Most community college students think they’re more motivated and prepared for college level work than they really are, according to a new report titled, “Benchmarking and Benchmarks: Effective Practice With Entering Students,†published by The Survey of Entering Student Engagement, or SENSE, which is administered by the Center for Community College Student Engagement. The research cited in the article below also suggests six ways to help community college students succeed and colleges increase their retention rates.
At College Admission Time, Lessons in Thin Envelopes
Carol’s summary:
As teens await the springtime arrival of college letters, some students will read a rejection from their college of choice as an indication that they don’t have what it takes to succeed, but as the article below iterates through several interviews with highly successful people, there are many paths on the road to success. Rejection can actually open the door to a better opportunity. Investment mogul Warren Buffet, said, “The truth is, everything that has happened in my life…that I thought was a crushing event at the time, has turned out for the better.” With the exception of health problems, he says, setbacks teach “lessons that carry you along. You learn that a temporary defeat is not a permanent one. In the end, it can be an opportunity.”
While a college rejection can be devastating initially, it can also propel students “to define their own talents and potential,†said Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, who was rejected as a teenager when he applied to Harvard. Students need to remember that there is no one perfect college. Any number of schools can be good fits and places to thrive. In the face of rejection form a college or university, here are some steps students can take:
Talk to your counselor.
S/he has been through this before with other students and knows what to do.
Apply to schools whose deadlines haven’t yet passed.
Many colleges have late admissions policies or rolling admissions. Use College Search to help you find schools that are still accepting applications.
Apply to the same schools again.
Some schools will reconsider your application if you take the SAT® again and improve your scores or if your grades shot up dramatically at the end of your senior year. Contact the admissions office.
Ask for an explanation.
Was it your high school transcript? Your essay?
Consider transferring to the college.
If you spend a year at another school, you can prove to college admissions officers that you’re motivated and ready for college-level work. Consider community and state colleges, too.
Source: http://www.collegeboard.com/student/apply/letters-are-in/126.html
Winston Churchill said, “Success is the ability to go from one failure to another without losing enthusiasm.†The opportunity in this situation is for students to improve their ability to risk, despite the outcome. One of the most important life lessons is that we only “fail†if we don’t try. Learning how to master these lessons now can prepare students for success in college, career and life. This is why I wrote LifeBound’s book for seniors in high school, MAJORING IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE: Success Secrets For College Students, which includes real-world advice from other professionals who’ve faced rejection and gone on to find their best career path. To request a review copy of our new fifth edition, call the LifeBound toll free # 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.
ARTICLE:
WSJ
March 26, 2010
Before They Were Titans, Moguls and Newsmakers, These People Were…Rejected
At College Admission Time, Lessons in Thin Envelopes
By Sue Shellenbarger
Few events arouse more teenage angst than the springtime arrival of college rejection letters. With next fall’s college freshman class expected to approach a record 2.9 million students, hundreds of thousands of applicants will soon be receiving the dreaded letters.
Teenagers who face rejection will be joining good company, including Nobel laureates, billionaire philanthropists, university presidents, constitutional scholars, best-selling authors and other leaders of business, media and the arts who once received college or graduate-school rejection letters of their own.
To view this entire article visit www.wsj.com
Stagnant National Reading Scores Lag Behind Math
Carol’s summary:
Although our nation’s worst readers have made some strides, over the past 17 years reading scores have stayed about the same for most students, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress sponsored by the American Institutes Research. The reading test, mandated by Congress, was given to 338,000 fourth- and eighth-grade students last spring. Here are a few highlights from the report:
o The average scores of fourth graders in the bottom 10 percent for reading increased by 16 points from 2000 to 2009.
o In contrast, the average scores of the nation’s best fourth-grade readers, those in the top 10 percent, rose by only 2 points during the same period.
o On average, 33 percent of fourth graders scored at or above the proficient level in the latest reading results.
o Math scores rose 20 points for eighth graders and 27 points for fourth graders from 1990 to 2009; But in the most recent period, from 2007 to 2009, math scores also failed to rise much.
Experts point to two plausible reasons for stagnant scores in reading: In children’s lives, reading time has been replaced with surfing the Internet, texting and watching television. Other experts fault weak curriculum, particularly as students move past elementary school into the upper grade levels, as the culprit to stagnant scores.
If students are to improve in reading ability and comprehension, they first must love to read. LifeBound’s books foster a joy of reading through personal awareness, learning and growth, and our programs are used in summer academies, advisory, and English and Social Studies classes. Each text addresses the developmental issues students encounter at each grade level, 5-12, and includes stories about real students who’ve overcome obstacles that our readers can identify with. For review copies, please contact the LifeBound office by calling toll free 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.
