Haverford No Longer Uses StudentLoans

Haverford College is one of the latest, in a growing list of schools, to replace student loans with grants in an effort to increase the affordability of college. Starting next year, the Quaker school will eliminated loans for freshman and finance the effort by establishing an endowment funded by alumni.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/20071220_Haverford_College_moves_away_from_loans.html

Entincing Teachers to High-Need Schools

Yesterday, the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation announced a $17 million effort to push highly qualified teachers to high-poverty and struggling schools. Starting in 2009, the Princeton-based foundation will award hundreds of future teachers a $30,000 stipend to attend graduate school. The catch? These teachers will agree to teach for at least three years at high-need schools.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/19/AR2007121902292.html

Studying Facebook.com

Facebook, the social networking website, is now under the excited scrutiny of some social science scholars at Indiana, Northwestern, Penn State, and others. They are examining how young people are connecting to one another--something that Facebook allows them to do.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/17/style/17facebook.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

The Bullies' New Playground: Cyberspace

The case of Megan Meier put the harsh reality of cyber-bullying in the headlines. Eventhough it was a hoax, the idea that this sort of bullying can happen anywhere and anytime without ever meeting someone face to face is sobering.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/fashion/16meangirls.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Rise in Hispanic Students Prompts Increase in Bi-lingual Programs

The numbers of Hispanic students are on the rise--not in the urban environment, but in the suburban. A number of suburban schools are adding bi-lingual programs to their curriculum to meet the growing needs of this growing population.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/16Rschool.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

$500 College-fund for Maine 2009 Babies

Thanks to Harold Alfond, who founded the Dexter Shoe Co., every child born in Maine, starting 2009, will be eligible for $500 towards college. The benefactor passed away last month, but arranged for his philanthropic foundation to give out applications before parents leave the hospital.

Check out the entire article:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/content/education/chi-collegedec12,0,1382399.story

A Tablespoon of Culinary Art and a Dash of Science

Students at Thomas W. Pyle Middle School in Bethesda, Maryland are getting after-school cooking lessons sponsored by their PTSA and the Young Chef's Academy, a Texas-based cooking school for children. The nine-week session includes not only cooking lessons, but also information on the foods they cook--like why onions make them cry (the sulfuric acid!)--as well as advice on table manners.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/12/AR2007121201293.html

All In! Harvard Professor Thinks Poker Has Educational Benefit

The Global Poker Strategic Thinking Society, formed by Charles R. Nesson, a Harvad Law School professor, is dedicated to demonstrating that poker, which is probability based, requires risk assessment, situational analysis, and a gift for reading people, has educational benefits. "I see great advantage in hitting kids as early as sixth grade, when they're dropping out of math," stated professor Nesson. Opponents to this idea cite poker as a "gateway" drug to a bigger gambling addiction.

Read the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/12/nyregion/12poker.html?ref=education

Wires Not Welcome in Philadelphia Classrooms

A $40 million project to bring wireless internet into Philadelphia's 170,000 student school district was completed last month. It's an ongoing effort by Philadelphia school officials to modernize their classrooms.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/education/20071206_Project_brings_wireless_Internet_to_city_classrooms.html

Requiring Flu Vaccines for Preschool

The NJ Public Health Council is poised to vote today on a rule that would require flu vaccines for any child entering day care of preschool. If the rule is approved, it would make NJ the first state in the country to have this requirement.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/09/nyregion/09vaccine.html?ref=education

Science and Math - Test Shows U.S. Students Lag

Widely talked about, but recently confirmed again by an international test, students from the United States are lagging behind other countries' students in science and math. The test focused on science, but included a math section, this year.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/05/education/05scores.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

International Student Enrollments Rebounding in U.S.

