New Figures Show High Dropout Rate
By Daniel de Vise, The Washington Post

First Lady Laura Bush and national education leaders yesterday unveiled an online database that promises to provide parents across much of the nation the first accurate appraisal of how many students graduate from high school on time in each school system. The statistics paint a dire portrait.

Students at Risk? He Can Help. He's Been There.
By Larry Bloom, The New York TImes

Mr. William Johnson, the dean of students at Amistad Academy, a charter middle school, has a unique perspective on troublemakers and students who struggle academically.

English Language Learners as Pawns in the School System’s Overhaul
By Samuel Freedman, The New York Times

English Language Learners are frequently treated as pawns in the overhaul of New York City's public schools. And in repeated cases they have been moved around, shunted aside and denied the very kind of instruction they are due.

Charter Schools: "More Bang for the Buck"
By Mitchell Landsberg, The Los Angeles

California charter schools get "more bang for the buck" than traditional public schools and may be improving at a faster clip, according to a report scheduled for release today. Still, the charters continue to trail regular public schools in academic achievement and seem to have a tougher time teaching English to students who are learning it as a second language.

NC Community Colleges Becoming More Popular As Starting Point
The Associated Press

Community colleges are increasingly becoming a popular - and cheaper - alternative to spending all four years at a senior university.

Harvard Task Force Calls for New Focus on Teaching and Not Just Reaserch
By Sara Rimer, The New York Times

Harvard is beginning to rethink its culture of undergraduate teaching and learning. A report has been issued calling for sweeping institutional change, including continuing evaluation and assessment of teaching and learning.

Historically Black Schools Woo Latino Students
By Jessica Jones, National Public Radio

Historically black colleges and universities are recruiting another under-served minority population: Latinos. Some universities are placing ads in local Spanish publications.

Colleges Expect Surge of Freshmen
By John Pope, The Times Picayune

Local universities are expecting surges of freshmen for the fall semester, based on dramatic increases in the number of students who have made financial commitments to come to New Orleans less than two years after Hurricane Katrina blasted the city.

Fake Students Net Loan Millions
By Matthew Chapman, BBC News

Criminal gangs have obtained millions of pounds in student loans by enrolling "ghost students" in universities, a BBC investigation has found.

Anti-Sarkozy Protests in Paris, Students Strike
By Gerard Bon, Reuters

French police arrested more than 100 demonstrators and hundreds of students went on strike at a Paris university as left-wing protests against president-elect Nicolas Sarkozy continued for a fourth night on Wednesday.

Canberra, States in Uni-power Tussle
ABC New South Wales

The Federal Government is considering taking control of responsibility for the administration of universities from the states.

Europeans Accuse MPs of Arrogance Over HE Reform
By Jessica Shpeherd, The Gurdian

The UK has been branded "insolent and arrogant" over its stance towards plans to make degrees more comparable across Europe.

Toronto Universities Face Enrolment Crisis
By Elizabeth Church, The Globe and Mail

Landing a spot at one of Toronto's three universities will become increasingly difficult over the next two decades unless major actions are taken to respond to the increase in demand and population growth forecast for Canada's largest city.

First Nation Creates Prep School for College Students
CBC News

Starting this fall, high-school graduates on a Manitoba reserve will no longer head straight to college or university - instead, students who want the band to fund their post-secondary education will have to complete an eight-month transition program.

Branching Out
By John Lorinc, University Affairs

A growing number of Canadian universities are setting up "branch plants" and extending their brands as a way of attracting new students in coming years. Many universities of all sizes have come to the conclusion that a good way to find students is to look beyond their own urban boundaries, both to small or remote communities and to fast-growing suburban hubs

Learning With the Stars
By Jennifer Campbell, The Ottawa Citizen

This week, more than 2,600 grade-school students get to cut class and go to university instead. Jennifer Campbell talked to the instructors whose lab-sleuth course is way ahead of CSI - and is almost as popular.

Enrollment in Postsecondary Institutions, Fall 2005; Graduation Rates, 1999 and 2002 Cohorts; and Financial Statistics, Fiscal Year 2005
National Center for Education Statistics

This First Look presents findings from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) spring 2006 data collection, which included four components: Student Financial Aid for full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students for the 2004-05 academic year; Enrollment for fall 2005 and 12-month counts for 2004-05; Graduation Rates for full-time, first-time degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate students beginning college in 1999 at 4-year institutions or in 2002 at less-than-4-year institutions; and Finance for fiscal year 2005.

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.