289. Summer College News

Here are some links to today's stories
about college access and success.
by
Joe Rottenborn
Executive Director, Mahoning Valley College Access Program (MVCAP)

1. Numbers to Say No, by Kevin Kiley - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/mSiquY - "By tracking data related to financial aid appeals, the financial aid office at Nazareth College found that students enrolled at the same rates (or even slightly higher rates) when their appeals were denied as when the appeals were accepted. That finding has emboldened the office to reject certain appeals and reallocate money to students whose decisions really do hinge on financial questions. It also highlights a trend of "frivolous" appeals by families who don't actually need the money."

2. For-Profit Debate Redux, by Libby A. Nelson - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/oT9zsp - "But in the Senate, debate about the for-profit sector marches on, driven by Senator Tom Harkin. The Iowa Democrat held a roundtable discussion with some for-profit college critics -- and the leaders of two private-sector colleges, including DeVry Inc.-- on Thursday, a three-hour forum that seemed to indicate that he would pursue additional legislative regulation of for-profit colleges."

3. College-going inches up from Chicago high schools, by Sarah Karp - http://www.catalyst-chicago.org/notebook/index.php/entry/1199/College-going_inches_up_from_Chicago_high_schools - "The move also shined a bright light on the stark reality of how few graduates went straight to college. In 2004, only 43.5 percent of graduates enrolled in college the following fall. Since then, the percentage has gone up each year. Of 2010 graduates, 55.7 percent enrolled, up from 54.4 percent in 2009."

4. Politics K-12: New Initiative Targets 'School-to-Prison' Pipeline, by Nirvi Shah - http://t.co/UDpeoNU via @educationweek - "A new undertaking from the U.S. Departments of Justice and Education targets school discipline policies that end up pushing children into the juvenile-justice system for crimes and rule-breaking on campus—and keeping them from pursuing their education."

5. The Case Against Law School - Room for Debate, The New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2011/07/21/the-case-against-law-school?hp - "Law school tuition is rising four times as fast as the cost of an undergraduate degree, which itself is soaring. Despite the high price, students are still flocking to law schools, even if it means going into heavy debt to enter a tight job market with few top-paying openings."

6. For-Profit Allies and Critics Discuss Ideas for Improving the Sector, by Kelly Field - http://chronicle.com/article/For-Profit-AlliesCritics/128364/ - "The proposal met with support from Holly Petraeus, director of the Office of Servicemember Affairs in the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, who said for-profits often view veterans and service members as "dollar signs wearing a uniform." ". . . . The sad truth is that a lot of them are signing up based on advertising and word of mouth," she said. If the colleges "wrap themselves in the flag and say they cater to the military, they get picked."

7. College presidents, students lobby to keep Pell Grant funding, by Jenna Johnson - Campus Overload - http://t.co/1ynP8OW via @washingtonpost - "This week, dozens of university presidents, students and education advocates are on the Hill to persuade lawmakers to protect Pell Grants. Monday has been designated as “Save Pell Day” by the Education Trust, a nonprofit focused on closing education achievement gaps."

8. Hechinger Report New efforts to raise U.S. college graduation rates, by Jon Marcus: http://bit.ly/pqDTba - "The graduation problem isn’t generally evident at elite colleges and universities, both private and public, whose graduation rates are comparatively high. It’s concentrated at community colleges and lower-tier public universities, which enroll most of America’s students. Such institutions increasingly serve the fastest-growing segment of American college enrollment: low-income, nonwhite, non-native-English-speaking students who are the first in their families to go to college. Community colleges enroll much higher percentages of students who work full or part time and are considered at risk for dropping out—and who are also more likely to have children at home and have interrupted their education, in some cases for years. In addition, the vast majority arrive unprepared for college-level work, with 60 percent or more steered into remedial education, according to Thomas Bailey, director of the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University."

9. Schools’ equity efforts are promising, by Ruth Adkins - http://www.portlandtribune.com/opinion/story.php?story_id=131119485031541300 -"However, with the new Cradle to Career coalition, an unprecedented collaborative effort is under way among schools, local governments, nonprofits and the business community. The goal is that by aligning existing city, county, and private programs and resources, we can, as a community, help give Portland’s children the best possible chance for success."

188. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. Fraternity official reacts to shooting - TribToday.com - Tribune Chronicle - Warren, OH: http://t.co/ACjh8AU

"This senseless act of violence has stunned the fraternity, the collegiate community and all who respect civility in our nation. The weight of this tragedy strengthens our resolve to uplift humanity at every station in life as we carry the hope and promise of our Brother, Jamail Johnson," Ray said."

2. Jamail Johnson, YSU Shooting Victim, Died Trying To Save Others - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/08/jamail-johnson-youngstown_n_820296.html

‎"As gunfire rang out and people ran for their lives, 25 year old Jamail Johnson ran toward the shooters. Johnson pushed them out of the fraternity house, potentially saving dozens more people from injury or death.Johnson continued on, even after being shot, eventually losing his life trying to protect others."

3. College Warns Accepted Applicants: Keep ‘Shoulder to Wheel’, by C. O. Gerszberg - http://thechoice.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/mom-u-02-08/#more-27735

"To be more specific, we expect you to continue the courses that you committed to take, to maintain achievement commensurate with your ability, and to sustain your extra-curricular commitments and leadership."

4. Left in the Hall, by David Moltz - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/hCVUNY

"Even the 22 percent of community college students who took placement tests had difficulties enrolling in the courses in which they placed. Nearly 30 percent of students who took English or mathematics placement tests were unable to enroll in all of their recommended courses last semester."

5. Classroom Matters, by Steve Kolowich - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/fAxDIg

“The majority of students who had Spanish in high school found it helpful,” says Glynis Cowell, director of the Spanish program there. However, she added, “For the true beginner it probably wasn’t as smooth a transition.” The university attracted a lot of attention a year and a half ago when it announced it was going to start teaching entry-level Spanish only on the Web."

6. Harkin Calls On For-Profit Colleges To End Deceptive Recruiting Practices - http://help.senate.gov/newsroom/press/release/?id=068bd7c1-0311-447a-97b3-66eb01337012&groups=Chair

“Rather than offering students a better life, these types of strong-arm, emotionally abusive tactics are all too typical of schools that have little or no interest in providing students the academic help and support they need to succeed," Harkin said. "When these types of deceptive and exploitative tactics are used to enroll students, we should not be surprised to see high drop out and high default rates . . . .”

7. AdmissionSplash: Facebook Application Predicts Likelihood of Getting Into College - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/08/facebook-application-pred_n_820277.html

‎"AdmissionSplash asks students to submit a short or long personal profile including quantitative and qualitative characteristics, such as test scores, grades and extra-curricular activities, which colleges consider when making admissions decisions. The program then uses this information, along with public admissions statistics, to predict the student's chance of getting into any of the 1,500 colleges . . . ."

8. Perry to Push Texas Colleges to Offer $10,000 Degree, by Ross Ramsey - http://t.co/rHjvyd6 via @TexasTribune

"Gov. Rick Perry will challenge the state's colleges and universities to offer a $10,000 bachelor's degree, including books, in his State of the State speech later this morning, according to sources familiar with some of the proposals. Perry also wants lawmakers to consider outcome-based financial support for those schools . . . ."

9. 25 Private Colleges With the Best Graduation Rates, by Lynn O'Shaughnessy - http://t.co/kXyrCi5

‎"The schools that enjoy that nation’s highest graduation rates are among the country’s most elite private universities and liberal arts colleges. The students who attend these schools are high achievers and the institutions are among the wealthiest, which permits them to offer an abundance of resources to their students."

10. Big, Big Money Problem: Finding Funds for Pell Grants, by Alyson Klein - http://t.co/kITZzHc

‎"There is a major, major shortfall in the Pell Grant program, which finances scholarships to help low-income students attend college. . . . That means that in order to keep grants at their current levels (the maximum is $5,550), Congress will have to find more than $5 billion in fiscal year 2011. Part of that money was included in the stop-gap measure that's currently funding the entire federal government . . . ."

11. 'Achieving the Dream' Produces Little Change at Community Colleges, by Jennifer Gonzalez - http://chronicle.com/article/Achieving-the-Dream-Produces/126304/

‎"Most of the original 26 colleges in the Achieving the Dream project have relied on data to drive strategies designed to increase student achievement—for example, the introduction of learning communities and courses in how to succeed in college. But those efforts have not resulted in more students' completing developmental courses, a necessity for the many underprepared students who hope to complete degree or certificates. . . ."