ARTICLE
March 25, 2010
New York Times
By SAM DILLON
The nation’s schoolchildren have made little or no progress in reading proficiency in recent years, according to results released Wednesday from the largest nationwide reading test. The scores continue a 17-year trend of sluggish achievement in reading that contrasts with substantial gains in mathematics during roughly the same period.
“The nation has done a really good job improving math skills,†said Mark Schneider, a vice president at the American Institutes for Research and a former official at the Education Department, which oversees the test, known as the National Assessment of Educational Progress. “In contrast, we have made only marginal improvements in reading.â€
Why math scores have improved so much faster than reading scores is much debated; the federal officials who produce the test say it is intended to identify changes in student achievement over time, not to identify causes.
To view the entire article visit
http://nyti.ms/9DDiFZ
Bias Called Persistent Hurdle for Women in Sciences
Carol’s summary:
The good news is that math skills, like other intellectual pursuits, are not fixed and can grow with practice. Research also indicates that girls who have mothers, older sisters or other female role models who like math and science tend not to succumb to the stereotypes. Starting in the early grade levels, teachers can help students develop patterns of question asking that foster critical and creative thinking. LifeBound’s book, CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING, is coordinated to 21st century skills and offers real-life contemporary and historic examples in each chapter of men and women who excel in the sciences and other innovative fields. Each chapter features exercises, “Thinking on the Cutting Edge,†that prompt student to probe beneath the surface on various topics or issues. Here’s an example from Chapter 4: Knowing about birds’ flying formations (they fly in Vs) what questions can you ask that might save humans time and energy?
How can we do a better job of encouraging girls to strive to do well in math and science?
How can we help match girls with female role models who are in STEM careers?
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ARTICLE
New York Times
by Tamarin Lewis
A report on the underrepresentation of women in science and math by the American Association of University Women, to be released Monday, found that although women have made gains, stereotypes and cultural biases still impede their success.
To view entire article visitÂ
http://nyti.ms/djzVsl
Barriers Found to College Degrees for Hispanics
Carol’s summary:
Today, 1 in 5 public school students is Hispanic, and “the percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study by the American Enterprise Institute of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges,†cited in today’s New York Times. A similar study released in September of 2008, by the Pew Hispanic Center (PHC) and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, reports that “only 16 percent of Latino high school graduates earned a bachelor’s degree by age 29, compared with 37 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 21 percent of African-Americans.†By 2050, there will be more Hispanic children in U.S. public schools than non-Hispanic white children, as projected by the PHC report.
The study also reports that Latino students are less likely to have college-educated parents and more likely to live in poverty than white students. “Given the changing demographics of the United States,†the researchers write, “this target cannot be achieved without increasing the rate at which Hispanic students obtain a college degree.†This means educators have an inherent responsibility to direct and prepare more Latinos for college and high-skill jobs—a task that will take on even more urgency if the U.S. is to remain a force in a global economy. Unless schools adopt student success and transition programs as part of their core curriculum, a persistent achievement gap will continue to exist between minority and white students.
LifeBound’s programs for students are designed to boost academic, emotional and social intelligence for all learners, and our programs for parents support them in their role to help their children achieve school, career and life success. For more information about our parent programs, or to receive a review copy of our Spanish version of STUDY SKILLS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, or any of our books, call our national office toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.
As the number of Latino students nationwide continues to swell, how can we best prepare them for college and career success?
How can we help Latina students to have a voice and the initiative they need to advocate for resources and opportunities?
How can we help Latino young men make wise choices about friends as well as set healthy boundaries so that they avoid gang activity and other things that can dissuade them from pursuing a strong set of goals for education and career?
ARTICLE
New York Times
by Jacques Steinberg
Mrch 17, 2010
The percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges.
In the study, the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit research organization, examined graduation rates for students who entered college in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and found that 51 percent of those identified as Hispanic earned bachelor’s degrees in six years or less, compared with 59 percent of white students.
The researchers also found that Hispanic students trailed their white peers no matter how selective the colleges’ admissions processes.
For example, at what the researchers considered the nation’s most competitive colleges — as a yardstick, they aggregated institutions using the same six categories as a popular guidebook, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges — the institute calculated that nearly 83 percent of Hispanic students graduated, compared with 89 percent of white students. Among colleges identified as “less competitive,†the graduation rate for Hispanic students was 33.5 percent, compared with 40.5 percent for whites.
The percentage of Hispanic students who graduate from college in six years or less continues to lag behind that of white students, according to a new study of graduation figures at more than 600 colleges.
