Arkansas Students' Test Scores Improve, Show Smaller Achievement Gap
John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau

Arkansas students' scores on benchmark exams were higher overall this year than last year, and for the first time the scores show a narrowing of the achievement gap between black students and whites, according to state Education Commissioner Ken James.

College Confidential: Students Learn the Secrets for Getting Accepted
Leslie Brody, The Record

Drew University offers a $545 training camp for high school seniors to-be on how to get into the college of your choice.  Students get instruction on writing personal essays, how to handle an interview, picking a school and dealing with the stress of the application process. 

Students to Get Laptops in High-tech Push
Adrian G. Uribarri, The Los Angeles Times

A new study, offering a rare glimpseat how high school graduation rates compare across state lines, ranks Fairfax and Montgomery counties fifth and sixth, respectively, among the nation's large school districts for percentage of students earning diplomas in four years.

How Hard Can It Be to Teach? The Challenges Go Well Beyond the Classroom
David M. Herszenhorn, The New York Times

The daily work in schools is so hard that most educators in the system do not distinguish between the chancellor’s office and the mayor, the labor unions and state government, the teachers’ contract and the federal No Child Left Behind law when they complain, frequently, that the “system” is against them. Forces above and beyond school level often make the work in classrooms more difficult.

80% of Young Adults Say They Would Choose to Go Back to School Online
eLearners.com, Press Release

Six out of ten Americans say that if they had to go back to school at some point, they'd be interested in doing it online, according to new research released by eLearners.com, the leading resource that specializes in connecting people with online education. What's more interesting is that even the younger generation is more compelled to go online, with 80% of young adults ages 18 - 24 indicating they would be interested in the online route if they wanted to take more courses or get a degree in the future.

Publishers and Students Demonstrate Opposite Views on Textbook Pricing at Capitol Hill Briefing
Lauren Smith, The Chronicle of Higher Education (subscription required)

Congressional staff members pelted publishing-company officials with questions about the high costs of college textbooks and asserted that the publishers did not have students' best interests in mind during a briefing on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

House Passes Overhaul Plan on Student Aid

Diana Jean Schemo, The New York Times

The House on Wednesday approved far-reaching changes in student aid programs, voting to cut $19 billion in federal subsidies to student lenders over five years, while increasing grants for needy students and halving interest rates on federally backed loans with the savings.

Veterans' Tuition Breaks Expand
Mary Beth Marklein and Clair Lorell, USA TODAY

A growing number of states are cutting college tuition for recent veterans in a show of gratitude, but also in some cases to fill gaps in the federal GI Bill.

Report Suggests Steps That Lawmakers and Colleges Can Take to Help the Working Poor
Elyse Ashburn, The Chronicle of Higher Education

A college education is the only ticket out of poverty for many of the country's working poor, but federal policies -- and, in some cases, colleges themselves -- continue to make it difficult for individuals in that group to earn degrees, according to a report scheduled for release today.

UK: Worry Over Girls' Dominance at University
Julie Henry, Sunday Telegraph

The shortage of male undergraduates and the growing dominance of female students in British universities is one of the biggest problems facing higher education, according to university admission tutors.

UK: Secret List of Universities Facing Collapse
Polly Curtis and James Meikle, The Guardian

A secret list of nearly 50 universities and colleges at risk of financial failure has been drawn up by government officials since tuition fees were introduced, the Guardian has learned.

Australia: Fewer Students Learn High Demand Skills
Dorothy Illing, The Australian

The number of students studying chemistry, maths and physics is lower than it was 18 years ago, sparking further warnings about the skills crisis. Overall science enrolments in universities appear to have bottomed out, but in disciplines that feed key areas of workforce demand they are in freefall.

Australia: State Skews Uni Demand, says Bishop
Farrah Tomazin and Adam Morton, The Age

School graduates could be misled into assuming they have little chance of getting into university because of "scaremongering" by state governments.

Early Money Best Way to Get Students a Better Deal
Fazil Mihlar, Vancouver Sun

In a recent study titled "Why are youth from lower-income families less likely to attend university? Evidence from academic abilities, parental influences and financial constraints", author Marc Frenette concludes that only 12 per cent of the gap in university attendance between youth from the top and bottom income quartiles can be attributed to a lack of money.

108 Toronto Schools Open for the Summer
Daniel Girard, The Star

More than 100 Toronto schools in troubled and poverty-stricken neighbourhoods are opening their doors beginning today, offering youths a range of programs from sports and arts, to leadership and job searches.

Canadian Undergraduate Survey Finds First Year University Students are Career Focused and Satisfied with their University Experience
CNW, Press Release

More than 12,600 Canadian first-year students recently completed the Canadian Undergraduate Survey Consortium 2007 Survey of First Year Students survey. The results profile the typical 1st year Canadian undergraduate student - how they are adapting to university, financing their education, motivation for attending university, why they chose their university and their experience during their first year of studies.

A Taste of College Life
Ann Buller, The Toronto Sun

High school students are now able to study in a "dual credit" program at Centennial College that allows students to take college courses as part of their high school program. This unique program offers students exposure to the adult environment on college campuses and also to college faculty who can help to reignite interest in education and training.

Balancing Acts: How High School Counselors View Risks and Opportunities of Student Loans
NACAC

A joint report issued by NACAC and the Project on Student Debt highlights counselor opinions about student loans. High school counselors say debt worries affect college choices; Student loans support access, but present challenges to families.

Sustaining Science: University Science in the Twenty-First Century
Australian Council of Deans of Science

A report, entitled Sustaining Science: University Science in the Twenty-First Century , commissioned by the Australian Council of Deans of Science and written by the Educational Policy Institute's Australian chief Ian Dobson was released this week. The report shows that although the declining in participation in the enabling sciences has bottomed out this century, the proportion of university students taking physics had dropped to one-third what it had been in 1989. The proportion of students enrolling in chemistry and mathematics had dropped was now about half what it had been in 1989.

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.