Carol On Education » Carol J. Carter

DPS fails kids, fed school chief says

CAROL’S SUMMARY: The Detroit Public Schools are plagued with funding trouble, a high poverty rate, and some of the poorest scores in the state. And it is estimated that two-thirds to three-fourths of ninth-graders drop out before graduation.

Questions to consider:
1. What can be done to help the Detroit Public Schools?

ARTICLE:

Education secretary says district must be improved

Jennifer Mrozowski and Mike Wilkinson / The Detroit News,

Posted February 14, 2009 at www.detnews.com

The new U.S. Secretary of Education on Friday said the federal government has a moral obligation to reform Detroit’s failing city schools, which he said will be a “huge focus” of his tenure.

“Without getting into too many details, I am extraordinarily concerned about the poor quality of education, quite frankly, the children of Detroit are receiving,” Secretary Arne Duncan told reporters during comments on the federal stimulus package. “I lose sleep over that one. And I think the dropout rate there is devastating.”

Detroit must work to improve the education system, he said. In the meantime, the federal government is keeping an eye on the district, where as many as two-thirds of the students may be dropping out.

Visit www.detnews.com for the entire article

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Adolescents Involved With Music Do Better In School

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Studies show that participation in music, such as music lessons or attending concerts, has a positive effect on academic performance in reading and mathematics.

Questions to consider:
1. Why do you think this is?
2. Is your child involved with music?

ARTICLE:

From Science Daily, February 11, 2009

ScienceDaily (Feb. 11, 2009) â€” A new study in the journal Social Science Quarterly reveals that music participation, defined as music lessons taken in or out of school and parents attending concerts with their children, has a positive effect on reading and mathematic achievement in early childhood and adolescence. Additionally, socioeconomic status and ethnicity affect music participation.
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Study: College success starts early

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Study shows that how a student progresses in elementary and middle school is a major factor on college preparation. High school can not be solely responsible for preparing students for college. Preparations need to be made early on by raising the level of rigor at each educational level.

Questions to consider:
1. What can you do to help your student prepare at an early age?

ARTICLE:

College preparation begins in elementary and middle school, too, authors say
By Tara Malone
Tribune reporter
December 11, 2008

Fewer than 2 in 10 of the nation’s 8th graders are on track to be academically prepared for college, and high school may be too late to bring them up to speed, according to a study released Wednesday.

The report found that how students fare in middle school is a leading predictor of their ability to succeed in college or the workplace after high school. Research by Iowa City-based ACT suggests that students who are not academically prepared going into high school are unlikely to make up ground even with rigorous schooling and academic help. The trend cut across demographic and economic lines.

Visit www.chicagotribune.com for the entire article

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Tennessee program standardizes alternative education

CAROL’S SUMMARY: The National Alternative Education Association adopted Tennesseeâ€™s alternative education program as the first national framework for programs to help at-risk students succeed in school. Recommended guidelines include a teacher-student ration of no more than 1:12, participation in secondary programs that tie into career interests, student plans for needs, and cooperation with law enforcement.

Questions to consider:
1. Do you know someone this education program could help?

ARTICLE:

National group adopts state’s model

By Juanita Cousins, Posted February 12, 2009 at www.tennessean.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Tennessee education officials have created the first national blueprint for alternative education programs to help at-risk students succeed in school.

The program sets quality standards for educating students who have been suspended, expelled or have dropped out.

“We are talking about the most challenged of challenging youths,” Tennessee Alternative Education Coordinator James Vince Witty said. “A lot of these students are underperforming academically, have learning disabilities and behavioral issues.”

Last week, the National Alternative Education Association adopted Tennessee’s program as the first national framework for alternative education programs, according to the state’s Department of Education. Witty is the association’s vice president.

Visit www.tennessean.com for the entire article

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â€˜Teaching Unprepared Studentsâ€™

From the Chronicle of Higher Education, November 25, 2008

Many experts say that the United States can only truly see gains in the percentages of adults who have a college degree if colleges and universities get better at teaching students who arrived on campus unprepared for college-level work. But many professors find themselves frustrated by teaching such students â€” and many of the students drop out. Read the rest of this entry »

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Rising Enrollments Buoy Some Colleges, Burden Others

CAROL’S SUMMARY: The current economic crisis has some colleges in a panic. Private colleges that rely on tuition to pay for a majority of their operation costs are getting hit hard with declining enrollment. Returning students are finding out they canâ€™t afford to finish right now and freshmen classes are smaller than last year.

