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Improving Latino Life

Welcome to Improving Latino Life.

This is where we will talk about improving Latino education, health, finance and so on.


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Mass. will lead effort to develop new tests

September 3, 2010 Boston Globe
In another signal that the future of the MCAS could be in doubt, a consortium of states led by Massachusetts and Florida received a $170 million federal grant yesterday to design a standardized testing system that is intended to replace a patchwork of tests used by individual states.The new testing system — vehemently opposed by Governor Deval Patrick’s challengers in the gubernatorial race — is expected to be ready by the 2014-15 school year. It will measure how much students are learning under a new set of national academic standards in English and math that Massachusetts adopted in July.Read More

Students to take new FCAT, end-of-course exams

09.02.10 The Miami Herald
The FCAT you’ve come to know — and often complain about — is changing this school year as the state pushes higher academic standards and new testing.For the first time, there will be no ninth-grade math Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Instead, most high school freshmen will take a new, computer-based Algebra I end-of-course exam in May, which will count toward 30 percent of their grade.Read More

School aid called uneven

September 2, 2010 Boston Globe
While some local school officials are welcoming a pair of recent federal funding awards, several are contending that their districts were shortchanged.The state announced funding allocations from the $250 million that Massachusetts is receiving as one of 10 grant recipients in the second round of the federal Race to the Top competition. The local grants will go to communities that agreed to participate in the program and to spend the funds on school reforms.Read More

$197m later, Newton North opens

August 31, 2010 Boston Globe
NEWTON — It began as a simple renovation project. It ended up the most expensive public school ever built in Massachusetts.After a decade of controversy and soaring costs, the city’s residents now will get to decide for themselves whether the new Newton North High School is worth its nearly $200 million price tag.This morning the ribbon was cut to a sunlit, zigzag-shaped building that features two theaters, an Olympic-size pool, a print shop, an auto body shop, two gymnasiums, and a student cafe.Read More

Many changes in school leaders

August 30, 2010 Boston Globe
Nearly two dozen districts in the region will kick off the upcoming school year with new superintendents or searching for new ones, analysts say, in the most dramatic leadership overhaul the area has experienced in more than a decade.Superintendent retirements last school year are the main reason behind the seismic shift at the helm throughout districts north of Boston, said Michael Gilbert, field director for the Massachusetts Association of School Committees.Read More

Mayor inversión en educación para educar al pueblo

29 de agosto de 2010 El Caribe
Santiago.- Educar no es solo preparar ingenieros, gerentes de empresas, maestros, médicos, políticos u otros profesionales; educar es contribuir a que lleguemos a ser personas con profesiones de competentes ingenieros, excelentes gerentes, maestros idóneos, dedicados médicos o políticos que sirvan al pueblo, platea el licenciado Julián Serulle en su acostumbrada charla radial semanal a toda la nación.El porcentaje de inversión en educación en proporción al producto interno bruto, nuestra inversión en educación, formación y capacitación, es insuficiente, la misma no llega ni al dos por ciento del producto interno bruto; que son las entradas que recibe el país; y peor si lo comparamos con la media del continente, o sea, los demás países de América Latina, la cual es cercana al cinco por ciento, explica el líder político en su alocución dedicada a la educación dominicana.Read More

2nd largest UVM freshman class beginning classes

August 28, 2010 Boston Globe
BURLINGTON, Vt.—The second-largest freshman class in University of Vermont history begins classes Monday, with 2,475 students from 40 states and 14 countries.Overall, the university’s enrollment—undergraduate, graduate, post-baccalaureate, medical school and non-degree students—is 13,500, a record high.Read More

En Nueva York, más padres buscan nanas que hablen un idioma extranjero

29 de agosto de 2010 El Mercurio
JENNY ANDERSON The New York Times
Cuando Maureen Mazumder matriculó a su hija Sabrina en un curso de canto en español hace un año, en Nueva York, tenía la esperanza de que fuera el primer paso para ayudarla a aprender un segundo idioma. Pero el curso no pareció lograr lo deseado, así que Mazumder contrató a una niñera, una que no sólo cuidara a su hija, sino que también hablara con ella exclusivamente en castellano."Era indispensable que hablara español”, señala Mazumder, y agrega que ni ella ni su marido hablaban ese idioma en forma fluida. “Queremos de todas maneras que nuestra hija escuche otro idioma”.Read More

Fechas importantes para seniors

27 Agosto 2010 El Nuevo Dia
Si estás en cuarto año, la fecha de graduación y del “Senior Prom” no son las únicas que debes recordar. A continuación te incluyo algunas fechas claves que pueden hacerte la vida más fácil.
Exámenes de Admisión a Universidades en Puerto Rico y Estados Unidos.
College Board (Código 1620) Read More

Teachers, public sharply divided on key issues

August 27, 2010 Boston Globe
Teachers and the broader public are divided over issues such as merit pay for teachers, the federal Race to the Top program, and teacher tenure, according to new poll results.The results of the fourth annual survey conducted for Harvard University’s Program on Education Policy and Governance and the journal Education Next were released yesterday.The national poll provides “strong evidence . . . that most Americans support merit pay for teachers, while teachers oppose the policy by a large margin; there is strong opposition among the public to teacher tenure, while teachers favor it; and teachers are significantly more opposed to the Race to the Top program than the broader public.’’Read More

Colleges see prospective donors among new students

08.26.10 The Miami Herald
COLUMBIA, Mo.—The drill for new college students remains pretty consistent: grab a campus map, buy some overpriced textbooks, save those quarters for laundry and don’t forget to call home.
On a growing number of campuses, first-year students are hearing another message. Please give. Not for tuition, but instead as a young donor.With alumni-giving rates at record lows and lagging state support of postsecondary education, public and private schools alike are focusing their efforts on building lifetime loyalty among still-impressionable students.Read More

