Afternoon Announcements: 18 Myths About Education

A new infographic debunks 18 popular myths about education. Open Colleges

College graduates have endured the recession better than most individuals, data from the Labor Department reveals. The unemployment rate for college graduates in April was 3.9 percent, compared to 7.5 percent for the work force as a whole. Throughout the entire recession, college graduates have maintained a lower unemployment rate than the workforce as a whole. New York Times

The 2013 graduating class at Ohio State University got one of the best commencement speakers this season: President Obama. He aimed to inspire the students to value individual rights and community responsibilities. New York Times

The American Federation of Teachers polled 800 teachers and found that educators don’t feel prepared to teach math and reading to the Common Core State Standards. Seventy-five percent of the teachers surveyed said they support the Common Core, but less than one-third said they have received the training and resources needed to teach to the standards. Washington Post Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: Obama will pay for pre-k plan through increased tobacco taxes

Protestors outside the Department of Education, dubbed, “Occupy DOE,” resorted to inflammatory and even racist insults against high-stakes testing. Politics K-12

Ohio State University students might think they’re getting an easy lift to class when a golf cart pulls up beside them, but what they’re actually getting is a trip in “Buck$ Bus,” in which they’re quizzed on financial aid and budgeting. The inspiration for the game comes from the Discovery Channel’s show, Cash Cab. The Columbus Dispatch

The Obama administration released details on how they plan to pay for the universal pre-kindergarten program highlighted in the President’s State of the Union earlier this year. Money will come from increased revenue from raised tobacco taxes. Politics K-12

Massachusetts parents are outraged over a story that broke earlier this week, in which as many as 25 students were told to throw away their lunch because they could not pay for it. The director of the food service company that denied the children their lunches was placed on administrative leave. Education Week Read Entire Post

Afternoon announcements: High school graduation rates highest in 40 years

After stagnating for three decades, the high school graduation rate has reached its highest level in almost 40 years, according to federal data released this morning. The National Center for Education Statistics estimates that 78 percent of all high school students across the country earned a diploma. Washington Post

Obama mentioned education three times in his second-term inauguration address yesterday. See here for the quotes. Washington Post

We’ve been hearing a lot about the new reading standards in the Common Core State Standards. Reading scores for American students are dropping, and the new standards could be a solution. NPR

In order to make proactive, informed decisions about where to attend college, students and parents need to know how much to expect to pay and how much financial aid they will receive. The University of Dayton in Ohio may be the first college to tell prospective students the cost of a four-year degree and lock it in. Chronicle of Higher Education

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Afternoon announcements: October 23, 2012

In the last debate, Obama raised education during a question on gun control. He brought it up in this debate, focused on foreign policy, in a conversation on how America can remain competitive in the global market. The jump doesn’t seem as wide as with gun control. Obama attacked Romney on teaching hiring. Huffington Post

It seems as though Obama does still have the teachers’ vote. A few teachers sound off on their thoughts on the president and what they like and dislike about his policies. Education Week

A new law in Ohio – the “Third Grade Reading Guarantee” – could hold as many as 10,000 students back. The state is reviewing this law in an attempt to raise their reading standards. Some lawmakers and teachers believe it’s a good idea. What do you think? Huffington Post

In Michigan, the new, tougher Merit curriculum standards may be lowering their high school graduation rate. Some students are unable to meet the more rigorous demands. Education Week

Thomas Friedman, of the New York Time’s opinion page, wonders why Obama isn’t utilizing two of what he sees as his most innovative programs in this campaign – Race to the Top and ‘Race to the Top’ in gas mileage. New York Times

Neither Obama nor Romney have released papers or position statements with specifics for their early education plans. How will they both handle education if they’re elected? Huffington Post
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Stats That Stick: June 13, 2012

Time for those Stats That Stick! Here are a few of the statistics we’ve seen in the past week that deserve your attention!

High school graduation rate of the class of 2009: 73 percent.

U.S. News and World Report examines Education Week’s  “Diplomas Count2012,” which was released last week. This edition of the annual report focuses on the achievement of Latino students. From 2008 to 2009, Latino graduation rates increased by 5.5 percent, which helped to spur a 1.7 percent increase in the overall national graduation rate.

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Afternoon Announcements: June 8, 2012

Happy Friday! Time for your afternoon announcements. Just a couple of these and then you’re home-free for the weekend!

First, a study from Georgetown University’s Dr. Anthony Carnevale examines certificate programs as a way to increase credentials toward more income. The Huffington Post reports that, “Getting a certificate in the right field can make you better off than many college graduates. Men with certificates who work in computer and information services earn $72,498 per year on average, according to the study: more than the earnings of 54 percent of all male college graduates.”

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Afternoon Announcements: June 6, 2012

 

Today is the busiest news day of the week so far. Lots of talk about college costs and high school grads with various successes and failures. Without further ado, here we go!

The Huffington Post reports on high school graduates who didn’t attend college not having full-time jobs. A study out of Rutgers found that 75% of students like Elizabeth Pedigo of Toledo, Ohio who haven’t completed a postsecondary program but do have a high school degree aren’t employed full-time.

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Afternoon Announcements: May 18, 2012

Stateline.org reports that Delaware Governor Jack Markell defended the new Common Core English and math state standards at a meeting in Philadelphia on Thursday. The article says Markell dismissed the contention that national benchmarks for what students should be learning are part of a “high-level conspiracy from the federal government” to impose its standards on states.

The Philadelphia Public Schools Notebook reports on the city's broken pipeline to college. It notes that only seventeen of the 145 students who started ninth grade at North Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin High School in fall 2005 enrolled in a four-year college. Citywide, only 25 percent of students who started 9th grade in one of Philadelphia's neighborhood high schools that year enrolled in any postsecondary education, compared to almost 80 percent of students who started at the city's most selective magnet high schools. Of those 145 students, seventy-two earned a high school diploma--seventy-three have not.

The New York Times reports that New York City officials have have abandoned plans to negotiate with the union for the removal of some 830 teachers who do not have permanent jobs, but are still salaried, costing the city millions of dollars each year. Instead, Chancellor Dennis M. Walcott proposed on Thursday to offer buyouts to those teachers to leave the system.

The PBS NewsHour spotlights a journalism program in Florida that gives students a reason to stay in school.

 

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New Straight A's Issue Now Online

The newest version of the Alliance's Straight A's newsletter is now online.

Articles in this issue focus on

• The bill passed by the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee (HELP) to rewrite the No Child Left Behind Act;
• Efforts underway in New York City, Wyoming, and Ohio to reduce the need for remedial courses among college students;
• Hidden costs of community colleges; and
• Dropout rates among students in special education and the economic benefits associated with special education students who graduate from high school.

Links to each of these articles appear below. For a free email subscription to Straight A's, join the Alliance's mailing list.

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Morning Announcements: August 25, 2011

Here are your Thursday morning announcements!

A judge ruled yesterday that the New York State Board of Regents erred in its interpretation of a new law on teacher evaluations. The state teachers’ union sued the board in June arguing that the Regents made last minute changes that increased the role of student test scores in teacher evaluations beyond what a 2010 law permitted. Justice Michael C. Lynch of State Supreme Court in Albany sided with the union, but the board plans to appeal, according to the New York Times.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan held his first-ever Twitter Town Hall yesterday, answering questions submitted by people via the social-networking site. Duncan discussed waivers to No Child Left Behind, how much testing is too much, and the country’s dropout rate. Check out Education Week’s summary of the key highlights from the Q&A session.

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