Starting from 2003, ARWU has been presenting the world Top 500 universities annually based on transparent methodology and third-party data. It has been recognized as the precursor of global university rankings and the most trustworthy one.

While the website explains its methodology:

Universities are ranked by several indicators of academic or research performance, including alumni and staff winning Nobel Prizes and Fields Medals, highly cited researchers, papers published in Nature and Science, papers indexed in major citation indices, and the per capita academic performance of an institution. For each indicator, the highest scoring institution is assigned a score of 100, and other institutions are calculated as a percentage of the top score. The distribution of data for each indicator is examined for any significant distorting effect; standard statistical techniques are used to adjust the indicator if necessary. Scores for each indicator are weighted as shown below to arrive at a final overall score for an institution. The highest scoring institution is assigned a score of 100, and other institutions are calculated as a percentage of the top score. An institution’s rank reflects the number of institutions that sit above it.

Harvard University has never dropped below #1 in the 13 years the list has been published, while Stanford has never ranked lower than #3. The highest ranking Asian university in 2015 is The University of Tokyo at #21, while no Korean universities place in the top 100.

Something strange is happening at America’s colleges and universities. A movement is arising, undirected and driven largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words, ideas, and subjects that might cause discomfort or give offense.  [Read More]

Kindergartners who share, cooperate and are helpful are more likely to have a college degree and a job 20 years later than children who lack those social skills, according to a new study.

Kids who get along well with others also are less likely to have substance-abuse problems and run-ins with the law.

The research, which involved tracking nearly 800 students for two decades, suggests that specific social-emotional skills among young children can be powerful predictors for success later in life. [Read More]

Author Emma Brown writes about the latest research from Pennsylvania State University which found that kindergartners’ ability to share, cooperate and get along well with others can be powerful predictors for success later in life. According to Damon E. Jones, the lead author of the research published in the American Journal of Public Health, this study suggests that early childhood education programs and schools could help develop these social skills early on to help promote later success.

Kindergartners who share, cooperate and are helpful are more likely to have a college degree and a job 20 years later than children who lack those social skills, according to a new study.

Kids who get along well with others also are less likely to have substance-abuse problems and run-ins with the law.

The research, which involved tracking nearly 800 students for two decades, suggests that specific social-emotional skills among young children can be powerful predictors for success later in life. [Read More]

Ma, a former hedge fund analyst, makes bets on student admissions the way a trader plays the commodities markets. Using 12 variables from a student’s profile—from grades and test scores to extracurricular activities and immigration status—Ma’s software crunches the odds of admission to a range of top-shelf colleges. His proprietary algorithm assigns varying weights to different parameters, derived from his analysis of the successes and failures of thousands of students he’s coached over the years. Ma’s algorithm, for example, predicts that a U.S.-born high school senior with a 3.8 GPA, an SAT score of 2,000 (out of 2,400), moderate leadership credentials, and 800 hours of extracurricular activities, has a 20.4 percent chance of admission to New York University and a 28.1 percent shot at the University of Southern California. Those odds determine the fee ThinkTank charges that student for its guaranteed consulting package: $25,931 to apply to NYU and $18,826 for USC. “Of course we set limits on who we’ll guarantee,” says Ma. “We don’t want to make this a casino game.” [Read More]

The perspective may be that attending a private school or boarding school from K-12 offers a leg up in college admissions, but this is simply not the case. Attending a public high school can actually be better in the long run than going to a “fancy” private school in determining your college admissions odds. Colleges today are trying to diversify when it comes to their admitted classes. Dartmouth College, for instance, typically accepts 69 to 70 percent of its incoming freshman from public high schools, which gives students the chance to be at the top of their class in a larger pool as compared to a smaller private high school. In short, pick a college because of the FIT, not based on any perceived admissions advantage.

Dr. Michele Hernandez, the author of several well-known books on college admissions and former Assistant Admissions Director at Dartmouth University, shares her 10 best secrets for top college admissions. For example:

The perspective may be that attending a private school or boarding school from K-12 offers a leg up in college admissions, but this is simply not the case. Attending a public high school can actually be better in the long run than going to a “fancy” private school in determining your college admissions odds. Colleges today are trying to diversify when it comes to their admitted classes. Dartmouth College, for instance, typically accepts 69 to 70 percent of its incoming freshman from public high schools, which gives students the chance to be at the top of their class in a larger pool as compared to a smaller private high school. In short, pick a college because of the FIT, not based on any perceived admissions advantage.

