You Didn't Really Want to Go to Vassar Anyway, Right?

The day I was accepted to college, the letter was waiting for me after school, peeking out from a stack of mail on a counter. I could see the return address but I couldn't determine the envelope's thickness.

Having watched my older siblings go through this rite of passage, I knew a thin envelope almost certainly meant rejection. A fat letter was more likely to include both a message of congratulations, and additional details about what to do next.

Crouching next to the counter, I tried to judge the envelope's heft using a side view. It didn't quite lay flat, suggesting there was almost certainly more inside than a single piece of paper.

I opened the flap, and I saw the letterhead stationery wrapped around a color brochure.

This letter was definitely fat.

Reading the New York Times story about applicants to Vassar College who were mistakenly told they had been accepted on early decision, I felt deep empathy. A computer error during a test of the system resulted in an acceptance message being sent out to both accepted students and those who had been turned down.

This is probably a mistake that won't have significant lasting consequences beyond the initial disappointment, but it's still hugely unfortunate for the students and for Vassar. As one of the students told the New York Times, she is now rethinking her college plans: “I want to major in computer science, and Vassar doesn’t even know how to use a computer on the biggest day of our lives.”

This error also represents one of the trickier aspects of college admissions, which are now largely a paperless process. The upside is that students can upload their materials and not fret about whether their application was lost in the mail. It’s also easier for teachers who must submit letters of recommendation, often for many students. But the downside is that technological mishaps like Vassar's can easily occur (the New York Times' reports the University of Delaware and other campuses have made similar mistakes).

There's another reason I'm not wholly enthused about the online notification system. Every once in a great while, I flip through the pages of my high school scrapbook. I always stop to look at my college acceptance letter. I remember how it felt in my hand, and I can see the creases and stains that show how many other people held it, read it and shared my joy.

You can't do that with a screen shot. 

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

What's Next For Higher Ed: Control Costs or Lose Federal Funding?

President Obama's State of the Union address included a gauntlet of sorts for the higher education community: Control tuition costs or face consequences.

The next day I spoke with Amy Laitinen, formerly a a former policy advisor for the U.S. Department of Education, who is now senior higher education policy analyst for Education Sector, a nonpartisan think tank in Washington, D.C..

Laitinen said she had expected Obama to talk about college costs "But I didn’t expect him to be so bold ... I didn’t expect him to pull out the financial aid guns and tell colleges he was putting them on notice to get tuition costs in line."

Just how much is at stake here? The figure might surprise you. There's over $150 billion in federal student aid awarded annually.

"That's a huge lever for change that’s really been underutilized," Laitinen said. "In a lot of ways he really dropped a bomb. It will be interesting to see what happens with that and how colleges and universities respond."

Obama had more details to share when he spoke at the University of Michigan at the end of the week, including a proposal for specialized student loans that will depend on an institution's willingness (and ability) to keep costs in line, and to demonstrate "value." He also suggested a "college scorecard" to make it easier for parents and students to judge the overall performance of the campus, and determine whether the tuition fits a family's budget. The twin goals should be to maintain affordability without sacrificing quality, Obama said. (Click here for the official White House fact sheet on Obama's Blueprint to College Affordability.)

Criticism of his proposal has been fast and furious among higher education officials and some experts, who argue the president's plan doesn't address the serious fiscal and programatic issues facing colleges and universities, including decreased state funding.

Inside Higher Ed writer Libby A. Nelson has a comprehensive story looking at the potential impact of Obama's proposal an the "unintended consequences" of colleges and universities doing whatever it takes not to risk losing federal funding. Among them, Burton Weisbrod, a professor of economics at Northwestern University, told Nelson, could be universities reassigning costs once included in tuition as separate "fees," such as library privileges. 

“That begins a kind of cat-and-mouse game, which is the sort of thing that goes on in the whole regulatory environment all the time when organizations look for some way around regulatory constraint,” Weisbrod told Nelson. “It’s how to succeed without really succeeding.”

For the better part of a decade, we've seen aspects of that game of cat or mouse over in K-12 system. Some states figured out how to elude some of the more rigorous demands of No Child Left Behind by finessing statistical categories. Others enacted regulations that met the letter of the law while fall far short of the underlying spirit. The threatened loss of federal funding and takeover of failing schools rarely happened, and thus turned out not to be much of a motivator. 

It's too early to know whether the president's higher ed blueprint will be embraced. In the short-term, at least it is forcing conversation on complex topics that deserve attention.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Food Fight: Federal School Lunch Guidelines Unsavory in Arizona

For some Arizona lawmakers, the federal government seems poised to become that proverbial one cook too many for their schools’ kitchens.

The conflict stems from upcoming changes to the federal nutritional guidelines for school meals, the first update in 15 years. Arizona State Senator Rich Crandall (R-Mesa) says he’s worried that the new rules will be too onerous for schools to follow. He's proposed state legislation that would allow district's top opt out of the federal meals program and decide independently what to put on the menu.

