Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence

Developing emotional, social and cognitive intelligence is important to understanding and becoming a great leader according to Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis. Professor of Organizational Behavior and Psychology at Case Western Reserve University and Professor in Human Resources at EASDE in Barcelona, Dr. Boyatzis sees leadership as the ability to connect emotionally with others and inspire them. He states in a recent podcast that â€œAdults can improve their emotional, social and cognitive intelligence competenciesâ€”those that distinguish outstanding performance in management, leadership and other professions, by as much as 70%!â€

Emotional and social intelligence is at the center of LifeBoundâ€™s mission to prepare students for college, career and life success because these skills are not only important in the world of work, but also throughout school. Students need to be able to form strong relationships with others in order to function effectively in teams, participate in study groups and join extracurricular activities. Life success requires not just book smarts, those who struggle academically, do better when challenged emotionally and socially which teaches them how to persist.

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The Hay Group posted a 4 part podcast by Dr. Richard E. Boyatzis titled, â€œDeveloping emotional, social and cognitive intelligence in graduate, undergraduate and executive students.â€

To listen to all 4 podcasts visit http://www.haygroup.com/ww/Media/Details.aspx?ID=27430.

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Hobsons’ new online tool simplifies college searches

Carolâ€™s Summary:

College Confidential is launching a new search engine that allows students and parents to select from optional criteria and in order to match them with specific higher education institutions that meet their direct criteria. Often, students choose a college based solely on location and tuition costs and miss out on other important opportunities. College Confidential is taking the next step in providing students with the skills necessary to pursue their dreams and reach towards success.

Not only is the search engine exceptional, they have also developed an online community that links parents and students with people of like mind. There are also parent forums to answer questions and several tools to assist students in figuring out which school is the best fit for them.

So many factors are in important in determining what career path to choose and what educational path t o follow to get there. Majoring in the Rest of Your Life is a resource that through self-discovery, explores studentsâ€™ options and provides the skills necessary to follow them through. Students need to be prepared for success not only in college, but in the rest of their lives. To learn more about Majoring in the Rest of Your Life as well as other LifeBound books and materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

To learn more about College Confidential visit www.news.cincinnati.com

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Graduation rate for US high-schoolers falls for second straight year

Carolâ€™s Summary:

For the second year in a row, high school graduation rates in the US have continued to decline, according to a data in a study released by Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education Research Center foundation.

The study, called â€œDiplomas Count 2010â€, analyzed and compared high school graduation rates from 2006 to 2007; it was found that there were approximately 11,000 fewer high school graduates nationwide in 2007 than in 2006. The analysis counts the percentage of high school students that receive a diploma in four years.

Another aspect of the report shows a list of 21 citiesâ€™ school districts whose graduation rates are reported as unexpectedly higher than estimated to be, based on poverty and ethnicity-based statistics. Amongst the school districts mentioned were Texarkana Independent in Texas and Memphis City in Tennessee. Higher graduation rates not only affect students and their families, but are also better for the economy.

The Alliance for Excellent Education estimates that if the dropout rate were to decrease by half in 50 of the USâ€™ largest cities, tax revenue would increase due to the increased earnings of high school graduates compared to those who drop out.

In the present-day, it is more essential than ever for students to graduate from high school and go on to college and into the professional world. Making the Most of High School is geared towards guiding high school students in academic achievement as well as real-world situations, so that students are prepared to succeed in all aspects of life. To learn more about Making the Most of High School as well as other LifeBound books and materials, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

Article:

Christian Science Monitor

Graduation rate for US high-schoolers falls for second straight year

By Stacy Teicher Khadaroo,Â June 10, 2010

The national high school graduation rate has slipped in recent years, despite an array of public and private efforts to boost the percentage of students going on to college. But some districts are beating the odds, succeeding with many students who otherwise may have fallen through the cracks.

The percent of students earning a standard diploma in four years shifted from 69.2 percent in 2006 to 68.8 percent in 2007, according to an analysis of the most recent data in â€œDiplomas Count 2010.â€ It was the second consecutive year of decline, says the report, which was released Thursday by Education Week and the Editorial Projects in Education (EPE) Research Center, a nonprofit in Bethesda, Md.

