PrepPoint

Five college myths

anne — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:03:55 +0000

Bernice Napach of the Daily Ticker writes, “Jeff Selingo, editor at large of The Chronicle of Higher Education, and author of College Unbound: The Future of Higher Education and What It Means for Students, says America’s higher education system is broken because the enormous costs don’t justify the results. He appeared on The Daily Ticker special ‘Generation I.O.U.’ event and shared his the biggest myths surrounding college.”

They include:

Myth #1: American colleges are the best in the world
Myth #2: You get what you pay for
Myth #3: Most students graduate in four years
Myth #4: Majors determine your future
Myth #5: Community College is for losers

DragonBox – the game that teaches algebra

anne — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 14:00:15 +0000

Mark Frauenfelder, blogger for boingboing.net, reports, “Matthew Good is the creator of DragonBox+, ‘an educational puzzle game that also secretly teaches you how to do algebra.’ The basic premise is that you must isolate the dragon on one side of the board in order for him to emerge. After each level the dragon will grow a little until he is finally full grown. The game gradually introduces new abilities that mimic algebraic concepts such as elimination, fractions, isolating variables and others without it being obvious.”

Benefits of AP program questioned

anne — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 14:00:52 +0000

Caralee Adams of Edweek.org writes, “More and more high school students are enrolling in Advanced Placement courses with the hope that the experience will better prepare them for college and boost their chances in the application process.

“But an analysis of AP research by a Stanford University faculty member calls into question the consistency of AP courses and blanket claims about the benefits.

“The College Board, meanwhile, strongly defends the program and suggests bias by the researcher.”

ACT survey finds gap on college readiness

anne — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 14:00:17 +0000

Nick Anderson of the Washington Post writes, “Heads up, high schools: Your graduates may not be as ready for college as you think they are.

“New survey results from the ACT assessment organization, made public Wednesday, show a disconnect on the crucial question of college readiness. Eighty-nine percent of high school teachers surveyed said students who finished their classes were well or very well prepared for college work in those subjects.”

College ends free tuition, and an era

anne — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 14:00:15 +0000

Ariel Kaminer, contributor to The New York Times, reports, “The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, which is one of the last tuition-free colleges in the country but has been under severe financial strain, announced on Tuesday that for the first time in more than a century it will charge undergraduates to attend. The decision ends almost two years of roiling debate about an education that was long revered for being ‘free as air and water,’ and stood as the school’s most distinguishing feature, insulating it until now from concerns about the rising cost of a college degree.”

Middle school algebra push yields minimal gains

anne — Thu, 30 May 2013 14:00:42 +0000

Sarah D. Sparks of Edweek.org writes, “Many states are pushing students to take Algebra 1 in middle school to prepare them for advanced math in high school. A new analysis, however, suggests that increased enrollment hasn’t led to higher math performance for states on the National Assessment of Educational Progress.”

Students learning without teachers

anne — Mon, 27 May 2013 14:00:10 +0000

Richard Galant of CNN writes, “What if everything you thought you knew about education was wrong? What if students learn more quickly on their own, working in teams, than in a classroom with a teacher? What if tests and discipline get in the way of the learning process rather than accelerate it?

“Those are the questions Sugata Mitra has been asking since the late 1990s, and for which he was awarded the $1 million TED Prize in February at the TED2013 conference.”

Results are available for the May 4th SAT

anne — Thu, 23 May 2013 08:00:53 +0000

Results from the May 4th SAT are now available online at collegeboard.org.

Six ways schools can game their numbers

anne — Mon, 20 May 2013 14:00:22 +0000

Marian Wang of ProPublica writes, “As college-bound students weigh their options, they often look to the various statistics that universities trumpet — things like the high number of applications, high test scores, and low acceptance rate. But students may want to consider yet another piece of info: the ways in which schools can pump up their stats.

“‘There’s no question about it,’ said David Kalsbeek, senior vice president for enrollment management and marketing at DePaul University, of tactics to boost selectivity. ‘There are ways of inflating a metric to improve perceived measures of quality.’

“Some of these tweaks — such as a more streamlined application — can actually benefit students. Others serve to make the admissions process more confusing.”

The benefits of spring enrollment

anne — Thu, 16 May 2013 14:00:42 +0000

Purvi S. Mody of the Mercury News writes, “Colleges are increasingly offering students a spot in the freshman class starting in the spring semester or winter quarter, rather than the fall. This is a way for schools to offer more positions and at the same time still ensure a quality experience for all its students. It prevents overcrowding in dorms and in classes. It also puts less pressure on the resources offered to students.”