"We are giving local control back and eliminating mandates at the same time,” Crandall wrote in a note to federal lawmakers, as reported by the East Valley Tribune. “No one will be going off of the National School Lunch Program unless the new federal rules cause them to lose their shirt financially and they opt for a different way to feed children."

The state teachers’ union isn’t so sure that the transition won’t leave kids hungry. As of last year Arizona had nearly 530,000 students receiving free meals, and close to 70,000 on the reduced-price meal plan.

"Before there was a requirement to provide school lunch there were some that provided it and some that didn't. It created some inequities that were damaging to schools," Doug Kilgore, a spokesman for the Arizona Education Association told the East Valley Tribune. "We're not sure why this is needed. We've not been convinced as to why this is needed."

First Lady Michelle Obama has made ending childhood obesity within a generation her policy priority. What students eat at school and what they learn about a sensible diet play a significant role in that goal. (Click here for more on her role, and the specifics of the new meal nutritional guidelines.)

On the upside for schools’ coffers, the feds are increasing funding for meals. On the downside, school districts that fail to comply with the new regulations risk losing federal funding. 

The new nutrition guidelines for school meals include requirements that all milk be low-fat or nonfat For the first time, there will be a limit on total calorie counts. The rules could have become even more stringent were it not for successful lobbying by the nation’s potato growers, who fought a proposed limit on how many days spuds can be served. The feds also held off, pending further study, on setting limits on how much sodium a school meal could contain.

None of these changes matter, of course, unless you can convince the students to eat the food. Los Angeles Unified, the nation’s second-largest school district, has struggled mightily with this conundrum. When the corn dogs and French fries were replaced with healthier fare, students at one high school filled up on the high-fat chips and sugary sodas they brought to school, according to this story from the Los Angeles Times.

There is no shortage of critics arguing that the government shouldn’t tell children what to eat. But the sad reality is that healthy eating habits are not something many students can be counted on to learn at home. The childhood obesity epidemic – and yes, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it an epidemic – will have long-term costs and consequences for the nation. Knowing that cafeteria meals are at least being brought in line with common-sense nutritional guidelines should make that whole-grain turkey burger easier to swallow.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Teacher Policies: How Does Your State Rate?

During his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Obama spent a fair amount of time talking about education. I was particularly pleased to hear him ask for an end to teacher-bashing, which seems to have become a national pastime. I'll be even happier if people actually honor his request.

Obama also credited his education reform initiatives with effectively persuading states to raise academic standards. Whether Race To The Top will have a measurable, long-term effect on the quality of public education remains to be seen. But there's clear evidence that when it comes to teacher evaluation policies, states are responding to the carrots—as well as the sticks.

The National Council on Teacher Quality has a new report out, grading states on their teacher policies (not their actual teachers). This year, 28 states saw their grades improve, "largely driven by advances in teacher evaluations, including adoption of policies for including student achievement as a measure of effectiveness, and using teacher effectiveness evidence in decisions about teacher tenure and dismissal," according to the NCTQ.  (For the full report you can go to the NCTQ web site.)

Many of those changes are a direct result of states seeking to curry favor with the U.S. Department of Education, and to qualify for a share of more than $4 billion in competitive grants.

Leading the nation in teacher policies are Florida, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Tennessee, according to the NCTQ.  Five states -- Alaska, California, Mississippi, Missouri and Montana -- made no progress since the last review, in the view of NCTQ.

According to the NCTQ, there are currently 24 states that have adopted policies that incorporate "classroom effectiveness" as a measure of a teacher's performance. Want to know just how fast this reform train is moving? Consider the fact that two years ago only 15 states and the District of Columbia required annual teacher evaluations of any kind.

Something else jumped out at me from the NCTQ report: States might be making progress on evaluating their current teacher workforce, but "they've done much less to ensure the quality of teachers entering the profession." Teacher preparation programs also earned a mention in Obama's State of the Union, and U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has moved the issue to his own front burner in recent months.

Here are my questions for classroom teachers:  How often are you evaluated, and what are the criteria? Are you given specific areas to improve, along with the support to meet those demands? Do you believe merit pay should be awarded to individual teachers, or to the entire staff based on collective evidence of achievement or growth by the entire school?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. I'm also on Twitter @EWAEmily.

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Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Play

For one school district in rural south Texas, there will be no Friday Night Lights.

Facing a state takeover due to slumping student achievement, Superintendent Ernest Singleton has canceled athletics – including football – for the Premont Independent School District, which serves the town’s 2,700 residents. According to this terrific story by Christopher Sherman of the Associated Press, the Texas Education Agency was scheduled to assume control of the the district July 1. Premont won a brief reprieve, and is trying desperately to improve its shaky standing. Singleton intends to focus all of the district's limited resources on academics.

