Improving College Readiness Through
Coherent State Policy
This brief addresses the
state policy dimensions of college readiness. It identifies the key issues and
problems associated with the college readiness gap, which is a major impediment
to increasing the numbers of college students who complete certificates or
degrees. This policy brief also provides governors, legislators, and state
education leaders with specific steps they need to take to close the readiness
gap in their state. These findings and recommendations were prepared by the
National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, and the Southern
Regional Education Board (SREB).
The term arts education has had various meanings throughout
the years. Following the lead of both the national standards and the Washington
State Essential Learnings, the term arts includes music, dance, drama and visual
art. The visual arts and music have traditionally received the lion's share of
attention in education. This report takes the position that all four art
disciplines are essential to education and does not favor any one discipline
over another.
A case study by researchers about how one Midwestern
elementary school did a poor job of implementing "response to intervention"
raises red flags about whether the approach is a good idea for English-language
learners. It comes as some school districts are rushing to carry out
RTI.
Pennsylvania State University has begun a formal
investigation into whether a prominent faculty member is guilty of scientific
misconduct for the way he carried out research into climate change.
But the university
said a preliminary inquiry into Dr. Michael Mann's work, completed late last
month, cleared him of allegations that he conspired with other scientists to
squelch views and data at odds with their belief that the earth is
warming.
Google Inc. has awarded a two-year, $1 million research
grant aimed at slashing energy usage in large internet data centers to a team of
computer scientists at the University of California at Santa Barbara, Rutgers
University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Virginia, Rutgers
reports. The company also might award an additional $500,000 for a third year
subject to program review.
Yale University announced on Wednesday that it planned a
number of steps to close a remaining $150 million budget gap, including cutting
staff, freezing salaries for deans and officers, reducing the number of graduate
students — even turning down all thermostats to 68
degrees.
Dayton Daily News 12/16/2009 - Ohio colleges and
universities could face cuts exceeding $309 million statewide in fiscal year
2010 if the General Assembly fails to resolve a budget shortfall by Dec. 31,
according to the state’s top higher education
official.
Applications for $650 million in new federal grants
that encourage school innovation will be available in early 2010 and due in the
spring, the U.S. Department of Education (ED) said in a conference call with
reporters Oct. 6. The department estimates that all money under the program will
be committed by Sept. 30, 2010.
If you answer The Kite Runner, the acclaimed novel
by Khaled Hosseini about life in Afghanistan, then you’re turning the pages of
one of the top-ten most challenged books of 2008, according to the American
Library Association (ALA).