Education News: June 2, 2006

Following are some of the top headlines from the world of education for the week ending June 2, 2006.

For many, education is another storm victim
(Source: New York Times, 06/01/06) Since Hurricane Katrina struck, many children who are New Orleans evacuees have still not been enrolled in schools. Amidst the reasons for the truancy are lack of motivation, feelings of being unwanted in their host schools, inability to catch up after multiple moves, lack of space in schools, being unable to pay for private schools, and separation anxiety from parents. Health experts fear that students may become permanently disconnected from school and permanently dropout.

High school graduation expectations is expecting changes
(Source: The (Iowa) Des Moines Register, 06/01/06) One school district in Iowa is changing how it views students who repeat their freshmen year. Instead of being labeled as “ninth-grade repeaters” they will be known as sophomores. The difference is that the students who repeat will be placed in electives with other sophomores and will not have to attend ninth grade assemblies. Instead of viewing the students by the years it takes them to graduate the focus will be on the need for completed credits. The district is attempting to change the stigma associated with students who may need more than four years to graduate.

Minorities call school a hostile place, poll finds
(Source: The Seattle Times, 05/31/06) The author of a recent poll states that the reasons for the academic racial achievement gap needs to be expanded to include a hostile school climate. Minority children are more likely to list profanity, violence, threats, weapons, and drug abuse as serious problems within the school environment than their white counterparts. On a more positive note, the survey also found that most students, regardless of race, say they’ve found a teacher who has motivated them to like a subject they previously did not enjoy.

Can’t complete highs school? Go straight to college
(Source: The New York Times, 05/30/06) There are 400,000 students who were unable to complete a high school diploma, but who make up 3% of community colleges, 4 % of for-profit two-year colleges, and 2% of less selective four-year colleges, totaling 2% of all college students nationwide. The presence of these students raises questions about whether they should receive government financial aid. The students are seen as eager, but at a high risk for failure, meaning they may not be able to pay back their student loans. As a solution to this, students without high school degrees have to pass a test showing that they can gain from higher education before they are given a student loan. In some states, such as New York, students have to earn a certain amount of credits before qualifying for financial aid.

Early education key to scientific career choice
(Source: The Boston Globe, 05/29/06) A 1988 survey compared 8th graders’ science test results and aspiration for future careers. The survey was recently concluded as these students graduated from college. It found that 34% of the students who wanted to become scientists graduated with a 4-year science degree. Only 19% of the students who tested well in science went on to purse a science-related degree. The study’s author suggests his findings prove that if the nation is worried about a lack of future scientists, then students’ interest should be piqued by science-related field trips at an early age, as opposed to the current heavy focus on test results.

Mexican classes offered in south Texas
(Source: Houston Chronicle, 05/29/06) A program created by the University of Texas and the Mexican government allows Spanish-speaking high school students to earn a Mexican high school diploma while in the US. The students take math and science courses in Spanish while taking social studies and English courses in a Texas high school. The students can only graduate with a Texas diploma if they complete an exit exam in English. The program is mainly geared to students 16 years old and above who have substantial amount of credit hours from a Mexican high school. The program hopes to reduce the number of high school dropouts by placing older students in their correct grade and allowing students to earn a diploma before they master English.