Mass. schools to share $204m in jobs funds

August 26, 2010 Boston Globe
Governor Deval Patrick announced yesterday how much each school district will receive in the coming weeks to rehire laid-off teachers and other employees, under a new federal aid program that is bringing $204 million to the state to save school jobs.The money, coming from the Education Jobs Fund approved by Congress earlier this month, is in addition to the $250 million Massachusetts won on Tuesday in the Obama administration’s Race to the Top program. The Race to the Top money is intended for school improvement efforts, rather than plugging budget shortfalls.Read More

Poll: Local schools up, Obama education plans down

August 25, 2010 Boston Globe
EATTLE—A new Gallup Poll has found fewer Americans approve of the job President Barack Obama is doing in support of public education, but they continue to have a highly favorable opinion of their local schools.The drop in the president’s education approval ratings—as found in the random telephone poll of about 1,000 Americans in June—mirrored the drop in his general approval rating in other recent polls, said Shane Lopez, senior scientist in residence for Gallup.Read More

More parents saving for college

August 24, 2010 Boston Globe
The number of parents who are saving to pay future college costs is up, but the percentage of costs those savings will cover is slipping down.That’s the good news/bad news from a study to be released today by the Boston financial services giant Fidelity Investments. The study found that this year 69 percent of Massachusetts parents have begun saving for future college costs, up from 59 percent in 2008. Yet the percentage of college costs the savings are projected to meet is only 18 percent, down from 22 percent last year, and 29 percent in 2007.Read More

ABC’s of college move: advice, boxes, crowds

August 23, 2010 Boston Globe
Some fussed over their offspring, helping them unpack and organizing the drawers in their new dorm rooms. Others sat back and watched their children bustle.But whether they were hands on or not, nearly every parent was beaming with pride yesterday at two Boston-area colleges that began welcoming incoming freshmen, marking the start to an annual frenzied rite of passage: move-in season in America’s college town.Read More

Can living on campus determine a student’s success?

August 22, 2010 Chronicle A number of Texas universities are trying to entice more students to live on campus, arguing that they would be more engaged and more likely to graduate. But research by sociologist Ruth López Turley suggests it isn’t that simple.  Read More

Incoming college freshmen face lessons in handling credit, staying out of debt

August 22, 2010 Boston Globe
Entering freshmen at colleges across the country will be the first class of regular semester students to face credit card restrictions under the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act of 2009.If you are under 21, to open a credit card account you will need to either show you have the income to make payments or get a cosigner 21 or older who has the ability to do so.Read More

University graduate

August 20, 2010 Boston Globe
FRAMINGHAM — Two weeks before the start of the fall semester, there are more construction workers than students on the Framingham State College campus.Crews are rushing to finish major renovations on the dining hall, keep a new dorm project on track, and prepare the way for the first class with the chance to spend all four years at a university, once Beacon Hill’s decision to rename the school takes effect in a few months.Read More

Graduation Day for Bridgewater State

August 19, 2010 Boston Globe
As Bridgewater State gets bumped up from college to university this fall, the change is giving rise to speculation about what it all means for the campus and the town.The most buzz is coming from business owners, many of whom hope that university status will bring more students — and more money — to Bridgewater.“Right now, in summer, it’s so slow. We rely on the students [for business]. Hopefully the college name change will cause more people to come in,’’ said Ellie Anacki, manager of the local Mary Lou’s coffee shop.Read More

ACT scores dip, but more students college-ready

August 19, 2010 Boston Globe
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam inched downward this year, yet slightly more students who took the test proved to be prepared for college, according to a report released Wednesday.The findings sound contradictory. But the exam’s authors point to a growing and more diverse group of test-takers—many are likely scoring lower overall, but more are also meeting benchmarks used to measure college readiness.Read More

Universitarios de EE. UU. creen que Beethoven es un perro y Miguel Ángel un virus

18 de Agosto 2010 El Tiempo
Así lo divulgó este martes un estudio elaborado por académicos.La mayoría de los estadounidenses que están por empezar la universidad no pueden escribir en cursiva, creen que el e-mail es demasiado lento, que Beethoven es un perro y que Miguel Ángel es un virus de computadora, señala un informe divulgado en Estados Unidos.Para los estudiantes que se graduarán en 2014, Checoslovaquia nunca existió; Clint Eastwood es un cineasta y no fue ‘Harry el Sucio’, y John McEnroe actúa en avisos televisivos y no estuvo en las canchas de tenis, según un estudio elaborado por académicos de una universidad estadounidense.Read More

Magazine ranks Harvard top US college, nods to 8 other schools in Mass.

August 17, 2010 Boston Globe
US News and World Report has again ranked Harvard as the best national university, the Associated Press reported yesterday.The top ranking for 2011, which is to be announced today, returned Harvard to the spot at the top, which it shared last year with Princeton. Harvard took the coveted top position the previous two years.The US News and World Report annual best colleges list ranks 262 national universities, 266 liberal arts colleges, and 179 northern regional universities. Altogether, 1,477 schools were ranked.Read More

UMass law school students attend orientation

August 16, 2010 Boston Globe
DARTMOUTH, Mass.—The first public law school in Massachusetts is welcoming its inaugural class.Officials at the University of Massachusetts School of Law in Dartmouth say 182 first-year students will report to campus on Monday for several days of orientation.Activities on Monday include welcoming remarks from UMass-Dartmouth Chancellor Jean McCormack and Dean Robert Ward. In the following days, students will learn their way around campus and get advice from returning students.Read More

Teens’ academic success not tied to chastity, study finds

August 16, 2010 Boston Globe
LOS ANGELES — There is good news for parents who worry that their teenagers’ sex lives are affecting their school performance: A provocative study has found that teens in committed relationships do no better or worse in school than those who do not have sex.The same is not true for teens who hook up. Researchers found that those who have casual flings get lower grades and have more school-related problems compared with those who abstain.Read More

