As President Obama and his aides unveiled the administration's fiscal 2011 budget with lots of talk about reining in discretionary spending, they largely exempted programs important to higher education from the budget restraint they urged.
Not every higher education-related program would fare well under the budget blueprint; the administration would hold funding for many student aid programs other than Pell Grants at their 2010 levels and eliminate a handful of others; end the Department of Labor's Career Pathways Innovation Fund (a $125 million grant program for community colleges); and slice the budget of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
"At a time when most government spending is being frozen, President Obama is investing in education -- a clear reflection of the president's deep commitment to education," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a telephone news conference Monday. "The president has set a goal that America once again will lead the world in college completion by the end of the decade, and to do that, we need to improve the education at every level. This budget puts us on a path to success and meeting that goal. We have to educate our way to a better economy."
Read the full Inside Higher Ed article
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Monday, February 1, 2010
VA County Not Teaching New Version of Anne Frank Classic
I was astounded by the article I recently read in The Washington Post regarding the classic work The Diary of Anne Frank. The Washington Post is reporting Culpeper County public school officials have decided to stop assigning a version of Anne Frank's diary, one of the most enduring symbols of the atrocities of the Nazi regime, after a parent complained that the book includes sexually explicit material and homosexual themes.
"The Diary of a Young Girl: the Definitive Edition," which was published on the 50th anniversary of Frank's death in a concentration camp, will not be used in the future, said James Allen, director of instruction for the 7,600-student system. The school system did not follow its own policy for handling complaints about instructional materials, Allen said.
The diary documents the daily life of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II. Frank started writing on her 13th birthday, shortly before her family went into hiding in an annex of an office building. The version of the diary in question includes passages previously excluded from the widely read original edition, first published in Dutch in 1947. That book was arranged by her father, the only survivor in her immediate family. Some of the extra passages detail her emerging sexual desires; others include unflattering descriptions of her mother and other people living together.
In 2010 it seems we are still living in the days when books such as this classic are banned in our schools. A sad time indeed.
Read the full article
"The Diary of a Young Girl: the Definitive Edition," which was published on the 50th anniversary of Frank's death in a concentration camp, will not be used in the future, said James Allen, director of instruction for the 7,600-student system. The school system did not follow its own policy for handling complaints about instructional materials, Allen said.
The diary documents the daily life of a Jewish girl in Amsterdam during World War II. Frank started writing on her 13th birthday, shortly before her family went into hiding in an annex of an office building. The version of the diary in question includes passages previously excluded from the widely read original edition, first published in Dutch in 1947. That book was arranged by her father, the only survivor in her immediate family. Some of the extra passages detail her emerging sexual desires; others include unflattering descriptions of her mother and other people living together.
In 2010 it seems we are still living in the days when books such as this classic are banned in our schools. A sad time indeed.
Read the full article
Friday, January 29, 2010
Colleges Directing Efforts to Federal Funded Student Loans
The vast majority of colleges have begun to prepare themselves for what the Obama administration considers a likely transition of all student lending to the federal direct student loan program -- but a solid majority of lending is still being made through the competing lender-based guaranteed loan program, according to an analysis of federal data by Student Lending Analytics. The Education Department reported this week that 96 percent of colleges had taken at least some crucial steps toward being able to issue loans through the government-run program, to which legislation passed by the House and pending in the Senate would shift all federal student loan origination. But with the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act seemingly stalled behind health care on Congress's agenda, and the July 1 deadline for institutions to switch looming, the Student Lending Analytics data suggest that many colleges are hedging their bets. On a related note, Rep. Timothy Bishop, a New York Democrat who supports the president's legislation, said in comments before the Council for Higher Education Accreditation Thursday that it was "likely" that Congress would delay until 2011-12 implementation of major changes that the SAFRA bill would make in the Perkins Loan Program.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Haiti Tragedy Impacts University
Over the last two weeks we've seen horrifying images from Haiti. The Haitian people have been living in devastated conditions for some time, the earthquake just brought their plight to the forefront of the media. This tragedy has also impacted several U.S. students and faculty.
Lynn University announced yesterday that all signs indicate that four students and two faculty members who have been missing in Haiti since the earthquake were killed by the disaster. Eight other Lynn students who were part of the service trip were able to return safely to the United States. A statement from Lynn's president, Kevin M. Ross, praised the dedication of those who went to Haiti. "Theirs was a journey of hope. Theirs -- a selfless commitment to serving others," he said. "They were on the ground in Haiti to find, feed and focus on the poor of that nation. In the day and a half before the quake, they did just that -- doling out rice at a distribution center and holding the hands of sick children in a dilapidated orphanage. They intended to do much more. In their absence, it is incumbent upon the rest of us to follow in their stead."
