College in three years? Why some students are hopping on the fast track
Kayla Bortolazzo is about to finish college in just three years, a rare accomplishment that some educators around the country hope to make more common.
A resident of Redding, Calif., Bortolazzo is enrolled in a special program at Southern Oregon University that waives some introductory classes for academically gifted students and gives them first dibs at course registration.
So in the fall, the 20-year-old English education major will head to graduate school and then, she hopes, a teaching career -- with a year's worth of unspent tuition dollars still in her family's pocket. Bortolazzo said she knows that finishing college in three years won't work for most students and that many are not rushing to graduate into a depressed economy.
But she recommends a fast track "to anybody who is really motivated, feels they have the time to commit to it and really wants to get out in the job market."
Students like Bortolazzo are drawing attention these days as families look to reduce tuition bills and colleges try to stretch limited budgets and classroom space. About a dozen, mostly small, U.S.
Calexico schools will remain closed for a third week
April 23, 2010 | 5:44 pm
Public schools in the Imperial Valley border town of Calexico will remain closed for at least a third week because of earthquake damage, officials announced Friday.
The 11 schools with 9,400 students have been closed since the magnitude 7.2 quake April 4 and a series of aftershocks. School officials are seeking a waiver from the state so that the school year does not have to be extended beyond the scheduled closing June 8.
Officials have estimated the damage at more than $10 million. Inspectors are examining older schools to see if asbestos has been shaken loose. Officials hope repair work can begin next week.
Calexico is directly across the international border from Mexicali. The quake was centered in the farming villages south of the border.
--Tony Perry in San Diego
