Phoenix Risen

CAROL’S SUMMARY
The 88-year-old founder of the University of Phoenix, John Sperling, is an inspiration for lifelong learning and career success. At age 53, he changed careers and began a concept for working adults which has, years later, mushroomed into the $10 billion company called the University of Phoenix. Now, at age 88, his next life goal is working toward sustainable energy while continuing to steer U of P.

U of P has its critics as a for-profit institution, but no matter what you think of the concept, it has caused traditional higher education universities to be more student-centeredâ€”a culture which many American universities lacked. The vision that Sperling launched with $24,000 dollars in 1974, was an alternative for working adults who wanted to learn from people who were role models in the world of workâ€”not just professors studying those theories. This was â€œout thereâ€ at the time, especially from someone trained as a professor. But Sperlingâ€™s unique perspective as an irascible professor allowed him to see how the system was failing certain students. Now, University of Phoenix has some 400,000 students and employees 26,000 faculty. Competition is good for education and good for students.

So, if you are in mid-life and you are wondering how to turn around your current job situation, ask what John Sperling asked: What problem that you see can be solved with an innovative solution that others donâ€™t realize? Many new businesses emerge from times of extreme discomfort and constriction. What opportunities exist for you in your current situation that can propel your purpose and your passion for the rest of your days? Or, at least until you turn 88.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By THOMAS BARTLETT

John G. Sperling, as he often reminds those around him, is running out of time. At 88, he is in relatively good health, despite a weak kidney and back problems. He still walks the dog, drives himself to meetings, and seems to have no shortage of nervous energy.

To view entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i41/41a00101.htm

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Korean School Preps Students for Ivy League

The article below discusses an elite and rigorous Korean preparatory school that sends many of its graduates to Ivy League universities here in the United States.Â This story is far from unusual: many elite colleges and graduate schools have an international population topping 30% of their total class size.

With increased global competition for these already-coveted spots at Ivy League schools, what can American students do to stand out?Â Test scores and grades are clearly important, but are not the answer in and of themselves.Â As the article notes, the South Korean students are not merely academic “robots” – they have a wide array of interests outside of the classroom.

LifeBound’s Director of Business Strategy, Kelly Carson, is currently completing her MBA summer internship at our offices while enrolled at Harvard Business School.Â She describes the admission process this way:

“You definitely need to do your best to get great test scores and have an impressive academic record.Â Unfortunately, as many schools note, these metrics are what can keep you out, rather than what will guarantee you a spot.Â Once you’ve surpassed a basic level, it’s your job to distinguish yourself from the rest.”

“Use your admissions essays to tell a compelling story about yourself – who you are, what you’re passionate about, and why, specifically, this school is the one for you. If you can tell a story that demonstrates a clear history of leaderhsip and makes the admissions panel connect with you and want to know more about you, you’re head and shoulders above many other applicants.”

As Kelly notes, you need to be in touch with what you are passionate about to tell a compelling story on your admissions essay.Â As our Gifts and Talents for Teenagers text emphasizes, being in touch with your strengths, weaknesses and passions can make you a compelling candidate – no matter what school you may apply to.

ORIGiNAL ARTICLE:

Korean School Preps Students For Ivy League

by Anthony Kuhn

All Things Considered, July 2, 2009 Â· With admissions getting more competitive every year, spots at top American colleges are becoming a globally coveted commodity. In Seoul, one elite South Korean prep school has become the envy of many upper-crust U.S. prep schools with its success at getting its students into Ivy League colleges.

The Korean school’s formula is simple: Select the country’s brightest and most ambitious students and work them extremely hard.

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As Fiscal Year Ends, Big Questions Loom for Colleges’ Financial Futures

CAROL’S SUMMARY
More than 40 states made mid-year cuts totaling nearly $60 billion according to the Center on Budget and Policy. July 1st begins a new fiscal year and, while fiscal year-end numbers are only one measure of overall stability, it is one people scrutinize and often value the most. If the value dips too low relative to debt load, bondholders could declare the institution in default and demand payment. The high unemployment rate and low personal revenues from income taxes make this situation even worse. All but two states increased their unemployment rates in May. State personal income tax in May was 20% lower than the same period last year.