The number international students enrolling in American colleges and universities is finally reaching pre-9/11 numbers. After one of the terrorists involved in the attack was found to have entered the country on a student visa, the Bush administration had tightened the number of visas given out to foreign students.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/education/20071205-1120-foreignstudents.html

Freshman at a NJ College Must Buy Textbooks and a Cell Phones

At Montclair State University, incoming freshman must get a campus cell phone, at a price of $210 per semester. While some grumble about the increased cost to their tuition, others praise the effort to ramp up security on the campus. Each phone comes with a GPS tracking device that would notify the police if it were activated.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.philly.com/philly/education/20071203_ap_atnjcollegestudentsmustbuycellphonewithgpstracking.html

AP Testing Milestone

In Montgomery County, Maryland, black students passed over one thousand Advanced Placement tests this year, making this Maryland school system, along with New York City public schools, to acheive this feat.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/03/AR2007120301878.html

"Checkbook" Math Making a Comeback?

Balancing a checkbook is a life skill, but students rarely, if ever, formally learn how to balance it. Once ubiquitous in high school curricula, consumer mathematics had become increasingly phased out with schools opting for higher math tracks leading to advanced placement tests. Now, schools in the DC metro area are re-thinking the idea of consumer math.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/01/AR2007120101607.html

Cutting Early Admissions

Pundits wondered if the move by Harvard, Princeton, and the University of Virginia to cut their early admission option would change the landscape of where students would apply. The thought was that these high achieving students would turn their attention to Yale, Georgetown, and other prestigious universities. The result?

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/education/28admissions.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Principal Leaves a Lasting Impression

Franklin Middle School's principal, Jim Friel, has given more than himself to his work and students. Now he has even given a piece of himself to a particular student: a kidney.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/20/AR2007112001548.html

Branding Your College Application

Madison Avenue meet the Common Application. In droves, students are looking to create their own brand identity and paying consultants a lot of money to do it. As one Manhattan firm puts it, they specialize in "each client's personal brand." As colleges and universities have continued to become more and more competitive, students have looked to distinguish themself from other applicants--which happens to be exactly what branding entails.

Check out the entire article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/28/education/28education.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Altered Grades?

David Klein of California State University at Northridge assessed the AP Calculus AB and IB Mathematics SL for a report for the Washington-based Fordham Insititute. Though he gave the IB course a C-, the report rated the course as a B-.

Check out the article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/26/AR2007112601933.html

Are Gifted Students Ignored by NCLB?

Some experts are joining parent advocate groups that question the intended and unintended consequences of the No Child Left Behind law. These groups feel that most of the funds provided by this law go to students who are on the "bubble" between success and failure on state assessment tests which focus teachers' attention on bringing these students up to minimum standards--all because there is no incentive to teach students who will meet these goals however they are taught.

Read the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/24/AR2007112401420.html

HS Students Mapping DNA

George Cachianes, a former researcher at Genentech, started a biotechnology course at Lincoln High School over ten years ago. He wanted to show young minds the future of this exciting field and how innovations can turn big profits--and his labs go beyond what most of us did in high school.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/technology/18ping.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

"O Captain! my Captain"

Akin to Robin Williams's character in "Dead Poet's Society," Andrew Trees drew the respect of many of his students and yet was informed his teaching contract would not be renewed at Horace Mann, an elite private school in the Bronx, NY.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/fashion/18mann.html?ref=education

Get Noticed and Get Recruited

Hilton Head Christian Academy, with a graduating class of 44 students, sent 13 of its student athletes to play at four year colleges and five of them to NCAA Division I schools. More impressive? Not all of the 44 graduates participated in sports. Athletic Director and football coach Tommy Lewis said, "It all starts with the athletes," but pointed out other factors as well.

