Schools Official in New Jersey Orders Plan to Combat Hazing

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

Bullying can take many forms (verbal, psychological and physical), and administrators for a district in New Jersey will participate in sensitivity training and devise a plan within the next two months to combat hazing at Millburn High School. These actions were ordered by the president of the Board of Education after a board meeting revealed that another school year started off with hazing of freshman girls by seniors that included being pushed into lockers, having whistles blown in their faces and the release of a â€œslut list.â€

In the past, some seniors have been expelled, but Principal William Miron said that no student will be disciplined without proof. Board member Debra Fox remembers being hazed as a freshman and suggested punishing the entire female population of the senior class in order to get the names, saying â€œbecause no one is going to take the rap for someone else.â€ One parent was applauded when she said parents must also take responsibility when their children acted like bullies.

Tragically, every day thousands of students wake up afraid to go to school. As educators, we have an inherent responsibility to make our schools safe, bully-free cultures because every child and teenager has the civil right to learn unhindered. Because parents, teachers, and other adults don’t always see it, they may not understand how extreme bullying can get. According to the web site, www.kidshealth.org, two of the main reasons people are bullied are because of appearance and social status. Bullies pick on the people they think don’t fit in, maybe because of how they look, how they act (for example, kids who are shy and withdrawn), their race or religion, or because the bullies think their target may be gay or lesbian.

Hazing is a form of bullying and often the result of underdeveloped emotional intelligence, or people smarts, such as empathy and compassion. LifeBoundâ€™s book, People Smarts for Teenagers: Becoming Emotionally Intelligent, helps students develop these skills by boosting self-awareness and empathy. Every chapter includes a real-life story about another teenager who overcame their own obstacles to emotional well-being. This past spring, a progressive district in Colorado Springs used this book with all of their sixth graders and observed a spike in test scores, which they attribute to this program. Learning is linked to emotions and when we teach children and teens emotional and social skills we give them another advantage in the learning process. For more information about this and other student success and transition resources, visit www.lifebound.com

ARTICLE:

The New York Times
September 22, 2009
Schools Official in New Jersey Orders Plan to Combat Hazing
By TINA KELLEY

MILLBURN, N.J. â€” The president of the Millburn Board of Education said on Monday night that district administrators would have to undergo sensitivity training and ordered them to come up with a plan within the next two months to address the longstanding tradition of hazing at Millburn High School.

The action came at a board meeting that drew about 50 parents and lasted more than three hours.

â€œThis is not acceptable behavior; it will not be tolerated,â€ the board president, Noreen Brunini, said of the most recent hazing, which included the distribution of an annual â€œslut listâ€ of incoming freshman girls. â€œThis is the end of this.â€

To view this entire article visit www.nytimes.com

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Incomes of Young in 8-Year Nose Dive

SUMMARY:

The gap between rich and poor isn’t only connected to race and gender, now it’s between young and old. According to the article below from USA Today, many young people (particularly those in the 25 to 34 year-old age bracket) are losing ground as their incomes shrink compared to earlier decades. One reason behind declining wage potential, economists say: The caliber of jobs available in a recession, and their accompanying wages, tend to suffer. High-end firms hire fewer people and drive down salaries because jobs are in such demand. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), an organization of career counselors, reports that employers will hire 22% fewer college graduates than last year.

If you are a recent college graduate, or you are preparing to graduate, take heart. Hard work, perseverance, strong thinking and decision-making skills and a commitment to your own competence is generally recession-proof. Here are some tips for turning this situation around from someone who got a job right out of college in the last bad recession:

1) Show a willingness to learn, to grow, to work hard and to do high quality work. To be credible you will need to share examples from school, work and community service that show exactly how you do this when you are interviewing for jobs.

2) Get internships which will attest to your business acumen and maturity. While many internships donâ€™t pay, what you learn during an internship can be priceless and often lead to part-time or full-time work. Try on your career interests through seeing first-hand if you are cut out for what you think you love.

3) Develop a strong academic record complemented by leadership experiencee. You may not be at the top of the class, but if you work hard to learn all that you can and you get involved in activities to make a difference, you may be more valuable to an employer than the 4.0 student who isnâ€™t as well-rounded. Show your employer that you are passionate and you know how to make a difference and provide specific examples.

4) Have a creative, determined and resourceful attitude which involves making a difference. If you are out of work right now and you have time on your hands, find a causeâ€”any causeâ€”that you value where your contributions can help. It could be reading to students, it could be teaching handicapped children to ski, it could be volunteering at an old folkâ€™s home. Any of these activitiesâ€”if your heart is in themâ€”will make you a more valuable employee. When you interview, describe what you learned from this work, how it challenged you and how you grew. You may also get some valuable insight as to what you are called to do for your career.

