Tadween Roundup: News and Analysis from the Publishing/Academic World

Tadween Publishing brings you the latest news and analysis from the publishing and academic worlds that relate to pedagogy and knowledge production.

Education

Charter schools: Education labs
(The Economist)

In urban spaces across the United States, charter schools are slowly becoming the norm for K-12 education. They are replacing the traditional role of public schools due, in part, to the assumption that they provide a better education. But are they working? The Economist takes a look at some recent data that examines what makes some charter schools work and not others.

Academia’s Gender Gap Persists
By Hrag Vartanian (Salon)

Hrag Vartanian examines a recent study that exposes striking information regarding gender representation in academia. The Gender browser project, developed under the Eigenfactor Project at the University of Washington in collaboration with JSTOR, claims that while progress has been made for gender equality in some areas of academia, there is still much that needs to be done.

Higher education: The attack of the MOOCs
(The Economist)

MOOCs appear to be a growing trend across higher education as more and more universities are experimenting with the idea (read Tadween’s blog post on MOOCs here). But aside from providers such as Coursea and EdX, MOOCs seem to be lacking a much needed business model, according to The Economist.

The Rising Cost of Higher Education: What Now?
By Rebecca Nathanson (Rolling Stone)

Since 1978, tuition has increased 1,120 percent nationally, and it is not slowing down anytime soon. With state and local funding for higher education decreasing, and student debt rising, the future of higher education looks bleak.

Encouraging Students to Imagine the Impossible
By Jessica Lahey (The Atlantic)

In an age of assessment-driven education, defined by test-taking and standards, how often are young students told to follow their dreams and use their imagination? Jessica Lahey examines the goals of The Future Project, which hopes to promote imagination in education in order to help students realize their potential.


Publishing

Open-Access Movement Makes Inroads Beyond Science
By Jennifer Howard (Chronicle of Higher Education)

The open access movement has made some recent breakthroughs in the fields of science, both in the United Kingdom and in the United States, but it has not made quite as many advances in other fields, such as the humanities. At the very least, according to Jennifer Howard, open access is the new idea that everyone is talking about.

Publish First, Ask Questions Later
By Jeffrey Marlow (Wired)

With all of the steps and procedures of vetting and approving, the process of academic publishing can be tedious and tiresome. Wired examines F1000Research journal’s attempt to overcome the traditional obstacle course of academic publishing, with a new model of peer reviewing and open access.

Historians Seek a Delay in Posting Dissertations
By Noam Cohen (New York Times)

The American Historical Association released a statement requesting universities to allow PhD students in history to “embargo” their dissertations for up to six years, keeping it offline and out of the public view. In an era where sharing and exchanging information and academic work is customary, what would inspire PhD students to keep their dissertations private?


The Ups and Downs of Translating for Self-publishers
By M. Lynx Qualey (Arabic Literature)

It may not be the new norm just yet, but self-publishing is becoming a growing trend among authors who want to bypass the bureaucracy of publishing a book through a publishing house. When it comes to translating books as a self-publisher, however, the experience has its ups and downs.