Monday, July 19, 2010

Control student loan defaults at for-profit education institutes: Editorial | news-press.com | The News-Press

Control student loan defaults at for-profit education institutes: Editorial

JULY 19, 2010

Like it or not, for-profit colleges are in business to make money. But that shouldn't mean they can do so at the expense of weary taxpayers.

With defaults at such schools representing 44 percent of all federal student loans, the U.S. Department of Education must find solutions to this worsening problem.

It's not far-fetched that if this situation remains unchecked, defaults on student loans, like mortgage loans, could become the breeding ground for the next financial meltdown.

Fortunately, there are signs that for-profit schools are on the radar screens of Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Congress.

Meantime, public and private colleges and universities should look closer at the booming market being tapped by for-profit schools.

There are mixed reasons why the default rate at for-profit schools is high when they serve less than 10 percent of students enrolled in higher education.

One is that too many for-profit students may not realize soon enough that the sometimes low salaries

New education standards can help Georgia students achieve greater success - The Times-Herald

New education standards can help Georgia students achieve greater success

EDITOR'S NOTE:

TODAY'S GUEST EDITORIAL IS FROM THE ALBANY HERALD.

Recently, Georgia joined 20 states in adopting a set of standards for what students should be expected to know at certain points in their education.

Known as the Common Core State Standards, the benchmarks supersede the various educational goals the different states in the group have set. The standards will be incorporated in time for the start of the 2011-12 school year.

Under the standards, for instance, a fifth-grader in any of the participating states should be able to classify two-dimensional figures in a hierarchy based on properties, while an eighth-grader should have a firm grasp of the Pythagorean theorem. ...

While Common Core has drawn concerns of a "nationalized standard" for education, the standards were not created by the federal government. ...There will be some adjustments for Georgia, but an analysis of the state's current standards by Achieve, a nonprofit education organization based in Washington, shows that our state's current standards meet 90 percent of Common Core ones in math and 81 percent in English language arts.

One in five school leavers can't read EducationNews.org

EducationNews.org

Controversial Texas Projection Measure may again boost schools' ratings
7.19.10 - Hundreds of Texas campuses are expected to receive high marks again this month, thanks to a state rule that counts some students who failed a TAKS test as having passed.

One in five school leavers can't read
7.19.10 - Trendy teaching is 'still harming pupils' learning' Discredited teaching techniques that encourage children to just find things out for themselves rather than being taught are 'alive and kicking' in primary schools. ...

Burned-out students take timeout before starting college
7.19.10 - As their peers comb through course catalogs, shop for extra-long twin sheets, and seek out future classmates on Facebook, a small but growing number of students accepted by the nation's top colleges are postponing their long-anticipated freshman year....

Complaining about a generation of spoiled kids -- again
7.19.10 - Are kids really becoming lamer than they used to be? If the subject is kids and how they're raised, it seems our culture has exactly one story to tell. Anyone who reads newspapers, magazines or blogs knows how it goes: Parents today either can't or won't set limits for their children. ...

Commentaries

An Interview with Fred Stawitz: The Soul of the Gang
7.19.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - Homeboy's Soul is the result of a chance meeting with Don Armijo at a writer's conference in Los Angeles. Don had an incredible story to tell and wanted to know how to write a book. But with his cholo look and tattoos, no one at the conference would talk to him.

An Interview with Abhishek Parajuli: Reflections on Education in Hong Kong and Nepal
7.19.10 - Michael F. Shaughnessy - I heard about the Concord Review from a friend and when I decided to do my Extended Essay ( a 4000 word independent research assignment that is a required component of the IB diploma) history ( The United Nation's role in the genocide in Rwanda) I knew I would submit it there to see if I met its standards. ...

Parcel tax raises issues of fairness - SignOnSanDiego.com

Parcel tax raises issues of fairness

School funding levy often rejected in poorer districts

BY MAUREEN MAGEE, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER

SUNDAY, JULY 18, 2010 AT 12:01 A.M.

Part and parcel

Between 2001 and 2009, 132 districts in California held parcel tax elections, with 83 passing.

Median winning district

Students: 3,180

Subsidized lunches: 15 percent of students qualified

San Diego Unified School District

Students: 130,000

Subsidized lunches: 60 percent qualify

South Bay Union School District

Students: 8,000

Subsidized lunches: 85 percent qualify

SOURCE: EdSource, school districts

The parcel tax has been held up by school districts in San Diego County and across the state as a last-ditch effort to gain more control over their finances and prevent potentially debilitating budget cuts.

But those tax ballot measures that require a two-thirds majority to pass have raised concerns about growing inequities between the haves and the have-nots in California’s troubled public education system.

This year, proposals to levy parcel taxes were placed on the ballot in 21 California school districts, with 16 passing.

Between 2001 and 2009, 132 of California’s roughly 1,000 school districts floated parcel taxes, with 83 passing, according to EdSource, a nonprofit research organization.

The odds look deceptively good because the majority of successful parcel taxes came from small districts in wealthy areas. The tax revenue has been virtually out of reach for districts with poor students who often struggle academically.

For example, the top-rated Piedmont school district in an affluent Bay Area suburb, where home-owners pay more than $2,000 in school parcel taxes annually, has passed parcel taxes seven times in the past 25 years,

Proposal would give Rutgers University the authority to approve N.J. charter schools | NJ.com

Proposal would give Rutgers University the authority to approve N.J. charter schools

Published: Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:21 AM Updated: Monday, July 19, 2010, 7:28 AM

The Star-Ledger Continuous News Desk
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Noah K. Murray/The Star LedgerNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Charter School Association Conference in March. Under a proposed bill, the number of charter schools could increase.

TRENTON — Five N.J. Democrats haveproposed a bill to expand the state's charter school system and provide Rutgers University with the authority to approve new schools, according to a report on APP.com.

The legislation would also allow for new types of charters, such as virtual schools, one-gender schools and schools specializing in behavioral disorders, the report said. Though the bill was crafted by Democrats, it should get little resistance from Gov. Chris Christie, who has supported charter schools, the report said.

Previous charter school coverage

• N.J. Gov. Chris Christie leaves charter school budget untouched

• N.J. charter schools funding is expected to remain flat, education chief says

Gov. Christie reveals plans to limit N.J. superintendents' salaries, base pay on merit

Gov. Christie proposes superintendent salary cuts

By Claire Heininger/Statehouse Bureau

July 16, 2010, 6:00AM

Proposal ties compensation to district size, encourage districts to share administrative teams Full story »

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Rutgers University board approves tuition, fee hike in $2B budget plan

By Kelly Heyboer/ The Star-Ledger

July 15, 2010, 9:35PM

Undergraduates to pay 4 percent more in tuition, 5.1 percent more in room and board under the plan Full story »

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Gov. Christie proposes superintendent salary cuts, merit-based bonuses

By Statehouse Bureau Staff

July 15, 2010, 2:03PM

N.J. governor, education commissioner say superintendent pay would be pegged to student enrollment Full story »

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Monday, July 19, 2010