If you are a graduate who really offers value, focuses on results and is a delight to work with you will have the strongest chance of landing a job as a starting point which can blossom into a career for you. Donâ€™t worry if the job isnâ€™t paying much, focus on what experience it provides to you so that when the economy turns around you will be ready to soar. Each experience is a stepping stone. You may need to work two jobs right now to make ends meet. You may have a lot less free time. But, when the economy turns around if you have worked hard in the tough times, you will have the resilience to do well when things are better. It is like storing up for the winter. And this is a good winter to store up with strong skills, more savings and good planning for the future.

ARTICLE
USA Today
by Dennis Cauchon

The incomes of the young and middle-aged â€” especially men â€” have fallen off a cliff since 2000, leaving many age groups poorer than they were even in the 1970s, a USA TODAY analysis of new Census data found.
People 54 or younger are losing ground financially at an unprecedented rate in this recession, widening a gap between young and old that had been expanding for years.

While the young have lost ground, older people have grown more prosperous over the years and the decades. Older women have done best of all.

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As Riches Fade, So Does Finance’s Allure

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Over the past 20 years, many bright minds were lured toÂ careers in finance because of lucrative salaries, but when the bubbleÂ burst hundreds of thousands of employeesÂ had toÂ search for other work and new graduates are looking elsewhere for careers. Today’s article from the Wall Street Journal describesÂ a migration of workers drawn high money-making jobs toÂ lower-paying ones that may more closely align with their personal values.Â The health care and education fields are experienceing a surge of applications from laid-off finance professionals, and theÂ recent downtownÂ also appears to coincide withÂ a rising interestÂ inÂ government and public service.Â According to a Gallup poll conducted in April for the Partnership for Public Service,Â 40% of U.S. workers are open to considering federal careers, up from 24% in 2006.

This kind of adapatability is necessary in today’s global landscape;Â where statistics from the BLSÂ show that workers between the ages of 18 and 38 change jobs an average of 10 times.Â Whether that numberÂ indicates a change in place of employment or career field, it is a big one.Â If you’re rebounding from a lay off, here are tips that can help:

Take the time to work through your frustrations and disappointment.Â It is hard to move on to the next phase of your working life without making peace with this last stage.Â Once you have accepted the reality of the situation, you can go full force into your career search.
Ask yourself what you can learn from your most recent work experience.Â Do you want to work in the same type of organization or are you ready for something different?Â What did you like the most?Â The least?Â
Take stock.Â What is important in your life right now?Â What work will best to promote the life that you are trying to create?Â Are you willing to make less to have more time?Â Are you willing to have less free time for a job which will require more of you?Â What is your mission? Your goals?Â Defining what matters most will help you to recognize the best opportunity and be clear on whether or not it is good match.Â Organize your finances, redo your budgetÂ and keep expenses to a minimum.
Hire a business or career coach.Â Â People need help in times of transition. If your last company did not provide a formal outplacement service, consider hiring an advisor to help you analyze your strengths, interests, and abilities.Â This person can also be your personal champion as you pursue the frustrations and the upsides of this process.Â If you are changing careers, it is useful take career inventories to give you a better sense of what is out there based on your interests, and coaching skills can teach you how to tap your internal motivation, as well asÂ clarify life and career goals.Â

5.Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Know what you have to offer in terms of your skills and your abilities.Â Determine the field and the job for which you have the most passion then research those companies and jobs so that you can narrow your focus.Â When you interview, think about the unique things you can offer the position for which you are interviewing.Â Be specific about how you can contribute to the company as a whole.

Network with people who can help you.Â Set up appointments and lunches for informational interviews in the field that interests you.Â Meet with alumniÂ from your college.Â Get together with friends and family members who may know someone who can help.Â Finding the right job is often a numbers game. The more people who know you and your abilities, the more likely you are to connect with the best job for you.
Canvass on-line services. Services like monster.com or hotjobs.com are an effective way to generate instant activity with your resume. You can also learn about many jobs you may not have known existed.Â Keep an open mind.
Practice interviewing.Â If you are out of practice in describing what you have accomplished the last few years and what you have to offer now, rehearse. Sometimes the most qualified people donâ€™t adequately express themselves. Work through any fears or limitations you might have on presenting yourselfÂ so that the confident, competent person whom you are emerges.Â Â Â Â Â

Â Â Â Â Â 9.Â Â Â Form a support network.Â Plenty of people are unemployed right now.Â Form a breakfast group with friends or other laid off co-workers to generate leads and share useful tips.Â Keep the complaints to a minimum and focus on the actions that will move you forward.Â Reserve some time to have fun and to be with the people who matter most to you. They will sustain you during the more challenging parts of the search.