As the AP story makes clear, the picture is bigger than just disappointment and heartbreak for this year’s varsity players at Premont High School. The future of the entire community might well be riding on whether Singleton is able to save the district–one of the town’s largest employers--from closure. Frank Davila, a county constable who grew up in the area and also works as a school security officer, made this blunt assessment to the AP: "The school shuts down in this town, the town dies … This is all we have."

We know school districts nationally are struggling on many fronts: to satisfy the federal academic demands of No Child Left Behind, to prepare students for the demands of an ever-changing workplace, and to continue the business of education despite significant cuts to education funding. All of those elements are factors in what’s happening in Premont. By eliminating the spring and fall sports schedule, Singleton estimated he would trim about $150,000  -- a significant savings, given that the district needs to pay off a $400,000 line of credit.

One of the ironies here is that there is no shortage of research showing a positive connection between athletics and academics. Studies have long supported the notion that participating in organized sports improves students’ attention spans, motivation and achievement. (For more on this topic, check out “The Case for High School Activities," published by the National Federation of State High School Associations.)

When I told Keith Lee-- chief operating officer for the National Consortium for Academics and Sports--about what was happening in Premont, he was disappointed but pragmatic.

“We recognize that academics have to be the first priority,” said Lee, from his office on the campus of the University of South Florida in Tampa. “I hope that all other options were explored, because the athletic experience of children in high school is very important to the educational health of students. It goes beyond just being an extracurricular activity. It’s about character building and teamwork.”

Lee knows something about teamwork. A football standout at his high school in Gardenia, Calif., Lee played defensive back professionally from 1980-86, spending the bulk of his NFL career with the New England Patriots.

He also knows the value of academics. When he was a senior and quarterback at Colorado State University, Lee was elected student-body vice-president, the school’s first black student to hold a student government position.

While the AP story understandably focused on football given Texans’ legendary passion for the game, Lee said he was concerned about all of the students who would also miss out on athletic opportunities. The research in support of school sports is particularly strong for girls, Lee said.

“When young ladies participate in sports, they have a higher level of self-esteem, self-confidence and self-worth,” Lee said. “The experience of sports is beneficial beyond the scoreboard.”

Did you participate in school sports? How influential was the experience for you? Has your local school district cut or reduced activities to focus on academics or as a result of budget cuts?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@EWAEmily. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

State of the Union: What Will Obama Say About Education?

State of the Union speeches typically set lofty goals, and it's not unusual for presidents to be short of the finish line a year later. You can click here for Associated Press reporter Erica Werner's story on the subject, and here for a year-by-year review of President Obama's track record.

Over at the Education Trust -- a nonpartisan organization dedicated to closing gaps in a student achievement and opportunity -- I like legislative affairs associate Lynn Jennings' straightforward approach: "Students are counting on Obama." Jennings, previously a senior program manager for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, hits Ed Trust's sweet spots with her priorities: a renewed commitment to educational equity, making college an affordable option for all students, and the long-delayed re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

The third item on this wish list is a political juggernaut expected to continue tying up committees on the Hill for many months to come. Here's just one example: Some House Republicans call Obama's centerpiece reform initiative Race To The Top  "a taxpayer funded competition based on bias and chance."

Congress began debating the re-authorization of ESEA back in October, four years behind schedule. No Child Left Behind took effect in 2002, and was supposed to be up for review every five years after that date. Instead, Congress put off having those tough conversations, and has approved school funds on an annual basis.

On behalf of the Ed Trust, Jennings urges the re-authorization to be done "the right way," so that all students have access to highly effective teachers and are prepared for post-secondary success.

If Obama does opt for any of Ed Trust's priorities, Jennings writes, "we hope members of Congress from both sides of the aisle offer to work with him. Millions of students are depending on it."

What words are on your Education Buzzwords Bingo card for tonight? The Alliance for Excellent Education offers some nifty versions on its Website. Among the winning words and phrases: High school diploma, inequality, waiver and teacher. Given First Lady Michelle Obama's campaign to end childhood obesity within a generation, I'm guessing we'll hear something related to physical education and cafeteria menus, as well. (Did someone say "tofu?" Bingo!)

 Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA public editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Students With Disabilities Sent to the Scream Room

Some schools call it the time-out room. Or the quiet room. But in Middletown, Conn., it's known to many as the "scream room."
Students -- typically those with disabilities -- are put in the small, windowless room as a means of controlling their behavior. The room's cinderblock walls aren't thick enough to drown out the sounds from within, according to this story from the Hartford Courant.
In order to be placed in the room, the student usually must have an Individualized Education Plan (known as an IEP) that allows for this type of isolation as a form of "treatment." I put treatment in quotes in this context, given that special education experts say "there was no evidence that secluding a child had any therapeutic value," according to the Courant story.
"These are archaic methods to control behavior and to try to keep people safe," said Jane Hudson, a senior staff attorney with the National Disability Rights Network in Washington, in the Courant story. "Can you imagine how frightening this is for a 6-year-old? Of course, they are going to react, that's why the screaming occurs: 'Get me out of here!'"
To be sure, this is an issue far beyond the borders of Middletown, which has a K-12 enrollment of about 5,000. Advocates for children with disabilities are fighting these types of intervention techniques at the local, state and national level. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has introduced legislation that would prohibit public schools from using "scream rooms" as a means of controlling or disciplining students.
On a related note, the U.S. Department of Education has updated its guidance for public schools in response to revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"It is critical that school districts remain vigilant in their duty to protect the civil rights of all their students, including students with disabilities. When Congress changes the law affecting those rights, districts must ensure that their policies and practices reflect this altered landscape," said Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali in a written statement.
Here are my questions for the next step in this story: Who are the teachers who make use of the "scream rooms?" How many of them are working on provisional licenses, rather than having an extensive background and experience in special education? What are the demographic breakdowns for students being subjected to isolation? Is it more common for boys? Is it more common for minorities?
Have you ever encountered a "scream room," as a parent, educator or student? Is the problem poor district policy, or teachers who are not properly trained to handle the specialized needs of a particularly challenging student?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Early Admissions Policies Frustrate Some College Applicants

In the The Quick and Ed blog, Education Sector's Rachel Fishman points out that a New York Times' piece about students at elite private schools being rejected for early admission to top-tier colleges does not reflect the full picture of the nation's post-secondary population.

Fishman is spot on, although I don't think many of the New York Times' readers could ever confuse the experiences of the girls of the Brearley School (where a year's tuition is $36,800) with anything close to "average." 

As we've discussed here previously, nontraditional college students are indeed gaining in numbers. They attend community colleges, or enroll in online programs while continuing to hold down their day jobs. Yes, some students attend elite colleges, an educational model poised to undergo a major overhaul.

The early admissions debate is a rich one. For more on the subject, check out Steve Cohen's piece from the Daily Beast. I also recommend Jay Mathew's response to the New York Times story in his Class Struggle blog.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

University of Michigan Student Claims Union Activities Got Her Fired

So, here's a sticky wicket. Imagine you're a graduate student in engineering at a top-tier research university.You're working long hours toward your Ph.D., teaching classes and trying to balance your own research workload, as well. You decide to advocate on behalf of yourself and your student-colleagues and push for a union, allegedly drawing the attention and ire of the administration.

Now imagine you are fired.

Such is the case of Jennifer Dibbern at the University of Michigan. According to the Detroit Free Press, Dibbern arrived in Ann Arbor in 2007 to pursue her doctorate in semiconductors after graduating from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She then became involved in the Graduate Employees Organization, part of a network of unions that have formed at colleges and universities from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst to the University of California, Irvine. (For more on graduate student unions, you can check out the National Association of Graduate Student Professionals.)

Dibbern.argues that she was a strong student who had won teaching awards and had her research praised. Dibbern said her supervisor sent her an email suggesting her outside activities were taking away too much time from her research, but she disputes that claim.

Here, then,  the sticky gets tricky.

Michigan officials are prohibited by student/employee confidentiality laws from commenting on the specifics of Dibbern's situation. I wonder if there might be some way for her waive that, and if the university would even take her up on it. I'm also curious how subjective these types of decisions are, and how widely the expectations of a graduate student's work-research hours vary by department within a particular university.

Earlier this month at East Carolina University, the adviser to the student newspaper was fired after a photograph of a nude streaker at a football game appeared on the front page. Paul Isom, a university employee, said he's fighting his termination as student media director (the Student Press Law Center and other First Amendment advocates are protesting his firing).

What's similar about Dibbern's and Isom's situations is that in both cases we only have one side of the story. East Carolina officials have also said they are precluded from sharing relevant details about their decision because of employee confidentiality. Isom has offered to waive any rights in that area provided he be shown any "evidence" before it's made public. I think that's a reasonable response.

Are the graduate students at your college or university unionized? Do you believe student-employees need union protections? 


Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

The Big Picture: Family Life a Factor For Student Success

In Tuesday's post I wrote about Education Week's 2012 "Quality Counts" report, which looked at how prepared U.S. schools are to be globally competitive (most of them aren't. Act surprised.). One of the most common arguments we hear from educators is that their potential impact is muted when compared to the influences of a student's home environment.

I promised you some resources to start looking at how those home environments stack up, and what projections can be made based on data about family income, wellness, employment and education attainment levels.

A smart place to start is with the Ann E. Casey Foundation's Kids Count report, an annual digest of statistics that paint a comprehensive picture of life for children at the local and state level. The stats include infant mortality, teen death rates and the percentages of children in single-parent families.