Bilingual Conn. man finds employer who sees skills

August 15, 2010 Boston Globe
NEW BRITAIN, Conn.—A blind Connecticut man with a burning desire for success is overcoming obstacles with the help of the Spanish Speaking Center of New Britain, which is developing an internship that will allow him to teach English."I’ve applied to countless places for work, so many times I wouldn’t know where to start. It’s stupid how they would take one look at me and see I’m blind and they think I couldn’t possibly be of help,” said Hector Acuino, with frustration in his voice. “It makes you feel worthless sometimes. But I want to do something with my life too. I have a lot of things I can do very well. I just want a chance to develop myself.”Read More

Surge in charter school requests

August 15, 2010 Boston Globe
The state this year has seen a surge in applications for new charter schools, most targeted for the neediest urban districts, following the passage of legislation last winter that loosened longstanding limitations on their expansion.By the Aug. 2 deadline, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education had received 42 applications, the most in more than a decade, and three times as many as last year, when it received 14.Read More

12 Mass. schools share $27M in federal funds

August 14, 2010 Boston Globe
MALDEN, Mass.—State education officials say 12 Massachusetts schools are sharing a $27 million federal grant over the next three years to help improve student performance.The schools—10 in Boston and one each in Chelsea and Springfield—have been defined as underperforming.Of the more than 7,000 students in the 12 schools, 88 percent are considered low income ands 26 percent are limited English proficient.Read More

Question on Test Scores Is Tweaked on the Common Application

August 13, 2010 The New York Times
This year’s version of the Common Application, which went live on the Web late on the evening of July 31, includes something of a tweak on the section in which applicants are asked to self-report their standardized test scores to the colleges they are applying to. (Official reports will, of course, be sent to those colleges directly by the scorers of the SAT and ACT, respectively.)Applicants are now given the option on the Common Application to report only their “best scores (so far),” as opposed to being prodded to report all scores, which was the case in the past.Read More

Federal funds to help save NM schools from cuts

August 13, 2010 Boston Globe
SANTA FE, N.M.—Gov. Bill Richardson said Wednesday that emergency federal legislation signed into law will help New Mexico close a budget gap by $191 million, sparing public schools from general fund cuts.New Mexico will receive $126 million through Medicaid and $65 million for public schools. U.S. Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., said the federal funds will free up state dollars and curb the likelihood of layoffs in school districts.Read More

Universidades privadas optan por acreditarse en Estados Unidos

Agosto 12, 2010 El Mercurio
Tras cinco años de revisiones internas, visitas internacionales y la instalación de un software de gestión que costó más de US$2 millones, la Universidad Mayor se convirtió en la primera casa de estudios chilena en acreditarse en Estados Unidos. Read More

Education Management net income more than double

August 12, 2010 Boston Globe
PITTSBURGH—For-profit higher education provider Education Management Corp. said its fourth-quarter net income more than doubled as enrollment increased and revenue jumped 25 percent.The company earned $47.9 million, or 33 cents per share, in the period that ended June 30. That compares with $21.3 million, or 18 cents per share, a year earlier.Revenue rose to $650.8 million from $519.6 million.Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters on average expected Education Management to earn 31 cents per share on revenue of $641 million.Read More

Berklee adds a Braille beat

August 10, 2010 Boston Globe
Wayne Pearcy, a Berklee College of Music student, sits hunched before a console buried under a mountain of keyboards, wires, computer monitors, and microphones. A thin 23-year-old Louisianan with strawberry-blond hair, Pearcy is enthusiastically explaining his plan to write the next number one hit single.“I’m making the next big pop hit,’’ the trumpet performance major says. “I will have Christina Aguilera at my door.’’He is simultaneously reading lines of music from a sheet in his lap, composing two drum segments to accompany the bass line he has just finished, and cracking jokes about the merits of bubble gum pop. Behind him, two other students sit at identical desks, counting quarter rests and adding hi-hat cymbal fills.Read More

State schools look to realign with nation

August 9, 2010 Boston Globe
A monumental shift is underway at Massachusetts schools as administrators and teachers prepare to revamp classroom lessons to reflect new national academic standards in English and math. The changes are the result of a decision last month by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, which voted to replace the state’s homegrown standards, long considered among the nation’s most rigorous.The new standards, which dictate what schools should teach in kindergarten through 12th grade, attempt to prepare students for college or the workforce by ensuring that graduates can, among other things, comprehend and evaluate complex texts, listen well, and solve complicated problems.Read More

More choices alter college textbook landscape

August 8, 2010 Boston Globe
On Friday afternoons between work and rugby practice, Brittany Wolfe would rush to the campus library hoping copies of her advanced algebra textbook had not all been checked out by like-minded classmates.It was part of the math major’s routine last quarter at the University of California, Los Angeles: Stand in line at the reserve desk in the library’s closing hours with the goal of borrowing a copy for the weekend.Read More

A look at college deals for retirees, seniors

August 6, 2010 Boston Globe
Discounted, or even free, tuition is available for senior citizen and retirees.Here’s a look at some places where retirement-age students can find deals and tuition waivers, based on available class space:
COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Many two-year or community colleges allow senior citizens to audit classes for free, or waive tuition for classes taken for credit. The senior typically must be a state or county resident, and be at least 60, 62 or 65 years old, depending on the school and state. Some schools apply income limits, such as no more than $15,000 during the previous year.Read More

Poll: Language a barrier for Latinos in schools

August 5, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON—English only?With Hispanic enrollment surging in schools, many Spanish-speaking parents are having trouble helping their children with homework or communicating with U.S. teachers as English-immersion classes proliferate in K-12.An Associated Press-Univision poll highlights the language and cultural obstacles for the nation’s Latinos, who lag behind others when it comes to graduating from high school.Read More