Check out the full article at:
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/newsfeed/newsarticle.htm?id=I2945149360

Bad Behavior Doesn't Necessarily Lead to Poor Grades

Two new studies show that parents' and educators' fears of behavior problem students not performing well at higher grades is exagerrated. One study found that identified kindergartners perform on par with those that are not considered behaviorally challenged. The other study revealed that children with diagnosed attention deficit disorders suffer from a delay in brain development, not from a flaw.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/health/13kids.html?adxnnl=1&ref=education&adxnnlx=1195221809-ovG1nC/Yfl6/xOb9PqhKwQ

Top Colleges Welcome Low-Income Students

Questbridge, a non-profit start up based in Palo Alto, California, is a program that matches high performing, low-income students with the nation's top schools like Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and Amherst. For helping diversify their school population, the schools give scholarships to these recruited students.

Check out the whole article at:
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/newsfeed/newsarticle.htm?id=I2077278976

Concerning Math and Science, Who's Better: Us or Them?

A new study was released yesterday that cited US students are out performing students from many foreign countries like Italy and Norway in math and science. Sounds great, right? Wait. Students from many Asian countries, like Singapore and China, are significantly out performing American students in these categories--even in those from our highest performing states like Massachussetts.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/14/education/14students.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Talking and Texting

New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, approved a pilot program aimed at historically lower acheiving students from two schools to incentivise and mentor them to higher performance. Each student will receive a cell phone and for their performance in school can earn ring tones, free minutes, or even a call from celebrities like Jay-Z and Chris Rock!

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/13/education/13schools.html?ref=education

No Books But Plenty of Questions

Shimer College is one of a handful of institutions known as Great-books colleges. At these colleges, you won't find a lecture hall but instead you will find inquisitive literati seated around a boardroom table discussing the nuances of Nabokov.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/04/education/edlife/shimer.html?_r=1&ref=edlife&oref=slogin

President Bush's Brother's Firm Subject of Inquiry by Dept. of Education

Ignite Learning, a firm owned by the president's brother, Neil Bush, is under inquiry by the Department of Education for a possible misuse of federal money. John P. Higgins, the Inspector General, is reviewing the matter that was brought up by a group called Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

Check out the article for:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/washington/07neil.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

iPhone versus The College Professor

Professor Ali Nazemi has a zero tolerance for cell phones in his classroom and he's not alone. As devices become smaller and more convenient, they have become ubiquitious in the classroom.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/07/education/07education.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

No Child Left Behind Reauthorization Stalls

The law, originally passed in 2001, will remain in effect without Congressional action, but leaders in Congress and the administration have promised to make key changes to improve the act this year. Despite hours of Congressional debate, no Senator or Representative has moved forward with reauthorization.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/washington/06child.html?ref=education

No Blackboard, No Lecturn, No Way!

Welcome to the world of online education--the future of the soon-to-be obsolete classroom. According to a College Board study, published last week, that nearly 1 out of every 5 graduate students took an online course last year. Though this surge is mostly contained to Community Colleges and professional programs, it certainly a marker of the growing popularity of distance learning.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/31/education/31education.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Everything but the Sword...

In Aberdeen, NJ, an elementary school's Halloween celebration included a Power Ranger without a sword, a cowboy without a gun, and a devil without a pitch fork. A growing number of elementary schools across the country are striving to make the October 31st celebration less violent.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/28/nyregion/28halloween.html?ref=education

College Tuition or Inflation, Which is Rising Faster?

It is not a trick question. College tuition rates, not including room and board, have jumped over 6%, from last year, in public and private institutions. Consumer prices have risen less than 3% over recent years.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/23/education/23tuition.html?ref=education

Detering High School Drop Outs with College Courses

Four years of high school, then four years of college? Not so, if New York City's pilot program to help curb high school drop out rates is implemented. The program strives to mix in college credited classes with high school classes to award a bachelor's degree in seven years.

Read the full article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/education/24regents.html?ref=education

Superintendant Sends Errant Email

Don't hit the "Send" button too quickly! That's the lesson Dr. Farrell, superintendant of Catskill schools in NY, learned when her errant email was received by a less than enthused 6th grade teacher.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/nyregion/25towns.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

OMG--HPPY BDAY TXT MSG!

