Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost?

Is Going to an Elite College Worth the Cost? By JACQUES STEINBERG, NYTimes Week In Review

The sluggish economy and rising costs of college have only intensified questions about whether expensive, prestigious colleges make any difference

Also read: Room For Debate: Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

A Master’s for Science Professionals Sweeps U.S. Schools

A Master’s for Science Professionals Sweeps U.S. Schools By JOSEPH ROSENBLOOM

More universities are offering the degree, which combines graduate studies in science and business, as demand rises.

In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive

In Budget Crunch, Science Fairs Struggle to Survive By EMMA GRAVES FITZSIMMONS, NYTimes

Sponsors drop out, financing is cut and organizers scramble for money.

Japanese Universities Draw Foreign Students With Manga

Japanese Universities Draw Foreign Students With Manga By MIKI TANIKAWA, NYTimes

Programs in the Japanese medium are becoming a major attraction as universities vie for a dwindling pool of students, creating a talent pool for local businesses.

A Quest to Explain What Grades Really Mean

A Quest to Explain What Grades Really Mean By TAMAR LEWIN, NYTimes

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is planning to add extra information — probably median grades, and perhaps more — to transcripts, among other measures.

Stress and the High School Student

Stress and the High School Student NYTimes Room for Debate

What can schools and parents do to relieve some of the résumé-building pressure that young people are feeling?

• Reconsider Attitudes About Success Alfie Kohn, author
• What Happened to Childhood? Clara Hemphill, The New School
• Homework's Diminishing Returns Harris Cooper, psychologist, Duke University
• The Home-School Advantage Anne Galivan, home-schooler
• It Starts Before High School Nancy Kalish, co-author, "The Case Against Homework"
• Change the Pace of the School Day Denise Pope, Stanford University School of Education
  

Merry Christmas from SAT Verbal Prep!

Holiday Goodies--YUM!

SAT Christmas list:

1. The CollegeBoard Official SAT Study Guide, 2nd edition
2. The CollegeBoard Official Study Guide for All SAT Subject Tests
3. Princeton Review 11 Practice Tests for the SAT & PSAT, 2011 Edition
4. Kaplan SAT Score-Raising Novels Box Set
5. English Vocabulary (SparkNotes Study Cards)
6. English Grammar (SparkNotes Study Cards)
7. Barron's Test Prep for AP Tests
8. Barron's Test Prep for SAT Subject Tests
9. Gruber's SAT Word Master: The Most Effective Way to Learn the Most Important SAT Vocabulary Words
10. McGraw-Hill's SAT with CD-ROM, 2011 Edition

Alternate: Real ACT Prep Guide with CD-Rom

Stocking Stuffer: Super-Fine Mechanical Pencils and/or Super-Cute Erasers from PencilThings

With Common Application, Many Find a Technical Difficulty in Common, Too

With Common Application, Many Find a Technical Difficulty in Common, Too By JACQUES STEINBERG, NYTimes

The Common Application, accepted by more than 400 colleges, cuts some answers off at the margins.

Students in Poor Counties Get Creative Opportunities

Students in Poor Counties Get Creative Opportunities By REEVE HAMILTON, NYTimes

The Early College High School Initiative program has flourished in the Rio Grande Valley thanks to collaboration between local leaders in public and higher education.

Mental Health Needs Seen Growing at Colleges

Mental Health Needs Seen Growing at Colleges By TRIP GABRIEL, NYTimes

Counseling centers are seeing higher rates of students suffering from serious mental illness.

Immigration Vote Leaves Obama’s Policy in Disarray

Immigration Vote Leaves Obama’s Policy in Disarray By JULIA PRESTON, NYTimes

A Senate vote blocking a bill to grant legal status to illegal immigrant students set back an emerging movement and rebuffed the administration’s policy

E.E.O.C. Sues Kaplan Over Hiring

E.E.O.C. Sues Kaplan Over Hiring By STEVEN GREENHOUSE, NYTimes

Sending a sharp warning to employers nationwide, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sued the Kaplan Higher Education Corporation on Tuesday, accusing it of discriminating against black job applicants through the way it uses credit histories in its hiring process.

Lessons From Shanghai's Top Scores on International Test

VOANews: Lessons From Shanghai's Top Scores on International Test

The Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, is a two-hour test that compares the performance of fifteen-year-olds. In the latest test, the countries with the best readers were South Korea and Finland. But students in Shanghai, China, scored the highest of all in reading, mathematics and science. download MP3 (Right-click or option-click and save link)

What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students

What Works in the Classroom? Ask the Students By SAM DILLON, NYTimes

Gates Foundation research found that students who rated their teachers highly also scored better on standardized tests than their peers.
Document: Learning about Teaching

Budget-Cutting Colleges Bid Some Languages Adieu

Budget-Cutting Colleges Bid Some Languages Adieu By LISA W. FODERARO, NYTimes

With public colleges reeling from budget reductions, instruction in foreign languages, particularly European ones, is on the chopping block.