Questions to consider:
1. How has the economic crisis affected your educational plans?
2. What do you plan to do about it?

ARTICLE:

Most Colleges Fill Classrooms Even as Students Struggle to Pay
By PAUL BASKEN,

http://chronicle.com

Section: Money & Management
Volume 55, Issue 14, Page A1

The nation’s economic crisis is bringing colleges higher borrowing costs, smaller endowments, tighter budgets, and fears over the availability of loans for their students.
Yet one of the most critical factors in colleges’ health â€” student enrollment â€” appears to be largely holding strong, at least for now.

Tuition and fees are the top source of revenue at private four-year colleges, with smaller institutions relying on those funds especially heavily. The loss of even a handful of students can bring some institutions to the brink of collapse.

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

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At Community Colleges, a Call to Meet New Students at the Front Door

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Sense, a survey of community college retention, noted that these schools typically lose about half of their students before the studentsâ€™ second year. The goal of the survey was to find out why.
The results show that many students are unaware of the services their college offers during the first weeks of their first semester. In hopes of higher retention, the Sense suggests that community colleges reach out to their new students earlier and more aggressively with orientation, academic advising, and financial aid.
Questions to consider:
1. Did you feel welcome at your school during the first weeks of your first semester?
2. What could your school do to make students feel welcome and promote retention and success?

ARTICLE:

From the issue dated March 28, 2008
By LIBBY SANDER

http://chronicle.com

Section: Students
Volume 54, Issue 29, Page A25

Community-college students, like students anywhere, begin to form their impressions of an institution the instant they set foot on its campus. And often what they find during those first few weeks can determine whether they come back for more â€” or turn heel and leave.

The findings from a new study, the Survey of Entering Student Engagement, may offer some clues as to why those who leave do so, and what officials can do to make them stay.

The survey results, which were released this week, show that a large number of students are unaware of their college’s core services in the opening weeks of their first semester. And only one in five said they felt welcome at their institutions the first time they came to campus.

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

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Indianapolis Metropolitan High School helps its grads in college

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Indianapolis Metropolitan High School counselors consider helping former students navigate college part of their job. Most of their students are the first in their family to go to college, so they donâ€™t have a voice of experience to turn to. Counselors are available by phone or email to answer questions and check in a couple times a semester to see how the students are doing.

This type of program is rare, but when it comes to helping students pursue their educational goals-the more help the better.

Questions to consider:
1. Do you have someone to turn to for questions about college?
2. Would you propose a program like this for your childâ€™s school?

ARTICLE:

January 31, 2009
By Andy Gammill
andy.gammill@indystar.com

Felisha Dugan didn’t know what to do last fall when she arrived at Indiana State University and couldn’t afford any of her textbooks.

Fearing she’d fall behind in her classes, the 18-year-old turned to an unlikely source of help: a college counselor provided by her high school. Dugan, a biology major, attended Indianapolis Metropolitan High School, which has a guidance counselor to help former students navigate their way through college.

Visit www.indystar.com for the entire article

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Alternative Measure of Success

Currently, graduation rates are measured by the U.S. government by the proportion of students who earn a degree within 150 percent of the expected time (six years for a bachelorâ€™s degree and three years for an associate degree). The U.S. government only counts first-time, full-time students.

The University of Alaska at Anchorage has decided to create its own measure of success and include all types of students and extending to ten years, asking whether the student met their goal or at least made progress on a goal.

Questions to consider:
1. Which measure do you prefer?
2. Do you feel youâ€™ve been successful in pursuing your educational goals?
3. If not, have you made progress?

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ARTICLE:

Get any group of college presidents, assessment experts or education researchers together, and it’s not hard to get a consensus that the federal graduation rate is seriously if not fatally flawed.

According to the U.S. government, graduation rates are measured by the proportion of students who earn a degree within 150 percent of the expected time six years for a bachelor’s degree and three years for an associate degree. The formula counts only one group of students: first-time, full-time students. Not surprisingly, elite, residential colleges that serve well-prepared students do amazingly well by this methodology, routinely having rates in the 90s. But for many other colleges, the graduation rate is both irrelevant (they may have very few first-time, full-time students) and infuriating (the institution that takes full-time, first-time students that other institutions pass over may well be working harder and more effectively, but looks lousy by comparison to the wealthy institution that serves the wealthy.)

Visit http://insidehighered.com for the entire article

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Study Aid or Ethical Breach?

Itâ€™s no secret that technology and the Internet are continually revolutionizing the educational world. In yet another high-tech twist, a new Web site is encouraging students to submit old tests for others to view.

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