College Freshmen Entering More Prepared

Source: John H. Pryor, Linda DeAngelo, Laura Paulucki Blake, Sylvia Hurtado, and Serge Tran, The American Freshman: National Norms Fall 2011, Cooperative Institutional Research Program of the Higher Education Research Institute, Los Angeles, California, January 2012.

Students entering four-year colleges and universities in 2011 show a slight positive change in several behaviors and attitudes consistent with academic success. Compared to 2010, more students report that as high-school seniors they “frequently” took notes in class. More incoming students expect that as college students they will discuss course content with students outside of class, a practice other research has shown is important to retention and leads towards greater academic gains in college.

In addition, fewer students report that they “frequently” or “occasionally” came to class late as high-school seniors, and fewer report being “frequently” bored in class. Non-academic activities that might interfere with academic gains also exhibit declines.

More of today’s students entering college have been challenging themselves academically in high school. In 2011, the percentage of incoming first-year students taking at least one Advanced Placement (AP) course in high school went up 3.1 percentage points in 2011 over 2009 (the last year the question was asked on the survey). Most of this growth seems to be in students taking five or more AP courses. More students also took the AP exams, with the percentage of incoming students taking at least one AP exam increasing 4 percent and those taking at least five AP exams increasing more than 3 percent.

(GA) Lawmakers hope to save HOPE

The Augusta Chronicle

Students least able to afford college face an increasing squeeze as the lottery-funded Georgia’s HOPE scholarship drifts toward more financial woes, Democratic legislators said on Wednesday.

The lawmakers spoke out at a joint hearing of the Senate and House higher education committees that raised anew the issue of whether the scholarships should be based mostly on merit or on need.

Concerns surfaced following a presentation on financial trends by Tim Connell, president of the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which divvies up funds the lottery raises for scholarships.

New Rules for School Meals Aim at Reducing Obesity

The New York Times

Hoping to combat the growing problem of childhood obesity, the Obama administration on Wednesday announced its long-awaited changes to government-subsidized school meals, a final round of rules that adds more fruits and green vegetables to breakfasts and lunches and reduces the amount of salt and fat.

The announcement came months after the food industry won a vote in Congress to block the administration from carrying out an earlier proposal that would have reduced starchy foods like potatoes and prohibited schools from counting a small amount of tomato paste on a slice of pizza as a vegetable. Under the latest rules, potatoes are not restricted, and tomato paste can qualify as a vegetable serving.

(AR) DHS proposes rule banning state-funded religious activities in preschools

Arkansas News Bureau

The state Department of Human Services today released a proposed rule clarifying that state funding for pre-kindergarten education must not be used for religious activities.

The proposed rule was prompted by a complaint the state received in November from the Washington-based group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State. The group accused Growing God’s Kingdom, a preschool in West Fork owned by state Rep. Justin Harris, R-West Fork, of using state funding from the Arkansas Better Chance program to promote religion in violation of the constitutional separation of church and state.

(TN) Teachers call for changes in Tennessee's new evaluation system

The Memphis Commercial Appeal

The Tennessee Education Association called today on state officials to make major changes in the state's new teacher evaluation system, including designating this first year of its implementation as a practice year without negative consequences.

"Tennessee's teacher evaluation system and supporting data system are so flawed that they diminish the education program for Tennessee students," said TEA President Gera Summerford, a Gatlinburg high school math teacher.

(KY) House approves proposal on teacher evaluations

The Louisville Courier-Journal

The House has approved a proposal that would make student achievement an indicator of how well teachers are performing their jobs.

Democratic state Rep. Carl Rollins II of Midway, chairman of the Education Committee, is sponsoring the measure that now goes to the Senate for consideration.

The measure passed the House without opposition or discussion on Friday. It calls for the Kentucky Department of Education to develop the proposed evaluations and have them ready to use in 2014.

(US) State special education rates vary widely

Stateline

Rhode Island is the smallest state in the country, but it has every other state beat by one measure: A higher percentage of its students are in special education than anywhere else.

An analysis of U.S. Department of Education data shows that the percentage of students in special education varies widely among states. While Rhode Island tops the country at 18 percent, Texas, at 9 percent, is at the bottom. The average percentage across all states is 13 percent, and two-thirds of states are above that number, according to the data.

DEBATE: Should Parents Control What Kids Learn at School?

The New York Times

New Hampshire schools are now required to create alternatives to any lesson that a parent dislikes — whether it’s about the Holocaust, contraception, gravity or anything else. Does this “à la carte” approach turn school into a private right instead of a public good? Do such accommodations benefit students?

(WV) State officials unveil physical activity plan

The Charleston Gazette

Schoolchildren mixed with TV stars and a former NBA dunk contest champion to kick off a three-year plan designed to combat West Virginia's obesity and encourage residents to become more physically active.

State officials on Thursday launched ActiveWV 2015: The WV Physical Activity Plan at an event at the state Capitol.

The plan was developed to provide a strategic direction for citizens and policymakers to pave the way for a more physically active culture, said Eloise Elliot, a WVU professor and chairwoman of the plan's coordinating committee.

