April » 2009 » Carol J. Carter

Lumina’s Leader Sets Lofty Goals for Fund’s Role in Policy Debates

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Jamie Merisotis, the 45-year-old President of the Lumina Foundation, has a lot to teach college presidents and K-12 principals through the actions in his first year in this position. First, he has set ambitious goals, the primary one being 60% of the U.S. population earning degrees or credentials by 2025. Second, Merisotis has asked key questions like, why are other developing countries outpacing the U.S. in education and why have we been satisfied with academic performance which is at a 40-year-old standard from which all other countries have moved ambitiously beyond?

Third, he has broadened Lumina’s scope and mission to be a policy-driven change agent in addition to a grant-funding organization. Fourth, he has taken specific steps to model progressive and successful European models in Indiana, Minnesota and Utah so that those models can be improved and expanded in other areas in the U.S. Fifth, Merisotis is forging necessary partnerships with businesses and business leaders who can support, buttress and take action on behalf of this mission. Finally, Merisotis gets that more Americans students need access and student success preparation for continued life success. If we are going to have 16 million more graduates by 2025, we all need to have this same vision, standards, commitment and collaboration.

ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By SARA HEBEL

Soon after Jamie P. Merisotis took over the Lumina Foundation for Education last year, he began talking about a “big goal.” America must increase the proportion of its population with degrees or credentials to 60 percent by 2025, in order to remain globally competitive and meet the nation’s growing demand for college-educated workers, he said. The United States, he warned, is falling behind, and the foundation would make reversing the trend the core of its work.

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‘Nation’s Report Card’ Sees Gains in Elementary, Middle Schools

CAROL’S SUMMARY: In the Washington Post article below, the â€œNationâ€™s Report Cardâ€ sees some encouraging gains in elementary schools scores, but no movement in high school scores. In fact, the average reading performance for seventeen year olds hasnâ€™t changed since the early 1970â€™s. Our nationâ€™s future depends on improving student achievement and while it is encouraging that gains have been in elementary education, it is sobering from a workforce standpoint that we still have so many underprepared and unprepared high school students.

Student success classes for elementary and middle school students can help this upward trend continue. Success classes which emphasize academic, emotional and social intelligence are a must for high schools in the U.S. where scores lag behind other developed nations. Once students understand how they learn, how they are motivated, how to manage themselves by themselves and with others they can master the basics of focus and solid attention which can foster deep learning. Without these core success habits and framework, students are likely to aimlessly go through high school and college until they get a wake-up call in the world of work. Giving them these tools early eliminates needless stress and sets clear expectations for high school, college and the global business world.

ARTICLE:

By Maria Glod
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Math and reading scores for 9- and 13-year-olds have risen since the 2002 enactment of No Child Left Behind, providing fuel to those who want to renew the federal law and strengthen its reach in high schools.

Performance on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, which offers a long view of U.S. student achievement, shows several bright spots. Nine-year-olds posted the highest scores ever in reading and math in 2008. Black and Hispanic students of that age also reached record reading scores, though they continued to trail white peers.

But results released yesterday were disappointing for high school students. Seventeen-year-olds gained some ground in reading since 2004, but their average performance in math and reading has not budged since the early 1970s.

Visit www.washingtonpost.com to view the entire article

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CAROL’S SUMMARY:

According to a new survey by the Fordham Institute, the number of students enrolled in AP exams has increased by 50%. Teachers surveyed believe that the reasons most students are pursuing these courses is to enhance college essay applications, instead of seeking the challenge and intellectual rigor that such courses provide. Teachers surveyed said that 56% of students overestimate their abilities in class and are â€œin over their heads.â€ In addition, 60% of teachers said that parents push their children into these classes when they often donâ€™t have the basic foundation required to well.

Interestingly, this survey comes at a time of great debate about raising the lowest performing students while challenging those who are able to perform best scholastically. According to Dr. Robert Sternberg, for students to do well in the world they need analytical, creative and practical intelligence. Right now, the push for the AP courses emphasize analytical intelligence, but if we donâ€™t ask those same students to develop their practical knowledge and their creative framework they will be marching through assignments and tests without mastering deeper learning. This creates students who care more about college applications than knowledge, students who care more about beating the system than truly learning from it and graduates who eventually cut quality corners in the world of work, adding no extra value and often draining an organizationâ€™s profitability.

ARTICLE
New York Times
by Jacques Steinberg
A survey of more than 1,000 teachers of Advanced Placement courses in American high schools has found that more than half are concerned that the programâ€™s effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take such rigorous courses and as students flock to them to polish their rÃ©sumÃ©s.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/education/29class.html?ref=education

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Invoking the Sputnik Era, Obama Vows Record Outlays for Research

CAROL’S SUMMARY:Â Obama made a huge commitment to science funding from grade school through corporate American, as stated in the article below.Â Innovation, Â strides in science, health and industry will not only help solve some of the worldâ€™s leading problems, it will also help us to create jobs and industries which can sustain our economy and the global economy for years to come.Â Â Â Currently, at the high school level America is number 27 in science compared to other developed nations.Â This focus and funding will help to turn around waning scores in science and math as we prepare students for the suite of competitive skills they will need as adults.

