Policy & Reform

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

Get Ready to Save With Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekends

As summer winds down, families across the country are gearing up for the start of a new school year. This year, don’t miss out on the opportunity to save big during back-to-school tax-free weekends. These special events can save parents a bundle on school supplies, clothing, and other essentials for their children’s education.

What are Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekends?

Back-to-school tax-free weekends are statewide events that temporarily suspend sales tax on eligible items related to education. They typically occur in late July or early August and are designed to help families save money as they prepare for the new school year. The specific dates and details of these tax-free holidays may vary depending on your state, so be sure to research your local regulations before making purchases.

Which Items Are Eligible for Tax-Free Savings?

The list of tax-free items may vary from state to state, but most commonly include:

1. Clothing: A majority of states offer tax-free savings on clothing items priced under a certain threshold (usually between $50 and $100). This can include uniforms, shoes, belts, and even some sports equipment.

2. School Supplies: Notebooks, binders, pencils, pens, calculators, and other classroom essentials are usually included in back-to-school tax-free events.

3. Computers and Electronics: Many states offer tax-free deals on computers, laptops, tablets, and even printers specifically for educational use.

4. Books: Some states extend their tax-free offers to include books purchased for educational purposes.

Tips for Making the Most of Your Back-to-School Tax-Free Weekend

1. Prepare a List: Before hitting the stores, create a list of everything your child will need for the upcoming school year. This will help you stay organized and ensure you don’t miss any essential items during your shopping spree.

2. Do Your Research: Find out the specific dates and times of your state’s back-to-school tax-free event by checking the official state website or local news sources. Be sure to note which items qualify for tax-free savings and any price restrictions that may apply.

3. Shop Early: Tax-free weekends can attract large crowds, leading to shortages in supplies and popular items. Start shopping early in the day to give yourself the best chance of finding everything on your list.

4. Compare Prices: Don’t assume that a tax-free weekend will automatically offer you the best deal on your purchases. Compare prices at different stores to ensure you’re getting the most for your money.

5. Shop Online: Some states extend their tax-free weekends to include online sales, allowing you to avoid crowded stores and score deals from the comfort of your own home.

A back-to-school tax-free weekend can be a lifesaver for parents working within a budget, so mark your calendars and prepare for a successful shopping excursion this summer!

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

How Much Does a Later School Start Time Help—or Hurt?

In recent years, there has been much debate over the impact of later school start times on students’ health, academic performance, and overall well-being. Advocates argue that a delayed start allows for more sleep and reduces stress, while opponents claim it disrupts schedules and can hinder student progress. This article explores the pros and cons of a later school start time and examines whether it truly offers significant benefits or detriments.

Pros of Later School Start Times:

1. Improved Sleep Quality: Research suggests that adolescents require at least 8-10 hours of sleep to maintain optimal physical and mental health. Unfortunately, early school start times often force students to wake up before their natural biological clocks are ready. Delaying the school day may allow for more restorative sleep, reducing fatigue and boosting cognitive function.

2. Enhanced Academic Performance: Numerous studies have linked adequate sleep with better attention spans, memory retention, decision-making skills, and overall cognitive abilities—all key factors in academic success. A later start time may thus lead to improved academic performance and higher test scores.

3. Reduced Stress: Insufficient sleep can contribute to stress and anxiety among students who already face immense pressure to succeed academically. Allowing teenagers to follow their natural sleep patterns may lead to enhanced mood, lower stress levels, and improved mental health.

4. Increased Attendance & Reduced Tardiness: When students are well-rested, they are more likely to attend classes regularly and arrive on time. This reduces absenteeism and tardiness rates—both key factors influencing overall school success.

5. Fewer Accidents: Drowsy driving is a leading cause of accidents among teenage drivers. Later start times can help reduce fatigue-related crashes by granting additional sleep time for adolescents.

Cons of Later School Start Times:

1. Impact on Extracurricular Activities: Delaying the school day may force various extracurricular activities, such as sports and clubs, to take place later in the day, reducing the time for afterschool jobs and family responsibilities.

2. Disruptions to Parent Schedules: Parents may experience difficulties adjusting their work schedules to accommodate later start times, potentially leading to conflicts or loss of income.

3. Transportation Challenges: Later start times may require school districts to reorganize bus routes and schedules, potentially increasing transportation costs.

4. Heterogeneity of Results: While many students clearly benefit from additional sleep, some may experience negligible improvements in academic performance or well-being due to individual differences in sleep needs and habits.

5. Risk of Shifting Sleep Patterns: Delaying school start times might encourage students to stay up later at night, negating potential benefits of a delayed school schedule.

