Naptime, wooden blocks, and finger paint have returned to Capitol Hill as politicians debate the fate of Head Start – a kindergarten readiness program that targets children from low-income families. Due to sequester spending cuts, 70,000 young children will be denied access to Head Start. Additionally, 14,000 staff members will lose their jobs, causing an … Continue reading »
I recently heard a quote that went a something like this: You can’t come up with the solution, unless you understand the true nature of the problem. This quote practically sums up the current state of the American education system. There are competing views on how our educational system should be run and what is … Continue reading »
If you have been following my previous posts you know how important STEM education has become in the United States. I had also written about the importance of getting the private sector involved in American schools, even using the Brooklyn P-Tech School as an excellent example of how a local Brooklyn school partnered with IBM. … Continue reading »
With the looming threat of interest rates doubling on future subsidized Stafford loans (a loan where the federal government pays the interest during the student’s college tenure) from its current 3.4% to 6.8% has resulted in a debate on how interest rates on federally financed loans should be determined. With the expiration of a one … Continue reading »
The issue many local school districts and states are now being faced with is whether or not to include student achievement/performance in their respective teacher evaluation programs. Proponents for using student achievement as a teacher evaluation measure, rightfully contend that the new measure will help districts better evaluate their teachers, as well as locate areas … Continue reading »
In his State of the Union Address, President Obama addressed improving the educational standards for American students from preschool to higher education. Analyzing the President’s actions during his first term illustrates that the Obama administration’s main belief is that the federal government needs to get involved in the education of all American students. So it … Continue reading »
Attending the U.S. Senate Commission on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) helped to illustrate certain key points about current Elementary and Secondary Education Act flexibility waivers. One point is that due to the inability of Congress to reauthorize No Child Left Behind (NCLB), states have had to turn to the federal government to seek … Continue reading »
By Andy Garcia There is a discrepancy in what Hispanics say and what they actually end up doing. For example, more than half of all Hispanics said they consider themselves to be “somewhat or very conservative.” However, we now know that 70% voted for a liberal candidate in the 2012 election. But today, I don’t … Continue reading »
As another National School Choice week draws to a close, the underlying theme of elementary and secondary school choice resonates throughout the goal of the week. However, another question of choice is all too often left unexplored. Why are academically successful low-income students in America choosing not to apply to selective higher educational institutions? Lower … Continue reading »
By Joel Chapman In a recent report published by the New York Federal Reserve Bank, student debt in America now totals $956 billion in outstanding loans. Consequently, the delinquency rate on student loans in 2012 was higher than any other type of consumer loan, which includes credit cards or auto loans. In the same year, … Continue reading »