• Follow the most important stories on college admissions and financial aid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rottenbornj


• For links to articles on college admissions and financial aid, you can "friend" Joe Rottenborn at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544


• "Like" the MVCAP fan page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544#!/pages/Mahoning-Valley-College-Access-Program-MVCAP/284002915922


• You can join the group MVCAP Financial-Aid Friends at this page: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=126580419181


• Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj

156. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost? by Jacques Steinberg - http://nyti.ms/fczdLB

"The sluggish economy and rising costs of college have only intensified questions about whether expensive, prestigious colleges make any difference. Do their graduates make more money? Get into better professional programs? Make better connections? And are they more satisfied with their lives, or at least with their work?"

2. Early Admissions Decisions Pour In For Class Of 2015 - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/early-admissions-decision_n_798239.html

"Thus far, Elon University in North Carolina has accepted the highest percentage of applicants with an 84 percent rate, followed by American University at 72 percent and Dickinson College at 69 percent. The colleges that accepted the lowest percentage of early applications include Stanford University, 13 percent; Georgetown University, 17 percent; and Dartmouth College (25 percent). Duke University accepted 29 percent of its early applicants, a record amount.

Notable for students applying regular decision is that some of the schools reported filling nearly half of the class of 2015 in the early round -- the University of Pennsylvania accepted 49 percent of incoming freshmen, John Hopkins University admitted 42 percent and Dartmouth 40 percent."

3. Even with free tuition, hurdles remain for raising number of college graduates, by David Jesse - Hechinger Report http://t.co/ctzrZe1

"Just 54 percent of the first recipients are either still in college or have graduated, a stark reminder that it will take more than money to achieve the president’s ambitious goal of leading the world in college attainment by 2020. Nationally, getting students through college has long been a challenge: only half of those who start certificate or degree programs at two- and four-year institutions finish within six years, U.S. Education Department data show.

“We took the first hurdle down [not having money for college] and now can see all the hurdles behind it,” said Michelle Miller-Adams, a visiting scholar at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research in Kalamazoo and author of the first comprehensive study of the initiative."

4. Pell Grants Face Uncertain Future, by Tamar Lewin - http://nyti.ms/hvhhWx

"Earlier this year, Congress passed legislation that provided an extra $36 billion over 10 years to the Pell grant program and increased the maximum grant to $5,550, up from $4,050 five years ago. But with a new Congress arriving in January and determined to cut spending, it is unclear whether that expansion is sustainable."

5. Early admit rate increases slightly, by Emily Wanger - http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2010/dec/15/early-admit-rate-increases-slightly/#

"Other Ivy League schools that have released their early admissions decisions include Brown, Dartmouth, the University of Pennsylvania, and Cornell. Brown admitted just under 20 percent of its early applicant pool, a 3 percent decrease from last year, according to the Brown Daily Herald. Dartmouth admitted 4 percent fewer early applicants than it did last year according to the The Dartmouth, with 25.5 percent acceptance for the class of 2015. Penn admitted 26 percent of its early applicant pool, a 5 percent decrease from last year, according to the Daily Pennsyvanian."

6. Representative Kline Eyes Way to Stop Rule Restricting For-Profit Colleges,by John Lauerman- Bloomberg http://t.co/OoxPlei via @BloombergNow

"Kline, a Minnesota Republican who will become chairman of the education committee in January, said he would rather that nonprofit and for-profit colleges be required to disclose graduation rates, costs, and graduates’ debt burdens to all applicants. The so-called gainful employment rule is scheduled to go into effect in 2012, and Kline said he has been looking at ways of “stopping” it."

7. Misrepresenting the GAO's Revision, by Tom Harkin - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/f0K8ut

"We’ve found that 95 percent of for-profit students end up saddled with debt (as compared with 16 percent of community college students), and that 57 percent of students at 16 for-profit schools withdrew without a diploma in a single year. Most recently, we documented a startling increase in the amount of military education benefits flowing into this sector in the last year."

8. Notre Dame Responds To Lizzy Seeberg Controversy - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/17/lizzy-seeberg-notre-dame_n_798126.html

"In response to the Tribune's article, Notre Dame's Vice President of Communications Janet Botz wrote to the university community that because of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, the school could not discuss any disciplinary cases."