To read the full article: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Education/2010/0610/Graduation-rate-for-US-high-schoolers-falls-for-second-straight-year

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A Self-Appointed Teacher Runs a One-Man ‘Academy’ on YouTube

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

Salman Khan, 33-year-old began making lecture videos from his home studio in 2006; and has now become The Khan Academy on YouTube. Khan has created over 1,400 videos on various academic subjects. Khan states in the article below, â€œThe Khan Academy explicitly challenges many of higher-education’s most sacred assumptions: that professional academics make the best teachers; that hour long lectures are the best way to relate material; and that in-person teaching is better than videos. Mr. Khan argues that his little lectures disprove all of that.â€ Khan has received over $150,000 in donations and has helped many students further understand classroom material. â€œWhen I called a couple of students who posted enthusiastic posts to Facebook, they said they saw it as a helpful supplement to the classroom experience,â€ said Khan.

YouTube is a great way to communicate with others and to share new ideas. Creative thinking is important in achieving academic success. Not every student learns the same way and having alternative teaching options is another way to help students become more successful. LifeBoundâ€™s materials designed for grades 5-12 promote students to be creative.Â Through tips and helpful strategies students can become more academically and career successful.. LifeBound is currently networking through Facebook, Twitter, and a blog page. To learn more about LifeBoundâ€™s materials visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com.

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A Self-Appointed Teacher Runs a One-Man ‘Academy’ on YouTube

Are his 10-minute lectures the future?

The Chronicle of Higher Education

By Jeffrey R. Young

June 6, 2010

The most popular educator on YouTube does not have a Ph.D. He has never taught at a college or university. And he delivers all of his lectures from a bedroom closet.

This upstart is Salman Khan, a 33-year-old who quit his job as a financial analyst to spend more time making homemade lecture videos in his home studio. His unusual teaching materials started as a way to tutor his faraway cousins, but his lectures have grown into an online phenomenonâ€”and a kind of protest against what he sees as a flawed educational system.

http://chronicle.com/article/A-Self-Appointed-Teacher-Runs/65793/?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

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Common Set of Nationwide Standards to be Reviewed Over the Summer

Carolâ€™s Summary:

Â The Council of Chief School Officers and the National Governors Association announced a set of nationwide standards for math and English on Wednesday, which, if accepted by states, would standardize the curriculum of public schools around the country. The motivation behind the concept of standardized learning is to increase academic achievement and level the field for all students regardless of what state they live in.

According to the Common Core State Standards Initiative website, the English language standards include learning to write logical, research-based arguments as well as to be thoroughly prepared for college-level reading and vocabulary upon completing high school. For math, one of the main goals is to ensure that students are prepared for algebra by the eighth grade.

Â Education Secretary Arne Duncan has accepted the authorization of the national guidelines as a part of the criteria for Race to the Top, the competition in which states vie for education funding. Various education groups also advocate the standards and are encouraging states to consider incorporating them into their curriculum.

Curriculum, whether it is standardized or unique, is one of the most important aspects of academics and education. It is at the core of what helps students to learn and accomplish their goals. LifeBoundâ€™s curriculum and books are used in schools and classrooms to supplement the existing curriculum that many schools use to help their students succeed. Visit www.lifebound.com or email contact@lifebound.com for more details and information on LifeBoundâ€™s books and curriculum.

Article:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/06/06/AR2010060603062.html

The Answer Sheet: Common state standards are no more than part of the answer

By Valerie Strauss

Special to The Washington Post
Monday, June 7, 2010

So now we have a set of standards for math and English language arts that were designed for all states to adopt so learning could be more uniform across the country.

On Wednesday, the folks behind the initiative — the Council of Chief State School Officers and the National Governors Association — released the standards, which spell out what children are expected to learn in those two subjects from kindergarten through high school.

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Thirty-Five States, D.C. Vie for Education Funding

Carolâ€™s Summary:

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â The Federal Governmentâ€™s Race to the Top competition, which grants funding for education reform, is going into its second phase after Tuesday nightâ€™s application deadline. Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second round of the competition, where states are rewarded grants for their efforts to reform the education system.

States will win grants based on their efforts towards amending curriculum, improving low-performing and underprivileged schools, as well as for the methods by which they employ and train teachers. There is a total of $3.4 billion dollars to be presented to the states that demonstrate the most efforts towards changing their schools.

In the first round, forty states applied for funds, with Delaware and Tennessee winning a combined $600 million. Three states have not re-applied, while states like Alaska and Texas did not apply for funds in either round of the competition. The finalists will be named around July 26, and by the end of September the winners will be decided. It is predicted that between 10-15 states will receive Race to the Top grants.

