minority-serving institutions.

Read more on Inside Higher Ed

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]]> Colleges serving a different kind of student matter https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/building-opportunity-through-education-transformation-with-diego-arambula/ Fri, 09 Jan 2026 16:20:05 +0000 https://carnegie25live.wpenginepowered.com/?p=3232 For decades, old-school rankings and classic classifications have helped define what excellence looks like in higher education. However, in doing ... Read more

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For decades, old-school rankings and classic classifications have helped define what excellence looks like in higher education. However, in doing so, they’ve narrowed the nation’s vision. We can do better. We can widen the spotlight and find real difference makers in the process.

Let me be clear: There’s nothing wrong with highlighting the remarkable contributions of the country’s “top-tier” universities. Americans should be proud of the colleges and universities whose name recognition extends around the world. The premier research institutions that push the boundaries of knowledge, deliver breakthroughs in science and medicine, and expand understanding of the universe are national treasures. As are so many historically powerful small, liberal arts institutions, HBCUs, and more.

Read more on Fast Company…

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]]> Ep. 75 – Building Opportunity through Education Transformation with Diego Arambula https://www.carnegiefoundation.org/ep-75-building-opportunity-through-education-transformation-with-diego-arambula/ Mon, 10 Nov 2025 08:00:00 +0000 https://carnegie25live.wpenginepowered.com/?p=2176 In this episode of EduTrends, José “Pepe” Escamilla interviews Diego Arambula, Vice President for Education Transformation at the Carnegie Foundation, ... Read more

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In this episode of EduTrends, José “Pepe” Escamilla interviews Diego Arambula, Vice President for Education Transformation at the Carnegie Foundation, about how schools and universities can promote social mobility. Arambula explains how the Student Access and Earnings Classification, a system that evaluates institutions based on the economic advancement of their graduates rather than institutional prestige, highlights 478 “Opportunity Colleges and Universities,” defined as schools that help students from underserved backgrounds increase their lifetime earnings and economic stability.

Read more…

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