Carol On Education » Carol J. Carter

Hispanics one-fifth of K-12 students

CAROL’S SUMMARY: By 2050, the United States will be a majority Hispanic country. Right now, Hispanic students make up one fifth of k-12 students. Here are some questions to think through as we prepare to be the most educated country in the world by 2020:

Â· How many k-12 teachers are able to speak Spanish?

Â· How much will non-Hispanic children benefit long term from learning Spanish?

Â· In what ways do our schools and teachers need to work effectively with the
Spanish native population, their families and their parents?

Â· How will the US as a whole benefit from this rich cultural opportunity?

Â· What specific learning characteristics do k-12 educators need to know to maximize opportunities for Hispanic students and all other students as we march forward to set a world standard for education?

ARTICLE:

By Hope Yen, Associated Press

WASHINGTON â€” Roughly one-fourth of the nation’s kindergartners are Hispanic, evidence of an accelerating trend that now will see minority children become the majority by 2023.
Census data released Thursday also showed that Hispanics make up about one-fifth of all K-12 students. Hispanics’ growth and changes in the youth population are certain to influence political debate, from jobs and immigration to the No Child Left Behind education, for years.

Visit www.usatoday.com for the entire article

Share this Article with Your Friends:

National Standards Gain Steam

CAROL’S SUMMARY: To gauge where we are against other developed and developing nations, national standards are an important benchmark. One of the national models currently in place in schools is provided by the American School Counselors Association (ASCA) . This model outlines a stair step program for students in K-12 in areas of academics, career exploration and personal skills. Certainly a â€œsoft skillsâ€ model like this can be paired with other measurements like test scores, attendance, school involvement and grades. Overall, our schools will be tasked with producing students who can measure or exceed world class standards and who can also be world-class citizens. Those two goals arenâ€™t mutually exclusive but need a dual emphasis to make that reality happen in the U.S.

Beyond national measurements, parents should be asking two important questions:

1) What experiences is my child having to promote learning, growth and understanding (these are often outside of schoolâ€”in the community and the world)

2) To what extent is my child learning to work hard on behalf of his goals? (the

rest of the world has many smart people able to work two or more jobs to

make their goals happen)

To be world class, America needs students who can stand toe to toe, intellectually, with students in other countries. Two, they will need to learn to work just as hard as their foreign counterparts. Three, they will need to develop their leadership skills to be truthful, honest and ethical members of their communities and the companies for which they will someday work. If we can start with this vision in K-12 and promote this in what we teach with our teachers, parents and principals, we will have a nation of world-wide leadersâ€”not just learned graduatesâ€”by 2020.

ARTICLE:

Governorsâ€™ Embrace Rooted in Competitiveness Concerns
By David J. Hoff

National standardsâ€”once the untouchable “third rail” of American education policyâ€”now have the backing of the nationâ€™s governors, a growing number of education leaders, and the U.S. secretary of education.

The National Governors Association last week adopted a policy statement endorsing a process to develop common academic standards by comparing student performance on international tests.

The governors join several education groupsâ€”the Council of the Great City Schools, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and the American Federation of Teachers among themâ€”in endorsing the idea that the nation should set a common definition of what students should know and be able to do.

Visit www.edweek.org for the entire article

Share this Article with Your Friends:

Bridging the Character Education Achievement Gap

By Paul Sutton, Posted February 26, 2009 on www.edweek.org

Throughout his now-famous “Last Lecture,” the late Carnegie Mellon University professor of computer science Randy Pausch talked about what he called the “head fake.” It is the idea that learning and education work best when they work on the personal and general levels simultaneously. Itâ€™s clear what calculus can teach a high school student. But beyond that learning, a character education lesson on the dialogues between Socrates and Crito can teach critical-reading skills and democratic dialogue, while also teaching personal and social justice and integrity. The study of both calculus and Socrates demands intellectual rigor, and yet these subjects are not valued in the same way in our public high schools.

Visit www.edweek.org for the entire article

Share this Article with Your Friends:

Rethinking College Prep Costs in Tough Times

In an effort to optimally prepare their sons and daughter for college success, parents often pay thousands of dollars to give them a leg up before they ever step foot on campus. In our current challenging economic climate, families may need to revise their strategy and enlist the help of free resources right around them: the school guidance counselor, college admissions counselors, and other frugal parents whoâ€™ve already successfully helped their kids work through the maze.

1) What balance exits with school counselorâ€™s time between high-potential students and students who struggle? What alternatives can we develop to involve and challenge all level of students about their future so that they can all progress effectively? The advisory class during the semester and summer boot camp or reading programs are some possibilities to achieve this.

