More Students Finish School, Given the Time
Jennifer Medina, NY Times
Faced with 70,000 students or more who are years behind in obtaining the credits needed to graduate from high school, New York City is at the forefront of a movement to recognize that for a significant number, high school might stretch into five, six, even seven years.

A Successful Plan for Racial Balance Now Finds Its Future Uncertain
Joseph Berger, NY Times
The Supreme Court rejected school assignment plans in Louisville and Seattle that, like the one in White Plains, are also based explicitly on race. And there are fears that should a court turn down White Plains’s plan in the future, white families may abandon some of the neighborhood schools. That is not a fear restricted to White Plains, as dozens of other cities are having to reconsider similar plans.

View of Merit Pay Shifting
Associated Press
The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers oppose linking a teacher's paycheck to how well their students do on tests. But that is not stopping Rob Weil, the AFT's deputy director of educational issues, from helping local unions hammer out contracts that include new merit-pay plans.

States Hard-Pressed to Set Aside Title I Aid for NCLB Help, Group Says
Alyson Klein, Education Week
According to the Center on Education Policy, a majority of states won’t be able to put aside enough federal Title I funding to help schools struggling to meet the goals of the No Child Left Behind Act in the 2007-08 school year. The 5½-year-old federal law requires states to reserve 4 percent of their Title I aid for grants to districts to help schools that continually fail to meet the law’s achievement targets. (Subscription Required)

U.S. Sued Over Teacher Credentials
Joel Rubin, LA Times
A coalition of California schools advocates and parents sued the federal government's Department of Education on Tuesday, claiming it is violating the teacher quality provisions of the No Child Left Behind education law.  The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, is thought to be the first of its kind in the country and, if successful, could affect more than 10,000 teachers-in-training now working in California classrooms.

A Ranking That Would Matter
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
An analysis suggests that there is not a direct relationship between the general reputation of a department and its success at placing new Ph.D.’s; some programs far exceed their reputation when it comes to placing new Ph.D.’s while others lag. The analysis may provide new evidence for the “halo effect” in which many experts worry that general (and sometimes outdated) institutional reputations cloud the judgment of those asked to fill out surveys on departmental quality.

Going to College Part Time Has Perks and Perils
Jackie Mantey, US News & World Report
More people are recognizing the need of a college education, but are being faced with the complexities that often come along with obtaining that education.  To deal with these obstacles some students choose to attend part time, and share the pros and cons of their decision.

Course Shopping and Its Meaning
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
A practice known as course shopping is gaining a lot of attention.  While a new Texas law sets limits on how much adding and dropping students at public colleges can engage in, a new study attempts to address the extent to which students engage in course shopping and why.

California Dream of Free College Wilts under Fiscal Pressure
Michelle Locke, Associated Press
California's come a long way from its 1960 goal of free college for all its residents. Technically, in-state students admitted to the prestigious 10-campus system still pay zero tuition. But assorted fees that once were minimal are creeping up, which some consider a costly mistake.

University 'Non-Courses' Attacked
BBC News
Hundreds of university "non-courses" should be abolished as a waste of public money, a group campaigning for lower taxes has said.  A report from the Taxpayers' Alliance highlighted 401 such courses starting this autumn in the UK, which it said cost £40m a year to run.

Can Technology Save Africa?
Alexandra Polier, Newsweek
As Africa strives to pull itself out of grinding poverty, countries are looking to technology to give them a leg up in the race for quality education. New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has an “e-schools” initiative that aims to wire all 600,000 African high schools.

U of T Tackled on Student Fee Hike
Daniel Girard, TheStar.com
Saying it's all about the principle rather than the money, two student groups are seeking a legal remedy to force the University of Toronto to roll back an increase in athletic fees and refund any funds already collected.

Year after Attack, Dawson College's Enrolment Rises
Brenda Branswell, The Gazette
The fall semester has started this week, and Dawson College faced the greatest number of applications in its history - up 9.5 per cent over last year - and the highest and fastest confirmation rate from new applicants offered admission to the college.

Beazley Signs on to US Studies Centre
Bernard Lane, The Australian
Kim Beazley - history buff, stalwart supporter of the US alliance and one-time Labor leader - will serve on the board of the new United States Studies Centre. “I thought always that there was a gap in Australian academic study and hopefully this (centre) will fill it,” says Mr. Beazley.

Foreign Students Transform City
Milanda Rout, The Australian
Foreign university students are transforming Melbourne - and delivering economic benefits to rival the city's tourism industry.The city's eight universities not only produce 56,000 graduates a year and employ 22,500 staff, but have an annual turnover of $4 billion and lead to the creation of dozens of businesses.

Are Universities Sheltered Workshops?
Gavin Moodie, The Australian
Two sides of the debate over university salaries are presented. Is university faculty being overworked and underpaid or are they already being overcompensated?

Hi-Tech Research Outpaces Law
Bernard Lane, The Australian
Researchers riding the wave of hi-tech collaboration may leave lawyers and policymakers in their wake, commentators have warned following what is believed to be the first survey of legal issues raised by e-research.

NACAC-Project on Student Debt Report Amplifies Counselors’ Voices in Student Loan Discussion
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.
To download the full report click here.

Comparative Indicators of Education in the United States and Other G-8 Countries: 2006
A new report from the National Center for Education Statistics compares education in the United States with the other G-8 countries. Twenty indicators are organized in five sections: (1) population and school enrollment; (2) academic performance; (3) context for learning; (4) expenditure for education; and (5) education returns: educational attainment and income.
To access the full report click here.

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.