Minnesota Schools Consider Raising Drop-Out Age From 16 to 18

According to this article, Minnesota schools may see a bump up in the drop-out age from 16 to 18. 

Uh oh.

The intent is to “force at least some of the state’s thousands of high school dropouts every year to stay in school.”  Note the word “force” –never a sign of engaged learning.

 Though there’s little evidence nationwide that raising the dropout age improves graduation rates, proponents want to drive the point home that it’s bad to leave school at 16 or 17.

Okay, we get that it’s bad to end your education at 16, but that doesn’t mean it’s bad to drop out of high school at 16.  The more important question is WHAT ARE THESE STUDENTS DOING AFTER THEY DROP OUT? 

Many are going directly to community college and turbo-charging their education by earning an associate’s degree by 18 and then transferring to a four-year institution as a junior–two years ahead of their high school classmates. 

We get our panties in a knot about the drop-out rates without asking important questions.  Is FORCING kids to stay in high school the best way to guarantee that they will learn?  What does it do for the students who are stuck with classmates who don’t want to be there? 

Reality check:  “dropping out” of high school can be a very advantageous move for bright, motivated students who’ve had their fill of spirit assemblies and wasted hours during study halls.  “Dropping out” doesn’t mean ending education–it can mean jumpstarting your college career. 

Granted, there are plenty of kids who want to drop out at 16 just to stay home and do nothing.  This should never be an option, and yes, it is absolutely the parents’ responsibility to ensure that kids are pursuing education/learning/training between the ages of 16 and 18–but it doesn’t have to be high school. 

The reality is that our kids’ brains are HUNGRY for opportunities to analyze and assess new information at this age.  Their brains are screaming out for something challenging.  If we don’t provide that in relevant ways, we risk losing them.  Those who are motivated will opt for community college or other education options, those who aren’t (or who simply do not have any mentors or support) will find other things to get engaged in–and that’s precisely the problem.

Our sixteen year olds need our guidance and they need to be pushed toward challenging learning opportunities.  Sometimes that means staying in high school.  Sometimes that means dropping out.

We know that raising the drop-out age doesn’t work–it just makes students feel even MORE hopeless knowing they have no out until 18.  Keeping the drop-out age at 16 means more college-bound students who are ready to blast ahead will have the opportunity to do so…and teaching our kids how to recognize when their time is being wasted and seek better options is extremely powerful. 

If you want to hard-wire your kids for complacency and learned helplessness, there’s nothing better than “forcing” them to waste their time when there are better options available.  The trick is making sure those better options are pursued.

California Community Colleges to Get $50 Million Endowment From Osher Foundation

Community colleges in cash-strapped California will be getting a boost.  

The San Francisco-based Bernard Osher Foundations has pledged up to $50 million to help needy students at California community colleges in what is believed to be the largest gift ever donated to the nation’s two-year institutions.

Mary Bitterman, the foundation’s president, said:

“The more we have focused on the needs of California, we have really begun to look at the critical role community colleges play.  What you read about is David Rockefeller giving $100 million to Harvard. Our trustees decided that we would really like to help community college students.”

Love that.

Hard Times In Florida: UF Slashes Jobs, Enrollment

According to this article in the Orlando Sentinel, the University of Florida is in hunker-down mode.  UF is slashing undergraduate enrollment by 4,000 students, laying off 138 faculty and staff members, and eliminating some courses and degree programs to make up for the loss of $47 million in state money.

The sweeping cuts announced Monday by UF President Bernie Machen reflect the pressure all 11 of Florida’s public universities are under to trim ongoing costs because of declining state revenues.

Locals are likely to take the biggest hit as transfer students from nearby community colleges face tougher competition for entrance despite a provisional acceptance policy that has assured students in good standing admission to state universities. 

There are rumblings and grumblings on the UF campus–indeed, on many American university campuses–that the college administrators are busy courting foreign students who pay full international rates while the local kids get shut out. 