Research has indicated that one of the single biggest predictors of a student's academic success is the educational attainment level of his/her parents. Having educated parents can also mean healthier children (click here for an illuminating report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation). We already know that healthier children make better students, in part because they miss fewer days of school and are more ready to learn when they are in class. (For an interesting take on addressing chronic absenteeism in California, check out Attendance Works.)

The point I'm making is that it's not enough to just write about what schools trying to accomplish. We have to consider the hurdles students face before they can even get to the classroom door.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Education Week: U.S. Schools Not Ready For Global Competition

When I was on the daily news beat, there were a handful of annual reports that I relied on to help me do my job. Education Week's "Quality Counts" digest was always one of them.

The latest installment is "The Global Challenge: Education in a Competitive World." Ed Week's staff looks at how the pressure to compete globally is impacting the business of schooling at the local, state and national level. It's a thoughtful -- and hugely valuable -- resource for anyone who's thinking and writing about these issues.

The report grades states based on a host of factors, from school spending to adult outcomes to current levels of K-12 student achievement. The findings in many states, unfortunately, are not encouraging.

Like most people, I tend to look for my home state whenever I'm presented with a national rankings of any sort. I've only been here in D.C. a few months and it's not quite home yet (although I have reached the point of rolling my eyes at tourists who can't figure out the "stand on the right, walk on the left" rule for the Metro escalators). When it comes to meeting the "Global Challenge," my previous home state of Nevada earned a "C-" grade. Massachusetts, where I spent the first half of my life, fared significantly better with a solid "B."

Education Week gave Massachusetts an "A" in school accountability, and its students also had an "A" when it came to their chance for future success. 

I'm often asked why Massachusetts often scores so highly in these types of rankings. There are several reasons, one of them being the state's standards are relatively high when it comes to expectations for K-12 students. Massachusetts has also done a good job responding to problems in its core curriculum (the state's implementation of more rigorous high school exit exams, and the resulting adjustments when many students failed to demonstrate proficiency, is just one example).

The Bay State fell short on college readiness (D-) but earned another "A" grade for the economy and workforce. That's an interesting disconnect that I hope some local state reporters will explore.

Tomorrow I'll share some ideas and resources for looking at the bigger picture when it comes to student demographics, including how a child's family life can be a significant influence on -- and predictor of -- academic success.


Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Martin Luther King Day: Are Your Schools Open?

Today is a federal holiday, which means schools -- and pretty much every office -- is closed here in D.C. However some districts nationwide opt not suspend classes for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Many schools use the day as an opportunity for special assemblies and workshops, while others simply continue with their regular schedules. Last year, two counties in northern Georgia were soundly criticized by civil rights groups when they scheduled classes to make up for "snow days."

There are many sides to this argument, and it's easy to see why some educators are conflicted about the decision to either hold classes or observe the holiday. The truth is that most people associate today (along with Columbus Day, Veterans Day and a host of other federal holidays) as a free pass from work or a day to score big on shopping bargains. The time isn't often used for reflection and appreciation. 

Given that reality, might it be better if students didn't miss a day of instruction? Would you support having classes today if the lessons included specific exercises related to social justice, civil rights and King's legacy? Would you still support a school day if it was just "business as usual," with no extra effort to relate the day's lessons to civil rights?

One of the more interesting interviews I've heard recently on King's legacy was an episode of "Fresh Air With Terry Gross" that aired last year. Guest host Dave Davies interviewed Clarence Jones, who helped draft the historic "I Have a Dream" speech.  (Click here for the link.) I was fascinated to learn how King and his organizers leveraged the media, particularly the television news cameras, and why it turned out to be critically important that the speech was copyrighted.


Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Connecting Companies (and Students) For STEM Education

There's no shortage of news stories talking about how far behind the United States has fallen when it comes to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education in public schools. There have been a few shining moments, including improved scores on national exams tracking math and science knowledge. But even with those modest gains, we're told, the nation as a whole is lagging in the race to be globally competitive.

Enter Change the Equation, a coalition of CEOs from more than 100 top companies. They teamed up after realizing that the efforts they were already making to support public schools weren't doing enough. I had the opportunity to speak with CEq's own CEO, Dr. Linda Rosen, and she was candid about the challenges ahead.

The CEOs that signed on to the coalition are concerned about more than just their own workforce development, Rosen said. "They’re trying to ensure every young person has a strong mastery of STEM so they don’t have certain career opportunities closed off to them," she said.

Part of the issue is making sure there is high-quality learning going on in classrooms, and well-aligned assessments to measure progress so that instruction can be adjusted as necessary. Last month, Change the Equation put out a remarkable report demonstrating just how much variation there is among states when it comes to science standards.