In conclusion, the impact of later school start times on students’ health, academic performance, and well-being is complex and multifaceted. While there are clear advantages to providing more sleep time for adolescents, potential drawbacks must be carefully weighed against these benefits. Ultimately, a community-driven approach that considers the unique needs and resources of each school district could offer the most effective solution for balancing student well-being with practical considerations.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

How Will Trump’s New Tax Code Impact Your Finances?

Introduction:

In December 2017, President Donald Trump signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), bringing with it some of the most comprehensive changes to the U.S. tax code in decades. Now that we’ve had time to see these changes in action, it is crucial to understand how they impact your personal finances and how you should prepare for their continuing effects.

1. Changes in Income Tax Brackets:

The TCJA maintains the seven income tax brackets but lowers the rates for most brackets. The new rates range from 10% to 37%, with top earners seeing reduced rates from pre-2018 levels. However, these reductions are set to expire after 2025, meaning that taxpayers will need to keep an eye on any upcoming legislative changes.

2. Increase on Standard Deductions and Elimination of Personal Exemptions:

The TCJA nearly doubles the standard deduction for individuals and married couples, effectively simplifying the filing process for many taxpayers. However, personal exemptions have been eliminated. In some cases, this may result in lower overall deductions for taxpayers with larger families, potentially increasing their tax liability.

3. Changes to Itemized Deductions:

Many itemized deductions have undergone significant changes under the TCJA. For instance, state and local tax (SALT) deductions are now capped at $10,000, mortgage interest deductions are limited to loans of $750,000 or less, and home equity loan interest is no longer deductible unless used to buy or improve a home.

4. Expansion of Child Tax Credit:

The TCJA has doubled the child tax credit amount from $1,000 to $2,000 per qualifying child under 17 years old while also increasing the income limits for claiming this credit. This expansion provides additional relief for families with children that were affected by the elimination of personal exemptions.

5. Changes for Self-Employed and Small Business Owners:

The TCJA introduces a new 20% Qualified Business Income QBI) deduction, which allows self-employed and small business owners to deduct up to 20% of their business income. This change can significantly reduce the tax burden for eligible taxpayers, though there are limitations based on income level and the type of business.

Conclusion:

While some individuals may benefit from these changes in the short term, it is important to remember that many of its provisions are set to expire at various dates in the future. Taxpayers should stay informed about any potential future legislative changes and consider consulting with a tax professional to ensure they are taking advantage of available deductions and credits. By staying proactive with tax planning, taxpayers can better prepare for how the new tax code will impact their finances in both short and long-term scenarios.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform

Undocumented students can now get in-state tuition in Massachusetts

The state of Massachusetts has recently made a significant change in their higher education policies, allowing undocumented students to be eligible for in-state tuition. This decision not only paves the way for better educational opportunities but also serves as a move towards educational equality for all residents, irrespective of their documentation status.

For years, undocumented students have faced unique challenges and barriers when pursuing higher education. High tuition rates often forced these students to discontinue their education or attend community colleges rather than four-year institutions. As a result, they were left with limited professional prospects and a narrower range of opportunities for growth.

The Massachusetts decision to grant in-state tuition to undocumented students is expected to have a considerable impact on their lives and future prospects. It will encourage more individuals to pursue higher education and empower them through knowledge and skills that can improve their socioeconomic conditions.

This policy change comes in response to years of advocacy by individuals, organizations, and educational institutions who understand the importance of investing in every student’s future. This inclusionary measure sends a strong message that undocumented students deserve equal access to affordable education.

Furthermore, this change has the potential to create a ripple effect across the nation. Other states may follow suit by implementing similar policies, which may result in increased college enrollment among undocumented youth. Consequently, it could lead to an improvement in the nation’s overall educational rankings and diversify its workforce.

Undocumented students often exhibit high levels of motivation and resilience due to facing adversity in their personal lives or being held back by legal restrictions. By enabling access to affordable higher education, Massachusetts is showing the country what inclusiveness looks like while providing these students with tools necessary for success in today’s competitive environment.

In conclusion, Massachusetts’ groundbreaking policy change allowing undocumented students to receive in-state tuition rates is a crucial step toward breaking down barriers that have long prevented this talented population from reaching their full potential. As we strive for a more diverse and educated workforce, it is essential to embrace policies like these that promote opportunity and inclusiveness for all. Other states should be encouraged to follow the example set by Massachusetts in ensuring educational equality throughout the nation.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Higher Education, Policy & Reform

What Will Obama’s Legacy be when it Comes to Diversity on College Campuses?

With less than two years left in office, President Barack Obama still has a lofty agenda when it comes to education in America. From supporting wider access to universal Pre-K all the way up to a proposal for two free years of community college for everyone, President Obama has taken an immersive approach to education that challenges the status quo. When it is all said and done, what will President Obama’s college diversity legacy look like?