A popular form of communication between teens with cell phones turns 15 yrs. old today and continues to its rise into the mainstream. More than 158 billion texts were sent last year and that number should rise this year! English teachers, however, are the ones noticing the rise of text message language in their students' essays.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/newsfeed/newsarticle.htm?id=I1330941388

To Interview or Not To Interview?

According to a recent NACAC (National Association of College Admissions Counselors) study, college interviews figure less than other factors into the admissions decision. This, however, does not cut down the stress--anxiety over the college interview is still alive and well.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nacacnet.org/MemberPortal/News/newsfeed/newsarticle.htm?id=I3252867888

The Little Rock Nine: Seven Stories

Wonderful interactive article from the New York Times, about the nine students who were turned away from Central High School's doors in 1957 Arkansas. Seven of the nine recount the time after the historic event.

The interactive article:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2007/10/01/us/20071001_LITTLEROCK_GRAPHIC.html#

Harvard Inaugurates First Woman President

Drew Gilpin Faust becomes Harvard University's first female president.

Check out the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/13/education/13harvard.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

DOE toughening on college work-study program

A minimum of 7% of work-study programs should be awarded to students engaged in Community Service.

Check out the article:
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2007/10/11/workstudy

Edwards Lays Out Education Reform

Presidential candidate, John Edwards, layed out his education reform last week. He wants to overhaul the current system, citing that the "No Child Left Behind" Act was not working for the nation's poor students, that they were being sent to school that were "separate and unequal."

Read the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/22/us/politics/22edwards.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Loan Vocabulary

Do you speak the student loan language? Be literate, check out this helpful list of terms!

See the list at:
http://www.studentloannetwork.com/student-loan-articles/student-loan-glossary.php

Charles Murray: No More SAT!

Social scientist, Charles Murray, is calling for an end to the SAT. He calls it [the SAT] a, "corrosive symbol of privilege." His intrigue with the test began after he read the University of California's 2001 study that showed that a student's high school grades and scores on the SAT Subject Tests were a more reliable predictor of college success than the SAT I Reasoning Test.

Check out Charles's article at:
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-august-magazine-contents/abolish-the-sat

Collegeboard Closes Student Loan program

Though it will honor its obligation to borrowers through Academic Year 2007-2008, The College Board decided in April to end its student loan program citing that the new legislation and Code of Conduct policies have the unintended consequence of limiting The College Board's ability to fulfill its mission as a membership association. As a lender in the FFELP, The College Board contracted with Sallie Mae and Citibank to originate, service, and purchase student loans.

Check out the press release at:

http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/185157.html

Test Anxiety!

Interesting article about a Maryland high school student who certainly seems like she has the knowledge to pass high school assessment tests, but for some reason freezes.

Check out the article at:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.student19sep19,0,3612632.story

History bafflling for College Students?

Do you know the battle that ended the American Revolution? Or why NATO was formed? USA Today reports that only 50.4% of college freshman know the answer to these and many more questions on a wide ranging civic literacy test. Seniors in college only scored, on average, 54.2%.

Check out the article at:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-09-17-history-test_N.htm

Educators Oppose Education Measure in House

This week, The House of Representatives debated a change to the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Among these changes was a pilot program to allow districts to determine their own criteria for AYP. Many civil rights groups spoke out against this measure citing that it had, "the potential to set back accountability by years, if not decades."

Does it make sense to have different standards for different areas? Should "proficiency" really be determined by region?

Read the article at:

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/11/education/11child.html?ref=education

SAT Test Takers at an All-Time High

According to a College Board press release, the SAT is growing! Nearly 1.5 million Class of '07 students took the SAT--and it was the most diverse group ever. Certainly this underlines the growing importance of a college education and the path to attain it. Additionally, the number of fee waivers increased by31 percent over the past two years, making this test available to whom it was not just a few years ago.

Read the full article at:

http://www.collegeboard.com/press/releases/185222.html