Another element of boosting STEM education is piquing student interest, particularly in the higher-level classes that require more effort. When it comes to that issue, "we’ve definitely got a bit of a marketing issue on our hands," Rosen said.

In December Change the Equation, along with the Intel Corporation, released a survey of students ages 13-18. The results indicated that most young people "don't always know what it means to be an engineer, or what an engineer does," Rosen said.

For example, 44 percent of them said they would have had greater interest in engineering as a career if they had known that it was engineers who were behind the rescue of Chilean miners in 2010. This disconnect is of even greater significance for girls "who are drawn to jobs that are somehow helping humanity," Rosen said. "Certainly many jobs in science offer the same thing. There’s no question these jobs are hard, but they are infinitely rewarding."

One of Change the Equation's early funders is the Carnegie Corporation, which has made it a mission to add 100,000 high-quality STEM teachers to public schools in the next 10 years. (You can read my previous post on this issue here.) Change the Equation is using $1.5 million from Carnegie over the next three years, combined with donations from private partners, to bring successful STEM programs to scale in underserved schools.

The key word might well be synergy.

  Change the Equation's companies have already donated "well north" of a  half-billion dollars in philanthropy, but "the needle hasn’t really moved as a result of their investment," Rosen said. "Change the Equation members recognize that they need to be more strategic in their philanthropy, collaborate more and advocate more as a chorus – not in solo arias -- to increase their impact."

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Making It In America: Lessons From the Factory

This isn't necessarily a story about education, but it speaks volumes about the challenges and often limited opportunities many young adults in this country face when their academic trajectories end after high school.

In this month's issue of The Atlantic, Adam Davidson looks at what life (and the work) is like inside a Greenville, S.C. factory for 22-year-old Maddie Parlier.

Parlier is a single mother, who gave up her plans for college when she was unable to afford child care. It's interesting that the comments on the Atlantic story include more than a few questions about what sort of sex education Parlier received at her public school.

She freely acknowledges in the article that it was her unplanned pregnancy that derailed her plans to major in criminal justice and become an animal control officer. Instead, she's grateful for a $12-an-hour job assembling fuel injectors. She knows she smart enough to do more, but the odds of that happening on her current track don't look good.

Despite her vast potential, Parlier is less valuable to the workforce because her education stopped after the secondary level. Her employers know she could do more, but they don't have the time or incentive to train her.

I point to stories like this when I argue that education is one of the most important beats a reporter can cover. Education is the one beat that crosses, regularly, into every other beat:  health, business, criminal justice, politics, science, sports -- just to name a few.

The fairy tale ending, here, might be a generous benefactor offering Parlier a college scholarship, or perhaps an opportunity to train for work that has a promise of greater opportunity. A more realistic scenario is that if Parlier is lucky, she might manage to raise her child and just get by. But shouldn't Parlier, and her many peers, be able to hope for more?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

U.S. News & World Reports Ranks Online Higher Ed

For a thoughtful take on U.S. News & World Reports' first-ever ranking of online college programs, check out Steve Kolowich's piece on Inside Higher Ed.

He notes that because of a lack of responsiveness and some of the quirks of how online education is delivered and categorized, the rankings are based on data the magazine's researchers concedes lacks the breadth and depth they had hoped to reach.

Kolowich reports that Robert Morse, U.S. News & World Reports' director of data research, told him that "as a result, the U.S. News rubric for scoring and ranking the programs was built based on the data the publication's researchers managed to get, not what it would have liked to use in the best of circumstances."

That means "crucial metrics such as retention rates, graduation rates, learning outcomes, debt incursion and repayment, and success in the job market were left out of the equation because not enough institutions were willing or able to provide that information," according to the Inside Higher Ed piece.

I attended a panel discussion a few months back here in D.C. about the future of higher education. There were think tank experts, top officials from online learning programs, a White House policy advisor, and educators. The consensus of the panel was that there needs to be greater transparency in how higher education (both bricks and mortar and online) is delivered, and what students can realistically expect for their own careers once they complete their degrees.

While it might not yet be ideal, the U.S. News & World Reports' ranking for online higher education programs looks like a move in the direction of better accountability.

Have a question, comment of concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets at @EWAEmily. 

Coalition Wants Middle Schoolers Taught About Sexual Orientation

A coalition of health and education groups wants students to know by the end of eighth grade that sexual orientation is "the romantic attraction of an individual to someone of the same gender or a different gender," according to this story from Kimberly Hefling of the Associated Press.

The coalition also recommends that students as young as second grade should know the "correct names" for both male and female anatomy. There should also be standards for anti-bullying education, the coalition says.

Hefling got this quote from Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Education Abstinence Association, who opposes the coalition's recommended standards: "This should be a program about health, rather than agendas that have nothing to do with optimal sexual health decision-making ... Controversial topics are best reserved for conversations between parent and child, not in the classroom."