It’s a trend.  Best plan of attack?  Become a bold schooler and learn how to get a recession-proof education that doesn’t cost a fortune.  Hint:  one way is to become an international student yourself, but NOT through a high-priced program.  The fact is that there are universities around the world where you can take classes–in English–for about $1000 a semester and then transfer back to the US.  Who knew your “semester abroad” could be the cheapest part of your college education? 

Tough times call for more creativity–not necessarily more money.  Don’t let the numbers get you down.  There are plenty of ways to get a college degree from a respected university WITHOUT relying on mega-loans. 

I’ll have much more on this in my book called The World Is Your Campus. 

I just turned in the first bigger-than-half chunk of the manuscript and now I’m deep into writing the section on independent study abroad.  I’m also working on the big-escape family chapter called “What Your Financial Advisor Doesn’t Know:  How to Save Thousands For College By Living Abroad”…it’s one of my favorite topics!   

Number of Student Loan Providers Continues To Drop

According to this article in the Boston Globe, two more major lenders have stopped issuing student loans. 

New York-based CIT had already stopped offering private student loans last year.  Now, it will stop issuing even the government-guaranteed student loans.    NorthStar, a nonprofit organization in St. Paul, will “temporarily suspend” processing applications for federally backed Stafford, PLUS, and Grad PLUS loans.

More than 40 lenders have decided to limit their student loan offerings for the next year. 

Mark Kantrowitz, publisher of FinAid.org, predicts that the number of lenders issuing student loans could plummet from the current 2,000 to less than 20 by the end of June 2009  ”if there is no thawing of the capital markets or governement intervention.”

Expect things to get tougher for families searching for loans–and a higher denial rate for those who apply. 

Solution:  finding low-cost ways to get a great college education.  Plenty of students and parents are already discovering some fantastic options that don’t cost an arm and a leg.  And don’t think you can’t get a degree from a “good” school without paying a fortune–it’s possible, it’s being done, and I will share plenty of tips and stories about who is doing this and how in my book, The World Is Your Campus:  Skip the SAT, Save Thousands On Tuition and Get An Outrageously Relevant Global Education

Teach For America Results: TFA Teachers Get Better Results Than Experienced Teachers

Oh, wow.   I feel bad for the many experienced and excellent teachers who will read this article in The Christian Science Monitor which reports that those inexperienced teachers participating in the Teach For America program are actually helping their students get higher test scores at the end of the year than their more experienced colleagues.   Ouch!

The explanation seems to be that Teach for America teachers are very carefully screened and selected from among the top college graduates around the country.  I guess this would be an argument for making the teaching profession more competitive so that only the best teachers end up in the classroom, but of course, there are some serious problems to address before that is likely to happen. (there’s already a teacher shortage, teachers are leaving the profession in droves, and the pay is not enough to inspire competition for those jobs) 

Oh, and there’s this:

Some critics of TFA say it contributes to the inexperience and turnover at high-needs schools, since it only asks for a two-year commitment. But TFA officials say their teachers come back after the first year at a higher rate than other new teachers in high-poverty schools (91 percent versus 83 percent). Two-thirds of alumni are studying or working in the education field, even if not in the classroom.

UC Considers Dropping SAT Subject Test Requirement

Since “Skip the SAT” is part of my subtitle, it’s not surprising that I should be delighted to hear that the UC schools are considering dropping the SAT Subject Tests as a requirement for college admission. 

You see, they found out that requiring two SAT Subject Tests (in addition to the SAT) actually “undermined the depth and diversity of the UC student body without contributing significantly to its academic quality. “ 

Yeah, see, it turns out that high school grades are a stronger predictor of undergraduate academic performance than any test.

Exactly.

Of course, College Board will probably work hard to convince UC to keep the requirement as is.  After all,  they stand to lose a lot of money if students are no longer taking (and paying for) those required subject tests.  (220,000 students are enrolled in various UC locations this year.)

Read more about this on the FairTest.org site here.

Dan Pink’s Awesome Trailer For His Johnny Bunko Book

Oh, wow. 

The new trend for authors these days is to create video book trailers, like movie trailers, to get people all excited about their forthcoming book. 

