CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the first time, we have in one place baseline statistics about many areas of concern to the humanities community. In an essay entitled, “The Humanities: The Case for Data” – part of a special edition on the humanities published in Liberal Education (Vol. 96, No. 1, Winter 2010) – American Academy Chief Executive Officer Leslie Berlowitz describes the Academy’s Humanities Indicators project: a prototype for collecting data necessary to answer questions about the state of the humanities and how they are faring.
Modeled after the Science and Engineering Indicators, published by the National Science Board, the Humanities Indicators provide statistics about areas of concern to the humanities community, including K-12 education, undergraduate and graduate education, the humanities workforce, research and funding for the humanities, and the humanities in American life beyond the academy.
In her article Berlowitz suggests that, “Existing and new data will help academic departments and cultural organizations understand trends, determine priorities, and measure progress in specific areas, [allowing] educational leaders, policy makers, scholars, teachers, and interested citizens [to] form a more complete picture of what is working and where interventions are needed” in the humanities.The winter edition of Liberal Education is available online at http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/index.cfm.
For more about the Humanities Indicators visit www.HumanitiesIndicators.org.
Modeled after the Science and Engineering Indicators, published by the National Science Board, the Humanities Indicators provide statistics about areas of concern to the humanities community, including K-12 education, undergraduate and graduate education, the humanities workforce, research and funding for the humanities, and the humanities in American life beyond the academy.
In her article Berlowitz suggests that, “Existing and new data will help academic departments and cultural organizations understand trends, determine priorities, and measure progress in specific areas, [allowing] educational leaders, policy makers, scholars, teachers, and interested citizens [to] form a more complete picture of what is working and where interventions are needed” in the humanities.The winter edition of Liberal Education is available online at http://www.aacu.org/liberaleducation/index.cfm.
For more about the Humanities Indicators visit www.HumanitiesIndicators.org.