This may mean that incoming freshmen this year might face a reduction in many services they need to succeed. If these patterns continue, it will be even more important for high schools to prepare students well for college and the world of work. Students themselves will need to have a lot more initiative and personal responsibility to find the help they need at college or within the community. They need to realize that the current economic climate makes getting a college degree more important than ever and that the costs of dropping out may be higher than ever. High schools can start early to communicate that message in ways that are positive, proactive and empowering.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By GOLDIE BLUMENSTYK

Will the stock market close on a high note tomorrow, the last day of the fiscal year for most colleges? Will that last big gift come in before the books close?

As always, the answers could help determine whether some colleges will face demands to pay off their debt faster than planned or be subjected to extra monitoring by the U.S. Department of Education. Others might encounter more scrutiny from their accreditors, or pay higher rates of interest when they borrow cash to cover day-to-day expenses.

To view entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/weekly/v55/i40/40june.htm

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U.S. May Need to Prune Number of Research Universities, Lobby Group Says

CAROL’S SUMMARY
Robert M. Berdahl, former President of Berkeley and current President of the Association of American Universities, is making a case for fewer research universities which could be much more focused in their efforts to product world-class scientists and brain-leaders. Mr. Berdahlâ€™s association represents 60 American Universities which award the majority of all doctoral degrees, including 55% in science and engineering. These very institutions have been hard hit by the recession and their endowments have been decimated. Berdahl argues that if we donâ€™t focus our efforts and make some pointed choices, we can lose our competitive edge.

While there are opponents to this proposal, the nation should also ask itself:

If there were more focused research institutions, could we have more effective state colleges and non-research colleges? In other words, could we have more colleges which, like University of Phoenix, are student-centered, teaching-based and focused on helping students from a wide range of academic, emotional and social levels succeed?

Imagine a freshmen experience at a state university where professors who arenâ€™t under so much pressure to â€œpublish or perishâ€ actually taught introductory classes instead of teaching assistants. Imagine a way for class size to be smaller and for undergrads to have more access to professors who might otherwise be too busy in pursuit of the universityâ€™s research goals. Imagine a scenario where 40% of the freshmen who typically drop out freshmen year actually staying in college and went on to get summer internships, graduate and secure gainful employment. What impact would that have on our economy of the future? How many more people would have health care with a college degree? How many more people might contribute to their communities in addition to their home and workplace? How many more grads with a degree might feel the need to give back, financially and with their time?

It seems like there are many possible benefits to targeting and focusing on the best research institutions in America. If we do that, it opens up the possibilities for asking what is possible for a better education for the massesâ€”especially turning around the tidal wave of those who start college as one of the 1.5 million developmental English students or the 2.5 developmental math students. Letâ€™s consider both options as that debate continues.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By PAUL BASKEN

Amid tighter budgets and stronger international competition, the nation may need “fewer but better” when it comes to research universities, the head of those institutions’ chief lobby group said Thursday. The United States, at a time of tighter budgets and stronger international competition, may not be able to afford its current crop of research universities, the head of their chief lobby group said Thursday.

To view entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/06/20810n.htm

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Easing a College Financial Aid Headache

CAROL’S SUMMARY
The Obama administration is announcing legislation today to simplify the FAFSA form, link it to the IRS to verify family earnings easily and delete 20% of the questions most find redundant and others find intimidating. This form helps 16 million students and families apply for financial aid each year, while an estimated 1.5 million students donâ€™t even bother because of the complexities of the form in its current state.

The FAFSA helps low and middle income students apply for financial aid through Pell Grants, Stafford loans, Perkins loans and college-sponsored work-study programs. Every high school student should be exposed to this form as early as their sophomore and junior years. High schools should provide information to parents of students entering the sophomore yearâ€”well before the parents need to complete this form. With a great deal of lead time, parents can get their questions answered, get their financial affairs organized and meet the required deadlines.

Getting ready for college is all about planning, with ample lead time on expectations for both students and parents. Many of the parents and students who stand to benefit most from FAFSA have the least experience or exposure and are often not college graduates. For that reason, they may have little or no frame of reference on preparing for college financially, academically, emotionally or socially. High schools can help these families with early planning programs so that all students can be college eligible and college readyâ€”whether they go straight to college or work a few years first and then go to college.

ARTICLE
New York Times
by Tamar Lewin
The Obama administration is moving to simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or Fafsa, a notoriously complicated form that asks students seeking financial aid for college as many as 153 questions.

