This article from The Post Standard, located in Syracuse, NY details the rise in applicants and enrolled students in community colleges. Many students cite the low cost of tuition, quality classes and athletic programs as a few of the many reasons they choose to initially attend a community college over 4 year colleges and universities. This situation is a common one across the country as many students are choosing to complete two years at a community college and transfer their credits to a four year school in order to safe money and discover their academic interests.

This article describes the growing amount of applicants to the military academies including West Point, the Naval Academy and the Air Force academy. Officials at these institutions claim increased marketing and advertising campaigns, the declining rate of casualities abroad and the economy as top reasons why applications are at their highest since 1988. All three institutions are also citing a more diverse pool of minorities as applicants as well. Other colleges and universities are also seeing this trend as well, as state schools and ivy league institutions are seeing more applicants than in years past due to more financial aid being available for incoming and current students.

This New York Times article describes how several colleges and universities around the nation are minimizing costs due to the current economic crisis. Schools like Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania and Bryn Mawr College are holding virtual swim meets to save on travel expenses, while other schools are cutting custodial and other staff positions in an effort to save money. Giving students the opportunity to gain work experience by taking on professional staff positions has saved Rhodes College almost $750,000. Although many schools are doing their part to save money, in several cases it has turned out to be beneficial for students and has eliminated unnecessary costs and expenses for many colleges and universities.

This New York Times article describes the business idea of three Harvard alums who have partnered together to offer a different type of loan services, Unithrive, to current Harvard students. Just launched a few months ago, Unithrive aims to link Harvard alumni whith current students who need extra help in paying for school or other outside activities such as test preparation for the GRE or MCAT as well as funding for abroad travel. The article further describes this business venture which offers interest-free loans up to $2,000 for currently enrolled students. The main goal of this program is to link alumni with students and serve as another way alumni can keep involved with the school and get to know students on a more personal level.

After writing my wikipedia article on cramming, I thought this article illustrated the differences of American and Chinese schooling very accurately. This article describes the gao kao, or high test, that serves as the only enterence method into Chinese universities. Many students study upwards of 16 hours a day in preparation for this exam, which lasts 9 hours and is only given once a year. The article also demonstrates the key differences in educational theory and questions whether memorization is an effective learning tool.

This article describes the movement many students and government officials would like to see take place - a financial bailout for students by means of forgiving student loans. The average student debt after attending a 4 year college or university is roughly $20,000, and many recent graduates are struggling to repay their loans after facing a difficult economy…many being forced to take unpaid internships or low paying full-time employment. The article further describes the government bailout made for the banking and automotive industry, and argues that forgiving the U.S. student loan debt would be much less of a financial commitment with much higher payoffs in terms of educated employment. 2 out of every 3 students need financial assistance to attend college, and the continually rising costs of tuition is crippling many students and their families.

Reed College, a private institution of higher education located in Portland, Oregon has been forced to change how they accept potential students for the 2010-2011 school year. Financial aid is running out, and the college has faced the difficult decision of admitting students who can only afford attending the school without help from additional funds. Faced with a decreasing endowment, the college is looking at other means of cutting costs without drastically changing the schools' academic mission. Admitting students who are financially secure dramatically changes the student body of Reed College. The article further describes the financial hardship this school is facing, such as submitting to hiring and salary freezes among other cost-cutting measures.

This article describes in detail the difficulties many colleges are facing in regards to their athletic programs. In light of student activity, academic, and other university fee increases, many students are reluctant to approve increases to keep varsity sport programs afloat. Although the reasoning is justified, maintaining athletic programs is vital to the operation of many universities, especially when sport teams are generally considered the most visible entity a school has to promote their academic mission. The article also mentions the involvement of the NCAA and their lack of research and assistance when it comes to monetary issues for member institutions, especially with schools which lack a football program.

This articles describes a "dream team" of teachers coming together to form a small charter school in the Washington Heights neighborhood of New York City. Making six-figure salaries and hailing from various walks of life all over the nation, the aim of this school is to prove that teachers hold the key in improving individual student performance and instilling a thirst for knowledge in pupils. The school will cater to low performing students mostly of low-income Hispanic families, and the teachers will have additional responsibilities on top of being in the classroom.

The benefits of afterschool programs are discussed in this article, including funding issues and risks for younger students who are unsupervised between the end of school and when their parents get home from work. Although the benefits of afterschool programs are widely known, many parents choose not to enroll their children in these programs for various reasons.

More and more colleges are looking at the option of providing students with three year degrees in order to save time and money for those who know exactly what they want to study. Although several schools across the nation have pondered the idea and others offer 3-year degrees, many enrolled students are opting to stay for an extra year for social and academic reasons.

A Montogomery County school has produced literature aptely named "Seven Keys to College Readiness".... which begins from performance in kindergarden. This brochure is aimed to provide information for parents who may or may not know the steps and milestones their children should be making en route to a college degree.

Incredibly interesting article about the use of technology and how it can positively and negatively effect learning. As stated in our discussions earlier this week, the use of technology can - at times - undermine the real classroom experience. In the case of sites which are explained in this article, I think it highlights the need and importance of 'real' classroom learning to help with questions and curb cheating.

Keeping in trend with the current economic status, New York City schools are facing a 5% budget cut that will most likely effect much-needed after school and weekend programs. Although budgeting for the upcoming year has aided the children of low income families, it's still heartbreaking to see that these programs will be cut in favor of saving money... especially when they are probably the most important and needed.

In addition to the discussion we were having about marketable majors and careers, I find this article about financial professionals transitioning into teaching incredibly interesting. This article details a program called "Traders to Teachers", a grant that is federally funded that allows professionals with extensive experiences in financial fields to transition into math teachers in secondary schools. In addition to helping ease the need for mathematics teachers, this also sends a great message to students about future careers and puts emphasis on having strong math skills.

Opinion article on President Obama's plan to fund an early childhood education program. Although biased, the author provides a fact-based argument about the costs of starting such a program in the U.S. Aimed to increase the intelluctual abilies of young children, this program would fund a pre-K education for kids across the nation.