According to David A. Kaplan, Newsweek writer, the competitiveness of the college admissions process is born of stark demographic realities.

“In recent years, several million students graduated from high school

“Evelyn Scruggs, a student sitting near the front, is among the more attentive, filling an entire page with notes. But, by the time she leaves, she won’t remember the lecture topic or one word she wrote.”

According to the CNN.com article, “Program prepares disabled youth for college life,” Scruggs, 19, has attention deficit disorder and related short-term memory loss. Like everyone attending this mock class, she’s hoping it will give her tools to balance her disability with her dream of a college degree. Read the rest of this entry »

Six years since No Child Left Behind was signed into law, most states are failing to pass muster with the government over student testing and may lose money unless they improve quickly.

“The Education Department says 34 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have major problems with the tests that were supposed to be in place in the just-ended school year. They will get federal approval only if they correct the problems in the coming year. In addition, Nebraska and Maine had their testing systems rejected outright.” Read the rest of this entry »

The following article appeared on MSNBC.com. Read it and share your thoughts.

Higher education just got more expensive. Under the new federal budget, interest rates will rise on student loans. Many lenders will start charging students higher fees, as well. College costs are up anywhere from 6 to 7 percent, depending on the type of school. Small, additional federal grants are planned this year for some of the neediest students. But Pell Grants, the government’s basic aid program for the poor, haven’t risen since 2003.

As a result of cost constraints, we’re seeing more “sorting” by income and class in American education. The average private college is trolling for students who can pay. Students in well-to-do families are switching in larger numbers to public universities, perhaps because their parents haven’t saved enough for education and retirement, too. The quality publics are also enrolling more out-of-staters (who pay higher tuitions), leaving fewer spots for the in-state poor. The poor are shifting to two-year community colleges. Read the rest of this entry »