American higher education is in crisis. The price of college has grown astronomically, forcing students and parents to take out loans that now exceed $1.2 trillion in outstanding debt. Many of those loans are falling into default as graduates struggle to find good work. The latest research suggests that our vaunted universities are producing graduates who learn little while they’re in school.
But the disruptive power of information technology is about to change all of that, upending centuries-old institutions and creating a new landscape of opportunity for students in America and around the world. In his new book, The End of College: Creating the Future of Learning and the University of Everywhere, New America education policy director Kevin Carey tells the story of how traditional colleges become so confused, ineffective, and expensive, and how a new generation of researchers and entrepreneurs are building a digital learning ecosystem to take their place.