ARTICLE

New York Times

By Andrew C. Revkin

In a speech on Monday at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, President Obama presented a vision of a new era in research financing comparable to the Sputnik-period space race, in which intensified scientific inquiry, and development of the intellectual capacity to pursue it, are a top national priority.

To view the entire article visit

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/science/earth/28speech.html?_r=1&ref=education

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Close the Book. Recall. Write It Down.

Researchers in Psychology who have studied what actually sticks in long term memory have discovered something that Francis Robinson figured out in 1946-students who read need to immediately connect the material to what they already know as well as thoughts that can take that learning even further. Robinson developed the SQ3R techniqueâ€”survey, question, read, recite, review. When students read passages from books over and over, it gives them a false sense of security, but it doesnâ€™t necessarily further their learning or store effectively in long term memory. Active-recall is the key to reading, remembering and storing learning for the long term. These techniques need to be taught to students long before they reach college and beginning as early as fifth grade.

ARTICLE:

That old study method still works, researchers say. So why don’t professors preach it?
By DAVID GLENN
May 1, 2009

The scene: A rigorous intro-level survey course in biology, history, or economics. You’re the instructor, and students are crowding the lectern, pleading for study advice for the midterm.

If you’re like many professors, you’ll tell them something like this: Read carefully. Write down unfamiliar terms and look up their meanings. Make an outline. Reread each chapter.

That’s not terrible advice. But some scientists would say that you’ve left out the most important step: Put the book aside and hide your notes. Then recall everything you can. Write it down, or, if you’re uninhibited, say it out loud.

Two psychology journals have recently published papers showing that this strategy works, the latest findings from a decades-old body of research. When students study on their own, “active recall” â€” recitation, for instance, or flashcards and other self-quizzing â€” is the most effective way to inscribe something in long-term memory.

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Large Urban-Suburban Gap Seen in Graduation Rates

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

A report by America’s Promise finds that one in four students in the U.S. drop out of high school, but some large cities are bucking the trend and improving their dropout rates. The report also found that some districts such as Philadelphia’s have graduated more students by focusing on ninth-grade achievement, creating smaller freshman classes and easing teens’ transition into high school. These schools show what is possible for all schools in the U.Sâ€”urban or ruralâ€”when clear programs are set forth and measured in the areas of academic, emotional and social intelligence, teachers are mission-driven to make this happen, and parents and community members participate with schools to buttress these efforts around smaller, focused communities of learning.

LifeBound offers books, trainings and services which can coalesce a school and schools within a district to set new standards for student learning, awareness, ambitions, achievement and readiness for the rigors of college and the world of work. Working with ninth graders is just the beginning and it is crucial, but the real opportunity is in better preparing students starting in elementary school and working with them in each of these areas as they progress to graduate from high school.

ARTICLE
New York Times
By SAM DILLON

It is no surprise that more students drop out of high school in big cities than elsewhere. Now, however, a nationwide study shows the magnitude of the gap: the average high school graduation rate in the nationâ€™s 50 largest cities was 53 percent, compared with 71 percent in the suburbs.

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http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/22/education/22dropout.html

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Jobless Rate Climbs in 46 States, With California at 11.2%

CAROL’S SUMMARY: California, Texas and North Carolina top the nation for increase in jobless and unemployment rates. California leads the nation at 11.8%, a number which hasnâ€™t been that high since 1976, according to the Wall Street Journal article below. In this economic climate, creativity and resourcefulness will allow people to get new experiences and job exposure. Hereâ€™s how:

1) Intern. If you are a student or even if you arenâ€™t, get a foot in the door with a company or an industry representing where you would like to work. Once in the door, you can show your abilities, your initiative, your interpersonal skills and your problem-solving prowess.

2) Volunteer. Important business skills can be built through leadership in a service organization or a volunteer capacity. Run an event, lead a meeting or take on a specific role like that of President or Treasurer. These skills are absolutely transfer to the job market, especially if they come with letters of recommendations about your contributions.

3) Network. Reach out to neighbors, friends and past associates. Go for coffee or ask the favor of a phone conversation to determine if they know of people or opportunities which would be a good fit for your skills and abilities.

4) Keep the faith and keep busy. Get out of your house and get unstuck from your own thoughts. If you treat your unemployment as though you were already employedâ€”with the same ethic, drive and ambitionâ€”you will create opportunities for yourself and inspire others with your strong will and spirit.

ARTICLE:

By STU WOO and SUDEEP REDDY
April 18, 2009

California and North Carolina in March posted their highest jobless rates in at least three decades, as unemployment increased in all but a handful of states during the month, the Labor Department said Friday.

California’s unemployment rate jumped to 11.2% in March, while North Carolina rose to 10.8%, the highest for both since the U.S. government began a comprehensive tally of state joblessness in 1976.