If you're planning to localize this story for your readers, here's a few places to start: What's being taught in your school districts, and at what age are such topics introduced? What textbooks are being used in the district's health classes, and when were they last updated? Does your district have a committee to approve any changes to sex ed curriculum, and, if the answer is yes, who sits on the committee? Ask local advocacy groups how often they are invited (or allowed) to visit schools and make presentations to students on sex-related topics. You might be surprised at some of the answers.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

The Future Looks Bright(er) For Student Journalists

"Optimism" and "the future of journalism" don't often go together, but I believe it's appropriate here.

I just spent three days with student journalists from colleges and universities across the country, and I came away encouraged by the prospects for the future of the profession.

The students I met -- close to 80 of them -- were  selected to attend the Campus Coverage Project conference, put on by Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE). The event, now in its third year, is sponsored by the Lumina Foundation and hosted by the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. (EWA, along with the Student Press Law Center, are collaborating partners.)

In addition to sharpening their investigative skills with hands-on workshops on computer-assisted reporting and open records requests, journalism professionals will provide the students with ongoing support when they return to their respective campuses.

One of those professionals is Jill Riepenhoff,  investigative projects reporter at the Columbus Dispatch. She and I both had the chance for one-on-one sessions with some of the students to talk about their work and aspirations.

When asked for career guidance, Riepenhoff's advice was straightforward: Do as many internships as you can, and do the very best you can at the job. Arrive early, stay late and take every opportunity to learn.

"Internships are a job interview," said Riepenhoff, who added that her own paper has a strong track record of hiring its interns for full-time positions. "Today's interns are tomorrow's reporters."

Riepenhoff also noted that editors are looking for "cheap, raw, talent." I'd agree with that, and I'd throw another descriptor into the mix. Editors also want the "one-man band," a reporter that can edit audio, shoot photos or video, and write  for diverse audiences across multimedia platforms.

Many of the students I met at the Campus Coverage Project possess most of those skills. They are proficient with multiple web platforms, and routinely use social media to assist in their reporting. They are full of enthusiasm, intellectual curiosity and a healthy dose of skepticism about how their campuses operate.

What many of them don't have, and are worried about getting, are off-campus opportunities to showcase their talents.

To be sure, the forecast for many newsrooms is better than its been in recent years. Some big-name papers, along with powerhouse regional publications, are slowly coming out of multi-year hiring freezes. There are also a fair number of internships to be had, but unfortunately too few of them are actually paid positions.

Another unfortunate reality: many local newspapers no longer offer internship positions of any kind.

For some students, like a junior I met from South Carolina, a lack of paid internships at local news outlets will make it tough to find journalism work this summer. She can't afford to accept an unpaid position out of state.

At the same time, she remains enthusiastic about her future career goals, and believes she'll land a full-time job when she graduates next year. I hope she does.

Some of these students are already doing remarkable investigative work at their campuses. I'm expecting to see more of it in the coming months, as they put their new training into action. I'll share their stories with you here.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

For-Profit Companies Getting Big Slice of Public Ed Pie, With Mixed Results

When it comes to showing Adequate Yearly Progress, virtual public schools operated by for-profit companies are falling short, according to a new report by the National Education Policy Center. (Click here for the link.)

The report, released today, found just 27.4 percent of virtual schools operated by for-profit companies (using public dollars) made AYP last year. The results were significantly stronger for the bricks-and-mortar public schools managed by the for-profit EMOs: 51.8 percent made AYP, which is about the same success rate as traditional public schools. Overall, charter schools operated by nonprofit EMOs had a better success rate on AYP, with 56.4 percent meeting state standards.

There were some interesting statistics in the report, including that 35 percent of all charter schools are currently operated by for-profit and nonprofit "Education Management Organizations," known as EMOs. That figure is likely to top 50 percent in the next few years, according to Gary Miron, a Western Michigan University professor of education and the report's lead author.

There are more than a few caveats needed when looking at these types of reports. First of all, as Miron (and his co-author Jessica L. Urschel) make clear in the report's introduction, AYP is a "crude indicator." The measure of what constitutes adequate academic achievement varies widely from state to state, making comparisons difficult.

Another issue is comparing charter school students to their peers at "regular" public campuses. This is a point of contention among charter school advocates, critics and researchers. There's often an assumption that charter schools are more likely to serve at-risk students, in part because so many of them operate in high-poverty and high-minority urban neighborhoods. But when I raised this point with Miron in an interview earlier this week, he challenged the premise of the argument.

Miron, who has evaluated charter schools in multiple states, said he typically finds charter schools "actually have less disadvantaged students than the local district population and fewer children with special needs ...There are certainly examples of charter schools that are dedicated to serving the neediest students. On the whole I'd contend that's not the case."