For many graduate students, home is where the food is

August 5, 2010 Boston Globe
There’s a certain amount of humility that comes with being 30 years old and a graduate student. The stipend is paltry, the housing less than prime. And the prestige? Well, it’s hard to impress most folks on an income of less than $25,000.But with humility comes opportunity, including the opportunity to go pantry diving every time I return home.Read More

Witnesses point fingers at schools

August 5, 2010 Boston Globe
NEW YORK — For-profit college recruiters pressured students to sign up for courses and lied about the cost of programs to boost enrollment, witnesses said at a US Senate hearing yesterday.Government investigators posing as applicants were told by recruiters that students had to sign up for courses to get financial-aid information, and recruiters were misled about the quality and cost of education programs, according to the testimony at a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee hearing in Washington.Read More

Immigrant students to hold Boston Dream teach-in

August 4, 2010 Boston Globe
BOSTON—Student immigrant advocates want to bring their Dream University to Boston.Advocates for the Boston-based group Student Immigrant Movement are scheduled to host on Tuesday a one-day teach-in in front of the Massachusetts Statehouse. They are using the teach-in for undocumented students to push a federal proposal known as the DREAM Act, which would give illegal immigrants a path to citizenship through college enrollment or military service.Read More

Concern over students switching schools

August 2, 2010 Boston Globe
As state education officials push school districts to overhaul the lowest-achieving schools, they are focusing on a long-overlooked issue they say could be a key in raising performance — the frequency that students switch schools.New statewide data appear to show a strong correlation between schools with weak academic performance and those with large influxes and exoduses of students.Read More

For six state colleges, a new outlook

Agust 1, 2010 Boston Globe
BRIDGEWATER — With a flourish of the governor’s pen yesterday, much of the bookstore fare at Bridgewater State College became collectors’ items.That’s because the merchandise — hats, teddy bears, and 15 varieties of T-shirts — will be outdated by the fall, when the school unveils a new logo for Bridgewater State University, its new name, as part of a law signed yesterday that will rebrand six state colleges as universities.Read More

Univision Poll: College dreams for Hispanics

July 30, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON—More than 10 years have passed since she gave up her pursuit of a degree in computer science, but Yajahira Deaza still has regrets."I feel incomplete,” says the 33-year-old, a customer service representative for a major New York bank. Her experience reflects the findings of an Associated Press-Univision poll that examined the attitudes of Latino adults toward higher education.Despite strong belief in the value of a college diploma, Hispanics more often than not fall short of that goal.Read More

Grad studies tie tourism to geography

July 29, 2010 Boston Globe
Salem State College is providing students a new opportunity to prepare for jobs in the growing hospitality industry.The college this fall will begin offering a graduate certificate in hospitality and tourism management. Salem State officials said the part-time certificate program will be the first of its kind in Massachusetts communities north of Boston, which have a significant tourism sector.Read More

Walgreen clinics offer back-to-school physicals

July 28, 2010 Boston Globe
NEW YORK—Walgreen Co. said Tuesday it is now offering back-to-school physicals at clinics in some of its stores.From now until Sept. 30, Walgreen will offer physicals at Take Care Clinics for $35 per child. Families or groups with at least two children who go to the clinic together can get physicals for $30 each. The clinics will also offer separate sports physicals for $35.Read More

Textbooks: Sympathy for the debt-laden

July 27, 2010 Boston Globe
At colleges around the country, it’s a ritual at the start of every semester: Professors provide a list, perhaps as long as half a page, of the term’s required reading, often including books written by the professor him- or herself. Students then go about acquiring the small library they’ll need for that course, and often spend a small fortune doing so. Many common textbooks have prices in the hundreds of dollars.Read More

As college text prices soar, students get a rental option

July 26, 2010 Boston Globe
College students will have new, cheaper alternatives this fall to shelling out hundreds of dollars each semester for textbooks they may never use again.In an effort to curb escalating book prices amid sky-high college costs, bookstores at more than a dozen campuses across the state and hundreds more around the country will begin renting textbooks at about half the cost of buying them.Read More

Education inventors get boost under new programs

July 24, 2010 Boston Globe
PHILADELPHIA—A movement is under way to make it easier for entrepreneurs to navigate the lucrative and sometimes-tricky education market and introduce new technology and products into classrooms.An educator at the University of Pennsylvania wants to create one of the nation’s only business incubators dedicated to education entrepreneurs. The U.S. Department of Education is also getting into the act with a $650 million fund to boost education innovation.Read More

State seeks $12M more over late FCAT scores

July 24, 2010 The Miami Herald
The state Department of Education is demanding another $12 million in damages from the testing company that botched the release of this year’s FCAT scores.The company, NCS Pearson, has already paid the state more than $3 million for delaying the release of the third-grade results.The additional $12 million is for withholding the scores in math, reading, science and writing weeks beyond deadline.The department wants the money by the first week in August, state Education Commissioner Eric Smith said Friday.Read More

D.C. fires 241 teachers; others warned

July 24, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — The D.C. Public Schools are firing 241 teachers and warning more than 700 other employees that they could be fired in the next year if their performance doesn’t improve.The firings announced yesterday total 302 school system employees, including the 241 teachers. They come largely as a result of the first year of a new teacher evaluation system, though 76 teachers were fired for problems with their licenses.Read More

Education board urged to delay vote on new standards

July 21, 2010 Boston Globe
MALDEN — State Republicans urged state education leaders yesterday to delay a vote on a proposal to replace the state’s highly regarded academic standards with national guidelines, arguing that the public has not had enough time to weigh in.“Parents, teachers, and students alike should be given the opportunity to share their thoughts and concerns with you and your administration,’’ House minority leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. wrote in a letter to Governor Deval Patrick. “Like any major policy decision, inviting public input is a necessary step in the process.’’Read More

