Some of the News Fit to Print
ABOUT K-12
WHY NATE SILVER CAN SAVE MATH EDUCATION
Across the land, kids hate math. You can hear it in their constant groans and see it in their deranged faces. They ask their teachers, “When am I ever going to use this in life?” On most occasions, they never will. Even President Obama agrees. He recently said on the Tonight Show. “The math stuff I was fine with until seventh grade. Malia is now a freshmen in high school and I’m pretty lost. It’s tough.” And no wonder — the system is suffering from a tragic case of nostalgia. The origins of the current curriculum draw back to 1892 when the Committee of Ten hashed out a standard curriculum, which would eventually be adopted almost unanimously by schools. As a result, the potential to love and embrace math is being squandered — perhaps even the future of potential Nate Silvers and Nobel Laureates. As students progress from grade to grade, many start losing interest in math. The piece is from KQED.
Across the land, kids hate math. You can hear it in their constant groans and see it in their deranged faces. They ask their teachers, “When am I ever going to use this in life?” On most occasions, they never will. Even President Obama agrees. He recently said on the Tonight Show. “The math stuff I was fine with until seventh grade. Malia is now a freshmen in high school and I’m pretty lost. It’s tough.” And no wonder — the system is suffering from a tragic case of nostalgia. The origins of the current curriculum draw back to 1892 when the Committee of Ten hashed out a standard curriculum, which would eventually be adopted almost unanimously by schools. As a result, the potential to love and embrace math is being squandered — perhaps even the future of potential Nate Silvers and Nobel Laureates. As students progress from grade to grade, many start losing interest in math. The piece is from KQED.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PROPOSES CHANGES IN INVESTING IN INNOVATION
The Investing in Innovation grant program—one of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's marquee initiatives—would get a makeover under a proposed set of new priorities released Friday. Up until now, the i3 program, which was initially created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was geared to projects that addressed the four education redesign "assurances" spelled out in the stimulus, including improving state data systems, bolstering teacher quality, turning around low-performing schools, and revamping state standards and assessments. The post is inEducation Week’s Politics K-12 blog.
The Investing in Innovation grant program—one of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's marquee initiatives—would get a makeover under a proposed set of new priorities released Friday. Up until now, the i3 program, which was initially created under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, was geared to projects that addressed the four education redesign "assurances" spelled out in the stimulus, including improving state data systems, bolstering teacher quality, turning around low-performing schools, and revamping state standards and assessments. The post is inEducation Week’s Politics K-12 blog.
ABOUT HIGHER ED
A GUARANTEED PELL GRANT?
Early-commitment scholarships -- in which a donor offers to pay the way for a class of students to attend college, for example -- have been an occasional hallmark of philanthropy. A new study examines making a similar effort with the Pell Grant: telling low-income students as early as the eighth grade that they will receive federal help to attend college, in the hopes that it would encourage them to prepare for and pursue a postsecondary education. The study, by Robert Kelchen and Sara Goldrick-Rab of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, found that guaranteeing a Pell Grant to students who qualify for free school lunch in the eighth grade could increase retention rates in college. The article is in Inside Higher Ed.
Early-commitment scholarships -- in which a donor offers to pay the way for a class of students to attend college, for example -- have been an occasional hallmark of philanthropy. A new study examines making a similar effort with the Pell Grant: telling low-income students as early as the eighth grade that they will receive federal help to attend college, in the hopes that it would encourage them to prepare for and pursue a postsecondary education. The study, by Robert Kelchen and Sara Goldrick-Rab of the University of Wisconsin at Madison, found that guaranteeing a Pell Grant to students who qualify for free school lunch in the eighth grade could increase retention rates in college. The article is in Inside Higher Ed.
COLLEGE LEADERS MAY MAKE FLORIDA’S NEXT PUBLIC UNIVERSITY ONLINE ONLY
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida’s 12th university became a reality earlier this year, and there is already discussion about whether the state needs a 13th. House Speaker Will Weatherford challenged the board governing state universities to look into creating an online-only school in order to increase access to distance education. And Monday, the Board of Governors received the results of an independent study on the topic and discussed next steps. The article is in the Miami Herald.
TALLAHASSEE -- Florida’s 12th university became a reality earlier this year, and there is already discussion about whether the state needs a 13th. House Speaker Will Weatherford challenged the board governing state universities to look into creating an online-only school in order to increase access to distance education. And Monday, the Board of Governors received the results of an independent study on the topic and discussed next steps. The article is in the Miami Herald.