Anyone interested in donating to Haitian relief can contact the American Red Cross.
Lynn University announced yesterday that all signs indicate that four students and two faculty members who have been missing in Haiti since the earthquake were killed by the disaster. Eight other Lynn students who were part of the service trip were able to return safely to the United States. A statement from Lynn's president, Kevin M. Ross, praised the dedication of those who went to Haiti. "Theirs was a journey of hope. Theirs -- a selfless commitment to serving others," he said. "They were on the ground in Haiti to find, feed and focus on the poor of that nation. In the day and a half before the quake, they did just that -- doling out rice at a distribution center and holding the hands of sick children in a dilapidated orphanage. They intended to do much more. In their absence, it is incumbent upon the rest of us to follow in their stead."
Anyone interested in donating to Haitian relief can contact the American Red Cross.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
You're Never Too Old to Fulfill Your Dream
We are bombarded daily with what is wrong with our world, albeit the economy, crime, environment, just life in general. Then we hear a story that gives us hope and a renewed sense of purpose. This is one of those stories.
Harriet Richardson Ames dream was to receive her degree in education. She realized that dream the day before she died at 100! Ames, who turned 100 on Jan. 2, had earned a two-year teaching certificate in 1931 at Keene Normal School, now Keene State College. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in South Newbury, and later spent 20 years as a teaching principal at Memorial School in Pittsfield, where she taught first-graders.
Through the years, she had taken classes at the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth Teachers College and Keene State to earn credits for her degree. With her eyesight failing, she stopped after retiring in 1971 and was never sure if she had enough credits.
Her wish for a degree became known when a Keene State film professor interviewed her a couple of years ago for a piece on the college's own centennial, which the school celebrated last year.
The school decided to research her coursework and see if it could award Ames her long-sought diploma. The offices of the provost, registrar and other departments worked quickly in the last month to determine, that indeed, it could.
"She wanted to be the best that she could be," said Norma Walker, coordinator of the Keene State College Golden Circle Society, an alumni group for classes that graduated 50 or more years ago.
Walker said when she mentioned to Ames during a recent visit that the college was working on the degree, Ames started to cry and said, "'If I die tomorrow, I'll know I'll die happy, because my degree's in the works.'"
College officials, including Walker, drove the document to Ames' bedside on Friday.
Harriet Ames finally realized her dream and gives the rest of us the courage to realize ours.
Harriet Richardson Ames dream was to receive her degree in education. She realized that dream the day before she died at 100! Ames, who turned 100 on Jan. 2, had earned a two-year teaching certificate in 1931 at Keene Normal School, now Keene State College. She taught in a one-room schoolhouse in South Newbury, and later spent 20 years as a teaching principal at Memorial School in Pittsfield, where she taught first-graders.
Through the years, she had taken classes at the University of New Hampshire, Plymouth Teachers College and Keene State to earn credits for her degree. With her eyesight failing, she stopped after retiring in 1971 and was never sure if she had enough credits.
Her wish for a degree became known when a Keene State film professor interviewed her a couple of years ago for a piece on the college's own centennial, which the school celebrated last year.
The school decided to research her coursework and see if it could award Ames her long-sought diploma. The offices of the provost, registrar and other departments worked quickly in the last month to determine, that indeed, it could.
"She wanted to be the best that she could be," said Norma Walker, coordinator of the Keene State College Golden Circle Society, an alumni group for classes that graduated 50 or more years ago.
Walker said when she mentioned to Ames during a recent visit that the college was working on the degree, Ames started to cry and said, "'If I die tomorrow, I'll know I'll die happy, because my degree's in the works.'"
College officials, including Walker, drove the document to Ames' bedside on Friday.
Harriet Ames finally realized her dream and gives the rest of us the courage to realize ours.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
DNA for a Day
The Society of Biology and Edvotex have scheduled eleven one day seminars called, DNA for a DAY throughout England and in Glasgow, Scotland and Belfast, Northern Ireland this February through July, 2010.
The training course is for teachers and technicians and will center around bringing biotechnology, genetics forensics and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to life in the classroom.
Full schedule and details
The training course is for teachers and technicians and will center around bringing biotechnology, genetics forensics and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to life in the classroom.
Full schedule and details
Media Copywright Law Clashing with the Classroom
In the latest clash of copyright law and instructional technology, the University of California at Los Angeles has stopping allowing faculty members to post copyrighted videos on their course Web sites after coming under fire from an educational media trade group.
