US Public Schools Rate Overall 'F'
Hearst Newspapers

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce joined with a prominent liberal think tank on Wednesday to warn of potential long-term damage to the U.S. economy caused by the failure of American public schools to properly educate students.

Demand for English Lessons Outstrips Supply
By Fernanda Santos, The New York Times

Immigrants are waiting for months or even years to get into government-financed English classes, which often lack textbooks.

Some Immigrant High Schoolers Receive a Lesson in Dissappointment
By Samuel Freedman, The New York Times

Some immigrant families in New York City are expressing a sense of being betrayed after high school locations abruptly changed and students couldn't apply elsewhere.

A New Model for Schools in the Boston Archdiocese
By Katie Zezima, The New York Times

Three church-affiliated schools plan to consolidate in order to offer the resources of a public education with the morals and faith of a Roman Catholic one.

Colleges Go Online to Calm the Admissions Jitters
By Susan Kinzie, The Washington Post

Daniel Creasey, an admissions officer at Johns Hopkins University, is in charge of the school's "Hopkins Insider", which provides a behind the scenes look at the admissions office in the hopes of taking away some of the mystery and stress surrounding the college application process. Other schools are using similar strategies to ease the anxiety students feel when they apply to college.

Adult Learners Tend to Rely on Cash and Employer Assistance to Pay for College, Survey Finds
By Elyse Ashburn, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)

Most students in adult, continuing-education, and professional programs at American colleges and universities rely on personal savings and employer-provided tuition assistance to pay for their education, according to a new report based on a survey of 25,000 current and prospective students.

An In-State Tuition Debate
By Elizabeth Redden, InsideHigherEd

States are split on whether or not to extend in-state tuition to undocumented students. The major issues of the debate center on the needs of the students and the potential effects educating or not educating them could have on the community.

Black Colleges Expand Distance Learning
By Scott Jashick, InsideHigherEd

More historically black colleges - especially in the public sector - are offering distance education. This trend is partially related to HBCUs' focus on adult and nontraditional college students.

Colleges Still Not Sure How to Use New SAT
By Eleanor Chute, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Two years after the College Board added a new section on writing to the SAT, many colleges and universities still haven't decided what to do with it. Many -- including Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University -- are waiting to see how it matches up with students' actual college performance before using it in admissions or placement. Some are waiting at least until the fall 2009 entering class.

Universities Call for an Extra £168m
By Kevin Schofield, The Scotsman.com

Scotland's universities want an extra £168 million from the Scottish Executive to increase student numbers, improve facilities and pay for lecturers' wage rises. The increase would be worth 15 per cent above the rate of inflation and bring about a rise in state funding for the sector to £1.2 billion a year by 2011.

Universities Get Increased Funds
BBC

Universities and colleges in England are finding out how much funding they will get for the next academic year.
Individual institutions will receive a share of £5,854m in total funding - a rise of 5.3% on the current year.

English Orated Here
By BJ Lee, Newsweek International

For decades, Asia's brightest flocked to the United States and other English-speaking nations for college. The big-name diplomas they earned—and the English fluency they gained—guaranteed success. But since the start of the decade, more elite Asian universities have begun to promise the same thing, and students are jumping at the chance to stay closer to home.

A Chance to Shape Dalhousie for the Better
By Marilyn Smulders, Dalhousie News

On March 6 and 7, Dalhousie students will vote on whether or not the school should go ahead with construction and renovation plans. The projects have an estimated price tag of $25 million. Students will be asked to support the projects through a $10 per course levy collected through student fees.

Province Demands Yet Another Round of Cuts to Toronto’s Schools
CNW Group

On Wednesday February 28, the Toronto District
School Board voted on whether to cut 100 inner city school teachers, 27
librarians, 157 education assistants and 34 lunchroom supervisors from
Toronto's schools for the next school year.

University Starts Early
The Winnipeg Free Press

The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is warning universities and colleges to refocus recruitment or watch as enrollment drops off dramatically in the next decade. Schools have been advised to target students from the lower economic strata.

Pre-Apprenticeship Program is Free
By David Chilton, The Toronto Sun

The Ontario government hopes will to attract students to enroll in pre-apprenticeship programs by offering them at almost no cost to anyone interested in learning a skilled trade at one of the public colleges in the province. In all, 800 spaces have been created for those accepted for training, which can run for up to 40 weeks.

The College Admissions Game
NPR

The frenzy surrounding college admissions, especially at a small group of highly selective colleges, is intense and, according to some college deans, out of control. In a seven-part series, NPR explores the alternatives.

Leaders and Laggards: A State-by-State Report Card on Educational Effectiveness
Center for American Progress

The U.S. Chamber and the Center for American Progress collaborated with Frederick M. Hess, director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research to conduct this study. The study's findings indicate that much remains to be done before US schools and students are ready for the challenges ahead.

The Educational Policy Institute is an international non-profit think tank dedicated to the study of educational opportunity. The Week in Review is a weekly publication that highlights the top news stories, reports and statistics related to academic preparation and access and success in the US, Canada, and beyond. The publication also features a commentary written by either President Watson Scott Swail, EdD or Vice-President Alex Usher.

To submit comments, news releases, or submissions, please email Dr. Watson Scott Swail at wswail@educationalpolicy.org or call (757) 430-2200.