More people of color in college leadership positions

Though he has not introduced any official legislation that demands more people of color in leadership spots, the President’s mere presence in the nation’s highest position has paved the way for others to step up in their own industries. I predict a steep rise in minority faculty members, deans and college presidents in the coming decade due indirectly to the example set by this President. His push for more minority graduates will also mean more minority college leaders being fed into university systems.

More minorities graduating from college

The rate of students entering colleges across the nation was already at a record-high when President Obama took office, but so was college debt. Between unchecked student loan interest rates and for-profit universities recruiting non-traditional and minority students without the right support programs in place for those students to graduate, the college landscape had become ineffective for many of the nation’s students. In his tenure, President Obama has worked hard to make the cost of college more affordable, through more federal Pell grants and more federally-backed student loans, as well as loan repayment programs that offer caps on income or loan forgiveness clauses. This has helped all students but an argument can be made that making college more affordable will prove a long-term improvement when it comes to minority graduates who were deterred by the high cost in the first place.

Specifically, President Obama has put minority-friendly programs in place like My Brother’s Keeper that address the specific problems that particular groups face when it comes to obtaining an education. He has also made K-12 schools more accountable for getting their students college-ready with federally-funded incentives like Race to the Top, which focuses on closing the achievement gap between white and minority students. In order to feed colleges more minority students who are ready for the tasks, the grades that come before the college years must be considered – and the President seems get that, and to have a good grasp of the bigger picture of what a college education means for minorities.

More high-skilled minorities in the workforce

With his proposal for tuition-free community college for the first two years for all students, President Obama is ensuring that this next generation of high school graduates will be able to elevate their educations beyond the K-12 years. This applies to all students, but here again is a point where minorities will benefit most. By essentially making the first two years of a college education an extension of the high school years, with some performance requirements attached, minorities will not face the financial roadblock that often accompanies entering college right after high school. Perhaps the area where minorities will see the biggest boost if this proposal becomes law is in the portion that will allow older students who never completed college right after high school to go back to school too. Non-traditional minority students will not have to go the for-profit college route to return to school or find a way to carve out tuition to community colleges from household budgets.

President Obama has always been outspoken about his goals of breaking down barriers in the way of minorities who want to obtain a college education, particularly young men of color. As he completes his term in office, I expect to see him confront these initiatives with even more aggression to cement his legacy as a President that worked hard to improve the diversity on American college campuses.

Click here to read all our posts concerning the Achievement Gap.

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Policy & Reform

How should we teach about social justice in a post-(Michael) Brown world?

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

A guest post by Beth Ellor

Picture a 5th Grade classroom in Chinatown on New York’s Lower East Side. Twenty-seven mostly Asian children – when I use the classic ‘clap, clap, clap-clap-clap’ signal, they fall silent immediately, eyes on me. Thorough plans from their teacher, including Social Studies – based on a Scholastic News magazine article about Selma and Civil Rights.

How do we introduce this to first generation immigrants (based on their accented English and preference for conversing in Chinese) who clearly have no context for that time? We read the article round-robin (a rarity these days), but the follow-up questions are met with blank stares. To enliven the short article, I’ve found some archival photos online to project on the Smartboard, and invite some discussion of how people might have felt then, seeing the shocking images on TV for the first time ever. Then I continue to a video from the recent 50 year anniversary celebration, specifically the speech made by John Lewis before he introduced President Obama. Immediately I regret this, for so many reasons.

The computer is set to the wrong screen resolution, stretching the images too wide. The sound quality is poor, and Rep. Lewis, with his strong Southern accent and also choked with emotion, induces snickers and imitations. My heart freezes. The mikes, positioned for the tall president, virtually obscure the much shorter Georgia Representative Lewis, so he appears to be bobbing in and out of sight. Suddenly, a Civil Rights icon and personal hero of mine is being subjected to derisive whispers and mirth. I find myself reminding them sharply that this man was willing to give his life for his beliefs throughout the Civil Rights struggle, and on that day, he almost did. The youngsters straighten their faces and attempt to pay attention, but there is no resonance for them. Someone else’s fight in some distant time, and definitely not about them. Epic Fail.

During lunch, I examine the bulletin boards around the room, which are based on their study of the Civil War era. Contemporary illustrations have been pinned up, surrounded by hand-written responses by the children. Around an engraving of enslaved people hoeing land and planting, an overseer on horseback holding a whip, and a white man lounging against a fence, watching, the children have noted: “The people want to get all the work done.” “He needs to make sure the work gets done.” (The overseer) And “He is watching to make sure the work will be finished in time.” (The white man) No-one remarks on the whip, the ethnicity of the characters, or the leisurely stance of the slave-owner.

