Education News: October 3, 2008

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending October 3, 2008.

Study Unveiled Regarding Standardized Testing and College Admissions
(Source: New York Times, September 28th, 2008)  This year’s biggest draw at the conference of the National Association for College Admission Counseling was the presentation by William Fitzsimmons of his Study of the Use of Standardized Tests in Undergraduate Admission.  Mr. Fitzsimmons acknowledged that SAT and ACT scores can be helpful, he overall seemed to advocate that the tests were far from perfect or precise.

First-Graders Learn About Disabilities to Break Stereotypes
(Source: Christian Science Monitor, September 29th, 2008)  First-grade teacher Maggie Doben has pioneered a program with her students in which they meet several people over an 8-week period who have a wide variety of physical disabilities.  The purpose is to expose them to the concept of disability at a young age, answer any question they have, and hopefully help them achieve a comfort level in order to fight stereotypes which could become more severe later in life. 

Mexico’s Money Funds Programs to Aid Immigrant Students
(Source: USA Today, September 30th, 2008)  As the immigration debate forges on in America, Mexico does what it can to help its citizens who find themselves in America with little to no education.  By supplying money, materials and teachers to American schools, Mexico hopes to educate immigrants, many illegal, and help them bring respect to their native country.

Food Bank Feeds Starving College Students
(Source: Denver Post, September 30th, 2008)  A food bank has been started at Metropolitan State College of Denver in an effort to alleviate the financial pressures on very low-income students who rely on tuition and financial aid and often struggle to make ends meat.  Any Metropolitan Student is free to access the bank and can take as little as one item for lunch, and up to 6 items per week.  Talks are in the works with Food Bank of the Rockies, Safeway and Wal-Mart.

Assessment of NYC Teachers will be Based Heavily on Standardized Tests
(Source: New York Times, October 1st, 2008)  New York City Teachers will now be part of a program that measures performance based on their students’ improvement on annual math and reading exams.  The results will not be made public, or used to influence job evaluations, salary or promotions, but instead help a teacher better understand his or her strengths and weaknesses.

Evidence in DC Schools that No Child is Closing the Achievement Gap
(Source: Washington Post, October 2nd, 2008)  Despite the fact that the No Child Left Behind law may not be perfect, there is some proof that it has begun to serve its purpose in several suburban schools outside of Washington, DC.  Students who live in poverty have made score gains each of the past five years, drawing them nearer and nearer to the national average.  While this may raise questions regarding the importance of standardized tests, it is a positive achievement nonetheless.

MBA Students at Top Universities Affected by Economic Crisis
(Source: USA Today, October 2nd, 2008) With the uncertain status of the nation’s economy, even MBA students at Stanford University have something to worry about.  Many of the students are abandoning the greed of the past several decades as many of the companies that may have employed them blink out of existence.  Instead, they look inward and try to determine what they truly want to do.

Reintroduction of JROTC Could Send Wrong Message
(Source: San Francisco Chronicle, October 3rd, 2008)  In 2005, San Francisco voters passed Proposition I which chose college scholarship programs over military recruitment programs in public schools.  Now in 2008, with Proposition V possibly re-introducing military programs such as the JROTC, law makers must grapple with the messages that endorsing such programs can send.