In the study, the American Enterprise Institute, a nonprofit research organization, examined graduation rates for students who entered college in 1999, 2000 and 2001, and found that 51 percent of those identified as Hispanic earned bachelor’s degrees in six years or less, compared with 59 percent of white students.
The researchers also found that Hispanic students trailed their white peers no matter how selective the colleges’ admissions processes.
For example, at what the researchers considered the nation’s most competitive colleges — as a yardstick, they aggregated institutions using the same six categories as a popular guidebook, Barron’s Profiles of American Colleges — the institute calculated that nearly 83 percent of Hispanic students graduated, compared with 89 percent of white students. Among colleges identified as “less competitive,†the graduation rate for Hispanic students was 33.5 percent, compared with 40.5 percent for whites.
To view entire article visit
http://nyti.ms/cqDYIs
What if a college education just isn’t for everyone?
Education isn’t a one-size fits all endeavor, and below are two articles that address this. Many students aren’t mature enough for college at age 18. So college may not be for everyone all at the same time. This is why I’m opposed to hastening students placement in college when they don’t have the maturity or the experience in life that some of their counterparts in Singapore and Finland may have. Some successful people choose to work right after school and go to college later, which gives them time to gain confidence and motivation for why they want a college education.
We have to understand some of the complexities of students today. Some are able and ready to go to college at age eighteen. Some can benefit from work or the service to expand their ability to know themselves and persist. Others are academically ready for college, but not be emotionally or socially ready to make valuable connections once they get there.
Our stair-step programs help students in middle school and high school prepare for these transitions. Even with the benefit of these transition and self-awareness programs, it simply takes some students longer than others and they need not feel like second class citizens while they are “growing up” academically, emotionally and socially.   We need to place as much emphasis on experience in the world as we do in-class learning.
ARTICLES
WATERLOO, Wis. — Debbie Crave once assumed that all of her children would go to college. Then she had kids.
Son Patrick is a junior at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Debbie’s alma mater, and plans to one day help manage the family’s 1,700-acre, 1,000-cow dairy farm here.
APPRENTICESHIPS: Alternative to college for some teens
Q&A: Do too many people go to college? This author says yes
Brian, 17, would rather sit atop a tractor than behind a desk. “He’s been afraid we might push him” to go to college, his mother says. But her eyes have been opened: “Kids learn differently, and some just aren’t college material.”
Long before President Obama vowed last year that America will “have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world” by 2020, the premium placed on going to college was firmly embedded in the American psyche.
To view both USA Today articles visit
What if College Just Isn’t for Everybody?
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-03-16-1Acollegeforall16_CV_N.htm
Teenagers in Need of Direction Can Turn to Apprenticeships
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2010-03-16-collegeapprentice16_ST_N.htm
Panel Proposes Single Standard for All Schools
Carol’s summary:
The U.S. is moving closer to adopting a uniform set of world-class standards for all schools k-12. This week a panel comprised of the nation’s governors and state school superintendents unveiled their proposal for year by year benchmarks citing these examples in the article below: “. . . fifth graders would be expected to explain the differences between drama and prose, and to identify elements of drama like characters, dialogue and stage directions. Seventh graders would study, among other math concepts, proportional relationships, operations with rational numbers and solutions for linear equations.â€
For over a decade, LifeBound has promoted similar objectives through our stair-step programs for grades 5-12, which builds the following 21st century skills:
o Reading
o Writing
o Critical and creative thinking
o Emotional intelligence
o ACT/SAT prep
o Strategies for teachers to anticipate and plan successful transitions at each grade level.
Our books are used in advisory periods, summer reading academies, and as supplements to English and Social Studies classes. All of our curricula are coordinated to the national American School Counselor Association (ASCA) standard and 21st century skills framework. To receive review copies of our books, please call our toll free # at 1.877.737.8510 or send an email to contact@lifebound.com
ARTICLE
NYTIMES
March 10, 2010
By Sam Dillon
A panel of educators convened by the nation’s governors and state school superintendents proposed a uniform set of academic standards on Wednesday, laying out their vision for what all the nation’s public school children should learn in math and English, year by year, from kindergarten to high school graduation.
The new proposals could transform American education, replacing the patchwork of standards ranging from mediocre to world-class that have been written by local educators in every state.
To view entire article visit
http://nyti.ms/cT2LJD
U.S. Ed-Tech Plan Prods K-12 to Innovate
Carol’s summary:
Don Tapscott, author of Wikinomics and Grown Up Digital, gave a presentation this week at the ASCD annual conference on the Net Generation, encouraging educators to embrace a new pedagogy based on technlogy. His advice dovetails with President Obama’s objective to put a computing device in the hands of every student as part of the first National Educational Technology Plan, which includes the goal of boosting college graduation rates from 40 percent to 60 percent by 2020.