FOR WHOM IS COLLEGE BEING REINVENTED?
The pundits and disrupters, many of whom enjoyed liberal-arts educations at elite colleges, herald a revolution in higher education that is not for people like them or their children, but for others: less-wealthy, less-prepared students who are increasingly cut off from the dream of a traditional college education. Here's the cruel part: The students from the bottom tier are often the ones who need face-to-face instruction most of all. The commentary is inThe Chronicle of Higher Education.
The pundits and disrupters, many of whom enjoyed liberal-arts educations at elite colleges, herald a revolution in higher education that is not for people like them or their children, but for others: less-wealthy, less-prepared students who are increasingly cut off from the dream of a traditional college education. Here's the cruel part: The students from the bottom tier are often the ones who need face-to-face instruction most of all. The commentary is inThe Chronicle of Higher Education.
ABOUT HIGHER ED
STATE CHIEFS TO EXAMINE TEACHER PREP, LICENSING
Twenty-five state superintendents are vowing to take action to update their systems of teacher preparation and licensing. The announcement from the Council of Chief State School Officers is probably state officials' most explicit promise to engage in changes to teacher preparation. They will implement recommendations in areport by a CCSSO task force. The article is in Education Week.
Twenty-five state superintendents are vowing to take action to update their systems of teacher preparation and licensing. The announcement from the Council of Chief State School Officers is probably state officials' most explicit promise to engage in changes to teacher preparation. They will implement recommendations in areport by a CCSSO task force. The article is in Education Week.
DOES IT MAKE SENSE TO FUND CAMPUSES BASED ON WHETHER STUDENTS EARN DEGREES?
Reflecting the national trend to outcomes-based education funding, Georgia’s public colleges will now earn dollars based on how many students earn diplomas rather than how many enroll. Tennessee has led the nation in this effort, eliminating enrollment as a funding criteria for its public colleges. The article is in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Reflecting the national trend to outcomes-based education funding, Georgia’s public colleges will now earn dollars based on how many students earn diplomas rather than how many enroll. Tennessee has led the nation in this effort, eliminating enrollment as a funding criteria for its public colleges. The article is in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
MEASURING SUCCESS IN NEW WAYS
Given the complexities of graduate education, it can be hard to measure program success in meaningful ways. Traditional, external reviews track things such as time to degree and completion rates every five to 10 years at large research institutions, but students and faculty are rarely asked deeper questions about curriculum relevance and program goals. A new effort at the University of Minnesota seeks to change that by establishing ongoing, qualitative models of assessment centered on students and action. If successful, the pilot Graduate Review and Improvement Process (GRIP), could be instituted on a voluntary basis across the university next year. The article is in Inside Higher Ed.
Given the complexities of graduate education, it can be hard to measure program success in meaningful ways. Traditional, external reviews track things such as time to degree and completion rates every five to 10 years at large research institutions, but students and faculty are rarely asked deeper questions about curriculum relevance and program goals. A new effort at the University of Minnesota seeks to change that by establishing ongoing, qualitative models of assessment centered on students and action. If successful, the pilot Graduate Review and Improvement Process (GRIP), could be instituted on a voluntary basis across the university next year. The article is in Inside Higher Ed.
ABOUT K-12
FISCAL CLIFF MAY FORCE SOME HIGH SCHOOLS TO CLOSE
f Congress goes off the so-called fiscal cliff, federal funding for K-12 education programs will go along with it—but high schools in some districts will see their budgets fall further than others. Technically called sequestration, the cliff refers to a package of mandatory spending cuts and expiring tax credits totaling $1.2 trillion. Those cuts will kick in on January 1 if an alternative deal is not reached, resulting in an 8.2 percent decrease in federal education spending. The article is in U.S. News and World Report.
f Congress goes off the so-called fiscal cliff, federal funding for K-12 education programs will go along with it—but high schools in some districts will see their budgets fall further than others. Technically called sequestration, the cliff refers to a package of mandatory spending cuts and expiring tax credits totaling $1.2 trillion. Those cuts will kick in on January 1 if an alternative deal is not reached, resulting in an 8.2 percent decrease in federal education spending. The article is in U.S. News and World Report.
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