(FL) House, Senate embrace $1 billion for schools

The Florida Current

Legislative budget writers in the House and Senate say they are on the same page when it comes to Gov. Rick Scott's proposed $1 billion increase in the state's share of education funding.

The House of Representatives on Thursday released budget allocations for the upcoming fiscal year that Speaker Dean Cannon,  R-Winter Park, said would boost the allocation of general revenue for the Florida Education Finance Program by more than $1 billion.

Senate Budget Committee Chairman JD Alexander said the Senate expects to reach its allocations by next week, and is pushing to keep per-student education funding level, accounting for growing enrollment, $555 million in expiring federal stimulus funds, declining property tax revenue, and other factors totalling $1.3 billion.

(VA) Bill adds pension cost for teachers, local workers

The Richmond Times Dispatch

All public school teachers and local government employees would have to contribute 5 percent of their pay toward their retirement plan under legislation introduced in the Virginia Senate.

Sen. John C. Watkins, R-Powhatan, also wants to prohibit school boards and local governing bodies from paying the employee share of their pensions as almost all school divisions and many local governments have for decades.

The idea is to help school divisions, in particular, pay for big increases in pension contributions for teachers required under the two-year state budget proposed by Gov. Bob McDonnell.

(FL) Critics say ‘parent trigger’ bill favors charters over public schools

The Miami Herald

Florida parents are taking sides over a controversial piece of legislation known as the parent trigger.

The buzzed-about bill would let a majority of parents at low-performing public schools demand dramatic changes at the school, or even have it converted into a publicly financed, privately managed charter school. Similar laws have already passed in California and Texas, sparking debate and controversy along the way.

The Florida version comes in front of House and Senate panels Tuesday.

(MO) Bill in legislature would allow quicker state intervention in KC schools

The Kansas City Star

Missouri education officials would be able to intervene in failing school districts immediately instead of having to wait two years under a bill being considered by lawmakers.

If passed, the legislation could result in the school board of the unaccredited Kansas City district being dissolved and replaced by a new governing structure developed by the Missouri Department of Education.

(VA) Bill for school before Labor Day dies in Va. Senate

The Virginian-Pilot

A bill that would have allowed schools to start before Labor Day without obtaining a waiver from the state died this morning in the Senate.

After hearing testimony from about two dozen people on both sides of the issue – tourism and business groups opposing the measure and educators supporting it – the Senate Education and Health Committee voted down the measure 9-6. Among those who voted against the bill were Hampton Roads Senators Louise Lucas, D-Portsmouth, Ralph Northam, D-Norfolk, John Miller, D-Newport News, and Jeff McWaters, R-Virginia Beach.

(GA) HOPE budget goes up, payouts go down

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Despite losing more than 50 positions over the last two years, the state agency that oversees the HOPE scholarship has seen its budget grow to more than $7.7 million. It's projected to grow by hundreds of thousands of dollars next year, even as lawmakers target other state agencies for cuts.

This spending boost for the Georgia Student Finance Commission comes at a time when students and families face shrinking scholarships, with worse to come according to new projections. Money from the Georgia Lottery pays for the scholarship. It also pays for the commission's administrative budget.

(MO) Budget withholds crucial to calculation of higher ed cuts

The Columbia Missourian

The budget cuts to higher education announced at Gov. Jay Nixon's State of the State address last Tuesday are deeper than the numbers presented by the governor's budget director and reported by the media.

Although the 12.5 percent cut presented by the governor's budget director and used in many news reports are not completely inaccurate, the actual cuts in appropriations to public universities are 15.1 percent when compared to what the Missouri General Assembly approved last year. The cuts to Missouri's public universities are the deepest in at least two decades.

(GA) Regents' immigration policy at heart of Chester Brown issue

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A relatively new Georgia Board of Regents policy regulating the admission of undocumented students and illegal immigrants has prevented a football recruit from gaining admission to the University of Georgia.

Chester Brown, a 6-foot-5, 340-pound offensive lineman from Hinesville, committed to the Bulldogs in July, but he confirmed to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution and several other media outlets late Monday night that he was withdrawing his UGA commitment “for personal reasons,” declining to elaborate.

However, a variety of people with direct knowledge of the situation confirmed to the AJC on Tuesday that Brown’s change of heart was because his admissions application to UGA was rejected because of a controversial Board of Regents policy that was adopted in October 2010.

(FL) Top lawmaker pushes for online only university  

The Miami Herald

No classrooms, no dorms, no football stadium, no parking lots. Could an online-only university work in Florida?

Rep. Will Weatherford, the Florida’s House speaker-designate, thinks so.

Thursday, he asked state university system leaders to look into the possibility.

In Race to the Top, the Dirty Work Is Left to Those on the Bottom

The New York Times

Even if you think the Obama administration’s signature education program, Race to the Top, will not help a single child in America learn more, you have to admire its bureaucratic magnificence.

First, it has had a major effect — reaching into most public schools in America — while costing the Obama administration next to nothing.

The Education Department will spend about $5 billion on the program, and even if you’re thinking, hey, I could use $5 billion, consider this: New York won the largest federal grant, $700 million over the next four years. In that time, roughly $230 billion will be spent on public education in the state. By adding just one-third of one percent to state coffers, the feds get to implement their version of education reform.

