337. 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. Advanced Placement Classes for All, and $100 for a Passing Score: http://nyti.ms/nFzeVJ -"As Mr. Dillon reports, beyond its inclusive spirit, the program delivers financial incentives. Each student who scores a 3 out of 5 or above on the A.P. exam earns $100, as does his or her course instructor. A participating school in Worcester, Mass., has seen its student enrollment swell to eight times its former size in just two years, with 70 percent of students scoring high enough to earn college credit."

2. Classes and Scores Soar With Incentives for A.P. Tests, by Sam Dillon: http://nyti.ms/oo6Y07 - "South High students said Mr. Nystrom and his colleagues had transformed the culture of a tough urban school, making it cool for boys with low-slung jeans who idolize rappers like Lil Wayne to take the hardest classes."

3. Helping Rural Students Leap Cultural Hurdles to College, by Diette Courrégé - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/05/06rural.h31.html via @educationweek - "The lack of parental and community support is one of the reasons educators say rural students have been among the least likely to go to college. Rural areas have a 27 percent college-enrollment rate for 18- to 24-year-olds, according to a 2007 report from the National Center for Education Statistics, its most recent, compared with the national average of 34 percent and that of cities and suburban areas of 37 percent."

4. Pilot Aims to Ready High Schoolers for Community College in 2 Years, by Catherine Gewertz - http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/10/03/07highschool.h31.html via @educationweek - "Twenty-one high schools in four states are working this fall to restructure their academic programs into “lower division” and “upper division” courses that are aimed at readying all students for community college by the end of their sophomore year. Students who pass a series of exams, at that point, could leave high school and enroll—without remedial courses—in a two-year college, or stay in high school to take additional technical coursework, or pursue studies that prepare them for a university."

5. College Flash Mobs Become Pep Rallies Made for YouTube, by Tamar Lewin - http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/04/education/04flash.html?hpw - “It’s something students will talk about, and it can help colleges brand and market themselves. It’s a way to hook students, and build community and pride in place. It gets new students superconnected, right from the start, which is one of the goals of orientation. For students, I think part of the appeal is that it goes on YouTube, and you get to watch yourself, which is a kind of self-promotion this generation likes.”

6. For Women on Campuses, Access Doesn't Equal Success, by MaryAnn Baenninger -http://chronicle.com/article/For-Women-on-Campuses-Access/129242/ - "Women underestimate their abilities and express lower levels of self-confidence than their abilities suggest. Men overestimate their abilities and express higher levels of confidence than their abilities warrant. This difference arrives with them as first-year students and leaves with them as seniors. When I talk about this, or I hear researchers describe this finding, the audience always chuckles (boys will be boys, after all)."

7. Best Colleges For Undergraduate Teaching: US News List - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/10/01/best-colleges-for-undergrad-teach-us-news_n_990172.html - "US News and World Report recently named the best colleges for undergraduate teaching. Ivy Leagues Darthmouth and Princeton tied for the top spot with Ohio's Miami University rounding out third place. Check out our slide show of the best colleges for undergraduate teaching. Then tell us, who was your favorite professor? Weigh in below!"

8. Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily ▸ today's top stories on college access and success via @rottenbornj ▸ http://t.co/xt4njNy8