Â Â Â Â 10.Â Â Â Have faith in yourself.Â You have gifts and talents to offer, both personally and professionally.Â If you take this time to really align yourself with your values, mission and goals, you will find your true lifeâ€™s work.Â Â

LifeBound offers individual and corporate coaching.Â Please contact our office toll free for moreÂ information 877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE

Wall Street Journal

by Lisa Bannon

Like nearly 30% of Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduates in recent years, Ted Fernandez set his sights on finance. Though he majored in materials science and engineering, he was wowed by tales of excitement from friends who went to Wall Street.

But when he stopped by an investment bank’s booth at a job fair a year ago, it was eerily empty. The booth belonged to Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc., and the date was Sept. 18, three days after the 158-year-old bank filed for bankruptcy. Now Mr. Fernandez, 22 years old, is getting a master’s in engineering at M.I.T. and aiming for a career in solar-power technology.

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Panel Urges Attention to Adolescent Literacy

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

In the article below, Carnegie Corporation of New Yorkâ€™s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy experts gathered to discuss their final report in which they spent five years examining the need for better reading and writing skills among students in grades 4 through 12. The experts stressed the importance of action at each state level, suggesting reading and writing standards be set high and state tests be set to the levels of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Statewide data systems for all literacy, as well as, including adolescent-literacy training in state teacher-certification programs were considered of high importance.

Catherine Snow, a Harvard University education professor who chaired the Carnegie panel, said an important tenement of the report is to have the nationâ€™s entire education system recognize that the traditional literacy approach (focusing on building skills at a young age) doesnâ€™t help students with â€œcomplex vocabulary, composition, and concepts they encounter in high school.â€ Another panelist, Michael Kamil, a Stanford University education professor, said that the sole responsibility for teaching adolescent literacy cannot rest on the shoulders of English teachers. Literacy needs to be taught across the disciplines in each subject of middle and high school, because at these higher levels, literacy comprehension, and therefore instruction, is grounded within the content.

Students learn best when they can draw comparisons and connections between information they already know and the new knowledge presented to them. That is why in Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers, the basics of problem solving are presented to high schoolers within profiles about innovators in medicine, science, math, finance, art, music and English to relate their previous knowledge of the core subject to the new critical and creative thinking skills taught within the book. There is no reason why adolescent literacy cannot also be strengthened if it were taught within the core subjects.

How can literacy instruction be integrated into the curriculum of other subjects?

What can districts do to ban together and mastermind effective statewide standards and data systems to measure and track outcomes?

What role does emotional intelligence play in studentsâ€™ ability to build a strong literacy foundation for cross-curriculum learning?

ARTICLE:

EducationWeek

Published Online: September 15, 2009
Panel Urges Attention to Adolescent Literacy
By Catherine Gewertz

Washington

Leading figures in education policy, academia, and philanthropy called today for a â€œre-engineeringâ€ of the nationâ€™s approach to adolescent literacy, saying nothing short of a â€œliteracy revolutionâ€ is needed to keep students in school and ensure that they are able to learn the complex material that college and careers will demand of them.

The experts gathered to discuss and draw attention to the release of the final report of the Carnegie Corporation of New Yorkâ€™s Council on Advancing Adolescent Literacy, which has spent five years examining the need for better reading and writing skills among students in grades 4 through 12. Vartan Gregorian, the president of the foundation, urged audience members to â€œbe good ancestorsâ€ to future generations by pushing for sound adolescent-literacy policy and practice, given the pivotal role such skills play in young peopleâ€™s lives, and the low level of skill students have shown on national tests.

To view this entire article visit www.edweek.org

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European Universities Look Overseas for New Partnerships

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

Last year Spain’s government created a foundation to recruit more international students. The Spanish Foundation is the newest addition to the European trend to expand their global presence. This week roughly 4,000 European educators will meet at the annual conference of the European Association for International Education in Madrid. The European Union, consisting of 27 nations, has said that it aims to make European higher education more attractive internationally. For the past decade Europe has been overhauling their higher-education systems in 46 countries to create greater consistency among degree programs and a more coherent degree-granting process. For example, fewer than 700 students from China enrolled at Spanish universities during the 2007-8 academic year. To bring in more Chinese students, Spain’s Ministry of Education agreed in 2007 to recognize Chinese university-entrance qualifications, a concession that had been reserved for European Union students.