9. Applying to College: Advice From a Grizzled Senior, by Dan Treadway - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-treadway/advice-on-applying-to-col_b_798350.html

"First things first, do not pick a school strictly because it has one very specific major that you're interested in. I can't tell you how many aspiring doctors I met freshman year that ultimately became passionate art history aficionados, or how many future TV directors that discovered that their true interest lies in history. Once you get to college you'll discover that students usually change their major as often as they change their clothes. Go to a well-rounded school that can offer you a substantive education in several disciplines. Being stuck in a town you don't like, at a school you don't like, in a major that, after investing tens of thousands of dollars, you realize you don't like, is no fun."

10. How Important Is the College You Choose? by Jacques Steinberg - http://nyti.ms/f3D4nE

"But, as also noted in the article, those studies are more than a decade old — predating the surge in the prices of elite private colleges (at least for those paying full freight) as well the rise in student loan debt. Never mind that the prices of some public universities have been soaring too, especially in struggling states like California."

11. Serious Mental Health Needs Seen Growing at Colleges, by Trip Gabriel - http://nyti.ms/fvllYl

"Stony Brook is typical of American colleges and universities these days, where national surveys show that nearly half of the students who visit counseling centers are coping with serious mental illness, more than double the rate a decade ago. More students take psychiatric medication, and there are more emergencies requiring immediate action."

12. High remediation rates cast doubt on reforms - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/community-colleges/high-remediation-rates-raise-q.html

"Newly released figures show that nearly 75 percent of city high students entering City University community colleges could not pass placement exams in reading, math and writing this year, requiring remediation.That’s up from 71 percent in 2009 but down from 2002, when 82 percent needed remediation, according to the New York Daily News. So after eight years of Klein reforms, the remediation rate has gone from 82 percent to nearly 75 percent.

Not exactly a record to be proud of."

• Follow the most important stories on college admissions and financial aid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rottenbornj


• For links to articles on college admissions and financial aid, you can "friend" Joe Rottenborn at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544


• "Like" the MVCAP fan page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544#!/pages/Mahoning-Valley-College-Access-Program-MVCAP/284002915922


• You can join the group MVCAP Financial-Aid Friends at this page: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=126580419181


• Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj
  

150. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. Gunfight at the For-Profit Corral, by Doug Lederman - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/ghlBJV

"The damaging information in the GAO report knocked career college officials back on their heels, giving credence to Democratic politicians' assertions that "bad actors" in the sector needed significantly more regulation, and implying (because the inquiry uncovered problems at all 15 of the colleges visited) that there might actually be a lot of tainted players. The report's release also, not unimportantly to some observers, drove down the companies' stock prices sharply."

2. An Unequal Burden, by Dan Berrett - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/hd06eL

“Divorced or separated parents contributed significantly less than married parents -- in absolute dollars, as a proportion of their income, and as a proportion of their children’s financial need,” Ruth N. López Turley, associate professor of sociology at Rice University, and Matthew Desmond, a junior fellow at Harvard University, say in their article, “Contributions to College Costs by Married, Divorced, and Remarried Parents.”

3. Unconventional Wisdom, by Jack Stripling - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/fzbfFE

"The paper lays out in stark detail one of higher education’s most vexing questions: How is it that a nation can spend more than it did 20 years ago on postsecondary education, admit more students to college, and still have stagnant if not worsening completion rates? Perhaps, the authors argue, it’s because colleges invest in what sounds good instead of figuring out what works well."

4. For-Profit Colleges Cash In On Veterans, by Chris Kirkham - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/vets-enrollment-in-forpro_n_794555.html?ir=College

"A report released today by the Senate's Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which has been examining aggressive recruitment practices and high student loan default rates in the burgeoning for-profit education industry over the past several months, shows the share of their revenue coming from veterans has increased fivefold from 2008 to 2010."

