Afternoon Announcements: December 14, 2011

More like evening announcements? Enjoy the latest in education news as you make your way through the rush hour commute. 

Being unemployed in this economy is not uncommon and incredibly difficult. But being unemployed and uneducated may just set you back even more. Education Week reports that the U.S. House of Representatives is considering a bill that would require Americans filing for unemployment insurance to have a high school diploma or GED in order to receive benefits. Those who don't must be working toward one. Ouch.

Afternoon Announcements: December 13, 2011

Happy Tuesday. Enjoy a break from meetings and monotony with the latest in education news.

A long standing argument for why students in other countries outperform Americans has been the theory that American children spend less time in school. This includes less hours within the day and less days within the year. But a new report from the Washington Post exposes that theory as just a myth. No worries kids, your school day will not be getting longer.

Afternoon Announcements: December 9, 2011

In just a matter of hours you can kick back and relax for the weekend; you've earned it. In the meantime, enjoy the winding down of the work week with the latest in education news.

Schools around the country are venturing away from requiring students to "test out" of a grade or graduate in general. According to Education Week, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee are changing their policies so that students will no longer be required to take those tests, according to a new report by the Center on Education Policy.

Do Paid Mentors Make a Difference?

Friends of the Children, a nonprofit organization based in Portland, OR, says they do. The organization was recently profiled on NPR's show All Things Considered. The group works to provide children a nurturing and sustained relationship with a professional mentor who teaches positive values and has attainable expectations for each child to become healthy, productive members of the community. Most mentoring programs rely on volunteers but Friends of the Children pays mentors and provides them with intensive social work training. Judy Stavisky, executive director of the program, says "The role of the mentor is both an anchor and a sail for the kids, because these kids have very little of each. We provide that grounding experience for the kids. We also open their eyes to the universe of possibilities of the way they could behave and the way their lives can be." Research is still underway to determine the program's success rates but Friends of the Children reports that 85 percent of its students graduate from high school. Click on the player below to listen to the full story.