2) How can parents be more creative about helping their studentâ€™s access free or lower-cost resources? What is the trade-off to well-meaning parents who do too much work for their children? What does that teach their students about self-sufficiency? What does that teach their students about how to work through difficulty and figure things out on your ownâ€”a key component to adult and workplace success?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
By ALINA TUGEND, Posted February 28, 2009 on www.nytimes.com

WATCHING our sonsâ€™ college funds dwindle to almost nothing, I am grateful that my older son is on his way to high school, not a university, this fall. Otherwise, we would not only be facing a staggering tuition bill, but we would also have to pay for what has become the obligatory precollege marathon.

Perhaps nothing, except the anxiety before the birth of a first baby, can match the concern parents feel about prepping for college. There is the same desire to control the process and fear that making a mistake can ruin a childâ€™s future.

So I can understand the inclination to buy every product and service possible to cover all bases.

Visit www.nytimes.com for the entire article

Share this Article with Your Friends:

College Makes New Connections With Service-Learning Program

CAROL’S SUMMARY: In the past several years, service-learning has spread rapidly throughout communities, K-12 institutions, and colleges and universities. The recently issued report, entitled “Learning in Deed” from the National Commission on Service-Learning (Fiske, 2001) quoted National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) estimates that in the 2000-2001 academic year, more than 13 million school students were involved in service and service-learning.

One of best things about service learning, or volunteering, is that it helps students connect academics to real-world problems. When students have the opportunity to make this connection, it enriches their learning experience and broadens their understanding that the value of an education isn’t only found in what they can get, but in what they can give. Here are some questions to consider if you’re planning to enroll in a service learning program:

1) What kinds of service learning opportunities does the school, college or university you’re attending or considering offer? Is this offered across disciplines or only in the field of sociology?

2) On a scale of 1-5 (1=low; 5=high), how would you rank the quality of your school’s service learning program?

3) In what ways can service learning help you build and demonstrate leadership skills?

4) What kinds of causes are you most passionate about?

5) How are these experiences creating the leader within your child to be world-class ready, i.e. to have the skills and abilities to solve business, world and community problems in the most effective way?

ARTICLE:

Academic departments at Wagner collaborate with community agencies to deepen students’ volunteerism

By ELYSE ASHBURN, From the Chronicle of Higher Ed, February 27, 2009

Staten Island, N.Y.

Stuffing envelopes instills many qualities: humility, patience, tough fingers, and a pasty tongue. It is not, however, known for expanding the intellect. That’s what college is supposed to do.

And there’s the rub. It has been a persistent tension since the 1990s, when service learning became de rigueur on college campuses. At its most basic, service learning moves volunteer work from campus clubs into the classroom. How that actually plays out varies widely from place to place. Many colleges scatter students across dozens or even hundreds of community groups. Even within a single service-learning course, students might be working with a half-dozen different agencies.

From the Chronicle of Higher Ed, February 27, 2009

To view this article you must subscribe to http://chronicle.com

Share this Article with Your Friends:

Presidentâ€™s Budget Would End Bank-Based Student Lending and Significantly Expand Pell Grants

In keeping his promise to help every student afford a college degree, President Obama has signed into law a bill that abolishes the widely used bank-based student loan programs and put the savings toward the Federal Pell Grant. The Pell Grant, unlike a loan, does not have to be repaid. Pell Grants are generally awarded only to undergraduate students who have not earned a bachelor’s or a professional degree. For additional information about student aid, you can choose to visit this web site:Â http://studentaid.ed.gov/

Read the rest of this entry »

Share this Article with Your Friends:

The 3 Râ€™s? A Fourth Is Crucial, Too: Recess

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Research shows that recess, or play time, has a direct impact on the academic success of students. It gives the brain a rest and helps improve behavioral, attention, and concentration problems. Creativity, imagination and stress-reduction are central to recreating and playing.

Questions to consider:
1. How much recess time does your childâ€™s school allow?
2. Can you apply this method to homework and chores?
3. How much fun is in your life? In your childâ€™s?

ARTICLE:

By TARA PARKER-POPE,

Posted February 24, 2009 at www.nytimes.com

The best way to improve childrenâ€™s performance in the classroom may be to take them out of it.

New research suggests that play and down time may be as important to a childâ€™s academic experience as reading, science and math, and that regular recess, fitness or nature time can influence behavior, concentration and even grades.

A study published this month in the journal Pediatrics studied the links between recess and classroom behavior among about 11,000 children age 8 and 9. Those who had more than 15 minutes of recess a day showed better behavior in class than those who had little or none. Although disadvantaged children were more likely to be denied recess, the association between better behavior and recess time held up even after researchers controlled for a number of variables, including sex, ethnicity, public or private school and class size.

Visit www.nytimes.com for the entire article

Share this Article with Your Friends:

Academic Integrity and Student Plagiarism: a Question of Education, Not Ethics

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Currently, the fight against plagiarism is approached by two schools of thought: moral and criminal. Both insist on academic integrity, yet both remain rather vague as to the definition of the intangible plagiarism.