5. Public Blames Graduation Rates On College Students: Poll - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/public-blames-grad-rates-_n_794255.html

"The AP-Stanford University poll also shows that people mostly blame students and their parents for poor college graduation rates. And they give high marks to all sectors of American higher education including for-profit colleges, despite recent criticism of dubious recruiting tactics, high student loan default rates and other problems at some schools. Asked where the blame lies for graduation rates at public four-year -year colleges, 7 in 10 said students shouldered either a great deal or a lot of it, and 45 percent felt that way about parents. Between about a quarter and a third blamed college administrators, professors, teachers, unions, state education officials and federal education officials."

6. The Highest-Paid College Football Coaches - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/09/the-highest-paid-college-football-coaches_n_794387.html#s202436

"Below, see the 13 highest-paid football coaches based on their total compensation (some coaches are afforded lucrative maximum bonuses, which can increase their salary package by hundreds of thousands of dollars.) Check out USA Today for the full list."

7. Virginia Tech Violated Clery Act In 2007 Mass Shooting, by Dena Potter - http://huff.to/i6f6fn Huffpost

"Virginia Tech's failure to issue timely warnings about the serious and ongoing threat deprived its students and employees of vital, time-sensitive information and denied them the opportunity to take adequate steps to provide for their own safety," the report stated."

8. Poverty affected U.S. PISA scores, by Stephen Krashen - http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/research/how-poverty-affected-us-pisa-s.html

"But data available now tells us that poverty, as usual, had a huge impact on PISA reading test scores for American students. American students in schools with less than 10% of students on free and reduced lunch averaged 551, higher than the overall average of any OECD [Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development] country. Those in schools with 10% to 25% of students qualifying for free and reduced lunch averaged 527, which was behind only Korea and Finland. In contrast, American students in schools with 75% or more of children in poverty averaged 446, second to last among the 34 OECD countries."

9. Key Senator Raises Concerns on Veterans' Benefits to For-Profit Colleges, by Kelly Field -http://chronicle.com/article/Harkin-Questions-Flow-of/125677/

"According to the report, one reason for-profit colleges focus on veterans and service members is because their tuition benefits can count as a nonfederal source of money, helping the colleges remain eligible for other sources of student aid. Over the past five years, veteran and military tuition benefits flowing to 20 of the largest for-profit colleges grew about 700 percent, from $66.6-million in 2006 to a projected $521.2-million in 2010, says the report.
In the conference call, Mr. Harkin said it "makes no sense" that tuition benefits aren't counted toward the federal share of the 90-10 formula."

10. U. of Phoenix Gives Students’ Academic Progress - http://chronicle.com/blogs/measuring/u-of-phoenix-reports-on-students-academic-progress/27584

"In 2009, the proportion of Phoenix students completing an associate degree within three years of enrolling was 23 percent, down from 26 percent the year before. Among bachelor’s degree students, the six-year completion rate was 34 percent, versus 36 percent the previous year."

11. Jonathan Curtiss, Boise State U., as told to Beckie Supiano - http://chronicle.com/article/Say-Something-A-Students/125656/

In this video, hear from a student about his decision--including the role his church played--to leave South Central L.A. to attend Boise State U.

12. Urban Education: The State of Urban Schooling at the Start of 21st Century, by Martin Haberman - http://www.educationnews.org/ed_reports/104105.html

"Since 1962 the achievement gap between disadvantaged populations and more affluent ones has widened. At one extreme urban school districts graduate half or fewer of their students. (Arbanas, 2001) At the other extreme 11% of American students are now among the top 10 percent of world achievers. “If you’re in the top economic quarter of the population, your children have a 76% chance of getting through college and graduating by age 24. . . . If you’re in the bottom quarter, however, the figure is 4 %.” (Loeb, 1999) White students’ achievement in reading, math and science ranks 2nd, 7th and 4th when compared with students worldwide. Black and Hispanic students however rank 26, 27th and 27th on these basic skills. (Bracey, 2002)

13. Half of pupils on free school meals can't read, by Richard Garner - Education News, Education - The Independent http://ind.pn/hDuf6u

"These figures reveal that our education system is letting down half of all 10 and 11-year-old boys who qualify for free school meals," said Schools minister Nick Gibb."