While the European push for international students competes with U.S. efforts, these goals also provide opportunities for American colleges and universities looking for new partnerships overseas, particularly with Asia and the Middle East. John K. Hudzik, vice president for global engagement at Michigan State University and president of NAFSA: Association of International Educators is quoted in this article saying, “They’re making higher education more portable across national boundaries, and that is creating a very powerful force in the world. We’re talking about a population and a GDP greater than the U.S. What they’re doing is beginning to shape what we do.””

Much of the impetus for Europe’s aim to raise international profiles of their universities hinge on two demographics: Age and diversity. Their aging population has translated into lower enrollments, and their increasingly diverse population across the continent necessitates that the keep step with the changing base of prospective students. Hudzik says, “If we believe firmly in the virtues of internationalization and cross-border learning, and all the rest,” he says, “then we should be happy anytime we see somebody build the numbers up, regardless of who it is.” Here a considerations:

How can American and European institutions streamline their efforts to promote the globalization of learning?

How might these efforts help shape the global economy and the creation of future careers?

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
by Aisha Labi

With its sunny climate, relaxed lifestyle, and relatively easy-to-learn language, Spain would seem to need little selling as a destination for foreign university students. Yet although it is a popular study-abroad option for Americans and draws a fair number of students from Latin America, the country is not a major player in the fast-growing international student market.

So last year the Spanish government created a foundation to promote Spanish higher education abroad. Starting with nearly $3-million from the ministries of education, science and innovation, and foreign affairs, the organization will tap into a global network of embassies and cultural institutions to create an international marketing campaign.

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What Traditional Academics Can Learn From a Futurist’s University

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

Singularity University, founded by futurists Ray Kurzweil and Peter H. Diamandis, forward-looking thinkers who share ideas about where technology is headed in the near future and in the long term, is designed to study technologies that are manifesting exponential change. The first ever nine-week session was held last summer and cost $25,000 per student. The course was divided into three parts: In the first three weeks, students attended lectures by experts from business and academe. Over the next three weeks, students each chose one of four areas to research. And the final three weeks, students worked in groups on global challenges that aimed to help at least a billion people around the world.

The article below cites that more than 1,200 students applied to fill the 40 slots, making the program more selective than Harvard University. James A. Dator, director of the Hawaii Research Center for Futures Studies, at the University of Hawaii-Manoa says Singularity University is an example of the rise in interest in futurology with courses offered at Anne Arundel Community College (Arnold, Maryland), the University of Notre Dame and San Diego City College.

The article also mentions that higher education has experienced relatively small changes: “Compared to most other markets, higher education in particular really hasn’t felt the earthquake,” says Paul Saffo, a technology forecaster who is a consulting professor at Stanford University, and chair of the futures-studies track of Singularity University. More â€œfutures studiesâ€ at the university level would require better preparation of high schools students. LifeBound’s new book, Critical and Creative Thinking for Teenagers sparks innovative thinking, is cross-disciplinary by examining critical and creative thinking through various lenses and promotes media and technology skills. Such a curriculum would equip todayâ€™s high school students with the skills necessary to brainstorm and tackle the worldâ€™s greatest problems. For more information about this resource visit www.lifebound.com.

What steps can higher education take to embrace the technological strides over the last 50 years?

How can we promote critical and creative thinking in the classroom via technologies?

How can â€œfutures studiesâ€ enhance 21st century skills among todayâ€™s students?

ARTICLE:

The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 14, 2009
What Traditional Academics Can Learn From a Futurist’s University
By Jeffrey R. Young
Moffett Field, Calif.

“We’re going to be unapologetically interdisciplinary,” said Neil Jacobstein, chairman of the Institute for Molecular Manufacturing, during one of the first lectures at Singularity University. “That’s not because it’s fashionable, or because the faculty took a vote, but because nature has no departments.”

The students burst into applause.

That dig against traditional institutions was par for the course at the unusual new high-tech university, which wrapped up its first nine-week session at NASA’s Ames Research Center here last month. Students were asked to come up with technological projects that would help at least a billion people around the world, reflecting the techno-utopian vision of the institution’s founders.

