Check out the link below:
Value Added Systems?
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Apparently, Going to an Elite University is Indeed Worth the Cost
From the NYT.
“Education is a long-run investment,” said Professor Eide, chairman of the economics department at Brigham Young, “It may be more painful to finance right now. People may be more hesitant to go into debt because of the recession. In my opinion, they should be looking over the long run of their child’s life.”
He added, “I don’t think the costs of college are going up faster than the returns on graduating from an elite private college.”
From the Atlantic:
Still, there's something to be said for the broader academic and social environment of the competitive admission schools. Even many celebrity dropouts, the same ones Peter Thiel cited in his criticisms of higher education, were able to leave precisely because of the accelerated advantages of privileged education. Bill Gates and Paul Allen could begin programming as teenagers thanks to donations to their private high school by a computer company and a parents group. A timesharing teletype was not a feature of most secondary schools at the time.Steve Jobs may have left the academic program at Reed College, but he was able to take advantage of its unique calligraphy program -- the kind of course derided by many critics of impractical arts programs, but later essential to the design of the Mac. Jobs' adoptive father and mother had expressly promised to provide a college education for the boy, and were willing to pay for an expensive, highly regarded school. Harvard's high density of students with both computer skills and family money for early expenses (the Winklevoss twins, Eduardo Saverin, and others) was crucial to Mark Zuckerberg in launching Facebook. Ivy lacrosse teams are renowned as investment-banking feeders.
“Education is a long-run investment,” said Professor Eide, chairman of the economics department at Brigham Young, “It may be more painful to finance right now. People may be more hesitant to go into debt because of the recession. In my opinion, they should be looking over the long run of their child’s life.”
He added, “I don’t think the costs of college are going up faster than the returns on graduating from an elite private college.”
From the Atlantic:
Still, there's something to be said for the broader academic and social environment of the competitive admission schools. Even many celebrity dropouts, the same ones Peter Thiel cited in his criticisms of higher education, were able to leave precisely because of the accelerated advantages of privileged education. Bill Gates and Paul Allen could begin programming as teenagers thanks to donations to their private high school by a computer company and a parents group. A timesharing teletype was not a feature of most secondary schools at the time.Steve Jobs may have left the academic program at Reed College, but he was able to take advantage of its unique calligraphy program -- the kind of course derided by many critics of impractical arts programs, but later essential to the design of the Mac. Jobs' adoptive father and mother had expressly promised to provide a college education for the boy, and were willing to pay for an expensive, highly regarded school. Harvard's high density of students with both computer skills and family money for early expenses (the Winklevoss twins, Eduardo Saverin, and others) was crucial to Mark Zuckerberg in launching Facebook. Ivy lacrosse teams are renowned as investment-banking feeders.
Civil rights groups seek review of Texas schools
Here's an item in yesterday's Washington Post:
HOUSTON -- Two civil rights organizations are seeking a federal review of public school education in Texas, accusing state school administrators of violating federal civil rights laws after curriculum changes approved earlier this year by the Texas Board of Education.
HOUSTON -- Two civil rights organizations are seeking a federal review of public school education in Texas, accusing state school administrators of violating federal civil rights laws after curriculum changes approved earlier this year by the Texas Board of Education.
The request to the U.S. Department of Education made by the Texas NAACP and Texas League of United Latin American Citizens on Monday contended that the curriculum changes passed in May "were made with the intention to discriminate" and would have a "stigmatizing impact" on African-American and Latino students.
"The State of Texas is failing to provide many of its minority students with equal educational opportunities," documents sent to the federal department said.
The request, signed by Gary Bledsoe, president of the state NAACP, and Joey D. Cardenas Jr., state director of Texas LULAC, asked that implementation of the curriculum changes and new standardized tests be stopped for being racially or ethnically offensive or historically inaccurate.
Is it possible that we systemically fail minority students by presenting a version of history that makes them feel marginalized?
"The State of Texas is failing to provide many of its minority students with equal educational opportunities," documents sent to the federal department said.
The request, signed by Gary Bledsoe, president of the state NAACP, and Joey D. Cardenas Jr., state director of Texas LULAC, asked that implementation of the curriculum changes and new standardized tests be stopped for being racially or ethnically offensive or historically inaccurate.
Is it possible that we systemically fail minority students by presenting a version of history that makes them feel marginalized?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Schools considering lawsuit in face of cuts ....
An item in the Houston Chronicle:
Texas school districts are ready to sue the state again over funding but likely will wait to see what the state Legislature does this spring.
Texas school districts are ready to sue the state again over funding but likely will wait to see what the state Legislature does this spring.
"School districts are so disgusted and fed up with this funding situation because it's the same thing year after year after year. We're ready to go," said John Folks, past president of the Texas Association of School Administrators. Folks is the superintendent of San Antonio's largest school district - Northside ISD - and former superintendent of Houston's Spring ISD.
School districts complain of funding disparities that create large differences - more than $20,000 per classroom - with neighboring school districts. They contend education funding is not keeping up with overhead costs and is insufficient to meet more rigorous academic standards.
At least 60 percent of school districts now are using reserve funds to help pay operating expenses, according to the Texas Association of School Boards.
Adding to educators' anxiety is the upcoming legislative session in which public school funding cuts are expected to be on the table
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Education at a Glance
Here is a rich resource with international comparisons on education
http://www.oecd.org/document/30/0,3746,en_2649_39263294_39251550_1_1_1_1,00.html
It includes analysis of PISA data and a lot more detail to support what we learned about on Thursday. As you can see from the graph, the USA spending per student is high but our math scores are dismal. There numerous spreadsheets that I would be interested in discussing (student attitudes, immigration status, teacher demographics, etc)
thanks
Carolyn
Friday, December 17, 2010
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