The policy, enacted earlier this month, has been planned since last fall, when the Association for Information and Media Equipment — a group that protects the copyrights of education media companies — charged the university with violating copyright laws by posting the videos to the password-protected course Web pages without the proper permissions.
Read the full articleon Inside Higher Ed.
The policy, enacted earlier this month, has been planned since last fall, when the Association for Information and Media Equipment — a group that protects the copyrights of education media companies — charged the university with violating copyright laws by posting the videos to the password-protected course Web pages without the proper permissions.
Read the full articleon Inside Higher Ed.
Monday, January 25, 2010
IBN Forges Partnership in Science Education with Singapore
Science education in Singapore will receive a boost with new partnerships forged between the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute, and four partner schools to develop future scientists and technopreneurs. IBN will formalize partnerships with the School of Science and Technology, Singapore (SST), NUS High School of Mathematics and Science (NUS High School), Singapore Polytechnic (SP), and National Junior College (NJC) through Memoranda of Understanding (MOU).* This major initiative will take place at the 7th IBN Young Researchers' Nite, which will be officiated by Guest-of-Honor, Mr Lim Chuan Poh, Chairman of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR).
Friday, January 22, 2010
NSF Awards SRI $2.4M to Study Science Programs
SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development institute, has been awarded $2.4 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a five-year research study focused on science in afterschool settings.
The study will examine publicly funded elementary and middle school grantees of California's Afterschool Education and Safety (ASES) program. SRI's research study will explore the social networks connecting afterschool programs with each other and with outside institutions such as science museums and technical assistance providers.
"We will examine the network links between afterschool providers and science institutions to understand how the network structure influences students' exposure to high-quality science learning materials," said principal investigator Barbara Means, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International. "The larger goal of the study is to create new knowledge that helps afterschool and informal science stakeholders improve programs and broaden their impact."
Findings from the study will be available to practitioners, intermediaries, policymakers, funders and others with an interest in improving the quality of informal science and afterschool learning.
About SRI International
The study will examine publicly funded elementary and middle school grantees of California's Afterschool Education and Safety (ASES) program. SRI's research study will explore the social networks connecting afterschool programs with each other and with outside institutions such as science museums and technical assistance providers.
"We will examine the network links between afterschool providers and science institutions to understand how the network structure influences students' exposure to high-quality science learning materials," said principal investigator Barbara Means, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Technology in Learning, SRI International. "The larger goal of the study is to create new knowledge that helps afterschool and informal science stakeholders improve programs and broaden their impact."
Findings from the study will be available to practitioners, intermediaries, policymakers, funders and others with an interest in improving the quality of informal science and afterschool learning.
About SRI International
Thursday, January 21, 2010
AAC&U Survey Shows Need for Improvement
The Association of American Colleges and Universities kicked off its annual meeting on January 20, with the release of the findings of a national survey of executives at 302 private sector and non-profit employers who, by and large, say their employees need a broader set of skills and higher levels of knowledge than they ever have before. But, most surveyed said, colleges and universities have room for improvement in preparing students to be workers.
To AAC&U, which has long advocated for liberal education – at once educating students in a certain field and giving them a broader foundation of knowledge and skills – the results are a sort of vindication and coincided with its board issuing a statement, “The Quality Imperative,” that calls for the quality of student learning to be at the core of the national debate over the place for colleges and universities in the United States.
“It is time for us to match our ambitious goals for college attainment with an equally ambitious – and well-informed – understanding of what it means to be well-prepared,” said Carol Geary Schneider, the association’s president. “Quality has to become the centerpiece of this nation’s postsecondary education.”
Survey Results
To AAC&U, which has long advocated for liberal education – at once educating students in a certain field and giving them a broader foundation of knowledge and skills – the results are a sort of vindication and coincided with its board issuing a statement, “The Quality Imperative,” that calls for the quality of student learning to be at the core of the national debate over the place for colleges and universities in the United States.
“It is time for us to match our ambitious goals for college attainment with an equally ambitious – and well-informed – understanding of what it means to be well-prepared,” said Carol Geary Schneider, the association’s president. “Quality has to become the centerpiece of this nation’s postsecondary education.”
Survey Results
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
NCSE Addresses Science and Religion Compatibility
A recent blog from Discover Magazine outlines a way science education and religion can be compatible and how the National Center for Science Education has addressed this topic.
Read the blog.
Read the blog.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
MA Gov Approves School Reform Bill
Governor Deval Patrick has signed a bill to allow superintendents in poorly performing Massachusetts schools to impose major policy changes; charter school operators can double the number of seats in low-scoring districts; and the state may have drawn closer to $250 million in federal funding with yesterday's bill signing. The bill is aimed at reducing educational disparities along demographic fissures.