To view this entire article visit www.chronicle.com

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Botched Most Answers on New York State Math Test? You Still Pass

The article below, based on a school system in New York City, highlights a major concern that many educators hold nationwide: Standardized testing is often flawed and seemingly arbitrary. In this example, testing criteria shifted by lowering the percentage points needed to pass because some of the questions are harder than the ones on the same test from last year. As the article surmises:

“At a time when the tests are assuming an unprecedented role in classrooms across the state â€” used for everything from analyzing student deficiencies to determining which educators deserve cash bonuses â€” the debate underscores a central question: How accurate are the exams in measuring student learning and progress, and what skills should a passing grade reflect?”

Co-director of the Upward Bound programs at the University of Maine, Lori C. Wingo, addressed this issue in last week’s article dated 9/11/09, “Student Ability to Excel Lost.” She writes: “The gap between a high school diploma and college readiness is widening at an alarming rate.” She continues in her essay for the Bangor Daily News, “These matriculating college students have traded critical thinking skills and higher levels of learning for a curriculum that asks only for proficiency and tests for it in multiple choice format.”

[Source: http://www.bangordailynews.com/detail/120013.html]

Indeed, critical and creative thinking skills are required if a person is to adapt and flourish in the 21st Century. Peter Sacks, in his book, Standardized Minds, concludes that â€œscoring high on standardized tests is a good predictor of oneâ€™s ability to score high on standardized tests.â€ Research has not been able to correlate achievement on these tests with any future success in school or work. Take this question from New Yorkâ€™s practice test:

The year 1999 was a big one for the Williams sisters. In February, Serena won her first pro singles championship. In March, the sisters met for the first time in a tournament final. Venus won. And at doubles tennis, the Williams girls could not seem to lose that year. The story says that in 1999, the sisters could not seem to lose at doubles tennis. This probably means when they played:

A. two matches in one day
B. against each other
C. with two balls at once
D. as partners

Is this test measuring reading skills or tennis knowledge? A strong reader could probably figure out the correct answer, but a student with knowledge of the rules of tennis has a definite advantage. Teaching to the test also narrows the curriculum, forcing teachers and students to concentrate on memorization of isolated facts, instead of developing fundamental and higher order abilities. As students and families strive toward college, career and life success in the ubiquitous testing environment, we need to ask ourselves:

What other methods of assessment are available that can accurately measure a student’s mastery of subject material and life skills?
What can we learn from other nations who tend to use performance-based assessments for evaluation of student achievement and future success rather than multiple-choice matrices?
How can the U.S. better prepare students for life after high school?

____________________________________________________________________________________________

ARTICLE
New York Times
by Javier C. Hernandez

For many students, bungling more than half the questions on a test would mean an F and all that comes with it â€” months of remedial work, irksome teachers and, perhaps, a skimpy allowance. But on New York Stateâ€™s math exam this year, seventh graders who correctly answered just 44 percent of questions were rewarded with a passing grade.

What gives?

Three years ago, the threshold for passing was 60 percent. In fact, students in every grade this year could slide by with fewer correct answers on the math test than in 2006.

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Duncan Urges Colleges to Help Underperforming Schools More

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY: U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, former chief executive of Chicago Public Schools before joining President Obamaâ€™s administration, delivered a keynote speech at an education forum to encourage other colleges and universities to follow the University of Chicagoâ€™s example by taking districts under their wings. Specifically, he charged universities to â€œestablish their own charter schools, develop better research methods to track the results of efforts to improve schools’ performance and provide more hands-on training and support for teachers.â€ By working together school districts improve their graduation rates and universities promote higher education and career training. While Timothy Knowles, Director the Urban Education Institute admits, “Not every university in the country should own and operate a public school,” every university can involve themselves in education reform by coming alongside struggling schools.

Academic coaching, with its emphasis on asking powerful questions, can help equip teachers with the tools for creating dynamic classrooms and becoming leaders in their districts. Many student success programs operate at both the high school and college level and collaboration could serve as an iron sharpens iron proposition. If teachers and professors attended academic coaches training together itâ€™s possible that bonds would form in the spirit of cooperation and common good that might withstand the high turnover of school district administrations.
Could your district benefit from academic coaching?

What specific steps can school districts and universities to band together to improve our nationâ€™s educational system?

Who is ultimately responsible for education reform and how might student success and transition programs be at the center of this reform?

ARTICLE:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
September 10, 2009
Duncan Urges Colleges to Help Underperforming Schools More
By Libby Nelson
Washington

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan urged universities on Thursday to get more involved in helping to improve underperforming schools, by forming partnerships with local school districts, establishing charter schools, and improving teacher education.

