College Board to Audit Every School's AP Courses
By Daniel De Vise, The Concord Monitor

The College Board, publisher of college-preparatory exams, is auditing every Advanced Placement course in the nation, asking teachers of an estimated 130,000 courses to furnish written proof by June 1 that the courses they teach are worthy of the brand.

Curriculum Development Group Urges Focus Shift to Whole Child
By Vaishali Honawar, Education Week (subscription required)

Academic achievement cannot happen without significant emphasis on other factors, including student engagement according to a report by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Failing Schools See a Solution in a Longer Day
By Diana Schemo, The New York Times

States and school districts nationwide are moving to lengthen the day at struggling schools, spurred by grim test results suggesting that more than 10,000 schools are likely to be declared failing under federal law next year.

Vouchers Eyed for Students With Disabilities
By Christina Samuels, Education Week (subscription required)

More than half a dozen states are considering legislation to offer private school vouchers for students with disabilities. Supporters say that such vouchers are an important safety valve for parents when public schools don't offer programs to meet those students' specialized needs.

Hip Hop Reverberates in a Silent World
By Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times

At the Lexington School for the Deaf in Queens, a hip-hop musical performed by students shows that the music can be felt as well as heard.

Out-of-Favor Reading Plan Rated Highly
By Debra Viadero and Kathleen Manzo, Education Week (subscription required)

Reading Recovery, a popular one-to-one tutoring program that Bush administration officials sought to shut out of a high-profile federal reading program, has gotten a rare thumbs-up from the federal What Works Clearinghouse.

The Race To Attract International Students
Abdul Kargbo and Margie Yeager, Education Sector

The U.S. has long been a magnet for the world's top college students, and many of them stay in the U.S. after graduation and contribute to the country's economic competitiveness. But the heightened scrutiny of visa applicants, travel restrictions here and abroad, and fears about security in the U.S. since Sept. 11 are having a negative impact on the number of foreign students who come here to study.

Drawing a Hard Line
By Doug Lederman, InsideHigherEd

U.S. Education Department officials suggested Tuesday that they would insist that new federal rules require accrediting agencies to set minimum standards of performance for the institutions they monitor to meet in terms of proving how well they educate students.

Hispanic Serving Institutions Say They're Being Overlooked for Federal Funds
By Shilpa Banerji, Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Delegates at the 12th Annual National Capitol Forum, organized by the Hispanic Association of Colleges & Universities, on Monday asked federal education officials why Hispanic-serving institutions were still being left out of National Science Foundation appropriations designated specifically for minority-serving institutions.

Princeton Leads in Grade Deflation
By Laura Bruno, USA Today

Since Princeton took the lead among Ivy League schools to formally adopt a grade-deflation policy three years ago — limiting A's to an average 35% across departments — students say the pressure to score the scarcer A has intensified. Students say they now eye competitive classmates warily and shy away from classes perceived as difficult.

Paying By the Program
By Elizabeth Redden, InsideHigherEd

As state support lags, tuition rises. It's a well established phenomenon. But what’s less discussed is the effect that flat state support might be having on the traditional undergraduate tuition model itself. The one-student, one-rate model is somewhat silently slipping away at many public universities nationwide, as institutions increasingly turn toward differential (read: higher) tuition rates for students pursuing specific majors, often those with higher costs of operation.

Two-Year Colleges Looking to Establish Endowments
By Daniel Perry, The Monitor

Not many two-year colleges nationwide have endowments, partly because they do not have enough resources to focus on money-raising efforts. But with cost of higher education on the rise, more two-year schools are beginning to focus on endowments as a solution to funding issues.

Peace Amid Violence
By Martha Ann Overland, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)

Young Buddhist monks and nuns at a tiny college in southern Thailand focus on learning, both spiritual and practical, despite growing violence in the region.

India Attracts Universities from the US
By Somini Sengupta, The New York Times

American institutions are becoming increasingly interested in Indian education, a reflection of a recent confluence of trends. It comes as American universities are trying to expand their global reach in general, and discovering India’s economic rise in particular. It also reflects the need for India to close its gaping demand for higher education.

The Great Pyramids of...Bosnia?
By Colin Woodard, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)

Bosnian scholars face unnerving threats for challenging an amateur archaeologist's claim that several hills are actually ancient, man-made structures.

Oxford to Re-introduce Entrance Exams
DailyIndia.com

Oxford University is to introduce entrance exams for some of its most popular subjects. With so many sixth formers now getting straight As at the A-level, university authorities feel that the exams will help them to reduce the number of applicants called in for traditional interviews.

A 'Failure to Accommodate'
By Megan Hall, The Varsity

When Muslim students at the University of Western Ontario refused to draw nude models in an introductory art class, their professor would not give them an alternate assignment. This story is one of many detailed in a Canadian Federation of Students report issued this week that examines Islamophobia in colleges and universities across Ontario.

B.C. School Fees Restored
CBC News

The B.C. government is reinstating school fees, which had been declared illegal by a judge last year following a legal challenge.

Lack of Interest Keeping Students Out of University
By Caroline Alphonso, The Globe and Mail

At a time when universities are seeing record enrolment growth, many students are still staying away for reasons other than the cost, according to a new study being released today by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation.

$8B Sask. Budget Rolls Out Subsidies for Seniors, Grads
CBC

The Saskatchewan government will spend 8.4 per cent more in 2007-2008 with a budget that includes a new subsidy for seniors who buy prescription drugs, another tuition freeze for post-secondary students and a tax holiday for recent grads who make a living within the province.

Ageless Profs Keen to Work Past 65
By Mike Sadava, The Edmonton Journal

Professors are applauding the decision to end mandatory retirement at the University of Alberta, saying the thirst for knowledge doesn't end at 65. After years of fighting a trend at most North American universities, the U of A board of governors decided last week to scrap mandatory retirement.

It's Time to Weigh the Offers
By Elin Thomas, The Toronto Star

Students hoping to go to college or university in the fall are now receiving their offers of acceptance. For many the decision is less about what to study than where.

Addressing the STEM Challenge By Expanding Specialty Math and Science High Schools
National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology

According to a report by the National Consortium for Specialized Secondary Schools of Mathematics, Sciences, and Technology, high schools focused on mathematics, science, technology, and engineering can serve an important role in improving the United States' ability to remain competitive in the global economy.The report estimates that about 47,000 students nationwide are enrolled in such programs, which typically offer advanced curricula for high-performing students in those subjects. More than 100 such high schools are operating in the United States; 99 percent of their graduates go to college, and 54 percent of them earn undergraduate degrees in math- or science-related fields, it says. The report calls for greater federal spending to help establish new specialty schools.

Students Entering and Leaving Postsecondary Occupational Education: 1995-2001
National Center for Education Statistics, US Department of Education

This report examines the issues of occupational student enrollment, persistence, attainment, and labor market outcomes for a cohort of first-time, credential-seeking postsecondary students.

Invest in Students Now: Long Term Benefits for Nation
Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee

The Australian University Student Finances 2006 report, sponsored by the Australian Vice Chancellors' Committee, identifies a number of key recommendations it will be taking to the Australian Government that will help assist students during their time of study.

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.