As we build online learning platforms for students, we need to create modules that weigh in what the data tells us about how students optimally learn. I agree with Tapscott’s philosophy: “We can’t just throw technology in a classroom and expect good things,” notes Tapscott. We need to move away from an outdated, broadcast-style of pedagogy (i.e., lecture and drilling) toward student-focused, multimodal learning, where “the teacher’s no longer in the transmission of data business; she’s in the customizing-learning-experiences-for-students business.†One of the new challenges for educators is to bridge the digital divide and embrace technology that transforms learning for a more competitive workforce.
ARTICLE
The Obama administration urged educators and policymakers today to embrace a host of digital-learning approaches it says will make K-12 schools better, including putting a computing device in the hands of every student.
Guided by an overarching goal set by President Barack Obama to raise national college-completion rates from 40 percent to 60 percent by 2020, the first National Educational Technology Plan issued by his administration outlines the big-picture approaches it says U.S. schools need to employ in the areas of classroom learning, assessment, teaching, infrastructure, and productivity to help meet that goal.
To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/9Es5Q5
Students across USA protest over college funding, tuition
Carol’s summary:
College applicants are facing one of the worst years ever to gain admission to the nation’s public colleges and universities as schools struggle with deep budget cuts and record numbers of applications, forcing many colleges to cap enrollment. College officials say the enrollment caps could threaten President Obama’s goal of making the U.S. the leader in college attainment by 2020 and undermine the nation’s economic competitiveness.
In USA Today, Barmak Nassirian, associate executive director of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers said that “low-income, minority students could face the roughest road to admission because they often can’t afford private colleges and don’t have the resources or academic credentials to compete with students from wealthier families and better high schools.”
More than ever high school students need to cultivate the resilience and creative thinking skills to create every advantage for themselves in our global world. LifeBound’s student success and transition programs help students develop leadership and critical and creative thinking skills to plan for life after high school, and we also offer parents, teachers and counselors the tools they need to coach students on college and career success. The new edition of our best-seller, MAKING THE MOST OF HIGH SCHOOL, helps students create an 8-year plan starting their freshmen year of high school. To receive review copies of our books, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com .
How can we get student success and transition programs implemented at the k-12 level across the country to prepare students for the educational and economic challenges ahead?
Faced with our education system’s current restricted budgets, how can we ensure that all students receive a quality-education?
How can we lead the way in helping solve this crisis?
ARTICLE
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Anger over increasing tuition and school budget cuts boiled over as students across the country staged rowdy demonstrations that led to clashes with police and the rush-hour shutdown of a major freeway in California.
Students, teachers, parents and school employees rallied and marched Thursday at college campuses, public parks and government buildings in several U.S. cities what was called the March 4 Day of Action to Defend Public Education.
To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/c2AxK1
Sharp drop seen in children’s bullying
Carol’s summary:
Right now my staff is in the process of tabulating results from schools using our PEOPLE SMARTS program, which helps students develop emotional intelligence. Our results show that schools have experienced a reduction in the number of children who say they’re being bullied, and equally encouraging, more students say they stand up for someone and themselves who is the victim or physical or verbal abuse. Our data also shows that students in the PEOPLE SMARTS program experience better relationships with their siblings after taking the class (on the pre-assessment, 35.3% reported they “get along well with their siblings;†and the POST-assessment 50.1% reported that they do), a finding which is significant since bullying behavior is often learned at home where many children report being bullied by their brothers or sisters.Â
While anti-bullying programs play an important role in our nation’s goal to curb aggressive behavior, programs that help students build stronger communication, emotional, and social skills as a prevention strategy, can make the greatest impact. If you would like to receive a review copy of our PEOPLE SMARTS book, or any of our other resources, call us toll free at 1.877.737.8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.
How can districts effectively collect and use the data to measure the results of these programs? Â
ARTICLE
March 3, 2010
Associated Press
NEW YORK – There’s been a sharp drop in the percentage of America’s children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who believe anti-bullying programs are having an impact.
The study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, found that the percentage of children who reported being physically bullied over the past year had declined from nearly 22 percent in 2003 to under 15 percent in 2008. The percentage reporting they’d been assaulted by other youths, including their siblings, dropped from 45 percent to 38.4 percent.
The lead author of the study, Professor David Finkelhor, said he was “very encouraged.â€
“Bullying is the foundation on which a lot of subsequent aggressive behavior gets built,†said Finkelhor, director of the University of New Hampshire’s Crimes Against Children Research Center. “If it’s going down, we will reap benefits in the future in the form of lower rates of violent crime and spousal assault.â€
To view the entire article visit