I've written recently on this blog about the idea that charter schools engage in what critics sometimes refer to as "skimming." Charter schools are able to turn away students with behavioral problems or expel those whose parents fail to comply with "contracts" mandating involvement in their children's learning. Privately managed (and publicly funded) virtual schools, including K-12 and Connections Academy, have become tremendously popular among the home-schooling community, families that are typically able to have at least one adult at home to supervise instruction. "They're not the typical disadvantaged family," Miron said.

One of the tricky things about education research is deciphering whether there's a motive attached -- if the founders or researchers themselves come with a bias. I asked Miron about this, noting that he's perceived by some people in education circles as being skeptical about choice and market-oriented school reform. He acknowledged that the perception exists and might be used as an excuse to give less weight to the report's findings. In reality, there was a conscious effort to keep the report "devoid of interpretation" and let the data speak for itself, Miron said.

"I'm a believer in school choice," Miron said, "I believe we have problems in the ways that it’s legislated. We don’t have enough safeguards in place to make sure the choice reforms and the involvement of private partners really serve the public interest. But I believe in school choice."

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email EWA Public Editor Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Campus Coverage Project: College Journos Gather at Arizona State

I'm in Phoenix for the next few days at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. EWA is helping out with IRE's (Investigative Reporters and Editors) third annual Campus Coverage Project conference. Roughly 75 of the nation's top college journalists were selected to spend four days learning the latest techniques and tips for writing investigative stories.

What do you think are the underreported stories on the nation's college and university campuses? It's been argued that community colleges don't get enough attention -- or oversight -- and I'm inclined to agree. Additionally, there have been some important stories in the last couple of years on campus crime, including NPR's series on rape. I've noticed many local news outlets have since followed NPR's lead and looking into this underreported issue.

I'm interested in hearing what the student journalists themselves are saying about higher education. It's not often I get a chance to hear from such a wide range of voices. What questions do you have for them?

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.

Big Payoff For D.C. Teachers, Romney Says He Would Veto Dream Act

"We want to make great teachers rich."

I gotta admit, that's a heck of a pull quote from Sam Dillon's New York Times story on teachers in Washington, D.C. earning sizeable bonuses for consistently solid performance. (Side note: Sam Dillon is one of the NYT reporters taking a recent buy-out offer. The education beat will be significantly poorer as a result, but I'm looking forward to seeing what he does next with his talents.)

The quote, by the way, came from Jason Kamras, DCPS's chief of human capital. Not everyone is thrilled with teachers earning up to $25,000 in performance pay, as the NYT story reports. But it's certainly something worth watching.

**

We are now officially in a presidential election year. So far I haven't heard anyone claim to be the "education candidate" (if I missed it, let me know). Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney promised to veto the Dream Act (which is not yet law), if given the opportunity. Check out this story from Reuters (thanks to Inside Higher Ed for pointing it out).

"For those that come here illegally, the idea of giving them in-state tuition credits or other special benefits, I find to be contrary to the idea of a nation of laws," Romney said at a campaign stop in Lemars, Iowa, according to the Reuters report.

**

While we're talking about higher education, check out this remarkable story from Bloomberg, about some California colleges and universities allegedly bypassing Asian-American applicants in favor of Chinese students who will pay the higher out-of-state tuition. While such enrollment policies might be better for the state's bottom line, it hardly feels equitable. 

What are the higher ed enrollment trends in your state when it comes to international students? Are there quotas for in-state and out-of-state students, and are those quotas being met? Have any campuses recorded a surge in foreign enrollment? Who are the international students, and what is attracting them to your local campuses? Those are stories I'd like to read. 

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.og. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

A New Year: What's Ahead For Education

Here were are in January, and I'm still trying to figure out what happened to October. The fall sped by as I adjusted to a new city and a new job. This winter isn't going much slower.

For many people, myself included, 2011 was a year of intense highs and lows. In the education world, there is much unfinished business that carried over from the old year to the new. We still don't know what's going to replace No Child Left Behind. School districts nationwide are dealing with massive budget shortfalls that could result in layoffs and cuts to programs and services.

At the same time, there is tremendous opportunity in the form of federal grants aimed at turning around persistently low-achieving campuses. Early childhood education is moving to the front burner, thanks to $500 million in federal grants. Higher education is rethinking its mission, from the role of community colleges to the value of a liberal arts degree.

One thing is certain: the new year will be a busy one on the education beat. I'll do my best to point out interesting stories, new ideas and tips to help you make sense of it all.

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily. 

Happy New Year!

What are your resolutions for 2012? I'm planning to run a 10K, figure out this whole Twitter thing, and use fewer acronyms (be gone, NCLB, ESEA and RTTT!).

Have a question, comment or concern for the Educated Reporter? Email Emily Richmond at erichmond@ewa.org. She also tweets @EWAEmily.