April » 2009 » Carol J. Carter

High school dropouts cost US $319B over lifetime

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Virginia Governor, Bob Wise, says that the high school drop-outs in the class of 2008 will cost the nation $319 billion over their lifetime in lost or low wages, health-care and prison costs. Currently, 30% of all high students totaling 1.2 million, do not graduate from high school. For minority students, that number is a staggering 50%.

So, what can we do to start early and often to prevent this alarming trend from continuing? For one thing, we need to have a level playing field for minority students and at-risk students who may not have the resources at home to succeed. Schools featuring advisory classes can focus on the emotional, social and academic development of every child. The organization I founded, LifeBound, has books and resources to help every student discover their gifts, talents and abilities as well as their educational passion. Beginning in fifth grade, we need to emphasize success and transition so that we can prepare students for successâ€”not failure or even average performanceâ€”in the global world they are about to enter.

ARTICLE:

ATLANTA (AP) â€” High school dropouts from the class of 2008 will cost the country $319 billion over their lifetime, former West Virginia Gov. Bob Wise said during a panel discussion Thursday.

That number includes the income the students will have lost because of a lack of education and what they’ll cost taxpayers in publicly funded healthcare, prison stays and other services.

“The first group affected when a student drops out of high school is the student themselves, but there’s another group affected as well,” Wise told the room full of teens from across the country. “It’s the rest of us. It’s you, me, all of us.”

Visit www.edweek.org for the entire article

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The Complicated Task of Simplifying Student Aid

The FAFSA form, which is how students and families apply for financial aid, is a long cumbersome form which baffles and stymies many families. Nationally, 8 million people fail to file the FAFSA form. As the article below indicates, many people feel that this form is longer and more complex than the 1040.

So, what can be done to make this form more simple and straight-forward for people to complete? Many ideas are being considered including linking this to tax information. Along with privacy issues, opponents argue that by the time that tax information would be considered, it is two year old. It seems like whatever is done to streamline this process, more disadvantaged populations will gain access to Higher Education. Currently, only 7% attend college from the lowest socioeconomic realms representing the most “at-risk” populations, while 60% of students attend college from the middle to upper class population. While the latter may not be at-risk economically, they are often at-risk emotionally and socially as they begin college. No matter what, a shorter FAFSA would provide more access for all and less family stress in considering how to get in to and pay for college.

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ARTICLE:

The U.S. Education Department examines 2 ways to make it easier for families to apply
By KELLY FIELD

The first time Kathy Peterson saw the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, the six-page form that the government uses to assess student need, she felt overwhelmed.

“I just kept going from one screen to the next, wondering, ‘When is this going to end?'” said Ms. Peterson, an office manager for a telecommunications trade association, whose son will attend Old Dominion University in the fall.

She says she spent at least 20 hours completing the electronic form, 20 times as long as the government estimates it should take.

Ms. Peterson was one of the persistent ones. Each year more than 40 percent of college students, nearly eight million, fail to file a Fafsa, even though most of them would be eligible for aid, according to the U.S. Education Department. The agency doesn’t know how many students start the process and give up, or how many never even begin because they’re intimidated by the form’s length and bureaucratic language.

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Recession Has Changed Views Among Prospective Adult Students, Study Finds

According to the firm, Eduventures, nearly half of adults learners in a 1,500 person survey believe that the value of an education has increased because of the economic crisis. While there are still the super-smart and talented exceptions to this rule like Bill Gates, most of us are going to benefit greatly from a college degree in this new economy.

Adults are not only competing with younger grads who have undergraduate and often graduate degrees, they are competing in many cases for jobs with people from other countries. The knowledge and skill-base required is definitely greater than a decade ago and will likely become more intense as time goes on. If you are an adult and you are thinking about going back to school while keeping your job, remember that whatever outlay you invest will likely be paid back because your earning potential is likely to be so much higher over the course of your career than if you forego the degree and stay in the ranks of the minimum-wage jobs.