Dan Pink has a great new trailer for his manga-style career guide, The Adventures of Johnny Bunko, illustrated by Rob Ten Pas.  

Watch it here.

And then pre-order a copy of the book (they hit bookstores from tomorrow) for every high school or college student you know. 

It’s the best graduation gift ever.

Seeking Unschool Parents and Older Students

Right now, I’m working on the chapter in my book about those who unschool–that is, they don’t enroll in any school, and may choose to homeschool or put together their own educational plan. 

I’m looking for stories from any unschoolers between the ages of 17 and 25.  I know there are a lot of younger unschoolers, but for the book I’m writing, The World Is Your Campus, I need to hear from those who’ve been through the unschooling process and can look back and see the way it has impacted their options and choices.  NOTE:  I am particularly interested in those who are currently taking college classes or have graduated from college.

If you are a homeschool OR unschool parent or student who would like to share your story and tips for others in my book, please contact me at frost (dot) maya (at) gmail (dot) com  and I’ll send you a questionnaire to fill out.  You have to be okay with having your full name/location/college name/grad year included along with your quotes. The book is due to be published by Random House in spring of 2009.

Thank you so much!

Washington State Offers College Scholarships To Low-Income Middle Schoolers Who Get Good Grades, Stay Out Of Trouble

This is a good thing.  Low-income kids in middle school–and their parents–need hope and help.

Read more about the “College Bound” program Washington State offers to all middle school students who:

1)  apply (this is key!!!!)

2) keep their grades up

3)  refrain from being arrested for any felonies

This isn’t too much to ask.  Still, students will need support and encouragement from teachers and parents to keep them on track through high school in order to reap the benefits from the College Bound program.

You’re In–Now, GO! Princeton To Encourage Freshmen To Go Abroad Before Attending

According to this article, the folks at Princeton are looking at ways to get their freshman students to spend a year out in the world before settling into campus.  The new program, which administrators hope will appeal to at least ten percent of the incoming freshman class, will be offered for the first time during the 2009-2010 school year and will encourage students to take a break from the rigors of getting into college.   It would be the first program of its kind in the US.

Though the particulars aren’t quite worked out yet, it looks like the program will NOT include credits and students will NOT be paying tuition.  Hmmm.  I guess that’s really more of a gap year than anything else. 

 The idea is to get students to participate in some sort of service opportunity abroad in order to broaden their perspective (and focus on someone else’s problems for a while) and then return to campus to pursue their studies.

I’m all in favor of a gap year, and I think it’s great that Princeton administrators recognize the value of sending their students off to grow up and gain a little wisdom before digging into dorm life.  It’s a great step for a top college like Princeton to take, and it gives credence to the idea that students fresh out of high school could really benefit from time spent abroad.  If other students at Princeton agree to participate, it will take away that lingering fear some gap year students feel about “getting behind” in their studies.  The more students take a gap year, the more likely OTHER students will consider it as a viable option.

Colleges that embrace the gap year experience (whether as part of a university program or not) have a lot to gain–those returnees will bring maturity and clarity to the campus and this is sure to affect the types of student-driven activities–not to mention the conversations–that develop. 

But you don’t need a college’s permission to go on a gap year–you can do it on your own!  Nearly every university will allow students to defer enrollment for a year, so don’t wait for your COLLEGE to encourage you to go see the world. 

It’s right there, whenever you’re ready.

There’s compelling evidence that the human brain at 18 benefits far MORE from a year abroad than the human brain at 21 (the typical junior  year of college abroad).  More on that in my book.

And there’s no question that those who go abroad for a year prior to college and spend time considering WHAT they want to study and WHY are far more likely to dig into their courses and make the most of the college experience.  Plus, they’re likely to have gotten their initial ya-yas out earlier–they’ve lived far from home and reasonably independently, they’ve taken on more adult responsibilities, and they’ve developed a greater understanding of the world and themselves.  They don’t view college as a party zone for those who are living away from home for the first time.  That alone could change the face of campuses dramatically.