Susan D. Bloom suggests that in this information and common-knowledge age, a third school that teaches the skill of proper citation is needed. That having professors teaching when, where, and how to cite will help students avoid plagiarism.

Questions to consider:
1. Do you know when to cite a quote?
2. How do you cite information in your school assignments?
3. What would make citation easier for you?

ARTICLE:

By SUSAN D. BLUM,

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, February 23, 2009

Student plagiarism is a problem on many college campuses. The two main approaches that institutions use to prevent it call for treating plagiarism either as morally wrong or as a crime. But neither avenue can be universally successful.

Institutions that approach the problem of plagiarism as a matter of morality often create honor codes. Such codes appeal to the desire of students to do the right thing. The codes assume that, with appropriate social pressure, they will. Students are asked to affirm that they will practice virtuous conduct as members of an academic community.

But while students may subscribe to the principles embodied in the notion of academic integrity, other principles can lead them to plagiarize or accept their classmates’ infractions. For instance, friendship and friendliness â€” student solidarity â€” are virtues that often take precedence over adherence to an academic code of honor.

To view this entire article you must subscribe to http://chronicle.com

Share this Article with Your Friends:

The New Reverse Transfer

CAROL’S SUMMARY: The number of students transferring from four-year colleges to 2-year colleges has increased. Some have transferred due to financial hardship during this rough economy. Community colleges are cheaper and class sizes are typically smaller.

Community colleges can be an import stepping stone. It is extremely important to leave with an associateâ€™s degree, because it makes it so much easier if you decide to go back and earn a baccalaureate degree. Reverse transfer students should still graduate with a mindset of success with a track record (4 year and 2 year combined) which show their accomplishments and point to their potential for real contributions in the world of work.

Questions to consider:
1. If youâ€™re still in high school, have you decided what type of college you will go to?
2. Has this article affected your decision?
3. If youâ€™re already in college, does this sound like an advantageous move for you? What will you save financially if you spend four years at a state college versus a community college?

ARTICLE:

February 18, 2009, From the Chronicle of Higher Education, February 18, 2009

Stephanie Jamiot is a community college transfer student, but not the kind one might expect. Instead of following the steady flow of students who move from two-year institutions to four-year institutions, she is one of a growing number of so-called â€œreverse transfersâ€ who leave four-year universities to attend community college.

Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland — Ohio’s largest two-year institution and the one Jamiot currently attends — had an 11 percent increase in the number of â€œreverse transfersâ€ this spring compared to last. These students mostly come from public and private institutions around Ohio. Nationally, the American Association of Community Colleges notes that a third of all two-year students previously attended a four-year institution. The recession has led to surge in community college enrollments this year, and some experts believe these “reverse transfers” are an important and sometimes overlooked portion of that growing student body at two-year institutions.

â€” David Moltz

To view this entire article you must subscribe to http://chronicle.com

Share this Article with Your Friends:

Statesâ€™ Stimulus Money Is Expected to Be a Salve, Not a Panacea

CAROL’S SUMMARY: The stimulus bill President Obama signed will provide nearly $54-billion in state aid to help with the worst budget cuts proposed for public colleges. During this time, colleges will be faced with retiring professors, a greater number of adjuncts and undergraduates, many of whom need remediation for math or English. Undergraduates will need to take a greater responsibility for their initiative as learners.

Questions to consider:

1. What is the ratio of teaching faculty to research faculty?
2. What are your goals in going to college?
3. If you are at a college, how can you best support yourself with an indreased workload?

ARTICLE:

By ERIC KELDERMAN, From the Chronicle of Higher Education, February 18, 2009

Washington

The nearly $54-billion that Congress is directing to state aid for education as part of the stimulus bill President Obama signed on Tuesday may stave off the worst budget cuts proposed for public colleges. But the money is unlikely to be able to plug all of the budget holes, and some university officials worry the measure could make it easier for states to spend less on higher education in the future.

And while colleges welcome the extra money from federal coffers, they note that the money comes with some strings. The funds also will have to flow through the complex political process in the nationâ€™s statehouses before it is appropriated to educational institutions, giving legislators and governors a greater opportunity to influence who will benefit from the money.
Close to three-quarters of the money in what the bill dubbed the â€œstate fiscal-stabilization fundâ€ is designated for states to funnel to public colleges and school districts, which could use the money in various ways, including to restore budget cuts, prevent layoffs, or modernize facilities (The Chronicle, February 16). The rest of the money in the bill will be given to governors to spend on high-priority needs, which could include construction money for public or private colleges, and to the secretary of education to reward performance.

To view this article you must subscribe to http://chronicle.com

Share this Article with Your Friends: