College Planning

One year later, child care closures aren’t as bad as feared— but long-term issues still loom Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox When the pandemic shut down much of the country in March 2020, June Shillito reluctantly kept the Yates Baptist Child Development Center in Durham, North Carolina, open. She was nervous about the health of her staff and families, but she wanted to be able to provide an income for her teachers and serve children of essential workers. Even when her enrollment fell from 52 to 11 children, she was able to pay her staff members because the church affiliated with her center received a federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Although children have slowly returned to the center, Shillito’s classrooms still aren’...

Two Black Students Won School Honors. Then Came the Calls for a Recount.The parents of the just-named valedictorian and salutatorian left the ceremony, aware that Emma and her father were upset, but thinking nothing of it. Over the next day, however, the parents of Emma and Dominic did their own homework. “We found the 2020-2021 handbook,” Mr. Berry said. “It all came down to the handbook.” At issue was just how to calculate who the top two students were. Ikeria and Layla won based on a calculation of quality point average or Q.P.A., a system of calculating grades that gave extra weight to advanced placement and dual credit courses. But, it turned out, Dominic and Emma were the top two finishers based on unweighted grade point average. Join Michael Barbaro and “The Daily” team as t...

First Amendment News 300: A Q&A interview with Laurence Tribe on freedom of expression “Few if any (on the bench, in the profession, or in the academy) have contributed more to our understanding of the First Amendment than has Laurence Tribe. Through his unparalleled record of scholarship and advocacy, Professor Tribe has done much to secure broad judicial and legislative protections for the full range of First Amendment freedoms.” — Robert Corn-Revere* * * * Prof. Laurence Tribe To commemorate the 300th posting of First Amendment News, I invited Professor Laurence Tribe, the Carl M. Loeb University Professor and Professor of Constitutional Law (emeritus), to participate in a “Question and Answer” exchange. He kindly agreed.  While many in the legal community and related fields know of his...

Is the Charter Schools Program financing white-flight academies?However, the privilege of segregation came with a cost — $5,000 a year in tuition that parents decided taxpayers should assume. As North Carolina teacher Justin Parmenter explains here, the academy’s parents created a Google site called “Let’s Charter Hobgood” to band together and convert the private academy to a charter school. In what looks like an attempt to allay any fears that the charter might be forced to integrate, the following was posted: “No current law forces any diversity whether it be by age, sex, race, creed.” After three attempts, parents pulled it off, and Hobgood Academy became a charter school. Published at Mon, 07 Jun 2021 17:38:52 +0000 Article source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2021/06/...

Technology Made Special Education Parents Better Advocates During the PandemicAs schools let out for summer, there are undoubtedly aspects of the past year that teachers and parents alike are ready to leave behind. But then there are the benefits that some are hoping stick around. Among them: better communication strategies and tools that make it easier for special education parents and teachers to interact. Those are lessons that should stay in place long after our current era of remote learning, says research analyst Lane McKittrick, who focuses on special education and families at the Center on Reinventing Public Education. She recently co-authored a report on how charter schools effectively supported students with disabilities during the pandemic and is blogging about the topic. “If yo...

Pennsylvania leaders fill federal gaps in sexual violence preventionThe year 2016 marked a dramatic shift in how federal education officials discussed and enforced polices to prevent and address sexual violence on college campuses and punish perpetrators. The Obama administration had spent about five years bringing attention to the pervasive sexual violence occurring on American campuses and threatening to sanction colleges that did not respond to reports of assault in a manner focused on protecting and believing victims. Those efforts were upended when Donald Trump was elected and appointed Betsy DeVos secretary of education. DeVos, whose views on campus sexual misconduct ran counter to the work of advocates for victims, quickly began to dismantle the policies of the Obama administration....