During a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day bill-signing, where several speakers invoked the civil rights icon's memory in praising the bill, Governor Deval Patrick said he was "most excited" with the innovation schools created under the bill, intending to allow administrative flexibility at traditional public schools.
During a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day bill-signing, where several speakers invoked the civil rights icon's memory in praising the bill, Governor Deval Patrick said he was "most excited" with the innovation schools created under the bill, intending to allow administrative flexibility at traditional public schools.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Anti-evolution Legislation Announced in MS
It is actually hard to believe that in 2010 we are still discussing anti-evolution ideas in the public schools. Sad but true.
The National Center for Science Education announced a bill in Mississippi, House Bill 586, is the first legislation on antie-volution this year.
House Bill 586, introduced on January 12, 2010, and referred to the House Education Committee, would, if enacted, require local school boards to include a lesson on human evolution at the beginning of their high school biology classes. The catch: "The lesson provided to students ... shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution."
Seems this is a back-ended way to have creationism discussed in public schools.
Read the full article
The National Center for Science Education announced a bill in Mississippi, House Bill 586, is the first legislation on antie-volution this year.
House Bill 586, introduced on January 12, 2010, and referred to the House Education Committee, would, if enacted, require local school boards to include a lesson on human evolution at the beginning of their high school biology classes. The catch: "The lesson provided to students ... shall have proportionately equal instruction from educational materials that present scientifically sound arguments by protagonists and antagonists of the theory of evolution."
Seems this is a back-ended way to have creationism discussed in public schools.
Read the full article
Thursday, January 14, 2010
U.S. Colleges Track Students, Faculty in Haiti
Several American colleges are tracking down students and faculty members on programs or conducting research in Haiti, and the news was encouraging but incomplete Wednesday evening -- amid the devastation of the earthquake there:
•The University of Wisconsin at Madison reported that two separate groups of students in the country are accounted for and unharmed.
•Lynn University has not yet accounted for its students there, but has secondhand information -- via a tweet from a student -- that the students are fine.
•Blue Ridge Community College also has secondhand information that its two employees and two students currently in Haiti are unharmed.
•Taylor University has received word that a student and a faculty member are safe.
•A dean at Maryville University is safe and keeping a blog.
The American Red Cross is now taking donations.
•The University of Wisconsin at Madison reported that two separate groups of students in the country are accounted for and unharmed.
•Lynn University has not yet accounted for its students there, but has secondhand information -- via a tweet from a student -- that the students are fine.
•Blue Ridge Community College also has secondhand information that its two employees and two students currently in Haiti are unharmed.
•Taylor University has received word that a student and a faculty member are safe.
•A dean at Maryville University is safe and keeping a blog.
The American Red Cross is now taking donations.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
South Korea Creates City Around Science and Education
South Korea's government announced a US$14.6 billion blueprint to develop a new city as a science and education hub, dropping controversial plans to move several ministries there.
The country's biggest business group Samsung has signed a deal to move some operations to Sejong City, along with the Hanwha, Woongjin and Lotte groups, said Prime Minister Chung Un-Chan.
“The government has decided to create an economic hub centered on education and science in Sejong City with public and private investments of 16.5 trillion won (US$14.6 billion) in total,” Chung said in a statement.
“We expect Sejong will grow into a self-sufficient city with a population of 500,000 with 246,000 new jobs by 2020.”
The country's biggest business group Samsung has signed a deal to move some operations to Sejong City, along with the Hanwha, Woongjin and Lotte groups, said Prime Minister Chung Un-Chan.
“The government has decided to create an economic hub centered on education and science in Sejong City with public and private investments of 16.5 trillion won (US$14.6 billion) in total,” Chung said in a statement.
“We expect Sejong will grow into a self-sufficient city with a population of 500,000 with 246,000 new jobs by 2020.”
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Study Finds Students are "Stressed Out"
A new study has found that five times as many high school and college students are dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues as youth of the same age who were studied in the Great Depression era.
The findings, culled from responses to a popular psychological questionnaire used as far back as 1938, confirm what counselors on campuses nationwide have long suspected as more students struggle with the stresses of school and life in general.
"It's another piece of the puzzle — that yes, this does seem to be a problem, that there are more young people who report anxiety and depression," says Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor and the study's lead author. "The next question is: What do we do about it?"
Read the Associated Press article
The findings, culled from responses to a popular psychological questionnaire used as far back as 1938, confirm what counselors on campuses nationwide have long suspected as more students struggle with the stresses of school and life in general.