In a keynote address at an education forum presented here by the University of Chicago, Mr. Duncan pointed to that institution’s charter schools as an example and praised the university for not being an “ivory tower in the middle of the city.”

To view this entire article visit www.chronicle.com

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Experts Point to Five Emerging Majors

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:
New occupations develop when employers need workers to do tasks that have never been done before. Based on employment forecasters and other educational and career experts, The Chronicle of Higher Education points to the following five new majors related to emerging career fields:
service science, health informatics, computational science, sustainability, and public health.

For students, these emerging careers offer a chance to be on the leading edge of their fields. For adults, a shift within their career field can be the path out of a slow-growth career and into work with a more promising future. According to Career Voyages, a website collaboration of the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Education, these five areas of study fall into three growing industries:

1. Biotechnology: The areas of research and development, quality control and assurance, manufacturing and production, agriculture, and bioinformatics all offer in-demand occupations in biotechnology. In bioinformatics, one of the newest sectors, specialists organize and mine huge amounts of biomedical data, such as research related to the study of the human genome, clinical trials, or diseases.

2. Nanotechnology: This field includes research and development of practical commercial applications using particles of matter the size of atoms.

3. Geospatial technology: This emerging field encompasses photogrammetry, remote sensing, and geographic information systems (GIS). The most widely known application is the GPS (global positioning systems) that are familiar to many of us in our vehicles and cell phones.
Source: http://www.careerpath.com/career-advice/209482-emerging-career-fields

As cited in the article below: â€œMost of the interesting work today is done at the interstices of disciplines,â€ says Robert B. Reich, a former U.S. labor secretary and a professor of public policy at the University of California at Berkeley. While not all colleges and universities are offering these majors, most do offer courses in related subject areas. For example, in the field of service science, 250 colleges and universities in 50 countries offer courses, mostly for graduate students. Often these are specialties that build on more general experience within a career, like a move into a homeland security role for a police officer. On the other hand, some of these emerging careers creatively link together two or more fields of expertise, such as nursing and computer science. Here are questions to consider:

How might high school curricula need to change to better prepare students in these emerging career fields?

What steps can students take to analyze opportunities in these new areas and figure out which ones might be a good fit for their interests, gifts and talents?

To view the entire article visit
http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/experts-point-to-5-emerging-majors/

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Colleges Are Failing in Graduation Rates

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY: In the United States only half of students who enroll in college end up with a bachelorâ€™s degree. Italy is the only rich country with a worse college graduation rate. In a new book titled, â€œCrossing the Finish Line,â€ authors William Bowen (an economist and former Princeton president) and Michael McPherson (an economist and former Macalester College president) analyze the data of about 200,000 students at 68 colleges.

Although the bookâ€™s statistics are alarming, there is hope. Instead of requiring a total overhaul of todayâ€™s educational system, McPherson and Bowen suggest large strides can be made if institutions shift their focus from enrollment to completion and become accountable for their failures. The first problem â€œCrossing the Finish Lineâ€ identifies is under-matching. According to the article below, under-matching refers to â€œstudents who choose not to attend the best college they can get into. They instead go to a less selective one, perhaps one thatâ€™s closer to home or, given the torturous financial aid process, less expensive.â€ To combat this, the Obama Education Department now informs students of the graduation rate at any college in which they express interest when they fill out an online form for federal financial aid.
College graduation is important to career success. According to the Labor Department, last year workers with bachelorâ€™s degrees made 54 percent more on average than those who attended college but didnâ€™t finish. When people, especially students fresh out of college, enter the workforce and contribute to society, everyone benefits.

What can high schools do to prevent students from under-matching themselves with colleges?

How can colleges and universities shift their focus from enrollment to completion and balance these efforts on both fronts?

In addition to implementing student success and transition programs at the high school level, what else can we do to improve our nationâ€™s college graduation rates at public institutions?

ARTICLE:
September 9, 2009
Economic Scene
The New York Times
Colleges Are Failing in Graduation Rates
By DAVID LEONHARDT

If you were going to come up with a list of organizations whose failures had done the most damage to the American economy in recent years, youâ€™d probably have to start with the Wall Street firms and regulatory agencies that brought us the financial crisis. From there, you might move on to Wall Streetâ€™s fellow bailout recipients in Detroit, the once-Big Three.

But I would suggest that the list should also include a less obvious nominee: public universities.

At its top levels, the American system of higher education may be the best in the world. Yet in terms of its core mission â€” turning teenagers into educated college graduates â€” much of the system is simply failing.

To view this entire article visit www.nytimes.com

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