333. College Access and Success News

Here are links to recent news on college access and success.

by

Joe Rottenborn

Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

1. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily ▸ today's top stories on college access and success via @rottenbornj ▸ http://paper.li/rottenbornj

2. From 'Today' on NBC: Beginning the Search: http://nyti.ms/qYKZP5 - "The “Today” show — which occasionally partners with The Choice on college admissions segments — broadcast a report on Tuesday morning on how to begin your college search. . . . You can watch the full piece — featuring a tour of the University of Michigan campus and an interview with the director of admissions, Ted Spencer – by clicking at the top of this post."

3. The Hazards of Attending College Part Time, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://moneywatch.bnet.com/spending/blog/college-solution/the-hazards-of-attending-college-part-time/6746/ via @cbsmoneywatch - "College graduation rates in this country are terrible, but they are far worse for the majority of students who attend college part time. . . . While the typical image of a college student is someone who lives in a dorm, attends school full time and has most of the bills paid by their parents, the reality is starkly different. About 75% of students are commuters, who hold down jobs and juggle family obligations as they pursue their college dreams."

4. Study: Suburban Districts Falter in Global Competitiveness, by Sarah D. Sparks - http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/inside-school-research/2011/09/study_suburban_districts_falte.html via @educationweek - "The report, published in an online preview of the Winter 2012 issue of Education Next, argues that when average district achievement in math or reading is compared to average achievement in those subjects for students in industrialized countries, as measured on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, even wealthier districts in areas like Beverly Hills, Calif., or Fairfax, Va., come out in the middle of the pack or worse."

5. Is the SAT losing its edge? by Jay Mathews - Class Struggle - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/class-struggle/post/is-the-sat-losing-its-edge/2011/09/27/gIQAbS7h3K_blog.html via @washingtonpost - "More graduating seniors took the SAT last year than ever, 1.65 million. So why are the scores declining, and why is the best-known and most fearsome college-entrance test in U.S. history losing its edge? Let’s start with the obvious. More students are taking its rival, the ACT."

6. Middle school survey: sex, fear and suicide attempts, by Bill Turque - D.C. Schools Insider - http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dc-schools-insider/post/middle-school-survey-sex-fear-and-suicide-attempts/2011/09/27/gIQAKwz92K_blog.html via Washingtonpost.com - "Chancellor Kaya Henderson sketched a bleak statistical picture of life in DCPS middle schools at Tuesday’s D.C. Council hearing, including a chilling survey finding that 10 percent of the school system’s 4,000 eighth graders have tried to kill themselves."

7. The 10 Best Places To Go To College: Unigo List - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/26/the-10-best-places-to-go-_n_980907.html#s372162&title=Boston_University - "Crave a life beyond the campus multi-purpose room? Check out Unigo's list of the coolest towns -- that also happen to have great colleges -- below. Vouch for your own college town in the comments section!"

8. The New Ivy League: Unigo List - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/27/the-new-ivy-league-unigo-_n_982994.html - "The hallowed Ivy League is famed for its exclusivity, and cluster of eight elite Northeastern institutions can only accomodate a fraction of today's talented students. But fear not, there are other places in America that can offer a home of equal value to the world's burgeoning brains. Using student reviews they compiled, Unigo formed a list of colleges that match the Ivies in terms of rigor and vigor. See them below in alphabetical order."

9. New data highlight YSU retention problem, by Denise Dick - http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/sep/28/new-data-highlight-retention-problem/ via Vindicator - “More serious is what happened in the percentage of returning undergraduates,” he said. There were more than 1,000 students who didn’t return this year. “That surprised all of us,” Fahey said."

10. Youngstown City schools, after state criticism, developing plan for ‘better gains,’ by Denise Dick - http://www.vindy.com/news/2011/sep/28/city-schools-after-state-criticism-devel/ via @vindicator - "He believes people in the district understand the sense of urgency. “We have to move forward,” Hathorn said. “The longer we wait, the worse it’s going to get.”