• Follow the most important stories on college admissions and financial aid on Twitter at http://twitter.com/rottenbornj


• For links to articles on college admissions and financial aid, you can "friend" Joe Rottenborn at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544


• "Like" the MVCAP fan page: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=23325544#!/pages/Mahoning-Valley-College-Access-Program-MVCAP/284002915922


• You can join the group MVCAP Financial-Aid Friends at this page: http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=126580419181


• Read The Joe Rottenborn Daily for today's top stories on college admissions/financial aid in newsletter form - http://paper.li/rottenbornj

128. MVCAP fyi

See free MVCAP e-books on college admissions and financial aid for sharing, printing, and downloading at our online resource library: http://issuu.com/mvcap

1. How Do You Advise Your Child to Slow Down, and Wait? by Caren Osten Gerszberg - http://nyti.ms/aQlOF2

"How do you advise your child to slow down, wait and not feel the pressure, when you are running around, simultaneously juggling obligations and trying to stop and take some deep breaths yourself? As the parent, I try to be the voice of reason, to set an example, to keep balance in my life and for my family. But at times, I get caught up, too."

2. Congressional Chaos? - Inside Higher Ed: http://bit.ly/bgzzwC

"Most of the conversation focused on the potential reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, but when talk turned to higher education, the discussion was almost exclusively about the U.S. Department of Education’s regulations on “gainful employment” and other financial aid issues, and on Senator Tom Harkin’s (D-Iowa) continued push to investigate for-profit colleges as chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Bethany Little, chief education counsel for the HELP committee, said that Harkin was determined to continue to scrutinize for-profit colleges. “What is going on for Americans who are in some cases being duped by these schools and being left with significant debt and no opportunity to pay it off because their diploma is either nonexistent or worthless is something [Harkin] cares deeply about,” she said. The senator, she added, “is not going to back away from an investigation that has brought to light really startling things.”

3. Washington Post’s Kaplan Faces Growing Scrutiny, by Tamar Lewin - http://nyti.ms/9VWFxd

"Over the last decade, Kaplan has moved aggressively into for-profit higher education, acquiring 75 small colleges and starting the huge online Kaplan University. Now, Kaplan higher education revenues eclipse not only the test-prep operations, but all the rest of the Washington Post Company’s operations. And Kaplan’s revenue grew 9 percent during the last quarter to $743.3 million — with higher education revenues more than four times greater than those from test-prep — helping its parent company more than triple its profits. But over the last few months, Kaplan and other for-profit education companies have come under intense scrutiny from Congress, amid growing concerns that the industry leaves too many students mired in debt, and with credentials that provide little help in finding jobs. Reports of students who leave such schools with heavy debt, only to work in low-paying jobs, have prompted the Department of Education to propose regulations that would cut off federal financing to programs whose graduates have high debt-to-income ratios and low repayment rates."

4. The Most Beautiful College Libraries (PHOTOS) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/09/the-most-beautiful-colleg_n_778614.html#s174271

"Campus Grotto compiled a list of the ultimate breathtaking study spots in America. Click through to see if yours ranks in the top 10 -- and check out Campus Grotto for the full list."

5. The Tuition Is Too Damn High, by Dan Treadway - http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dan-treadway/the-costs-of-unaffordable_b_780803.html

‎"As I sat in the back of the room in one of my classes and listened to a fellow student drone on about how her family's summer trip to the Ozarks somehow related to media theory, I let out a sigh. As she stumbled on her point about listening to Glen Beck on the radio while driving through Oklahoma, I pulled out my calculator and began doing a little math. Lets see, the cost for Fall tuition for my major was $4,646. Divide that by the four classes I'm taking, then divide that by the 27 class meetings in a semester. The number I came up with was $43.01. That was the amount of money I spent to attend that particular class session. Even more troubling, after prorating that number I realized that I was paying about $5 to listen to the girl conclude that Glen Beck was biased. My only solace was that I qualified for in-state tuition."

6. Black Male Achievement in a 'State of Crisis,' Study Says, by Dakarai Aarons - http://t.co/1wmZtp2 via @educationweek

"As a study this summer by the Schott Foundation for Public Education pointed out, fewer than half of black males graduate from high school on time. "At almost every juncture, the odds are stacked against these young men in ways that result in too much unfulfilled potential and too many fractured lives," writes Michael Casserly, the council's executive director. The council's report suggests that the underperformance of black male youths is nothing short of a national emergency, and it calls for the convening of a White House conference."The previous efforts to ring the alarm bell have too often fallen on deaf ears, and we thought that a White House conference would help both raise the visibility of the issues and aide in attempting to martial the public will to tackle it," Casserly said in an interview."

