Big Education Ape: Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Education - Everything you need to know about the world of education.

Texas to Obama: Hands off our schools!

State wants nothing to do with Washington's education reforms.

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In Madisonville, a town of 4,200 between Houston and Dallas, residents prefer local control. "We've got a good system here," one parent says. (Michael Birnbaum-TWP).

The problems with double depositing: Part 2

Here is the view of Michael Sexton, vice president for enrollment management at Santa Clara University in California, on the practice of double depositing.

By Michael Sexton

Spring is college acceptance time, followed by decision time. In all of the strategizing and game-playing that have become the college selection process, we are down to the final decision this month. Or ... are we?

I intentionally use the word "we" here as the student involved may, or may not, be part of the final act of scheming that sometimes commences later this month. For some, the national candidates’ reply date of May 1st is merely another calendar page to turn rather than the happy ending to the college search.

Unfortunately, 'tis the season of double depositing, the act of placing deposits at more than one institution, or simply watching the May 1 deposit deadline pass without informing colleges of one’s intentions.

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Is it okay to double deposit at colleges? Part 1

It’s April 1st, and many high school seniors across the country are learning today which colleges accepted them and which did not. Those students who applied to a range of colleges are likely to receive more than one acceptance, and for many, a difficult decision lies ahead. For some, "double depositing" becomes attractive.

What's that?

I asked a college administrator and a college admissions counselor to explain it from their different perspectives--one representing a school and the other the student. Below is a post written by Bruce Vinik, president of Vinik Educational Placement Services, Inc., in Cabin John, Md. A follow-up post -- "The problems with double depositing: Part 2" -- is by Michael Sexton, vice president for enrollment management atSanta Clara University in Silicon Valley, Calif.

By Bruce Vinik

Double depositing: Two words that strike fear in the hearts of even the most seasoned college admissions officers.

Now that high school seniors have received the news they have been anxiously awaiting for the last few months, the time has arrived for them to make one final decision.

If they have been fortunate enough to gain admission to more than one college, they must decide where they intend to spend the next four (or more) years. And that decision must be made by May 1st, the national reply date for all admitted students.

For many students, this is an easy decision; they have a clear first choice and know exactly where they want to go to college. To guarantee themselves a space at their favorite school, all they need to do is send a non-refundable enrollment deposit check. At some colleges this may be as little as $100, while at others it can be as much as $500 or $1,000.

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Posted at 11:38 PM ET, 03/31/2010

Where in the world is...?

Since we can’t count on public schools to teach geography--after all, there is no mandatory standardized test on the subject--it’s a good thing that the National Geographic Society entices some kids to get interested in the subject.

The organization does it with its annual National Geographic Bee, a contest held in schools for students in grades 4 through 8.

Tuesday, geography whizzes in each state, as well as in the U.S. territories, the District of Columbia and the Department of Defense Dependents Schools around the world, will participate in contests. State-level winners will come to the nation's capital in May to compete in the national competition.

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Are you part of a great teacher's student family?

[This is my Local Living section column for April 1, 2010.]

I usually skip Frazier O’Leary’s annual Advanced Placement reunion. It’s always a Friday evening in December at the old Sumner School in downtown Washington on M Street, where parking is tough. But O’Leary, a veteran English teacher at Cardozo High School in the District, is a persuasive man. I had no good excuse last year, so there I was, reminded again of something about great teachers I rarely mention when I write about schools.

We know they can be dynamos in the classroom. They turn lessons into conversations. They know each student’s strengths and weaknesses. They care about results. They step in when weak students are being harassed by the strong. They create an oasis of calm and safety in schools that often have little of either.

All those traits are important. But at the O’Leary reunion, I remembered that great teachers also create a sense of family with their students that lasts for years, sometimes well beyond their deaths.

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