The 2021 college commencement speech for our timesThank you for inviting me back to Boston to be with you on this glorious day and in this spectacular setting. Fenway is a hallowed arena of achievement and joy and common purpose. Those are the very subjects I want to discuss today. But first things first. Deepest congratulations to all of the graduates on your achievements. As your achievements are recognized in this ceremony, you can look back with justifiable pride — because you have worked hard to reach this day. And you can look forward — with hopeful anticipation toward a fulfilling life. Congratulations as well to all the family and friends who are here, physically or in spirit, to celebrate with you. Throughout your years at Suffolk University, they have been by your side, supportin...

Amid Objections to Automated Proctoring, One Company Abandons the PracticeThe use of remote proctoring has surged as colleges shifted to remote instruction during the pandemic. But not everyone is on board with the practice. Many students and even some schools have pushed back against the practice, especially objecting to automated services that rely on algorithms that watch students via their webcam and look for suspicious patterns of behavior—sending clips of questionable moments to professors for later review. The problem, critics say, is that the systems often lead to false-positives, add stress to the test-taking process and invade privacy. Darker skin tones can prove especially tricky for algorithms. This week one large provider of proctoring services, ProctorU, took the unusual step...

7 Stress Management Tips To Deal With Academic Changes During Covid-19The new academic changes are taking their toll on students. Somehow “Your exam has been cancelled/postponed” has not brought the same degree of relief to students as it was supposed to. Sure, it’s all fun and games until the endless nights of hard work and sacrifices to excel in board exams become worthless. Deprived of classroom learning and co-curricular activities, students have been affected by Covid-19 in different ways from the past year. And the class of 2021 is on the threshold of missing out on another critical rite of passage – 10th and 12th board exams.  Although these closures are for their own good, it has left the students with an overwhelming sense of loss and a very alarming question – Now what? Read on t...

Your Guide To College Scholarships: What They Are And Where To Find ThemYour college applications are in and your acceptances will be arriving soon. But how are you going to pay for your dream college? College can be expensive, but scholarships can make a significant difference in defraying the cost. And contrary to popular belief, they aren’t only available to straight A students! Learn about different categories of scholarships and where to find them, then begin applying! Types of scholarships Academic Academic scholarships are the best known. They are based on your grades and special academic achievements, although they may also have requirements for certain extracurricular activities or community service. While many go to straight A students in AP courses, some are available for thos...

Why Every Student Should Learn A Foreign LanguageWhether you’re a freshman just starting high school, a junior looking forward to college applications, or a senior preparing for college courses, you should definitely consider working a foreign language into your schedule. Learning a foreign language has numerous benefits, from improving your learning and analytical skills to helping you get and succeed in future careers. Whether you opt to study Spanish, French, German, or Chinese, taking a language course is one of the best decisions you can make for your future. Learning a second language improves your education. Taking the time to become bilingual doesn’t just leave you able to speak another language. You’ll also develop study skills, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills. Stud...

12 Books Every High School Student Should Read Before CollegeRead these books before you start college to prepare to get the most from the experience! Both fiction and nonfiction books are on this list, but each will help you earn admission to and survive in college, whether it be by promoting your education, helping you to develop life skills, or giving you something to talk about in college interviews! To Kill A Mockingbird – Harper Lee This is an American classic, and if you haven’t read it for a high school class, definitely read it for college. It’s an excellent book to use to study for the reading comprehension of the SAT, and once you’ve read it, you’ll understand so many more literary quips your college professors will make. It will also provide a little insight for your history c...

Can Universities Have a ‘Normal’ Fall If International Students Can’t Get to Campus?Though universities are hopeful that the vaccine rollout will return a sense of normalcy to the fall semester, a question remains about international students whose plans were curtailed by the pandemic. Will they make it to campus in time? Experts say that while students have been exempted from coronavirus-related travel restrictions, overseas U.S. consulate shutdowns and backlogs could leave them waiting for their visas until September. “Remember they’re not just processing visas for new students in the 2021-2022 academic year, but also our freshman class for last year. We’ve been told that once a consulate is up and fully operational, it’ll be several months before they work through the backlog,” says Sar...