With Turnover High, Schools Fight for Teachers
Sam Dillon, NY Times
The retirement of thousands of baby boomer teachers coupled with the departure of younger teachers frustrated by the stress of working in low-performing schools is fueling a crisis in teacher turnover that is costing school districts substantial amounts of money as they scramble to fill their ranks for the fall term.

Changes Proposed for Education Law
NY Times
President Bush’s signature education law, No Child Left Behind, may be changed to elevate other criteria and exclude results for some non-native speakers of English, legislators said. States would be able to develop assessments of progress, and tests would go beyond English and math to include history and science, according to a proposal on the House education committee’s Web site.

Average Scores on SAT Dropped Again This Year, College Board Says
Eric Hoover, The Chronicle of Higher Education
The nonprofit group that owns the SAT announced today that the average combined scores on the exam’s mathematics and critical-reading sections for the high-school class that graduated in 2007 declined by four points from the previous year, to its lowest level in nearly a decade.

Officials in New Jersey Report a Slight Increase in Violence in the Public Schools
Winnie Hu, NY Times
New Jersey’s 2,400 public schools reported a slight increase in violence, vandalism and substance use problems in 2005-6 from the previous school year, in part because of more instances of harassment, bullying and threats, state education officials announced.

Schools May Adjust Their Loan Programs
The Tennessean
Some Tennessee colleges are changing the way they match students to lenders under pressure from federal education officials. The move could help Tennessee students wade through the confusing student loan industry, in which lenders offer slight variations such as fee waivers and rebates for on-time payments.

Second Thoughts on Admissions Reform
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
The National Association for College Admission Counseling voted to bar member colleges from admitting students to institutions and setting application deadlines early in students’ senior years in high school. The move followed more than a year of study by the association and reports that more colleges were engaged in what some called “early early decision” in ways that critics feared put undue pressure on high school students too early in the process.

Sixty-one College Presidents Agree Not to Complete U.S. News Survey
Heather Zimar,
More than 60 college presidents have signed a letter agreeing to disengage from the U.S. New & World Report’s rankings. The presidents who sign agree not to complete the U.S. News reputational survey and not to mention their institutions’ rankings in their promotional literature. The letter also asks presidents to participate in efforts to find alternatives to current ranking practices.

Political Engagement 101
Scott Jaschik, Inside Higher Ed
Research that will be presented this week at the American Political Science Association’s annual meeting suggests that political engagement can be taught. In a project led by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, researchers identified a series of courses that mixed more traditional political science education with participatory politics.

Gender Gap Opens Over University
Press Association
Nearly twice as many teenage boys as girls say they are unlikely to go to university, the research found. The Ipsos Mori survey of 2,400 11 to 16-year-olds in England and Wales found among girls, 76% said they were likely to go on to higher education, compared to only 67% of boys.

Plan for 'Easier' Science Exams
BBC News
Exam boards in England are planning to put more simple questions in science papers. A document seen by the newspaper says that from next year, some papers should consist of 70% "low demand" questions, instead of the current level of 55%.

More Need-Based Student Aid Urged
Elizabeth Church, The Globe and Mail
An increasing proportion of financial aid for postsecondary education is going to all students, rather than to those who need it most, says a new study from university and college administrators that calls for a reversal of the trend.

BACK TO SCHOOL BACK TO DEBT: ONTARIO STUDENTS PROPOSE SOLUTIONS FOR GAPS IN FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE IN ONTARIO
Ontario Undergraduate Student Alliance
Ontario students are asking the provincial government to implement sensible, educated solutions to address the existing gaps in the financial assistance system. The policy recommendations stemming from a previously released OUSA report are aimed at improving access for all willing and qualified students.

No Focus on 'Real' Education Problems
Justine Ferrari, The Australian
The Australian Council of Deans of Science yesterday accused the federal Government of concentrating on marginal issues in education, such as performance pay for teachers, rather than addressing major problems with school science courses and a shortage of qualified teachers.

Rules for Research Updated
Bernard Lane, The Australian
Universities could be asked to co-operate with a new national tribunal to deal with misconduct by researchers.Today the National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Universities Australia release an updated national code for the responsible conduct of research.

Pressure on PhDs to Meet Grade
Bernard Lane, The Australian
Students may have to defend their PhD theses orally and examiner panels could be audited for quality under reforms being considered by elite universities. The come amid claims that the once respected qualification lacks relevance, suffers from dubious quality and gives candidates false hope of employment.

Unis Not Prepared for RQF Just Yet
Brendan O'Keefe, The Australian
Universities want the introduction of the research quality framework postponed for a year, arguing they can't get the necessary information technology system in place in time because of delays by the federal Government in finalising the RQF rules.

EPI Canada Releases New Report Documenting Student Aid in Canada
 The Educational Policy Institute released a report outlining changes in the Canadian student financial assistance system over the past 15 years. “The End of Need-Based Student Financial Aid in Canada?” – commissioned by the Canadian Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators - examines the most recent net tuition prices, explores recent student aid policy decisions in each jurisdiction, identifies what target groups (if any) are identified to receive aid and catalogues what students actually benefit. Find the Full Report Here

Demography is not Destiny
This study examines the institutional characteristics, practices, and policies that might account for differences in retention and graduation rates among large public colleges and universities that serve high numbers of low-income students. Find the Full Report 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.