To view the entire article visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/24/education/24fafsa.html?_r=1&ref=education

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Where AP teachers go to learn what they teach

CAROL’S SUMMARY:
AP teachers are dealing with a high influx of students across the country taking college level courses in their junior and senior years. Some teachers complain that AP students are in â€œover their heads,â€ while others go for special training in collaborative and project-based learning skills in an effort to reach students with different learning styles. In the days of old, AP courses were geared for the verbal/linguistic, logical/mathematical child. Today, bright students learn differently. Whether their abilities will all show up in AP classes remains to be seen. Whether students are taking AP classes or not, there are a few basics they need to be college-ready:

1) Understand the value of effort in success. Many students who test well and are considered â€œbrightâ€ donâ€™t learn to challenge themselves and struggle in the post-school environmentâ€”career and life. Those bright students and average students who really apply themselves do better over the arc of their careers than those who donâ€™t.

2) Embrace challenge. Many â€œbrightâ€ students get addicted to the 4.0. It is far better to take difficult teachers who challenge you than those teachers who â€œgiveâ€ Aâ€™s. Students who learn to challenge themselves look for opportunity, create interesting experiences and provide high value in the world of work.

3) Risk: Grow beyond your comfort zone. We all learn by growing and doing things that make us feel uncomfortable, but few students get the value of life experience in addition to book learning. Do the things that you resist with people whom you are not necessarily drawn toâ€”you will grow and at the same time prepare yourself for the working world. Students around the world are doing this in spades.

4) Ask: What else? If we spent half of our energy in this country on solving some of the worldâ€™s greatest problems and thinking about what, over the course of two or four years in college can really make you unique, more students would be world-ready than simply college ready.

It is time for all of us to get the 20,000 foot perspective on college-readiness. It is not about getting ready for college, it is about getting ready for college, career and life. Those abilities and skills are inextricably linked. If we continue to prepare for academics alone, we are preparing students for the world of the past. If we focus on project-based learning, connections which students can make in school and out, and people who can actually stretch and broaden their world, they will be ready for the interconnected, global world they are about to enter. AP classes or not, we owe them that readiness.

ARTICLE
St. Petersburg Times
by Ron Matus

Twenty-six high school teachers stood with straws in mouths and spoons at the ready. Bowls of M&Ms rainbowed before them.

Pretend the M&Ms are fish, the instructor said, and pretend the straws are fishing poles.

The teachers sucked up the M&Ms with the straws. They scrapped for them with the spoons. As the candy disappeared, a lesson about regulation and natural resources took its place.

This is what Advanced Placement teachers do when they step away from the front lines of an education revolution.

To view the entire article visit
http://www.tampabay.com/news/education/k12/article1012101.ece

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Gates Foundation Chooses 15 Community Colleges for Grants Under New Program

CAROL’S SUMMARY
The Gates Foundation is funding fifteen community colleges across five states in an effort to ramp up remedial education and improve graduation rates for at-risk students. This sorely needed funding should be used for student success courses, coaches who can work personally with these students who often have â€œdevelopmentalâ€ life issues, and teacher training to help all those who interact with these students to be more effective. In addition, these students need community areas where they can study, meet other students, and learn about jobs and careers.

Students who enter college with high needs for remediation also have high life and personal needs. In addition to learning the habits of success, they also need to learn to manage their money, who they spend their time with and the life and family demands which many students face.

To prevent the large number of students who need remediation for the first full year of college, The Gates Foundation should also develop funding for surrounding districts in these areas for high school and middle school programs which promote academic, emotional and social intelligence. Without those programs, we will continue to do triage at the college level with at-risk students, some of who will succeed and others who may fall needlessly through the cracks. It is time for both a short-term plan, which the article below addresses, and a long-term plan, which we all need for a bright economic future that sustains us for years to come.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
Charles Huckabee

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has chosen 15 community colleges and five states as grant recipients under a new program intended to improve remedial education at the college level and raise graduation rates, the Associated Press reported on Sunday.

The grants, to be announced today, total nearly $16.5-million and are being awarded to college programs in Connecticut, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, Texas, and Virginia, the news agency reported. Of those states, all but North Carolina are also getting money for state programs in support of remedial education.

To view the entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/daily/2009/06/20411n.htm

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For Colleges, Small Cuts Add Up to Big Savings

CAROL’S SUMMARY:
Colleges, like individuals, families, business and non-profits have been hit hard by the recession. In addition to layoffs, hiring freezes and delays in construction projects, colleges are going green and being creative in how they save money. As the article below states, University of Washington eliminated all telephones for their communication faculty and saved $1,100 a month. Other schools have turned down the thermostats in a movement called, â€œChill out.â€ Many colleges are eliminating their high-gloss admissions brochures for a completely on-line presence. Some schools are hiring students instead of staff while others are rebuilding old computers instead of buying new.