7. Education Week: Study: Fewer Than Half of Black Males Graduate on Time, by Dakarai I. Aarons - http://t.co/925xfix via @educationweek

"John H. Jackson, the foundation’s president and chief executive officer, said the low national graduation rate for black males is something the country cannot afford to let persist if it is to reach President Barack Obama’s goal of leading the world in the percentage of college graduates by 2020. “It just seems to be that the U.S. is systemically failing black males,” he said, yet policymakers and educators “aren’t making the choice and the tough decisions to provide all students the opportunity to learn.”“It’s absolutely a lack of political will,” he said."

8. New Haven Offers Its Students Free College Tuition, by Winnie Hu - http://nyti.ms/9e6auW

"City and school officials announced on Tuesday that a new program, called New Haven Promise, would offer to pay eligible students’ way through any public college or university in Connecticut. The program will also pay up to $2,500 a year to those who attend a private college in the state. The program — to cost $4.5 million a year, financed primarily by Yale University — is open to students who live in the city and have attended its public schools, including charter schools, since at least ninth grade, regardless of family income. Students must also have at least a 3.0 grade point average and a 90 percent attendance rate. About 200 of the 1,000 graduates last year would have qualified, city officials said."

9. Veterans and Colleges Like New GI Benefits, Despite Rough 1st Yr, by Kevin Kiley http://chronicle.com/article/Start-Up-Woes-for-New-GI-Bill/125322/

Congress passed the Post-9/11 GI Bill in 2008, and the benefits were made available August 1, 2009. The program is designed to cover tuition expenses for veterans up to the cost of the most-expensive public university in their state of residence. The Department of Veterans Affairs pays that money directly to an institution instead of to the student, as it had done under previous laws. The bill also provides stipends for books and a monthly living stipend, and those amounts are paid directly to the student.Another benefit under the bill, known as the Yellow Ribbon Program, helps cover the costs of private institutions, matching any financial aid those institutions offer above the basic tuition benefit provided in that state."

10. In STEM Fields, How Hispanic Students Pay for Ed Affects Success, by Elyse Ashburn http://chronicle.com/article/In-the-STEM-Fields-How/125318/

"The report, "Tapping HSI-STEM Funds to Improve Latina and Latino Access to STEM Professions," argues that the Hispanic achievement gaps at the baccalaureate, master's, and doctoral levels exist in large part because of finances. "A lot of discussion about participation hasn't acknowledged that fact," said Lindsey E. Malcom, one of the co-authors and an assistant professor at the University of California at Riverside.Hispanic students are more likely than their peers to come from low-income families—and that affects not only the competing demands on their time and money but also the types of institutions they are most likely to attend. Such students disproportionately start their college educations at community colleges and Hispanic-serving four-year colleges, which typically have lower costs. In turn, the researchers say, those institutions tend to have fewer resources, often leaving them less equipped to support students and to prepare them for graduate work."

11. Student's Calling: Help Peers Spend Responsibly - http://chronicle.com/blogs/postcards/a-student-finds-her-calling-helping-others-spend-responsibly/73

‎"She said Central Michigan students have an average of $27,000 in college-loan debt—$7,000 more than the national average. What bothers her is seeing some students use loan money for spring-break trips or tanning-salon visits—especially if they’re racking up credit-card debt at the same time. The average college student has $4,000 in credit-card debt, she told me. “You spend so much more money with a card than if you use cash”—when you use a card, you don’t see the money leaving your hands. Students, she said, don’t worry about establishing a good credit history because they don’t understand how important it will be to them in the future, and most students never even bother to check their credit reports. Which is crazy, she said. “How would you like it if you went through school for four years and didn’t know your GPA?”

12. Best Jobs For College Students Unigo http://t.co/9GegVLD

‎"Consistently keeping a few extra Andrew Jacksons in your wallet will require some work on your behalf, though. And by work, we mean an actual paying job. Don’t fret; lots of students have to supplement their income with a part-time post. Whether you take an on- or off-campus job, one thing is certain: not all jobs are created equal. Not only will a job enable you to purchase the most useless and random of gifts for yourself, but it can actually be a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. Without further ado, our slate of top jobs for college students."

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