If you’ve taken a hard look at your situation and you feel you really can’t go back right now, learn as much as you can at your current job and set your sites on being the most valuable contributor that you can be. If you aren’t working, but you are looking for a job, then volunteer where you can develop the same critical workplace success skills. When this tough economic time passes, which it inevitably will, set your sites back on getting your degree. There are many programs which will allow this to take place in your own time.

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ARTICLE:

Chronicles of Higher Education
by Eric Hoover

Nearly half of adult students believe the value of education has increased over the last year due to the economic crisis, according to a survey released this week by Eduventures Inc., an education-consulting firm.

Twenty-five percent of respondents said the value had not changed significantly. And only 20 percent said the value of additional education had decreased, meaning that they believed it was less likely to earn them a raise or better job.

To view entire article
http://chronicle.com/temp/email2.php?id=mdxR4ZWrGPcfwCzwCgzmdrSrzqbgHsdj

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Education Secretary Says Aid Hinges on New Data

CAROL’S SUMMARY:

Business measurements are now being required of educators, as are business skills. Measuring and tracking data beyond the lens of the state test scores, is crucial to school improvement and performance. For example, measuring a number of indicators with high school freshmen like who joins a club freshmen year, who has stellar attendance, who uses the resources of tutors and counselors, as well as grades and state test scores, more accurately reflects overall student success. In fact, the students who struggle the most academically need to be taught â€œsuccess habitsâ€ â€“qualities like perseverance, self-advocacy, an indomitable spiritâ€”which will propel them past their challenges and on to solid adult life skills.

Principals of schools are being asked to measure a variety of data in order to manage their schools well. In addition to being data-driven, the best school principals need these additional qualities: vision, interpersonal skills and very strong project management abilities. Often, principals who are promoted through the ranks of teaching may not have these skills, but as we analyze what teachers need to be effective in our challenging global environment, we may find that teachers need the same leadership skills as principals to promote world-class learning and first-rate outcomes.

ARTICLE:

Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told the nationâ€™s governors on Wednesday that in exchange for billions of dollars in federal education aid provided under the economic stimulus law, he wants new information about the performance of their public schools, much of which could be embarrassing.

To view the entire article please visit
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/education/02educ.html?emc=eta1

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Get Smart

CAROL’S SUMMARY: Is IQ hereditary or environmental? Is there any correlation between intelligence and creativity or genius? As the article below suggests, if IQ differences are indeed largely environmental, what might eliminate group disparities? IQ tests which traditionally measure â€œfluidâ€ intelligence(the ability to abstractly reason) and â€œcrystallizedâ€ intelligence (knowledge) donâ€™t always correlate to skills, abilities and outcomes. What role do habits of success like conscientiousness and perseverance play in raising intelligence and the ability to actually accomplish thingsâ€”in the words of Howard Gardner, â€œ to make things happenâ€? What programs can schools put in place to level the playing field and help all kids learn more and do more, regardless of their economic background?

As Title 1 programs strive to be more effective at helping at-risk populations, these questions are crucial to figure out the best programs to propel kids forward with the global skills needed to be successful in our interdependent world. Measurements which can provide hard data will be essential in evaluating progress and determining next steps.

ARTICLE:

By JIM HOLT
Published: March 27, 2009

Success in life depends on intelligence, which is measured by I.Q. tests. Intelligence is mostly a matter of heredity, as we know from studies of identical twins reared apart. Since I.Q. differences between individuals are mainly genetic, the same must be true for I.Q. differences between groups. So the I.Q. ranking of racial/ethnic groups â€” Ashkenazi Jews on top, followed by East Asians, whites in general, and then blacks â€” is fixed by nature, not culture. Social programs that seek to raise I.Q. are bound to be futile. Cognitive inequalities, being written in the genes, are here to stay, and so are the social inequalities that arise from them.

To view this entire article visit www.nytimes.com

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