The Week in Review / Educational Policy Institute

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Welcome to the New America

July 11, 2008

Watson Scott Swail, President & CEO, Educational Policy Institute

I did some fact checking this morning, and, as of yesterday, the average gallon of gas in the US cost $4.11. That’s over a dollar higher than a year ago and almost three times the price of regular unleaded in 2003. Even at our previous peak during the Iran crisis in 1979, gas was only $3.41 in equivalent dollars. (SOURCES: http://zfacts.com; www.gasbuddy.com). Our readers in California and other select places will surely notice that their gas rates are much higher: in the range of $4.50 gallon. Only two years ago we were mystified at $70/barrel. The US price on July 3 hit a record $143/barrel, and analysts are predicting $200/barrel by year end.

Of course, gas isn’t the only consumable rising. Basic food staples, such as flour and rice, which held steady for most of the past decade, have risen approximately 70 percent over the past year. Some shoppers may not be noticing the price hit as much, but the astute shopper has certainly noticed that the packaging of most goods, beyond produce, has shrunk significantly over the last year. So, while prices haven’t necessarily changed, the price per unit has—dramatically. READ MORE

The "pay out" of teaching ...

Teachers holding master's degrees earned more than teachers who held a bachelor's degree. For example, the median base salary for teachers with a master's degree was $51,077 per annum in Colorado, while the median base salary for teachers with a bachelor's degree was $36,702.

Source: Pilot Teacher Compensation Survey: SY 2005-2006





	California mandates testing every eighth-grader in algebra—ready or not Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times Every California eighth-grader will be tested in algebra -- ready or not -- under a policy approved Wednesday that could make the state the first in the nation to require an upper-level math class before high school. Department of Education announces new federal guidelines on free and reduced-price school lunches Market News, Wall Street Journal On behalf of Governor Edward G. Rendell, Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak today announced new federal guidelines to determine eligibility for free and reduced-price school meals and free milk. The new guidelines, issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are effective until June 30.	AG approves curriculum for Bible courses April Castro, Houston Chronicle Elective high school Bible courses would be constitutional if taught using the non-specific guidelines adopted by the State Board of Education, Attorney General Greg Abbott said Wednesday. Failure not an option for middle school kids Nirvi Shah, Miami Herald Failing English, math, science or social studies classes in middle school never kept Florida students from moving on to high school in the past. That's not the case anymore. Beginning this fall, a Florida law enacted two years ago will require all students to pass their core subjects in middle school in order to be promoted to the ninth grade.


	Foreign students flock to the US Peter Schworm, Boston Globe The faltering US dollar, which has steadily lost value against major currencies around the world, has produced a silver lining for foreign students, and the American universities that recruit them. With every dip in the exchange rate, the cost of college for many foreign students has dropped in kind, a discount that has contributed to a surge in demand for Boston-area colleges and universities, college administrators, consultants, and higher education specialists say. College officials urged to monitor graduation rate gap Ronald Roach, Diverse Issues in Higher Education A recent report by the Washington, D.C.-based Education Sector brought to light a little-discussed dimension of race and retention analysis. Documenting that there are 62 U.S. colleges and universities where the six-year graduation rates for Black undergraduate students have recently outpaced those of their White peers, the report authored by Education Sector research and policy manager Kevin Carey has pointed out that schools where underrepresented minorities maintain high graduation rates in comparison to Whites place a detailed emphasis on understanding how all of their students are performing. Such colleges and universities “monitor year-to-year change, study the impact of different interventions on student outcomes, break down the numbers among different student populations, and continuously ask themselves how they could improve”.	Gas prices drive students to online courses Jeffrey Young, Chronicle of Higher Education For Christy LaBadie, a sophomore at Northampton Community College, the 30-minute drive from her home to the Bethlehem, Pa., campus has become a financial hardship now that gasoline prices have soared to more than $4 a gallon. So this semester she decided to take an online course to save herself the trip—and the money. Students around the country are echoing Ms. LaBadie's complaint, and online education is booming as a result. Many institutions say their online summer enrollments have jumped significantly, compared with last summer's, and that fuel prices are a key factor in the increase. Freshmen flock to New Orleans Rick Jervis, USA Today As the city struggles to repopulate after Hurricane Katrina, booming numbers of college students are enrolling. Part of the reason: the city's post-Katrina identity as a place to go for young volunteers who want to put a battered community back on track.