Obama Wades Into Issue of Raising Dropout Age

The New York Times

President Obama’s State of the Union call for every state to require students to stay in school until they turn 18 is Washington’s first direct involvement in an issue that many governors and state legislators have found tough to address.

While state legislative efforts to raise the dropout age to 18 have spread in recent years, many have had trouble winning passage. Last year, for example, such legislation was considered in Alaska, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and Rhode Island — but only Rhode Island actually changed its law.

(US) Government seeks help to stop teacher-led cheating

USA Today

The Obama administration is creating a manual showing how schools can fight teacher-led cheating on standardized tests, asking educators to help stomp out "testing irregularities."

The move comes 10 months after a USA TODAY investigation found high erasure rates on standardized tests in many District of Columbia public schools, and six months after Georgia's governor released findings of a major investigation that found widespread cheating in Atlanta public schools.

The U.S. Department of Education says it will host a symposium on cheating and publish "best practices" recommendations on how to prevent, detect and respond to cheating in schools.

Study lauds role of early ed

The Raleigh News and Observer

Poor children who get high-quality day care as early as infancy reap long-lasting benefits, including a better chance at a college degree and steady employment, according to a UNC-Chapel Hill study that followed participants from birth to age 30.

The latest findings, published this week in the online journal Developmental Psychology, are from one of the longest-running child care studies in the United States.

Conducted by the Frank Porter Graham Development Institute at UNC, the research is widely cited in a body of evidence that early childhood education can change the trajectory of young lives.

Today's college freshmen hitting books harder, study says

USA Today

Today's college freshmen hitting books harder, study says

This year's college freshmen are more studious than their counterparts of the past few years, says an annual survey released today on their high school academic habits.

More of them took notes in class, did homework and took more demanding coursework as high school seniors, and fewer said they drank alcohol, partied or showed up late for class.

Those and other trends point toward an entering college freshman class that has a better chance of succeeding academically, say researchers who conducted the survey.

(IN) Ind. lawmakers seeking looser school voucher rules

Northwest Indiana Times

Thousands of students could pour into the country's broadest private school voucher program if Indiana legislators drop a requirement that children spend at least one year in public schools before becoming eligible.

The move would immediately open the voucher program to current private school students, with questions about whether the state could afford potentially millions of dollars in additional costs less than a year after it was approved.

Supporters say the one-year requirement is a burden that can disrupt a child's education and limits the school choice that the voucher program was meant to provide. But public schools contend eliminating the requirement would take away their chance to compete for students.

(CO) College labor bill wins OK

The Daily Camera

Colorado's colleges would have to work with labor experts to find out where jobs are under a bill that received bipartisan backing in a state House committee Wednesday.

The bill would direct the Department of Labor and Employment to share job projections with the Department of Higher Education. The goal is to craft educational programs better suited to the state job market.

Democratic Rep. Daniel Kagan proposed the bill. It received unanimous approval in the House Education Committee Wednesday and now awaits a vote by the full House.

PreK-12

(US) New Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many, Study Suggests

(NC) New N.C. teacher data coming

(US) Nutrition mission: Film tracks crusade to reform, improve school lunch program

(TN) Nashville foundation sees many doors to education reform

(VA) Mark Warner, Bob McDonnell promote new social media tool in schools

AL: Some Jefferson County schools to remain closed after tornadoes

(TX) STAAR Faces Questioning From Lawmakers

(FL) School-funding increase may cost transportation, environment under Florida House plan

(MS) Senator pushes charter school bill

(VA) Parental notification about student disciplinary investigations sought

(MS) Bryant stresses ed reforms

(OK) Oklahoma schools Superintendent Janet Barresi defends new accountability system

(SC) Columbia boarding school puts foreign students on fast track to US universities

(WV) Lawmakers propose fix to autism coverage law

(MS) Push on for Miss. charter schools

(TN) Memphis may be forced to give suburbs schools

(WV) Perdue requests funding for his office’s school programs

(VA) Measures seek to restrict disciplining of Va. students

(SC) Superintendents criticize new school district rankings

(FL) Florida college readiness test faces questions

(KY) Kentucky education ranks 14th in survey

(VA) Va. legislators defend starting school after Labor Day

Higher Education

(US) Common App 4.0

(FL) Data: Bright Futures not just for rich

(FL) House higher education plan includes tuition increases, budget cuts

(AL) Alabama students to protest immigration law

(GA) Legislative Dems push changes to HOPE

(GA) Cagle: HOPE never meant as 'entitlement program'

(GA) HOPE bills filed

(FL) House proposes 8% tuition hike for Florida universities  

(TX) Texas State University, a Step Closer to the Top Tier, Keeps a Focus on the Future

Reports & Publications

Survey Finds That Dwindling Financial Aid Contributes to Fewer College Options

Magazine: Georgia Southern among nation's 10 most popular universities

Liberal arts education lends an edge in down economy

Black students: Duke study shows deeper problems

Report: Alabama ranks 34th in nation on student performance (updated)

States weaken tenure rights for teachers