Ex-commissioners endorse national education standards

July 20, 2010 Boston Globe
The two former education commissioners who guided Massachusetts through recent overhauls of its public schools endorsed a move yesterday to replace the state’s highly regarded academic standards with a new set of national benchmarks.Stepping into a dicey debate that has engaged teachers, parents, and politicians, Robert Antonucci and David Driscoll said the national standards “represent an advancement over our already strong Massachusetts standards.’’Read More

Towns turn to school mergers

July 19, 2010 Boston Globe
Under growing pressure from state officials, small public school systems across Massachusetts are discussing potential mergers, defying the state’s staunch tradition of local schools and hometown identity in a quest for greater financial stability.For the first time in nearly a decade, several towns recently joined ranks to create new regional districts, linking Ayer and Shirley, Berkley and Somerset, and three vocational schools north of Boston.Read More

Worn-out students choose a timeout

July 19, 2010 Boston Globe
As their peers comb through course catalogs, shop for extra-long twin sheets, and seek out future classmates on Facebook, a small but growing number of students accepted by the nation’s top colleges are postponing their long-anticipated freshman year.The students say they desperately need a timeout after spending their high school years building impeccable credentials for entry into selective colleges. And more admissions officials, concerned about student burnout, are encouraging the high-achieving teenagers to step off the traditional path as a way to fuel their creativity and long-term motivation.Read More

¿Hasta qué punto un computador en casa puede afectar el rendimiento escolar?

18 de julio de 2010 El Tiempo
Expertos dicen que sin acompañamiento de los padres hay altos riesgos en la red. A los padres de familia acostumbrados a ver a sus hijos pegados a Internet desde que se bajan del bus escolar, lo que descubrieron unos investigadores de la Universidad Distrital parece darles la razón.Les dieron computadores portátiles a los colegiales de Castilla La Nueva (Meta) y dejaron que se los llevaran a la casa. La mayoría empezó a pasar horas chateando, bajando música y jugando, varios padres se empezaron a quejar del trasnocho y un grupo de sexto tuvo un bajonazo general en el rendimiento.Read More

Changes urged for Mass. schools

July 17, 2010 Boston Globe
The state’s commissioner of elementary and secondary education recommended yesterday that Massachusetts replace its highly regarded academic standards for English and math with a uniform set of national standards that could lead to major changes in standardized testing.The recommendation by Mitchell Chester sparked a mix of praise and condemnation around Beacon Hill and on the campaign trail, following months of speculation across the state and nation over whether Massachusetts would join other states in adopting standards that outline what material should be taught in kindergarten through 12th grade.Read More

Rights groups sever school ties

July 15, 2010 Boston Globe
Three prominent civil rights organizations have abruptly ended their partnership with the Boston public schools to create a new system to assign students to schools, concerned that the process is moving too slowly and has left out the public.The organizations have been assisting Boston schools since last fall, when the district received a federal grant to engage the public in developing a new assignment plan that would ensure students had equitable access to high-quality programs and classrooms that reflected the city’s demographics. Yet, during that time, the district has not devoted a single public meeting to the issue.Read More

Estudiantes apoyan el Dream Act

14 de Julio de 2010 Univision.com
Los estudiantes indocumentados sobresalientes de Estados Unidos no se rinden. Un grupo de universitarios de California inició el lunes una caravana con destino la capital del país, donde se reunirán con estudiantes de otros estados para abogar por la propuesta de ley denominada Dream Act o Ley del SueñoRead More

UMass-Amherst raises school’s Boston profile

July 12, 2010 Boston Globe
AMHERST, Mass.—The University of Massachusetts flagship Amherst campus has hired a veteran state Senate staffer to help raise the school’s profile in Boston.Christopher Dunn Jr. will join the university’s new Boston office next month as director of public and constituent relations.The job is part of an administrative reorganization aimed at improving the university’s support in Boston from the Legislature, business community and alumni.Read More

Fortuño justifica los cambios en Educación

11 Julio 2010 El Nuevo Dia
WASHINGTON - Para el gobernador Luis Fortuño, la falta de controles en la selección de servicios profesionales fue una de las razones que provocaron los cambios administrativos en el Departamento de Educación de Puerto Rico (DE).“Había muchas razones para hacer cambios dramáticos. Estamos hablando de un cambio (que involucró entre) 12 a 15 personas. Implementamos cambios que envuelven ese aspecto (de la contratación de servicios profesionales), pero también muchos otros”, indicó Fortuño, en una entrevista telefónica desde Boston (Massachusetts), donde participa en la reunión de verano de la Asociación de Gobernadores de Estados Unidos.Read More

There is magic in the music

July 11, 2010 Boston Globe
CARACAS — In the southern reaches of this city, La Rinconada music center is buzzing with a happy sonic chaos as music spills from rehearsal rooms into the hallways. A circle of 3-year-olds ponders the mysteries of the hand bell, older children pick through Venezuelan folk tunes on guitars, and a cluster of brass players sounds out the theme song from “The Simpsons.’’ In a large, packed rehearsal room, a seasoned Venezuelan choral teacher is warming up young voices.Read More

Private colleges vastly outspent public peers

July 10, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — Private research universities spent twice as much as their public counterparts to teach each student in the 2007-08 school year, widening a cost gap that can make private colleges unaffordable to students, without the help of financial aid.Private institutions, on average, laid out $19,520 per student for instruction that year, a 22 percent increase from a decade earlier, according to the Delta Project on Postsecondary Education Costs, Productivity, and Accountability, a Washington-based nonprofit research group. Public universities spent $9,732 for each student, up 10 percent in the decade, according to the group’s report released yesterday.Read More

Student fluency woes rising

July 8, 2010 Boston Globe
The number of Boston school students identified as lacking fluency in English surged dramatically over the past school year, presenting further challenges for a school district already under federal investigation for failing to provide adequate programs for students trying to learn the language.Such students now number nearly 16,000, about 28 percent of the district’s total enrollment, according to new data released by the district. Last fall, the group consisted of more than 11,000 students.Read More

