Posts published in December, 2012

USA Ranks 18th In 2 Year Degrees.

For the U.S. to improve on its No. 5 world ranking in the number of 25- to 64-year-olds possessing some form of college degree, it must boost the number of two-year degree holders by instilling a national focus on enrollment and success in community colleges and trade schools, according to a new report. America ranks 18th when it comes to two-year degree graduates. (Huffington Post, 12/06/12)

Report On Improving Postsecondary Efficiency And Accountability

Credentials after high school are increasingly tied to secure, family-sustaining jobs in the United States. But college costs are rapidly rising while public resources are dwindling. Across the nation, postsecondary leaders, policymakers and members of the philanthropic community are searching for remedies to these issues. IN Pennsylvania, Gov. Corbett’s Advisory Commission on Postsecondary Education has advanced recommendations for making the state’s colleges and universities more efficient, effective, and accountable to the public.

The brief examines three important aspects of postsecondary accountability addressed by the Commission – performance funding that links state appropriations with system-wide goals and results; data systems that track student progress to better measure performance; and transparency laws that allow public access to system records.

The Research For Action PACER brief provides an accessible summary of available information on these levers and compares their presence in Pennsylvania and neighboring states. This brief signals important questions for policymakers, educators, families, and students. We hope it also equips stakeholders with information to confront these questions.

Click here to read this brief.

Does Student “Grit” Help College Success

Here is a video of the most visible proponent of the grit theory:

Paul Tough on the concept of grit as an element of academic success. Two-minute video

http://scholasticadministrator.typepad.com/thisweekineducation/2012/12/video-paul-tough-on-grit.html

Helping Transfer Students To Succeed

SCHOOLS FIND NEW WAYS TO WELCOME COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFERS
The 200 transfer students ate Huli Huli chicken and wore plastic leis at a recent luau held in their honor at USC. But more important than food or party favors, participants said, was the camaraderie and encouragement to join the campus mainstream. Among the organizers was Rebecca Obadia, who transferred from Santa Monica College to USC last year and experienced the stress of starting at a new university midway through a degree program. Obadia, 26, a public relations major, helped revive a transfer student group at USC and is now its president. Transfer students “don’t have the same needs as freshmen and were not welcomed the way they should have been all these years,” she said. That reception and other new efforts at private and public schools are part of a trend here and nationwide to better address the needs of these students and ease “transfer shock” as they jump into new academic and social lives long after other students. Colleges and universities are tailoring orientation sessions for them, requiring special classes, bolstering counseling, establishing clubs, setting aside housing and offering more scholarships. The article is in the Los Angeles Times via Carnegie Foundation.

Students Need To Know Net Price Of College After Financial Aid

The Net Price Myth

Higher Ed Watch

The concept of “net price”-what students actually pay for college after financial aid is subtracted from published tuition rates-has become increasingly important  in discussions of college affordability.

Read More

Another Governor Wants A 10k Bachelors Degree

College Costs
Gov. Rick Scott’s Challenge to State Colleges: $10,000 Bachelor’s Degrees
Calling for better value and results in higher education, Governor Rick Scott challenged Florida’s state colleges to offer $10,000 bachelor’s degrees. Scott’s pitch came without an offer of additional state funding. Instead, he told colleges to “find innovative ways” to bring down the price. Some college leaders said each campus likely will fashion its own $10,000 degrees in workforce-oriented fields. (Tampa Bay Times, 11/27/12)