“My reflections on Britain since the Seventies the other day partly depended on a narrative about social mobility that has become part of the political culture, repeated by the likes of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown and recycled by journalists and commentators. In brief: it is the conventional wisdom …” (more)
[Chris Bertram, Crooked Timber, 14 April]
“It is clear that individuals can improve their life chances through postgraduate study, yet this government’s plans on access have nothing to say about it …” (more)
[Kim Catcheside, Guardian Professional, 29 May]
“Debate on social mobility is too focused on university access, Labour Party leader Ed Miliband has argued. Speaking at a Sutton Trust conference in London today, Mr Miliband said that sending more young people from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to university remained important, but there were other ways of improving their life chances …” (more)
[Jack Grove, Times Higher Education, 21 May]
“An interesting discussion has got under way in Scotland, promoted in part by The Herald newspaper. The issue is this: can excellence in higher education, of the kind that allows universities to compete with the best in the world, only be achieved at the expense of access for the disadvantaged? …” (more)
[Ferdinand von Prondzynski, University Blog, 14 February]
“The Economist website features an interesting graph that shows the correlation of a father’s educational status on the probability that a son will obtain a university degree …” (more)
[Philip Lane, The Irish Economy, 18 February]
“Your editorial (24 December) states that, in the light of further cuts in funding for universities, ‘social mobility is suddenly a luxury for another day’. On the contrary, it’s an opportunity to put in place an equitable structure of higher education funding for the long term. We will not achieve social mobility under the present system of student fees and graduate debt repayment …” (more)
[Lawrence Lockhart, Guardian, 29 December]
“The idea of expanding the number of people that attend post-secondary education is particularly hot at the moment. The Obama administration’s recent call for the US to attain the highest percentage of college graduates in the world by 2020 has generated the most attention, but the basic idea is being played out in other countries. Criticism of the idea comes from a number of angles: There are those that question whether the labour market needs (or can accommodate) that many graduates. Others are concerned with the targets – citing the difficulty of our college systems to meet demand. Some argue that higher education will be (further) watered-down and lose its value. Many argue that there are not enough college-ready students available, even if we could accommodate them. But many people find the idea of expanding the number of college graduates very appealing …” (more)
[Keith Hampson, Higher Education Management, 1 May]
“New universities in England and Scotland are drivers of social mobility, according to research from the Million+ organisation. The research tracked the social backgrounds of students and their occupations after leaving university. It found that 8% of entrants in these universities were from professional families – but that three years after graduating 17% had professional jobs. Million+ chair, Les Ebdon, says it proves the ‘pessimists wrong’ …” (more)
[BBC News, 30 March]