"It's another piece of the puzzle — that yes, this does seem to be a problem, that there are more young people who report anxiety and depression," says Jean Twenge, a San Diego State University psychology professor and the study's lead author. "The next question is: What do we do about it?"
Read the Associated Press article
Monday, January 11, 2010
North Carolina Eases Online Education Access
An increasingly competitive job market means that higher education is essential for career prospects. While the National Center of Education Statistics reports that career-oriented enrollments in colleges and universities have reached a record 18.4 million this year, online degrees are quickly becoming a tenable alternative.
A new website operated by the government of North Carolina, will provide residents with a resource that consolidates all of the state's online education resources into one database, the Shelby Star reports.
The site includes information about classes appropriate for everybody from kindergarteners to seniors with free time to professionals seeking to expand their career options by continuing education.
"If we have a student who is taking online courses and maybe it doesn't work well with their schedule, they could go on the [internet] and see if it is being offered at another community college" says, Margo Green, marketing coordinator at the Cleveland Community College (CCC).
She added, "This is the direction more and more folks are headed. You can take the class anytime, anywhere."
The dean of enrollment management at CCC, Andy Gardner, said that "more than half of the 2,512 students at the school are taking at least one online class."
Nationally, more than 20 percent of all higher education students took at least one online course in the fall of 2007, according to the professional organization Sloan Consortium.
A new website operated by the government of North Carolina, will provide residents with a resource that consolidates all of the state's online education resources into one database, the Shelby Star reports.
The site includes information about classes appropriate for everybody from kindergarteners to seniors with free time to professionals seeking to expand their career options by continuing education.
"If we have a student who is taking online courses and maybe it doesn't work well with their schedule, they could go on the [internet] and see if it is being offered at another community college" says, Margo Green, marketing coordinator at the Cleveland Community College (CCC).
She added, "This is the direction more and more folks are headed. You can take the class anytime, anywhere."
The dean of enrollment management at CCC, Andy Gardner, said that "more than half of the 2,512 students at the school are taking at least one online class."
Nationally, more than 20 percent of all higher education students took at least one online course in the fall of 2007, according to the professional organization Sloan Consortium.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
2020 Visions
In the latest edition of Nature, the premier science journal, the editors asked policy-makers and scientists what the year 2020 will look like in their respective fields. Here are their answers and key questions. Contributions for the article are from Peter Norvig, director of research at Google to Gary P. Pisano, Harvard Business School.
Read the article
Read the article
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Excellence in Science Teaching Awarded by White House
Kendra Pullen is a fourth-grade science teacher at Riverside Elementary School in Shreveport, LA is being honored this week with the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching demonstrates the United States’ dedication to math and science education. Over the past 25 years, this award has acknowledged outstanding math and science teachers who find creative and innovative ways to motive their students to learn. "I am truly honored to be in Washington this week to receive this award and to meet and network with other exceptional math and science educators from around our great nation," states Pullen.
Learn more about President Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign.
The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching demonstrates the United States’ dedication to math and science education. Over the past 25 years, this award has acknowledged outstanding math and science teachers who find creative and innovative ways to motive their students to learn. "I am truly honored to be in Washington this week to receive this award and to meet and network with other exceptional math and science educators from around our great nation," states Pullen.
Learn more about President Obama's Educate to Innovate campaign.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
YouTube and Facebook Go To School
Great article in TechDirt regarding using YouTube and Facebook online services in schools.
It's no secret that we live in a world of moral panics -- where new technologies are feared by those who don't understand them, often leading to regulations that block their potential. For years now, a number of politicians have sought laws to ban social networks in schools, assuming that they are either bad or simply inappropriate for schools. While those laws have yet to pass, many schools already do ban access to social networks and other sites. I've never quite understood how this makes sense. Rather than training students to use those sites properly, now they're seen as forbidden -- which only makes them more attractive to students, while making it even clearer that students won't be prepared to handle those sites properly. On top of that, as more powerful mobile phones become popular, students will easily bypass the school's own network and access those sites on their own -- and there will be nothing the schools can do about it.
It's no secret that we live in a world of moral panics -- where new technologies are feared by those who don't understand them, often leading to regulations that block their potential. For years now, a number of politicians have sought laws to ban social networks in schools, assuming that they are either bad or simply inappropriate for schools. While those laws have yet to pass, many schools already do ban access to social networks and other sites. I've never quite understood how this makes sense. Rather than training students to use those sites properly, now they're seen as forbidden -- which only makes them more attractive to students, while making it even clearer that students won't be prepared to handle those sites properly. On top of that, as more powerful mobile phones become popular, students will easily bypass the school's own network and access those sites on their own -- and there will be nothing the schools can do about it.
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