Average writing score in the US:   Basic

Average writing scores were higher in 2007 for both eighth- and twelfth-graders nationally than in previous assessments in 2002 and 1998, based on the new 2007 NAEP Writing data. Increases were also seen since 2002 in percentages of students performing at or above the Basic achievement level but not at or above Proficient. The writing score increased by an average of 4 points for both grade levels with an 85% increase in students performing at or above the Basic  level.

Source: The Nation's Report Card: Writing 2007

U.S. to require states to use a single school dropout formula
Sam Dillon, New York Times

Moving to sweep away the tangle of inaccurate state data that has obscured the severity of the nation’s high school dropout crisis, Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings will require all states to use one federal formula to calculate graduation and dropout rates, Bush administration officials said on Monday (033108).

Exam cheating goes high tech, but causes are nothing new
Carla Rivera, Los Angeles Times

A 2006 national survey found that more than 60% of high school students said they had cheated on a test, and the number of self-admitted cheaters has steadily risen over the years.

Disabled students required to pass exit exam
Nanette Asimov, San Francisco Chronicle

‘Crisis’ graduation gap found between cities, suburbs
Greg Toppo, USA Today

The likelihood that a ninth-grader in one of the nation's biggest cities will clutch a diploma four years later amounts to a coin toss — not much better than a 50-50 chance, new research finds.

Boosting GI Bill benefits may hit military snag
Dennis Camire, USA Today

Virginia Senator Jim Webb's bill, now backed by 51 senators of both parties, as well as most veterans' organizations, would boost the education benefit for service members who have been on active duty since Sept. 11, 2001, including those in the National Guard and Reserves.

Americans split on government control of tuition
Jeffrey Selingo, Chronicle of Higher Education

While Americans are clearly worried about college costs, one finding in the survey captures how conflicted they are about the issue. When asked if the federal government should have a role in controlling tuition at public and private colleges, the results were almost evenly split: 51 percent said yes, 49 percent no.

Elite colleges reporting record lows in admission
Alan Finder, New York Times

The already crazed competition for admission to the nation’s most prestigious universities and colleges became even more intense this year, with many logging record low acceptance rates.

St. Petersburg College may be Florida’s new model
Ron Matus, St. Petersburg Times

Under a potentially sweeping plan gaining steam in the Legislature, more community colleges could start offering bachelor's degrees to students like Valentine. And if they do, they'll be using St. Petersburg College as the model.

Western colleges find school mates in India
Indrajit Basu, Asia Times (South Asia)

Documenting China’s higher ed explosion
Doug Lederman, Inside Higher Ed

A new study by economists at universities in Canada, New Zealand and China aims to document what its title calls “the higher educational transformation of China and its global implications,” collecting in one place statistics and other information about enrollments, demographic changes, numbers of colleges and faculty publishing, among other categories.

Schools breaching admissions code
BBC News

Almost one in six schools checked by an official inquiry are breaking the code on admissions, ministers have said. Of the 96 schools in three areas found to be breaking the rules, six asked parents to make financial commitments as part of the admissions process.

2,100 students taking part in assessment tests
Gulf Times (Qatar)

Over 2,100 15-year old students from 70 schools comprising Ministry of Education, private Arabic, international and the Independent Schools are currently participating in the pilot tests for the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), the Evaluation Institute has said.

Ethnic-education issues goes to vote
James Bradshaw, Globe and Mail

For Portuguese Canadians, holding the dubious distinction of Toronto’s highest dropout rate is nothing new. Portuguese community leaders are anxiously awaiting verdict of a Toronto District school board vote on a series of motions aimed at addressing high dropout rates among students from several linguistic groups by tailoring programs to their needs.

Universities welcome ‘first step’
Kristen Lipscombe, Chronicle Herald (Nova Scotia)

The provincial government’s promise to provide $25 million for post-secondary school infrastructure over the next three years “is an excellent start,” the chairman of the Council of Nova Scotia University Presidents said Tuesday (040108).

Homework relief urged
Daniela Simunac, London Free Press

Kids -- and their parents -- who feel bogged down by school homework may have lighter loads in sight. Ontario's education minister said yesterday school boards should review their homework policy to ensure kids aren't overloaded.

Government injects indigenous program with much-needed funding
Cynthia Reason, Etobicoke Guardian

The future of a partnership between Humber College and the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI) has been assured in the short-term thanks to a one-time, $1.5 million investment by the Ontario government announced this week.

Poor miss out on ‘elite’ tertiary places
Matthew Franklin, The Age

Speaking at a higher education forum in Sydney, Deputy Prime Minister Julia Gillard stated that the participation rate of students from lower socio-economic backgrounds fell from 15.1 per cent to 14.6 per cent between 2001 and 2006, despite the groups making up about 25per cent of the population. In the same period, participation by students from rural and regional areas fell from 19 per cent to 18 per cent. Students from those areas were also less likely than those in cities to complete Year 12.

Teachers warn of rallies
Lucy Hood, Adelaide Advertiser

State school teachers will rally against the State Government over a failure to meet their demands for a drastic reduction in class sizes, increased maternity leave, and better wages. More than 13,000 teachers, preschool and TAFE staff are organizing protests across the state next month as part of an industrial action plan which could include strikes.

A different class: The digital age is changing teaching
Lia Timson, Sydney Morning Herald

Now students will be able to produce work at school, access it from home and share their reports with parents, who will also have electronic contact with teachers. The $66-million interactive whiteboard strategy will connect classrooms across the state and provide subjects not previously available at some schools because of the small number of students. Combined with video conferencing, internet access and notebooks, the boards will allow students to interact with experts in other locations and conduct online “field trips”.

Two new selective schools to target brightest students
Farrah Tomazin, The Age

Schools across Melbourne will lose some of their best and brightest students under contentious State Government plans for two more academically selective schools in the outer suburbs.

The Nation’s Report Card: Writing 2007
National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

This report presents the results of the 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing assessment. It was administered to a nationally representative sample of more than 165,000 eighth- and twelfth-graders from public and private schools. In addition to national results, the report includes state and urban district results for grade 8 public school students. To measure their writing skills, the assessment engaged students in narrative, informative, and persuasive writing tasks. NAEP presents the writing results as scale scores and achievement-level percentages. Results are also reported for student performance by various demographic characteristics such as race/ethnicity, gender, and eligibility for the National School Lunch Program. The 2007 national results are compared with results from the 2002 and 1998 assessments.

DOWNLOAD AND VIEW REPORT HERE

Overcoming Obstacles, Optimizing Opportunities: State Policies to Increase Postsecondary Attainment for Low-Skilled Adults
Center for Law and Social Policy

DOWNLOAD AND VIEW PDF HERE

Report: Cities in Crisis
America’s Promise Alliance

A report released earlier this week by the America’s Promise Alliance shows that in 17 of America’s 50 largest cities, less than half of the students who entered high school in 2003 ended up graduating in four years. In Detroit, which has the lowest graduation rate of the top 50 cities, less than one-quarter of students finished high school in four years.  Officials link lagging high-school graduation rates and poor college preparation to America’s economic health.

DOWNLOAD AND VIEW 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.