Successful College On Line Will Be A Blend

Can online education’s future be both profitable, student-friendly?
Educational technology experts speculate that future successful online, for-profit, education companies will look like a blend of current sector giants, such as the University of Phoenix, and up-and-comer start-ups, such as Udacity and Coursera. The new online higher education model will also have to successfully prepare and credential students for gainful employment.
theatlantic.com

Economic Consequences Of Low Male College Completion

Men’s college degree attainment key to lowering U.S. unemployment According to David Autor, professor of economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, “middle-skill jobs, typically well-paying work that doesn’t require extensive higher education, are vanishing.” While women are earning the degrees required for the new jobs our economy is creating, men’s degree attainment is growing at a slower rate.  Because there is a mismatch between employers’ demands for knowledge workers and the labor market supply, men without college degrees are a driving factor between high unemployment rates in the U.S.
bloomberg.com

New Tools For Undergrad And Graduate Student Decisions About College Choices

Guest Blogger: Alysia Dupuy

An inordinate amount of pressure falls on teenagers to excel in school and gain admission to top universities. Many high school juniors tend to fixate on the most well-known schools, without truly considering what they want in their college experience and which institutions best fit their unique desires. With this resource, users can rank, filter, and compare colleges by location, tuition, mean GPA or SAT admitted, and much more to find schools that complement their individual expectations.

Once that elusive acceptance letter has arrived, the next obstacle is the cost of college. Whether you are looking to mitigate fee hikes and tuition increases, or looking for a full-ride scholarship, the scholarship database provides the same instruments to allow for a customized search. Identify niche grants specific to you–whether based on gender, background, interests, or skills–and improve your chances of an award.

After four years as an undergraduate, the anxiety of applications returns, as many pursue graduate school. Whether you are looking for a degree from one of the top business schools,  prestigious law schools, or best medical schools, this resource enables students to sort through all U.S. accredited universities in a search for their perfect fit.

New Types Of Coaches Can Increase Freshman College Persistence

Coaching college freshmen so they don’t drop out
Executive-style coaching is making its way onto campuses across the country as schools struggle to keep students from dropping out. In much the same way career coaches help executives reflect on their job performance and goals, student coaches talk with freshmen about studying, financial challenges, family issues, and long-term planning. Eric Bettinger, an associate professor at Stanford University’s School of Education, compared the academic records of more than 13,500 students; half had received coaching and half hadn’t. He found that freshmen in the coached group were 15 percent more likely to still be in school 18 to 24 months later. Coaches “actually call the student and aggressively go after them, rather than expecting the students to come to a service,” Bettinger says.
businessweek.com

Closing The Race Gap In College Enrollment

Cambridge, MA. (April 18, 2012) – According to findings released today by researchers at the Strategic Data Project (SDP), the gap in college enrollment rates between black students and white students in four large, urban districts disappears or even reverses direction once prior achievement and socioeconomic background is accounted for. The SDP team also found that the same measure considerably reduces the gap between white and Latino students, although the gap still remains in most districts. These data highlight the importance of ensuring equal access to high quality instruction regardless of economic background and can help districts understand where they ought to target their efforts to increase college enrollment.

Find all materials on this webpage: www.gse.harvard.edu/sdp/spi

Reports Worth Reading

Recommended by ECS

• Assessment      of Opportunities and Models for Adults to Complete the Baccalaureate  Degree at Virginia Four-Year Institutions (State Council of Higher  Education in Virginia; also see report summary and fact sheet)

• Latino College Completion  in 50 States (Excelencia in Education)

• A Stronger Nation  through Higher Education (Lumina Foundation)

Report Urges Eliminating Tuition Tax Breaks For Wealthy Families And Expanding Pell Grants

Eliminate College Tuition Tax Breaks, New Education Sector Report Argues 

Washington, D.C. – During the last several years, Congress and the Obama administration have made significant cuts to federal student aid funding to shore up the budget of the Pell Grant program, the primary source of government aid to low-income students. But in a new Education Sector Chart You Can Trust, Stephen Burd argues that the federal government has a better way to keep the Pell Grant program viable: eliminate the American Opportunity Tax Credit and the other federal tuition, tax-break programs.

“At a time when the budget axe is falling on the Pell Grant program, providing billions of dollars in tax benefits to upper-middle income families who would send their children to college without the help is a luxury that the government can no longer afford,” Burd says in Moving On Up: How Tuition Tax Breaks Increasingly Favor the Upper-Middle Class.

Burd analyzed data from the Internal Revenue Service collected by the College Board to document how tuition tax credits have increasingly shifted away from the students and families who need them most. In the years between 1999 and 2001, nearly 83 percent of the higher education tax benefits went to families earning less than $75,000 per year. No benefits went to those earning more than $100,000. By contrast, in the last three tax years alone, families making between $100,000 and $180,000 received nearly a quarter of the benefits. The share going to middle-income families sharply declined.

Burd’s proposal is certain to be controversial. Providing tax breaks for college tuition is one policy area in which both Democratic and Republican elected officials have agreed. In 2001, President Bush included a tax deduction for higher education in his tax cut plan. President Obama made the American Opportunity Tax Credit (AOTC) a centerpiece in the budget stimulus package Congress passed in 2009.

