Tamara Keith from American Public Media reports that preparing for the SAT is a good idea, but you’d probably get the same benefit from a $30 at-home study guide as a multi-thousand dollar test-prep course.

David Hawkins from The National Association of College Admissions Counseling says “There needs to be a buyer-beware notice for students and families who are thinking about commercial test preparation.” The group pulled together a report that says the average score increase as a result of prep courses is only 30 points. Out of 2,400.

Hmm … while that might be enough to make or break an Ivy League acceptance for a few people, it’s probably not worth it to the rest of us.

Whether you took an SAT prep course or not, what if your score didn’t turn out quite as high as you’d like? Don’t worry! Standardized tests aren’t for everyone – we know that.

Not all schools require an ACT/SAT score for admission. Schools that don’t often offer a more targeted education, building practical skills rather than general knowledge. Career colleges and technical schools around the country realize that your priorities are different – that test scores don’t matter to you as much as starting a stable career.

“When they aren’t dancing, those familiar iPod silhouettes are probably hunkered down in the classroom, where the devices have become a common learning tool.

More than 70 million iPods have been sold since they were introduced by Apple more than five years ago. Now, with the MP3 player’s foothold in academia, universities and companies are quickly expanding the amount of study materials students can use with them.

Duke on the cutting edge
In 2004, Duke University gave all freshmen iPods as part of a one-year program to determine how iPods could help students learn.

The pilot program gave way to the Duke Digital Initiative, in which faculty encourage students to use hand-held technology such as iPods, tablet PCs and video cameras to collaborate on projects and in other coursework.

The reason most students attend college is to get a degree. Beyond that, they want to expand their knowledge, they want to learn, and they want to belong. To that end, there are 10 things college students should do to get the most out of their college experiences.

10. Try not to take on too much responsibility. Now, this doesn

Newsweek ran a story highlighting the problem in its Jan. 30, 2006 issue. While the story introduced some to the challenges of educating boys, it only reiterated what many high school counselors, administrators and teachers already know to be true. And it has caused many to take action.

“Helping underperforming boys has become our core mission,” said Gates Foundation Education Director, Jim Shelton.

There are many theories as to why boys are now under-performing in school after many decades of dominating. Some attribute the problem to a classroom hostile to inherent boy behavior while others blame it on a feminists movement that championed the needs of girls while ignoring the needs of boys.

If unchecked, the problems facing boys in the education system will only get worse. Already, the gender balance at many state universities has tilted 60-40 in favor of women.

“Primary and secondary schools are going to have to make some major changes,” says Ange Peterson, president-elect of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, “to restore the gender balance. There’s a whole group of men we’re losing in education completely.”

Resources to help you address the challenges of educating boys at your high school.
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys
Real Boys : Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood
The Minds of Boys : Saving Our Sons From Falling Behind in School and Life

Many online services provide homework helping in everything from math and physics to health and English. While the majority of these services are free, some do charge for answers. Others offer free help, but none of them will do the homework assignment for you. Instead, they point you in the right direction to find the answer, or help explain assignments so that you grasp the concepts.

Here is a list of web sites that offer online homework help. Use them the next time you have a question about the geography of the ocean, or a complex law of physics or how a combustible engine works. Just don’t look for someone to do your homework for you!
General Homework Help
oEncarta Homework Help
General Science
o Scientific American’s Ask an Expert
o Ask How Things Work
o Ask a Mad Scientist — Many different topics
o Ask a Remote Sensing Scientist
o Dr. Universe (K-6)
Astronomy & Space Science
o Ask the Space Scientist
o Ask a NASA Scientist
o Ask Dr. SOHO
Biology & Life Sciences
o SchoolWorld Zoo Experts
o Ask a Health Expert
o Plant & Pest Diagnostic Laboratory Experts
o Ask a Biologist (Arizona State University)
Physics
o Ask Physics Questions
Oceanography
o Ask Shamu — SeaWorld (questions about ocean or marine animals) (K-6)
o Ask Jake the Sea Dog — Whaletime (questions about ocean or marine animals)
o WhaleNet A.S.K. “Scientist of the Week”
Geology
o Ask a Geologist — United State Geological Survey (USGS)
o Ask an Earth Scientist — Dept. of Geology and Geophysics at U. of Hawaii. Faculty experts on volcanoes, geochemistry, geophysics, earthquakes, minerals & gems, sediments & sedimentary rocks, hydrology and natural hazards.
o Ask a Geologist — Geological Survey of Canada
o Ask a Volcanologist — Volcano World
o Mineral Resource Specialist Directory — United State Geological Survey (USGS)
o Ask a Diamond Expert — Van Daaz diamonds
o Ask a Paleontologist — Illinois State Geological Survey (Dino Russ’ Lair)
o Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory — Columbia University
o Ask a Gemologist
Weather
o Ask a Weather Expert
o Ask a Hurricane Hunter
Medicine
o Ask A Health Specialist
o Ask a Mayo Clinic Physician
o Ask an Oral Maxillofacial Surgeon
o Ask the Optometrist
Health
o Ask-A-Nurse
o Ask the dietitian
o Ask the Psychiatrist

1. Read, and read a lot. The more you read, the more
your parameters will expand. No matter what interests you – whether
it’s history, sci-fi or adventure – reading will subject
you to different writing styles, expanding your vocabulary and your familiarity
with grammar and punctuation. Don’t limit yourself to books -
magazines also are quick and informative reads.

2. Be yourself. Write what you know. You can write
more intelligently on familiar subjects. Sure, more research can be done,
but don’t start with a foreign topic. On a similar note: avoid
unfamiliar words. If you use fancy language that’s not “you,” it
shows. Big words do not equal intelligence. Be cautious when using your
thesaurus!

3. Practice, practice, practice! Go beyond writing
for school assignments. Write in a journal daily. Write short stories
or poetry. No matter what you write, as long as you are putting pen to
paper (or fingers to keys), it will only help you grow.

4. Create an outline. Outlines are extremely helpful
when writing because they will help you stay on topic. It’s
tempting to branch off into new information as you write, but you should
keep your reader in mind at all times -
you don’t want to
confuse them. Creating an outline will facilitate organization and cut
your writing time down dramatically.

5. Learn proper grammar. Grammar is often overlooked
these days. As you read more, you will become more familiar with grammatical
principles. Learn how to diagram a sentence. This will make you very
conscious of the different parts of speech and how they relate to each
other.

6. Revise your own work. You are your own worst critic,
which will show as you edit your work. Many students write without editing
or even rereading their papers. This can be a fatal error – spell/grammar
check WILL NOT catch everything. Guaranteed. Ask friends to read over
your work, too. Someone else’s revisions can help just as much,
if not more, than your own.

7. Review your past work. Take an hour every month
to go back through what you’ve done in the past. See what you did
and analyze how you might write it differently now. You’ll be able
to see your growth, and you can give yourself a pat on the back for a
job well done.