Letâ€™s enlist students in solving these ways to keep their tuition constant while conserving overall budgets. If we do, they will learn something about personal choice, short-term sacrifice for long term gain and the value of being creative when it comes to saving money personally and professionally. These are valuable lifeskills which will serve them well long after they graduate from college.

ARTICLE:
New York Times
By TAMAR LEWIN

College life may look different in the not-so-distant future: Students squinting out dirtier windows, faculty offices with full wastebaskets and no phones, sporting events in which opponents never meet, and paper course catalogs existing only as artifacts of the wasteful old days.

To view entire article visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/19/education/19college.html?_r=1&ref=education

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Teaching Social Responsibility

CAROL’S SUMMARY:
In the article below, which comments on the lead story in Educational Leadership, Charles Haynes explores the value of students who know how to be good human beings relative to the other qualities and skills we emphasize as a society, something Haynes calls “the moral habits of the heart”. Certainly, learning math, science, English and foreign languages are important, but these skills wonâ€™t serve students well if they donâ€™t have emotional and social intelligence to solve their own problems, as well as those of their communities and the world.

Schools can help students develop compassion and a sense of responsibility by emphasizing some of the worldâ€™s greatest problems in a project-based learning format.Â Â When students are challenged by understanding the complexities of overfishing, sanitation problems in third world countries or the rise of AIDS,Â they are given an avenue in which to be involved and are motivated to make a difference.Â Â Â Research shows that todayâ€™s students have a greater sense of social responsibility than the generation that preceded theirs.Â So, as educators, we need to tap in to that interest to help teach critical thinking, problem-solving and citizenshipâ€”including what it means to be a global citizen.

LifeBoundâ€™s new book in print this July, Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers, examines some of the greatest problems facing the world right now and provides a framework to help students solve those problems.

ARTICLE:
ASCD
by Marge Scherer

The lead story in my newspaper this morning features the upcoming G20 summit in London at which international leaders will discuss whether regulations, bailouts, and stimulus plans will do anything to stem the financial crisis. Another story is about North Dakota, where residents are wearily watching whether the sandbag barriers they’ve built will hold back the Red River. The stories have their similaritiesâ€”looming disasters, overwhelming forces, demands for people to come together to solve the problem before it is too late. The flood story seems a simpler one. But perhaps it only seems easier to battle a raging river than to battle raging greed.

To view entire article visit
this link.

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Studies Explore Whether the Internet Makes Students Better Writers

CAROL’S SUMMARY:
What influence does all of the brief-communication like texting, blogs, and twitter have on studentsâ€™ ability to perform well in writing tasks for college, career and life? The article below cites a Stanford study exploring this very topic. While students are, arguably, writing more today than ever, the writing is of a brief nature. To get ready for college and career writing, students will need to think more thoroughly at the outset, review their work once the write it and often consider two or more drafts to get it high-quality. This is a process which most students will have to learn and high schools will need to teach so that students can be college-ready.

In the world of work, writing is often expedient. However, there are many times when writing cannot be done quickly without a high cost. Students will need to develop the judgment to know the difference.

Finally, faculty will need to understand the ways in which students writeâ€”texting, blogs, Twitter, FaceBookâ€”so that they can help bridge the gap between what they do now and what they need to learn. If faculty cannot make this leap, they likely will not connect with students in ways that will be lasting.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By JOSH KELLER

As a student at Stanford University, Mark Otuteye wrote in any medium he could find. He wrote blog posts, slam poetry, to-do lists, teaching guides, e-mail and Facebook messages, diary entries, short stories. He wrote a poem in computer code, and he wrote a computer program that helped him catalog all the things he had written.

But Mr. Otuteye hated writing academic papers. Although he had vague dreams of becoming an English professor, he saw academic writing as a “soulless exercise” that felt like “jumping through hoops.” When given a writing assignment in class, he says, he would usually adopt a personal tone and more or less ignore the prompt.

“I got away with it,” says Mr. Otuteye, who graduated from Stanford in 2006. “Most of the time.”

To view the entire article visit
http://chronicle.com/free/v55/i39/39writing.htm

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