But although the tax breaks do not count as spending in the federal budget, Burd points out that they are still very expensive. He quotes figures from the U.S. Joint Committee on Taxation, estimating that the government will spend about $55 billion on the tuition tax-break programs from 2010 to 2014. The largest amount and share of these benefits will likely go to families making more than $100,000.

Instead of making further cuts to Pell eligibility, reducing grant amounts, or eliminating interest subsidies for student loans, Congress should allow the AOTC to expire at the end of this year, eliminate all of the other tuition tax breaks, and use the savings to ensure that the Pell Grant program remains on a sustainable path, Burd argues.

Read Moving On Up: How Tuition Tax Breaks Increasingly Favor the Upper-Middle Class.

New State Policies To Regulate For Profit Colleges

Changing Dynamics in State Oversight of For-Profit Colleges

 
Enrollments at for-profit colleges nationwide continue to increase, with the industry now enrolling a critical mass of postsecondary students. While for-profit colleges have made some positive contributions to advancing students’ interests and meeting labor markets needs, accusations of systemic consumer fraud and abuse by these education businesses have been on the rise. Further, concerns continue to mount regarding both the unbearable financial indebtedness faced by some students attending these institutions, and the simultaneous lack of meaningful employment opportunities upon graduation.
State governments have a vital, if underappreciated, role to play in ensuring that students are not only protected from fraudulent and abusive business practices that may take place at for-profit colleges, but that they also receive an education that advances career opportunities. This policy brief illustrates the for-profit college industry’s rapid ascension in American higher education; discusses troubling patterns of impropriety and unsatisfactory student outcomes; re-examines the state’s responsibilities in this sector; and outlines national and state reform efforts.
Authored by Thomas L. Harnisch, AASCU Policy Analyst

Outstanding New Book On Higher Education Finance

In their new book, Financing American Higher Education in the Era of Globalization, from Harvard Education Press William Zumeta, David Breneman, Patrick Callan and Joni Finney address basic issues and trends that cut across higher education, focusing on:

How much higher education the country needs for individual opportunity and for economic viability in the  future

• How responsibility for paying for  it is currently allocated
• How financing higher education  should be addressed in the future

Tips For Succeeding In The First Year of College

Now that the admissions cycle is  over , students need to think about what comes next. Guest blogger Mike Lemaire provides useful ideas.

Tips To Making The Best of Your Freshman Year

 For many students, the first year of college can seem like a blur. It can be overwhelming to deal with the sudden independence of college life. A student needs to be able to juggle so many different aspects of college life that it is almost inevitable that some students struggle or fall behind. I said almost inevitable because it doesn’t have to be a foregone conclusion. Students who are smart and organized enough can put in their own safety net, so that when they start to feel themselves slipping, they have something in place to catch them. Here are some of the best ways to put a strong safety net together.

Go to Office Hours

 So many college students have rolled their eyes when their professors mention office hours that I am surprised professors can keep a straight face about it. Having said that, there might not be a better way to ensure a good grade in a class that visits with your professor or even your teacher’s assistant. Jot down notes during lectures and go to your professor’s office hours to discuss topics with him/her. This way you become a face instead of a number in your class. Not many students go to their teacher’s assistant office hours, so when you do go, they are always excited and impressed. They are there specifically to help you out in a class, so use them wisely.

Time Management

 Managing your time is yet another cliché college survival tip that still needs to be repeated over and over. Socializing – whether it’s partying, sports, campus clubs, or just late-night movies – is inevitable and important, so make sure you are striking a balance between your social life and your academics. There are plenty of studies that prove that avoiding stress and getting sleep have a direct correlation on your academic performance – and freshman are especially prone to stressful evenings. And everyone knows that too much partying isn’t conducive to academic success. You know your body better than anyone, so make sure you maintain a healthy balance.

Get involved and stay active

 There is a reason why these universities ask about your extracurriculars on your application and I promise it isn’t because they are interested in your record in the Pinewood Derby. They ask because they don’t just want you to come to their university and become a great student. They want you to become a contributing member of the college community, whether it is through community service, the drama club, or even a sports team. If you can maintain an active social life and get good grades, that’s awesome, but you will need more than that to make sure you are extracting the most out of your freshman year. Getting involved helps you make friends and expand your interests. Staying active helps you remain mentally and physically healthy, while also relieving stress and making sure that you don’t have too many dull days in school.

Embrace your new found independence

 The independence every student becomes privy to when they enter college can be a double-edged sword. It can be liberating to make your own decisions about academics and socializing without the involvement of your parents. But at the same time, if you abuse that independence, you will quickly find yourself in a hole that will be difficult to climb out of. Academically, this independence is a chance for you to experiment. Take a biology class, or a calculus class, or a film class, or even take all three. There is no better way to find out what you want to study down the road. As for the rest of the college experience, as a freshman, the entirety of what the university has to offer lies at your feet. No one is going to tell you how you should spend your time, so make friends, attend lectures by famous guest speakers, go see a student theater performance. This is not only an excellent way to find out what you are passionate about, but it is an excellent way to have a more well-rounded college experience, which will ultimately make you happier and more successful.

Mike Lemaire is an education content writer with wide-ranging interests that include everything from eLearning, to education reform, to even design training from computer schools. He is always looking for newtopics to research, so drop him a line at mlemaire@quinstreet.com”.