Education News: June 27, 2008

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 27, 2008.

Career Programs Stress College, Too, and Give Students a Leg Up, Study Says
(Source: The New York Times, 6/26/08): In a study to be released in Washington on Friday, it has been found that students from nine career academies across the country have significantly higher employment and salaries eight years after graduation when compared with peers from similar backgrounds. Poverty experts find the study encouraging because until this point, technical education was not believed to have any lasting impact on low-income students. However, this research shows that a calculated choice in high school can pay off in the long-run.

Alleged Pact Puts New Focus on Teen Pregnancy
(Source:  The Christian Science Monitor, 6/25/08):  Seventeen pregnant girls at Gloucester High School on Boston’s North Shore may or may not have made a pact to get pregnant and raise their babies together, but regardless of whether a pact existed, the national spotlight has been turned on the issue of teen pregnancy.  The nation made great strides in decreasing teen pregnancy rates and increasing condom use from the early 1990’s until 2003, but since then progress has leveled off.  Experts continue to lock horns over whether abstinence-only education or comprehensive sex education is the way to go.

Middle School Changes Urged
(Source:  The Baltimore Sun, 6/25/08):  A new report presented to the Maryland State Board of Education calls for longer school days, a more rigorous curriculum, and special training for teachers in the state’s middle schools.  State schools superintendent Nancy Grasmick commissioned the report two years ago and hopes it will lead to improvements in the state’s middle school education and, ultimately, the educational outcomes of high school graduates.

Strain on All Sides As Students Put Off College Selections
(Source:  The Boston Globe, 6/25/08):  Many incoming college freshmen remain undecided about their ultimate college destination, and admissions officials at many schools are worried that they will not end up with the proper number of students in the class of 2012.  A number of factors have added uncertainty to the college admissions process, including a boom in the number of applicants, a slumping economy, and the elimination of early admission at several big-name schools.  In response to the uncertainty, schools have created longer wait lists, and students, in turn, are continuing to wait and see where they get in.  Some students are even “double-depositing,” in order to hold spots at more than one school.

Lure of Big Paycheck Tugs at Graduates Considering Public Service
(Source: The New York Times, 6/23/08): It comes as no surprise to find that at top universities across the country, graduates are choosing high-paying corporate jobs much more often than careers in public service. However, it may be surprising that many professors and administrators including Harvard’s president, Drew Gilpin Faust, are speaking out in favor of career choices for graduates that are not based solely on financial gains. They are hoping that more and more of the nation’s most educated students will offer their talents to the public sector.

Does Eighth-Grade Pomp Fit the Circumstance?
(Source: The New York Times, 6/22/08): In an increasing number of middle schools, eight-grade graduations have grown to resemble a high school or even a college ceremony. Many critics, including Senator Barack Obama, have come forward to express their distaste at the idea of a grand celebration for eight-graders. They point out that finishing eighth-grade should be a given for all students and are worried that a graduation ceremony could signal to the impressionable students that their education has reached its end. However, others argue that for some students, finishing middle school is a great accomplishment and a large graduation ceremony could be an incentive for them to finish high school as well.

State Pushes for Stricter Rules on Alternative Certification Teacher Programs
(Source: The Dallas Morning News, 6/22/08): In response to the growing popularity of alternative certification teacher programs in the state of Texas, the State’s Board for Educator Certification is reviewing the certification requirements for educators coming out of such programs. They are considering a proposal to only grant certification to teachers who have finished a certain number of training hours and maintained a 2.5 or higher grade point average in college. Opponents of the proposal, including for-profit alternative certification programs, claim that such certification requirements may not automatically produce better-qualified teachers and may even lead to a teacher deficit; the impetus for implementing alt-cert programs in the first place.