	Private schools to churn out more for tertiary education Joy Online (Ghana) Sixty to 80 percent of students in tertiary institutions in the country are products of private schools from the basic level, Mr. Fabian Belieb, the District Director of Education for Asante Akim-South, has said. Singapore, Thailand to expand education co-op Xinhuanet (China) Singapore's Education Ministry said on Wednesday it will expand education cooperation with Thailand. The cooperation areas between the two sides will include vocational and technical education, the teaching of mathematics and science, and the use of information and communication technology (ICT).	New Secularist party shoots for uniform education Gil Hoffman, Jerusalem Post (Israel) Secularist author Yaron Yadan formed a new party last week called Or, which aims to eliminate the separate educational systems and initiate uniform education for the nation's children. Education officials discuss backup plan for JFK students Michele Catahy, KUAM News (Guam) Education officials are discussing options on how the Guam Public School System will accommodate JFK High School students, in light of the preliminary report released on Tuesday that didn't leave them too optimistic about the Tamuning campus opening in time for students in the Fall.


	Most Canadians back boost to education, poll finds Jill Mahoney, Globe & Mail Canadians overwhelmingly favour boosting government funding for public education, according to a new opinion poll released by a teachers' organization. STU professors to teach fewer classes, earn more-report Jennifer Dunville, The Daily Gleaner The long-awaited arbitrator's report on the collective bargaining agreement for full- and part-time faculty at St. Thomas University was released late Friday. Full-time faculty members had their workload decreased from six courses per year to five and will receive a three per cent salary increase annually for the duration of the three-year contract, retroactive to July 2007. Arbitrator Bruce Outhouse agreed to eliminate the lowest pay level for all full-time faculty, but didn't agree to increase levels for mid- and upper-level professors.	MLA looking for ways to reform Saskatchewan’s education property tax Karen Brownlee, Regina Leader-Post It seems many think paying to educate our children has become a burden for property owners in Saskatchewan, but there's no agreement yet on how to provide additional relief and still adequately fund education in this province. That's what Rosetown-Elrose MLA Jim Reiter has heard so far in his review of education property tax. While he is still accepting submissions until Sept. 1, a number of individuals and groups have already put forward their ideas. Centre opening doors to early learning Trail Rossland News Preschool aged children just got a little wider opportunity for early learning, thanks to a recent move by the provincial government that created 99 new StrongStart Learning Centres, nearly doubling the number available.


	Dollars for scholars Annette Sampson, Sydney Morning Herald Eligible families can claim education expenses of up to $750 for each child at primary school and $1500 for each child at secondary school. The refund covers spending on laptops, home computers and associated costs (including repair and running costs and leasing), home internet connections, printers, paper, education software, school textbooks and associated material such as study guides, learning materials and stationery and prescribed trade tools. Boarding school scheme draws Stolen Generations comparisons Australian Broadcasting Corporation One of the aims of the Federal Government's so-called education revolution is to attempt to fix problems in Indigenous communities. A range of alternatives are being explored, including the controversial option of sending children to boarding schools in capital cities. A new program has been established in New South Wales with big business paying the school fees for a group of Aboriginal girls. It's a program based on a successful model that's been running at Sydney's exclusive Saint Joseph's college for more than five years. But critics say it harks back to the days of the Stolen Generations.	Schools to trial merit-based pay Farrah Tomazin, The Age Private school teachers would be eligible for performance bonuses of up to $10,000 under a contentious push to pay staff based on merit, and not just years of service. In a radical move, seven Victorian independent schools are set to trial a new performance-based pay system that would assess teachers through a rigorous set of criteria: from “peer reviews” and leadership roles, to professional development and student improvement through test scores or school surveys. Policy plea on school bullies Damien Brown, The Mercury Dealing with cyber and mobile phone bullies should not be left to individual schools, say teachers. Australian Education Union president Leanne Wright said yesterday the Education Department had to lead.


	Lost in Transition: Building a Better Path from School to College and Careers Southern Regional Education Board Lost in Transition: Building a Better Path from School to College and Careers is a report by the Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) that summarizes the conclusions of 15 state education forums, identifies key barriers and policy issues, and recommends a number of key actions for states to take to improve student transitions from high school to postsecondary studies and careers. Increasing collaboration among school districts and postsecondary education is identified as a key strategy to implement new ways of learning that blend academic and technical studies and create rich opportunities to provide integrated learning experiences.


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.