Deserción hispana

06 Julio 2010 Univision.com
RIVERSIDE, California (AP) - Los padres de Roberto Rodríguez deseaban que dejara su violento barrio de Los Angeles para ir a la universidad, pero al mismo tiempo no querían que se fuera muy lejos de casa.Al llegar al campus de la Universidad de California en Riverside, el joven extrañaba su hogar, como les pasa a muchos hispanos que son los primeros en su familia en buscar una educación terciaria. Cuando llevaba tres años allí, su padre sufrió un infarto y recibió un diagnóstico de diabetes. Era el tipo de problema familiar que podía acabar con su sueño universitarioRead More

Minority wave in summer tide of Coast Guard swabs

July 3, 2010 Boston Globe
NEW LONDON, Conn.—New recruits at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy are supposed to look straight ahead, but Rasheed Breland was able to glance at his classmates long enough to realize that many besides him were minorities.Swabs from racial and ethnic minority groups make up 24 percent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s Class of 2014—the second highest percentage in the school’s history, surpassed only by one class that was a percentage point higher.Read More

Northern Essex president to retire

July 4, 2010 Boston Globe
When David Hartleb was selected president of Northern Essex Community College in 1995, he was not the unanimous choice of the trustees.Now, 15 years later, it’s hard to find anyone who is less than effusive about his accomplishments.“David was the right person at the right time,’’ said Ken Smith, president of the NECC Foundation. “We were fortunate we secured him. It was a wonderful choice. He is a great leader.’’Read More

Rule tightened for exam schools

July 1, 2010 Boston Globe
The Boston School Committee tightened the residency policy last night for students applying to the city’s three exam schools to prevent out-of-towners from gaining admission.The modified policy, which goes into effect this fall, will allow only city residents to take the entrance exam for Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science.Read More

Charter schools seeking to expand

June 29, 2010 Boston Globe
Several high-performing charter schools in Boston are pursuing proposals that could yield nearly a dozen additional schools in the city over the next few years, the most robust expansion in more than a decade.The proposals would be among the first filed with the state this summer under a new Massachusetts law that allows the doubling of seats in districts with low MCAS scores as a way to satisfy pent-up parental demand for stronger educational alternatives. Some schools could open as soon as September 2011.Read More

At school focus groups, parents voice concerns, call for more input

June 28, 2010 Boston Globe
They wanted to know how plans to merge schools would affect their children, what it means to have an effective principal and quality teachers, and whether administrators could limit the number of times students have to change schools.Scores of parents detailed their frustrations and hopes for Boston Public Schools at 14 focus groups around the city yesterday, organized by administrators to solicit input about school closings, program changes, and other plans for the district.Read More

Applause for schools keeping music at core

June 27, 2010 Boston Globe
Whether it’s marching band, jazz, choir, or music theory, if you offer it they will play.At least that’s the experience in the Belmont school district, which was recently named one of the country’s Best Communities for Music Education, along with public schools in Weston, Westborough, Wayland, and the Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public School in Franklin.While athletic and academic prowess usually get the most attention, music provides a different method of learning — fostering creativity, innovation, and teamwork toward a common goal, supporters say.Read More

Balderas’s immigration reprieve will be indefinite

June 23, 2010 Boston Globe
Eric Balderas, a 19-year-old Harvard biology student granted a reprieve from deportation to his native Mexico last week, will be allowed to stay in the United States indefinitely unless something changes in his case, a federal official said yesterday.US Immigration and Customs Enforcement deferred Balderas’s deportation late Friday, but did not disclose the length of the deferral until yesterday, said agency spokesman Brian P. Hale.Read More

17 Boston teachers, staff honored for excellence

June 23, 2010 Reuters
Despite cuts in programs and funds at most schools this year, 17 Boston teachers and staff members stood out among their peers and were honored for their work last night at the 2010 annual Educators of the Year and Service Excellence Awards ceremony at the Shubert Theatre.Among the Educator of the Year honorees was Melanie Allen, an English language arts teacher at the Rafael Hernandez Two-Way Bilingual School in Roxbury, where students are instructed in English and in Spanish.Read More

$27m lift for city’s schools

June 22, 2010 Boston Globe
Several major philanthropic organizations in Boston will give $27 million to a new partnership, being announced today, that aims to greatly accelerate student achievement across the city, from “cradle to career.’’The goal is to help children living in poverty build better lives as adults, organizers say, in part by boosting literacy rates for elementary school students and increasing the percentage graduating from high school and college. The organizers say they will regularly release accountability reports to the public measuring their progress.Read More

The agony of a girl who just wanted to fit in

June 21, 2010 Boston Globe
First in a series of occasional articles on bullying, and its impact on students, families, and schools.Lexi felt excited, and a little bit worried, as she headed off to high school last September. She knew it would take some getting used to — the unfamiliar schedule and the sprawling building, the blur of strange faces passing in the hallways.She had some idea what to expect at the school in one of the affluent suburbs west of Boston. She knew it was respected for its academics. But she also knew that in its social culture, looks mattered. So the 14-year-old rose early, and chose her clothes carefully.Read More

Harvard student won’t face deportation

June 19, 2010 Boston Globe
Eric Balderas, a 19-year-old Harvard biology student who became an international celebrity last week after being arrested for being in the United States unlawfully, is no longer facing deportation to Mexico, officials said last night.The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency informed US Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois late yesterday that it would not pursue Balderas’s deportation, said Max Gleischman, a spokesman for Durbin. The Illinois Democrat had lobbied the agency on behalf of Balderas.Read More

Marblehead rejects Proposition 2 1/2 tax override for new school

June 17, 2010 Boston Globe
In a sweeping rejection of higher taxes, Marblehead voters defeated 10 ballot measures Tuesday to exceed the town’s property tax limits for various capital projects.Among the defeated tax proposals were measures to fund the $28.8 million cost of building a new elementary school and the $22.2 million cost of capping the former town landfill and building a new transfer station on the site.All of the questions were soundly defeated except for the school construction measure, which lost 2,953 to 2,882.Read More