Speaking in Tongues By MARY H.K. CHOI, NYTims The Opinionator

Speaking in Tongues By MARY H.K. CHOI, NYTims The Opinionator

In Hong Kong, where I lived until I was 14, most expat kids had more than one passport; spoke English, Cantonese (curse words were the gateway) and at least one romance language; and we could emulate several accents convincingly. We were well-designed for espionage...

U.S. School Graduation Rate Is Rising

U.S. School Graduation Rate Is Rising By SAM DILLON, NYTimes

The nation’s high school graduation rate may have hit bottom and begun to rise, according to a report issued by a nonprofit group founded by former Secretary of State Colin L. Powell.

Doctorate Degrees in U.S. Increase to Record Level

Doctorate Degrees in U.S. Increase to Record Level By THE INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE

Research doctorate degrees were awarded to 49,562 students by American academic institutions in the 2008-09 academic year.

Teacher Ratings Get New Look, Pushed by a Rich Watcher

Teacher Ratings Get New Look, Pushed by a Rich Watcher By SAM DILLON, NYTimes

Bill Gates is financing research by dozens of social scientists and thousands of teachers to develop a better system for evaluating classroom instruction.

• Video Eye Aimed at Teachers in 7 School Systems

What Is a College Degree Worth in China?

What Is a College Degree Worth in China? NYTimes: Room for Debate

If China's graduates are unable to capitalize on their costly investment in education, then is it worthwhile for students to obtain a college degree? What does the imbalance say about China's education system and its economy in general?

• Reform the Private Sector Yasheng Huang, professor of political economy
• Few Promising Opportunities Gordon G. Chang, author and columnist
• High Test Scores, Low Ability Yong Zhao, professor of education
• A Stratified Education System Qiang Zha, assistant professor of education

Illegal Immigrants in US Push for Passage of Dream Act

VOAVideo: Illegal Immigrants in US Push for Passage of Dream Act

U.S. lawmakers before the end of the year are expected to consider a controversal immigration reform measure that would give tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants a chance to become legal residents by going to college or joining the armed forces. The proposed legislation is known as the Dream Act . VOA's Chris Simkins tells us about it.

Does It Matter Where You Go to College?

Does It Matter Where You Go to College? NYTimes: Room for Debate

What students should know about the value of a big-name school.

Will you have a better life if you graduate from an elite school? Students and their parents think the answer is yes, and competition for slots at top-ranked (and costly) schools seems higher than ever. Having a big name college on your resume can impress employers, friends and the opposite sex.

The Times columnist Gail Collins says this national fixation makes little sense. "We can do a great service to the youth and parents of America by telling them to stop obsessing about choosing a college," she wrote recently in The Conversation blog. "Kids, you do not need to go to a school with a name that impresses your friends. Go to a school you can afford."

If enough people took her advice, the spell might be broken. In the meantime, what should sensible and ambitious students keep in mind about where they go to school?

• What You Do vs. Where You Go Martha O'Connell
• Access to Money and Power Anthony P. Carnevale
• Merit and Race Luis Fuentes-Rohwer
• Graduate School Matters More David W. Breneman
• Numbers Favor Top Schools Richard D. Kahlenberg
• Skip the Admissions Game Kevin Carey
• The Specialization Trade-Off James Shulman
  

Figment.com--Web Site for Teenagers With Literary Leanings

Web Site for Teenagers With Literary Leanings By JULIE BOSMAN, NYTimes

Figment.com, created by former staff members of The New Yorker, gives teenagers a chance to show what they’re reading and writing.

The Elements of Style by Maira Kalman

Put The Elements of Style, illustrated on your Christmas list!



The Elements of Style, by Strunk & White, illustrated by Maira Kalman

Google books preview

SAT Dec 2010

Tips for the Critical Reading and Writing sections from SAT Verbal Prep. Good Luck on the Test!

Stanford's design school promotes creativity

Stanford's design school promotes creativity by Kathryn Roethel, SFGate.com

To think like the brightest engineering minds at Stanford University, grab some pipe cleaners, Post-it notes and a cup of ramen noodles. Push the furniture out of the way, and get ready to write on walls - and floors...

Some U.S. College Students Look to U.K.

Some U.S. College Students Look to U.K. by KIM HJELMGAARD, Wall Street Journal

As tuition at U.S. colleges increasingly becomes less affordable for many, some American high schoolers are looking to the U.K. to meet their educational needs.

GET SCHOOLED: How To Lower Your Tuition Costs in College

GET SCHOOLED: How To Lower Your Tuition Costs in College

The price of tuition may give you a little "sticker shock" when you first look at how much your college education will cost. Don't fear: there are tons of grants and scholarships out there to help you pay for it. Check out these resources!