The state-by-state employment figures showed only a few states avoiding the deterioration seen nationwide. Unemployment rose in 46 states during the month, and 12 states plus the District of Columbia posted unemployment rates in March that were significantly higher than the 8.5% nationwide figure the government released earlier this month.

Visit www.wsj.com to view the entire article

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Campus Counseling Centers React to Recession-Related Stress Among Students

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

College student stress levels at college this year are at an all time high because of the economy. Parents have lost jobs and are unable to help pay for college. Many students are daunted by the bleak job prospects after graduation, and the debt they are incurring in college. Combine these factors with the normal feelings of adjustments students have during college and you have a recipe for tapped out and fully taxed advisors and counselors on college campuses. The stress also impacts faculty who teach undergraduates.

Colleges can help their staff by emphasizing coaching skills–the pro-active and specific ways in which you can help students to focus on their options and the steps they can take to further their specific goals. Coaching is
not rescuing; on the contrary, it is about showing people that they are creative, capable and resourceful so that they have the wherewithal to move through their own obstacles.

During times like this, it is helpful to remind students of the courageous people who have immigrated to this country from oppressive dictatorships, half of the world’s population who live on less than $2 a day, and the
incredible men and women who returned to the U.S. after serving in World War II who, from very little, built an economy which still sustains us today.

Even in hard times by our standards, students in the U.S. still have many advantages with which to take on current and future challenges. We are up to that task and our very best days can be ahead, and will be, if we all
become fortified–stronger and more effective– by the current economic situation.

ARTICLE
The Chronicle of Higher Education
By STEVEN BUSHONG

Rebecca Jordan has been a good student, achieving nearly a B average and working as an undergraduate student assistant in the English department at Troy University. But lately, she says, “family drama” has been keeping her up at night, sapping her motivation, and making class seem like a chore better avoided.

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Will the Economy Really Change Students’ College Plans? Early Signs Say Yes

This year, both students and families are facing tough choices about where to go to college. According to the Chronicle’s article below, 29% of students from families with income less than $40,000 are staying close to home, compared with 16% of families in the $40,000-$100,000 range. Public universities, community colleges and other college alternatives, which offer great value for the dollar, are the most attractive from a practical stand point.

It isn’t where students go to college; it is what they do while they are there that counts. My oldest brother won a Rhodes Scholarship after graduating from the University of Arizona because he had worked as an intern for the Wall Street Journal, traveled for eight months through South America and Mexico and sought experiences which would really stretch him to grow. That is how he earned the Rhodes.

In these tough times, students can look to their own resourcefulness for the most interesting, unique experiences which can be their teachers outside of class, complimenting what they learn on campus.

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ARTICLE
Chronicle of Higher Education
By BECKIE SUPIANO and ERIC HOOVER

High-school seniors have only until May 1 to decide where they will go to college. While it is still too soon to tell if widespread predictions that seniors will flock to lower-cost institutions were accurate, two new surveys and conversations with guidance counselors suggest that the economic situation is indeed playing a large role in students’ decisions.

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How to Raise Our I.Q.

CAROL’S SUMMARY: In Nicholas Kristofâ€™s editorial on how I.Q. can be raised, he cites schools in inner city areas where African American students showed I.Q. gains after answering written questions, which undoubtedly strengthened both writing and thinking skills. In addition, he cites research showing that students who were told in middle school that they can influence their brain capacityâ€”their IQâ€”did better in school over time and actually showed gains in IQ. This phenomenon, known in neuroscience as â€œbrain plasticity,â€ shows us that it is imperative to teach middle school children about their own ability to influence their â€œsmartsâ€ through writing, reading and thinking exercises in class and especially out of class in their own learning time.

Programs like those we offer for middle school students at LifeBound, teach students about their own gifts and talents and their â€œEQ,â€ emotional intelligence, which can be explored through dynamic text and exercises which probe students to question, reflect and respond in their own unique ways. Offering these programs teaches students about their own ability to influence their learning, their options and possibly most important of all, their own effort.

ARTICLE:

By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: April 15, 2009

Poor people have I.Q.â€™s significantly lower than those of rich people, and the awkward conventional wisdom has been that this is in large part a function of genetics.

After all, a series of studies seemed to indicate that I.Q. is largely inherited. Identical twins raised apart, for example, have I.Q.â€™s that are remarkably similar. They are even closer on average than those of fraternal twins who grow up together.

If intelligence were deeply encoded in our genes, that would lead to the depressing conclusion that neither schooling nor antipoverty programs can accomplish much. Yet while this view of I.Q. as overwhelmingly inherited has been widely held, the evidence is growing that it is, at a practical level, profoundly wrong. Richard Nisbett, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan, has just demolished this view in a superb new book, â€œIntelligence and How to Get It,â€ which also offers terrific advice for addressing poverty and inequality in America.

Visit www.nytimes.com to view the entire article

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