Notes in the Margins: Free college, sports spending and brainpower cities

Can Free College Save American Cities? Nine years and $50 million into a bold experiment, Kalamazoo is beginning to find out. (Politico via NAICU)

Student to profs: Don’t force us to take tests online If we know that digital isn’t helping some students learn, then I can’t understand why students are now expected to learn this way, and not only to learn this way, but to be tested this way. It is an automatic disadvantage for some, and for someone who takes grades very seriously this disadvantage can be frustrating, especially when we aren’t given a choice. (The Washington Post)

Colleges Increasing Spending on Sports Faster Than on Academics, Report Finds The report is believed to be the first that also compares educational spending and athletic spending, over time, at Division II and III schools and at community colleges. (The New York Times)

Ohio University part of a new trend: Fixed tuition Starting with the 2015-2016 school year, Ohio University will join more than 320 colleges across the nation where incoming freshmen students will know exactly how much tuition will cost each year of school. (USA Today)

 The cities gaining the most college graduates For the most part, the fastest-growing brain hubs are in the South and Intermountain West (which excludes the states on the Pacific Coast). (Forbes via University Business)

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