Higher Ed Data & College Rankings; Homo Naledi Fossils & Their Significance

Guests: Michael Stratford, Goldie Blumenstyk, and Jamie Shreeve 

Last week, U.S. News and World Report released its 2016 rankings of the best colleges in the country. While popular, the rankings have generated controversy and consternation, as certain universities in the past have manipulated data to climb higher on the list, and many have questioned the fruitfulness of ranking systems. In this hour of Radio Times, we’ll speak with Inside Higher Ed reporter MICHAEL STRATFORD about the Department of Education’s release of college data this past weekend and what is says about gaps in earnings and more. We’ll also hear from GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK of The Chronicle of Higher Education on the Obama administration’s plan to rank colleges and discuss some of the issues surrounding college rankings. Then we’ll speak with JAMIE SHREEVE, executive editor of science for National Geographic Magazine, about the recent discovery of Homo naledi fossils, a new species of human ancestor, in a cave in South Africa.