Help your children develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. Helping your child make age-appropriate decisions will guide them towards the principles of responsibility and commitment necessary for social engagement. Listen and communicate with your children so that you know them, see them and help them deal with the problems that are relevant to them. By investing your children in the decision-making and problem-solving process, you are building that secure central core so important for good self-esteem.

Many of us want our children to become leaders, not followers. Dr. Gail Goss shares tips and ideas for developing leadership skills and raising emotional intelligence in children that parents can implement at home. For example:

Help your children develop decision-making and problem-solving skills. Helping your child make age-appropriate decisions will guide them towards the principles of responsibility and commitment necessary for social engagement. Listen and communicate with your children so that you know them, see them and help them deal with the problems that are relevant to them. By investing your children in the decision-making and problem-solving process, you are building that secure central core so important for good self-esteem.

Introducing computer programming to your kids can be a challenge, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of code. Fortunately, in the last few years, a number of apps, software, and guides have been produced that make the often-complex subject of computer coding easy to grasp for young learners. So where to begin? These are a few resources that parents can share with their kids to help them start learning about programming. [Read More]

Is your child a future Bill Gates? Author Matt Davis shares online resources and tips for parents who want to get their kids started on learning computer programming.

Introducing computer programming to your kids can be a challenge, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of code. Fortunately, in the last few years, a number of apps, software, and guides have been produced that make the often-complex subject of computer coding easy to grasp for young learners. So where to begin? These are a few resources that parents can share with their kids to help them start learning about programming. [Read More]

America’s Most Challenging High Schools ranks schools through an index invented by Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews. The index formula is a simple ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school in 2014, divided by the number of graduates that year.

Noted in our national and local tables are the percentage of students eligible for government meal subsidies — a common benchmark for poverty — and each school’s average scores on the SAT, a common college entrance exam with a national average of 1497 out of 2400. [Read More]

Washington Post columnist Jay Mathews shares his 2015 list for America’s Most Challenging High Schools. Surprise — many are in Arizona, Texas and Florida!

America’s Most Challenging High Schools ranks schools through an index invented by Washington Post education columnist Jay Mathews. The index formula is a simple ratio: the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Advanced International Certificate of Education tests given at a school in 2014, divided by the number of graduates that year.

Noted in our national and local tables are the percentage of students eligible for government meal subsidies — a common benchmark for poverty — and each school’s average scores on the SAT, a common college entrance exam with a national average of 1497 out of 2400. [Read More]

The SAT does predict success in college—not perfectly, but relatively well, especially given that it takes just a few hours to administer. And, unlike a “complex portrait” of a student’s life, it can be scored in an objective way.

[Read More]

Professors David Hambrick and Christopher Chabris discuss the value of the SAT in predicting success in college and even beyond as the SAT is a test of general intelligence and has a high correlative value with IQ tests, which has been used to predict job performance, income, health and even longevity.

The SAT does predict success in college—not perfectly, but relatively well, especially given that it takes just a few hours to administer. And, unlike a “complex portrait” of a student’s life, it can be scored in an objective way.

[Read More]

At this early stage of your high school career, it is very important to get to know your guidance counselors and send the signal that you are determined to do well and wish to stand out among your peers. This is because counselors are likely the ones who are going to write you a letter of recommendation for college.

Showing them your genuine willingness to make the best of your high school experience, and being well-behaved and courteous, will give you an advantage over other students. For example, when you need help registering for a school club, sport team or to get into a class, your counselor will be more than willing to help.

[Read More]
For foreign parents who are debating whether to send their children to high school in the U.S., author Danh Pham discusses the benefits of attending a U.S. high school for college admission. The relationship between student and guidance counselor appears more than once:

At this early stage of your high school career, it is very important to get to know your guidance counselors and send the signal that you are determined to do well and wish to stand out among your peers. This is because counselors are likely the ones who are going to write you a letter of recommendation for college.

Showing them your genuine willingness to make the best of your high school experience, and being well-behaved and courteous, will give you an advantage over other students. For example, when you need help registering for a school club, sport team or to get into a class, your counselor will be more than willing to help.

[Read More]