Afternoon Announcements: May 25, 2012

It’s Friday. You made it. Let us be the first to congratulate you! Although this Memorial Day Weekend will likely be filled with cookouts, bumper-to-bumper traffic, and celebrating the start of summer, be sure to take the time to think about all of the men and women in the armed forces who have served or continue to serve our country both at home and abroad and especially those who gave their lives in the line of duty. With that said, there are just a few afternoon announcements to share with you today.

First, The Washington Post looks at high schools that are promoting a college-style learning environment. Whether it’s “fewer scheduled hours of class, more independent work and less hand-holding from instructors,” these high schools are trying to prepare their students for postsecondary education and make the often-difficult academic transition from K-12 to higher education a little bit easier.

Next, The Associated Press reports that more high school students are enrolling in math and science classes according to the Department of Education’s recently released Condition of Education: 2012. This is good news because the STEM fields are in demand in the job market, and the skills needed to succeed in them are key to competing in the 21st century global economy.

The New York Times examines the growth of for-profit colleges and how federal policy has spurred that growth. Students continue to enroll at these institutions in greater numbers as more and more non-profit community colleges around the country are closed.

WBRC Fox Channel 6 in Florence, Alabama reports that more Alabama students read beneath their grade level than the national average. This information was provided to Alabama via the Alliance for Excellent Education’s 2011 Nation’s Report Card. For more info on your state, click here.

Finally, Kati Haycock, the President of The Education Trust, recently gave the commencement address at Lesley University’s Graduate School of Education. Her remarks, titled, “Good Teachers Create the Future,” were posted by The Huffington Post.

That’s it for Afternoon Announcements today. Have a safe weekend, and we’ll be back on Tuesday with even more education news and views!