Education, teaching, academics

Writing for The Boston Globe, Prof. Joshua Angrist, Prof. Parag Pathak and Amanda Schmidt of Blueprint Labs examine the effectiveness of Boston’s school assignment system and transportation policy. “Boston schools have improved greatly since 1974: Dropout rates for all students have declined, and gaps by race, while still present, have narrowed,” they write. “School assignment plans originating in 1974 may therefore be less useful today. It’s time to consider changing transportation policy in light of these changes in the city’s education landscape.” 

Postdoctoral associate Stewart Isaacs SM ’19 PhD ’24 speaks with Physics Today reporter Toni Feder about his passion for the sport of jump roping, research into solar-powered egg incubators for use in West Africa, and his work at MIT focused on addressing climate change and social inequities through the development of clean energy systems. “In jump rope, you have the basic building blocks of tricks. You need to combine them in ways that look interesting and are creative and fun to do. In engineering, you have the basic building blocks of physics. When you need to solve a problem, you need to come up with a creative solution to get there,” says Isaacs of the intersection between jump roping and scientific research. “And jump rope is hard. To be really good at it takes a lot of effort. The habits of working hard and problem-solving are also very useful in engineering.”

MIT has been ranked the No. 2 university in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025. “In total, 2,092 universities across 115 countries or regions are represented in the ranking, and 30 of these countries have at least one university in the top 200,” explains Times Higher Ed.

MIT has been named the No. 2 university in the world, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, reports Rosa Ellis. “The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is now the US’ highest-ranked university, in second place globally, its best-ever performance,” explains Ellis.

MIT has been named the number 2 university in the nation on U.S. News & World Report’s annual list of the country’s top universities and colleges, reports Ross Cristantiello for Boston.com 

MIT has been named to the second spot in U.S News & World Report’s “Best National University Rankings,” reports Frank O’Laughlin for Boston 25 News.

MIT was named the number 2 university in the nation in U.S. News & World Report’s annual ranking of the best colleges and universities in the country, reports Travis Andersen for The Boston Globe.

Writing for Nature, Prof. Ritu Raman explores how she drew upon her childhood experiences attending different schools across three continents to inform her teaching practices. “Although my pedagogy is still very much a work in progress, my current philosophy involves three main factors: pipettes (knowing when to put on some gloves and teach hands-on); practice (learning when to step aside and enable independent exploration); and patience (centering optimism in my view of students and science),” writes Raman. “With pipettes, practice and patience, I hope to embrace and enjoy the nonlinear nature of teaching and learning.”

The Wall Street Journal has named MIT one of the overall best colleges in the United States, as well as one of the best colleges at improving the financial futures of its graduates, reports Jeremy Fox for The Boston Globe. 

Boston Globe columnist Scott Kirsner spotlights Prof. Mitchel Resnick, Prof. Neil Gershenfeld, and the late Prof. Emeritus Woodie Flowers and their work developing programs that “get kids excited about, and more proficient in, STEM.” Kirsner underscores: “Each of the initiatives brings some of the hands-on problem solving, messiness, and collaborative prototyping elements of MIT’s culture into the wider world. And they’ve all had a big impact on the way kids learn about technology.”

Forbes has named MIT among the top colleges on their America’s Top Colleges list, reports Beth Treffeisen for Boston.com. “Forbes ranked the schools based on alumni salaries, debt, graduation rates, return on investment, retention rates, academic success, and its own “American Leaders List,” including Forbes 30 Under 30 and Forbes 400,” explains Treffeisen. 

The Wall Street Journal has named MIT the top university in the country for improving the financial future of its graduates, reports Kevin McAllister for The Wall Street Journal. “At MIT, paths to successful careers often stem from in-class experiences,” writes McAllister. “Former MIT students contacted for this story were generally quick to credit influential professors and their classroom methods, such as teaching critical thinking.”

The Princeton Review has named MIT amongst the 10 most studious colleges, reports Kamaron McNair for CNBC. “The publication takes schools from its annual list of Best Colleges and ranks them on different metrics based on student surveys,” explains McNair. “Its ranking of schools where students study the most is based on the results of a survey asking students how many hours outside of class they spend studying each day.” 

MIT ranks high on the Forbes’ America’s Top Colleges list of colleges providing the best ROI, reports Forbes’ Francesca Walton. Walton notes that MIT offers its students “stellar ROIs.” The magazine applied various economic metrics to Forbes’ top 500 colleges list, yielding “25 schools that offer a low-debt education and promise high earnings potential,” Walton explains. 

MIT ranked third in a list of "2025 Best Value Colleges in America" reports Aislinn Murphy for Fox Business. Education data website Niche compiled a list ranking more than 1,000 four-year colleges and universities using various economic metrics. It also named MIT as best in academics.