Harvard student says he faces deportation from US

June 15, 2010 Boston Globe
BOSTON—An undocumented Harvard University student is facing deportation to Mexico after being detained by immigration authorities at a Texas airport, the student said Friday.Eric Balderas, 19, who just completed his first year at Harvard, said he was detained Monday by immigration authorities when he tried to board a plane from his hometown of San Antonio to Boston using a consulate card from Mexico and his student ID.Read More

Lobbyists aid for-profit college student group

June 14, 2010 Boston Globe
A few months ago, Dawn Connor was just another college student, attending night courses to become a veterinary technician and practicing her trade by spaying and neutering dogs and cats from a local shelter.These days, the 33-year-old from Eau Claire, Wis., is shaking hands on Capitol Hill and speaking at news conferences in Las Vegas, the new public face of the satisfied for-profit college student.Standing closely behind her is the Career College Association, a lobbying group for for-profit schools that provided the organizational muscle to launch the grassroots-sounding Students for Academic Choice at a time when for-profit colleges are under fire.Read More

2010 high school valedictorians

13 de Junio 2010 Boston Globe
Forty different paths, many that began in distant lands, have brought them together. Through hard work, caring parents, and perceptive teachers, they’ve conquered challenges. Now, they’ve made it to the top of their class. Here is a snapshot of Boston’s 2010 valedictorians.Read More

He never lost sight of his dreams

June 13, 2010 Boston Globe
Steven Rinaldi set ambitious goals when he began at East Boston High School: Graduate among the top of his class in four years and attend a top college.He hit the books, joined the swim team, and took part in other extracurricular activities. All appeared to be going smoothly, until one day in March of his freshman year, when his parents decided he should get his right eye checked out. “It looked like a lazy eye,’’ recalled Rinaldi, now 18.Read More

Educator honored for teaching language, confidence

June 12, 2010 Boston Globe
Takuto Kimura, 13, remembers his first day in an American classroom three years ago. He did not speak a word of English.This fall, the Japanese native will enter the eighth grade at Amherst Regional Middle School. Today, he jokes with classmates and can discuss the contributions of Martin Luther King Jr. without difficulty.Kimura credits his developing language skills to Floris Wilma Ortiz-Marrero, 52, who was named the 2011 Massachusetts Teacher of the Year yesterday for her work in building the ESL program at Amherst Regional Middle School.Read More

Report: Many Mass. 3rd-graders lag in reading

June 11, 2010 Boston Globe
BOSTON—An early education public policy group says in a new report that nearly half of Massachusetts third-graders are not proficient readers, and recommends an overhaul of reading programs to reach children at an earlier age.The report commissioned by Boston-based Strategies for Children urges state educators and policy makers to refocus literacy efforts on improving language development skills, starting with toddlers.Read More

Asking more of preschool

June 10, 2010 Boston Globe
Once considered just places to play, preschools now sandwich science and math lessons in between naps and recess. To help teachers meet the new academic rigor and to reduce socioeconomic achievement gaps that start before kindergarten, the state wants more teachers to earn bachelor’s degrees.Read More

Getting a jump on college

June 10, 2010 Boston Globe
Just a few years ago, Randolph was considered a town in decline: School programs were being cut, MCAS scores were low, political controversies plagued Town Hall, and a series of homicides made the headlines.The school district had the dubious distinction of being one of four towns in the Commonwealth named under-performing, and it narrowly escaped a state takeover in 2008. The state approved a turnaround plan for the schools and has provided many hours of staff support to help implement it.Read More

High court won’t take up No Child Left Behind case

June 8, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court yesterday turned away a challenge by school districts and teacher unions to the federal No Child Left Behind law.The court said without comment that it will not step into a lawsuit that questioned whether public schools have to comply with requirements of the law if the federal government doesn’t pay for them.A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit and a federal appeals court split 8 to 8, leaving the judge’s ruling in place.Read More

Out of reach

June 8, 2010 Boston Globe
PUBLIC HIGH school students across the state continue to suffer the collateral damage from MCAS. Almost 3,000 seniors will not graduate this month because they did not pass the science section of the test, a new hurdle imposed this year that students must pass, in addition to the math and English components of the exam. Since MCAS was imposed in 2003, thousands of public school students finished high school without a diploma, because they were unable to pass the high-stakes test. These students met all other diploma requirements mandated by their high schools, completing the requisite math, science, English, and social studies courses, maintaining a passing grade point average and meeting attendance requirements, participating in extracurricular activities, and contributing to their school community.Read More

High court won’t take up No Child Left Behind case

June 8, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court yesterday turned away a challenge by school districts and teacher unions to the federal No Child Left Behind law.The court said without comment that it will not step into a lawsuit that questioned whether public schools have to comply with requirements of the law if the federal government doesn’t pay for them.A federal judge dismissed the lawsuit and a federal appeals court split 8 to 8, leaving the judge’s ruling in place.Read More

Entry may tighten for exam schools

June 7, 2010 Boston Globe
Boston school officials this week will unveil a more stringent residency policy for students applying to the city’s three exam schools, responding to growing concerns that out-of-towners are improperly gaining admission.The proposed policy, which officials will present to the School Committee on Wednesday, would allow only city residents to apply to Boston Latin School, Boston Latin Academy, and the John D. O’Bryant School of Math and Science.Read More

Program makes math easy as 1, 2, 3

June 7, 2010 Boston Globe
TURNERS FALLS — While Shelby Lapinski worked to solve a geometry problem on her computer screen, her seat cushion monitored fidgeting and a camera registered uncertainty or concentration flitting across her face. A bracelet measured sweat, and the mouse, fitted with pressure sensors, tracked her grip.Lapinski was taking part in a study that looks at whether a computer math tutoring program that can detect and respond to students’ emotions — offering encouragement or hints at the right moment — can reduce frustration and anxiety. Initial results look promising.Read More