Many schools use LifeBound books in their classrooms to apply lessons to real-life situations, thus making learning more purposeful and suitable to studentsâ€™ needs. Books such as Making the Most out of High School offer curriculum that is unique and allows teachers, students and parents to teach and learn with more hands-on strategies. The methods that LifeBound teaches are carefully researched and tested to ensure academic success.

While many schools are cutting budgets right and left, we are working to meet districts in creative ways to bring the best programs possible to students and teachers. For more information about Lifeboundâ€™s books and curriculum, visit www.lifebound.com or e-mail contact@lifebound.com.

Article:

Wall Street Journal

Thirty-Five States, D.C. Vie for Education Funding

By STEPHANIE BANCHERO

Thirty-five states and the District of Columbia applied for the second phase of the Race to the Top federal education competition as the application deadline passed Tuesday night.

The states are hoping to win a piece of the $3.4 billion available under President Barack Obama’s signature education initiative.

Race to the Top aims to spur innovation by rewarding states that promote charter schools, tie teacher pay to student achievement and intervene in low-performing schools.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704875604575281041763656342.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_sections_news

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New Group Will Help Community Colleges Become More Globally Focused

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

The Center for Global Advancement of Community Colleges aims to work with two-year institutions to help them strengthen their global focus. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education article below, â€œthey will work to recruit more students from overseas and to build greater recognition of the American community-college system abroad.â€ The end goal is to ensure students graduate prepared for a global marketplace.

Community College students in America need to know about the worldâ€”cultures, economic disparities, languages, nuances in working environmentsâ€”to be world-class ready upon graduation. This world knowledge can and should begin in high school and be emphasized throughout college. Almost every classroom has a rich ability to draw out the history and background of each student in that class, whether they are foreign born or their families immigrated to the U.S. hundreds of years ago. When students know more about the world, they will know more about themselves.

LifeBound shares this goal. All LifeBound materials profile international students and enforce 21st century skills so that students successfully transition from fifth through twelfth grade, graduate high school and enter college well aware of the world around them. Our get ready for college book, JUNIOR GUIDE TO SENIOR YEAR SUCCESS, for example, features college essays from students in Shanghai and Bangladesh as well as perspectives from people around the world who are solving the worldâ€™s greatest problems. Schools and curricula that promote worldwide understanding will help all students succeed in the years to come.

ARTICLE:

The Chronicle of Higher Education
May 13, 2010
New Group Will Help Community Colleges Become More Globally Focused
By Karin Fischer

Several veterans of international education have started a new membership organization that will seek to help community colleges become more globally focused.

The Center for Global Advancement of Community Colleges will work with two-year institutions to recruit more students from overseas and to build greater recognition of the American community-college system abroad.

To view this entire article visit www.chronicle.com

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Like Facebook, but for learning

CAROLâ€™S SUMMARY:

Educational social-networking site, Grockit, discussed in the ESchool News article below, is part of a current trend to create â€œcollaborative learning spaces online where students can help one another solve homework problems and studyâ€”all while building important 21st-century skills.â€ The social-networking study site currently offers 8-12 graders test-prep services and will eventually expand to include math, English, history and science.

According to the article, Grockit CEO Farb Nivi says â€œestimates point to a 25 to 27 percent learning loss during summer vacationâ€¦Logging onto Grockit just a few hours a week during the summer can help students bridge the gap between school years, so that come September they are ready to build upon last school yearâ€™s lessons with little review.â€

Students using Grockit use live chat services to â€œpractice with, learn from, and compete with millions of their peers on the subject of their choice.â€ The site gives students points and recognition for achievements such as how helpful they are to peers and are displayed to the social-networkâ€™s community and motivates students to excel.

â€œBecause of that social factor, the power in it isnâ€™t just answering a questionâ€”itâ€™s that positive peer influence on learning,â€ says Jeramy Gatza, a Florida Virtual School (FLVS) innovation manager working with Grockit.

Creating a positive culture of learning to encourage and motivate students to succeed is the inspiration behind LifeBoundâ€™s student success and transition materials. We are currently working on a new title, LEADERSHIP FOR TEENAGERS, due out this summer to inspire students to find good role models and become an effective leader in school, career and life. To review a sample chapter or reserve a copy in advance, call our toll free number at 1-877-737-8510 or email contact@lifebound.com.

ARTICLE:

Combining social networking with studying, Grockit encourages academic success through peer interaction
By Laura Devaney, Managing Editor
May 3rd, 2010
ESchool News

Aiming to engage students who are multitasking with different forms of technology, companies are creating collaborative learning spaces online where students can help one another solve homework problems and studyâ€”all while building important 21st-century skills.

