Education secretary, Arne Duncan, proposes that Pell Grants and other government money for higher education be based on how well such institutions reform, such as in holding down tuition, accelerating the time to earn a degree, boosting completion rates, and closing gaps in student achievement. Too many colleges prefer the status quo, says Mr. Duncan. He quotes President Woodrow Wilson, who once led Princeton University, as saying that “changing a curriculum is like moving a graveyard – you never know how many friends the dead have until you try to move them.” Can federal incentives really break through the resistance of faculty to adopting new ideas?