Among city teens the talk is of fear, and how to fight it

June 6, 2010 Boston Globe
In most places, middle school students are anticipating with relish the hot, idle days of summer and the freedom the season brings.In Dorchester, for 14-year-old Terrell Morton, this summer will be a time fraught with danger.“Mad people are going to get killed,’’ he said in his low, husky voice. “It’s 2010. Times are tough. Nobody’s playing games.’’In some parts of Boston, seventh- and eighth-graders live side by side with gang members and criminals wielding guns.Read More

4-day school weeks gain popularity across US

June 4, 2010 Boston Globe
FORT VALLEY, Ga.—During the school year, Mondays in this rural Georgia community are for video games, trips to grandma’s house and hanging out at the neighborhood community center.Don’t bother showing up for school. The doors are locked and the lights are off.Peach County is one of more than 120 school districts across the country where students attend school just four days a week, a cost-saving tactic gaining popularity among cash-strapped districts struggling to make ends meet. The 4,000-student district started shaving a day off its weekly school calendar last year to help fill a $1 million budget shortfall.Read More

As fiscal year ends, school districts brace for layoffs

June 3, 2010 Boston Globe
For students, June marks the beginning of the countdown to summer vacation. But for teachers and other school employees across northern Massachusetts, it is often the cruelest month.With the economic turndown showing few signs of letting up, more than 100 educators are expected to receive pink slips from school districts in Beverly, Haverhill, Lowell, Lawrence, and Peabody in the coming weeks.Read More

Fee hikes weigh on state students

June 3, 2010 Boston Globe
Tens of thousands of students and their families will be shelling out more money next school year to attend Massachusetts public universities, colleges, and community colleges as campuses raise fees to make up for anticipated cuts in state funding.University of Massachusetts students will be expected to pay $1,100 more in fees under a plan approved yesterday that cemented last year’s 15.8 percent increase, the largest since 2004. At state and community colleges, at least 17 out of 24 campuses are seeking fee increases of between 3 percent and 13 percent.Read More

States requiring PE, but amount varies

June 2, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON—More states are requiring physical education for elementary, middle and high school students, though few require kids to exercise for a specific amount of time.A report released Tuesday by the American Heart Association and the National Association for Sport and Physical Education said exercise for schoolchildren is also threatened by a rising number of waivers and exemptions from PE in school districts around the country.Read More

Study: 10 minutes of exercise, hour-long effects

June 1, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON—Ten minutes of brisk exercise triggers metabolic changes that last at least an hour. The unfair news for panting newbies: The more fit you are, the more benefits you just might be getting.We all know that exercise and a good diet are important for health, protecting against heart disease and diabetes, among other conditions. But what exactly causes the health improvement from working up a sweat or from eating, say, more olive oil than saturated fat? And are some people biologically predisposed to get more benefit than others?Read More

New experience: Interns pay to work

May 31, 2010 Boston Globe
Throughout her senior year at Boston College, Brynn Merritt worked part time at Entercom Boston, which owns four radio stations, including WEEI and WRKO. She blogged, called businesses to solicit merchandise for WEEI’s website, produced ad displays, and sent newsletter e-mail blasts.For all of this, she was paid nothing.“I did the same amount of work as a lot of people getting paid did,’’ says Merritt, 22, who graduated this spring. But she’s not complaining; in fact, she feels lucky. “I learned a ton,’’ says Merritt, who got a course credit for the internship. “I feel I could go into the business right now.’’Read More

State trying again for $250m US education grant

May 31, 2010 Boston Globe
Massachusetts is taking another shot at getting millions of federal dollars to create new programs and overhaul failing schools.A revised application for a $250 million federal education grant was filed Saturday and education secretary Paul Reville said he is confident about the state’s chances for getting a grant.But it is unclear whether the changes will please the Obama administration, whose rejection of the original application sent shock waves through the state.Read More

When it comes to teaching teachers, critics say few colleges pass test

May 30, 2010 Boston Globe
SEATTLE — Hemant Mehta’s formal training taught him how to write a lesson plan and how public schooling began in the United States, but it was useless when it came to keeping order in the classroom and getting students to pay attention.To get through his first year teaching math to high school students in Naperville, Ill., the 27-year-old needed help from Twitter, math blogs on the Internet, TV sitcoms, and experienced teachers down the hall.Read More

Efforts expand on campuses to end dating violence

May 30, 2010 Boston Globe
WASHINGTON — Most students don’t think violent relationships are a problem at college, said Georgetown University senior Jared Watkins, who helps lead a group of men there who are concerned about sexual assault and violence. If students think about abuse at all, they picture an older married couple, maybe poor or alcoholic — nothing like their friends at school.Read More

2,933 to miss diploma over science MCAS

May 28, 2010 Boston Globe
Nearly 3,000 high school seniors across Massachusetts will not get their diplomas next month because they failed to pass the MCAS science exam, the first rejections under a new state graduation requirement meant to develop a more scientifically skilled workforce.Guidance counselors and other administrators have been delivering the news to hundreds of those students this week who failed the most recent round of testing last month. Hundreds of other seniors who have yet to pass the exam did not take the retest last month for a variety of reasons.Read More

LA schools rescind 522 teacher layoff notices

May 27, 2010 Boston Globe
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles school board has rescinded 522 layoffs of elementary school teachers, dropping the number of expected layoffs to about 1,000 for the next school year.The school board approved the move Tuesday after the teachers union agreed to 12 furlough days over the next two years to save jobs.The district sent out 3,100 pink slips in March to elementary teachers, counselors, nurses and librarians for the next school year but so far has rescinded about 2,000 of the notices due to savings and additional sources of funding.Read More