One such social-networking study site is Grockit, which currently offers test-prep services and is expanding its focus to include math and English for students in grades 8-12, with history and science soon to follow. Grockit has opened enrollment for a free Summer Enrichment Academy, which is designed to keep students from falling behind during summer vacation as they participate in collaborative group study forums online.

Grockitâ€™s appeal lies not only in the fact that academic support from peers is free, but also because students are motivated to learn through the companyâ€™s social-networking and gaming platform, said Grockit CEO Farb Nivi. As online social networking becomes a ubiquitous aspect of youth culture, sites such as Grockit could represent the future of education technology.

To view this entire article visit www.eschoolnews.com

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Needs of ‘Whole Child’ May Factor in ESEA Renewal

Carolâ€™s Summary:
In educating k-12 childrenâ€”and weighing the financial costs for comprehensive servicesâ€”we need to take the long view. We are preparing students for college, career and life success, which necessitates developing the whole student nowâ€”with analytical, creative and emotional/ social skills. . This balance is crucial to student motivation and, ultimately, graduation rates. Our nationâ€™s current drop-out crises threatens economic growth and global competitiveness. Cutting the dropout rate in half would yield $45 billion annually in new federal tax revenues or cost savings, according to a recent report by Columbia Universityâ€™s Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education at Teachers College. The report also says the achievement gaps in this country are the same as having â€œa permanent national recession.â€
My lifeâ€™s work and the reason I started LifeBound ten years ago is to address the developmental issues students face at each grade level, 5-12, so that they persist with their educational and career goals. We provide a comprehensive approach to educating children that includes these resources:
o Books to teach healthy habits and self-awareness that lead to real academic gains
o Curriculum that features relevance and rigor activities
o Data assessments so teachers can see the results
o Teacher training on implementing our classroom materials
o Academic coaches training that help educators become leaders and champions of change

We also offer parent programs that help create a culture of learning at home, because regardless of how many services we make available to students, the home remains the primary influence in a childâ€™s life. For more information about LifeBoundâ€™s resources, visit www.lifebound.com. I am happy to share these materials, and if you would like to receive review copies of any of our books, call our national toll free # 1.877.737.8510, or email your request to contact@lifebound.com. We look forward to hearing from you.

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Education Week
By Alyson Klein
As Congress gears up for renewal of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, lawmakers and the Obama administration are seeking to address a perennial complaint: that the current version of the law, the No Child Left Behind Act, places too much emphasis on studentsâ€™ test scores and pays little attention to their health and other needs.

And at a hearing of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee last week, lawmakers agreed that the idea of educating â€œthe whole childâ€ encompasses a wide range of support services, which advocates are hoping could be reflected in the rewrite of the ESEA.

Those include dental and mental health, as well as programs aimed at providing prekindergarten and library services, summer and after-school enrichment, mentoring, college counseling, and increased parent and community involvement. The whole-child concept can also refer to making sure schools attend to studentsâ€™ nonacademic interests, through programs such as the arts and physical education.

Increasing offerings in such a broad array of programs would almost certainly mean schools would need to increase staffs, said U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, the chairman of the committee. But he and other lawmakers acknowledged that might be a tall order in tight budget times.

To view the entire article visit
http://bit.ly/cu5yMp

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Can Learning Be Improved When Budgets Are in the Red?

When budgets are in the red, one option for student success is, at $13.95, MAJORING IN THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. This book can be used in the summer bridge program or throughout the year in a student success class. This is the first book I wrote and it contains all of the things that employers expect from college graduates, but few people ever bother to tell freshmen so that they can plan for a bright future. Many of the specific tips raised in this important article point directly at student engagement. If we canâ€™t engage them in thoughts about their future and what it might look like, how can we expect them to persist?

Additionally, every chapter of this book features a student who has an internships. Experience is the most valuable thing a college student can get, but they wonâ€™t get it in class. Their leadership activities, volunteer activities and internships is the way their experience and practical knowledge can happen.

For budget-strapped universities, this is the best value for college freshmen.

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By W. Robert Connor and Cheryl Ching

A year ago, President Obama set an ambitious goal for American higher education. Alarmed by statistics from the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation that showed the United States is falling behind other developed countries in that regard, he announced that “by 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion of college graduates in the world.” That’s a commendable goal, but for it to amount to anything, the quality of student engagement and learning has to improve as well. Can that be done at a time when college budgets are under strain on many fronts?

To view entire article visit
http://bit.ly/aeQB2t

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