I fall back on my own stereotypes of China under Chairman Mao, with the devotion of workers to collectivism, common goals of productivity, and self-effacing obedience. 60 plus years have passed since the Cultural Revolution, but how do Civil Rights images look to an Asian immigrant compared to a child born in the South Bronx, in Newark, NJ, or in Selma, Alabama? How does a teacher bring up the subject effectively in a 5th Grade classroom in Chinatown? And does it matter?

So it was with perfect synchronicity that I attended a meeting on May 12th called Digging Deeper: Teaching Rights and Social Justice in a Post-(Michael) Brown Era, offered by the Institute for Public Knowledge at NYU, in partnership with:

International Perspectives on Human Rights Ed, International Ed Program, Dept. of Humanities and Social Services, Steinhardt School.

NYU Partnership Schools Program

Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, NYU.

The event was spearheaded by Carol Anne Spreen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Steinhardt, NYU, and Chrissie Monaghan, Ph.D. Coordinator, NYC-RTE.

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty/Carol_Anne_Spreen Faculty biography.

http://curry.virginia.edu/articles/right-to-education, including links to other published works.

Her immediate boss, Jonathan Zimmerman, was also there to give an outline of his own contributions to the subject.

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty/Jonathan_Zimmerman Faculty Biography

Also on hand was David E. Kirkland, who spoke from both a professional and personal perspective about the systemic factors influencing people and communities of color in recent times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgOoLi1iE7k – for a video with Assistant Professor of English Education David Kirkland discussing how we can understand the complex literate lives of urban youth in and outside of the classroom and the experiences that develop their identity and engagement with the larger world.

http://steinhardt.nyu.edu/faculty/David_Kirkland Faculty biography.

Following these presentations, short introductions were given by representatives of organizations which provide various forms of support and expertise to schools and public forums. I was already familiar with several of these, such as

Teaching Tolerance, http://www.tolerance.org/classroom-resources

Which is the education arm of the

Southern Poverty Law Center, http://www.splcenter.org/what-we-do/teaching-tolerance Also

Howard Zinn’s education site https://zinnedproject.org/ -in conjunction with:-

Teaching for Change, http://www.teachingforchange.org/ and

Rethinking Schools, http://www.rethinkingschools.org/index.shtml

But there are so many dedicated organizations also offering social justice education programs!

Oxfam; http://www.oxfam.org.uk/education

Facing History, Facing Ourselves; https://www.facinghistory.org/for-educators/educator-resources#bottom

Equitas; https://equitas.org/en (look under educational resources)

Amnesty International: http://www.amnestyusa.org/resources/educators

Asia Society:  http://asiasociety.org/education

Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/about

Global Nomads Group:  http://gng.org/program-pathways

Speak Truth to Power:  http://rfkcenter.org/speak-truth-to-power and http://curriculum.rfkcenter.org/

Street Law Inc.  http://www.streetlaw.org/en/home

Brooklyn 826 (Valencia 826) http://826nyc.org/

Educational Video Center:  http://www.evc.org/tools

Voice of Witness:  http://voiceofwitness.org/education-about/

While each of these offer distinctive resources and focus, every educator who cares about increasing the depth of exposure and understanding of their students will find a wealth of support here. As with all resources, find the one(s) which meet your needs, match your voice and purpose, and stick with it.

To return briefly to my 5th graders – the educators I spoke to had two important messages.

  • it is best to start with personal stories and experiences before launching into the topic, so that you can create common ground between your students and the theme you plan to launch.
  • (this especially from Facing History, Facing Ourselvespresenter Daniel Braunfeld), create the plans around the age and experience of the students themselves. What works for one group may be entirely inaccessible for another of the same age/grade, so Facing History curriculum is always developed together with teachers on site, not scripted in a pre-digested format.

An article in Scholastic in 5th Grade will be too early and a mismatch for the children’s historical perspective, compared to mine after decades of living through it myself! I hope they will eventually get to discover for themselves, using one of these wonderful programs which are free and available to teachers and schools everywhere!

This post originally appeared on Beth Ellor’s examiner.com page, and was republished with permission.

_________________________________

Beth Ellor has explored the New York City schools as a parent, as an early childhood teacher, and as a retiree currently providing professional development to inner city schools (as an independent contractor for a celebrated i3 provider). Also a substitute teacher in a wide range of schools, she is a close observer of the reality behind the rhetoric of school success, struggle and reform.

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Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Year-Round Schooling

Should the U.S. Switch to Year-Round Schooling?

The traditional school year, with roughly three months of vacation time every summer, was first implemented when America was primarily an agricultural society.  We have changed as a nation; today, over 2 million U.S. students attend school on year-round schedules every year in around 3,000 schools in 46 states — and the majority of U.S. K-12 students aren’t spending summers off tilling fields or harvesting crops. The question is, should the American school system switch to year-round schooling?

The phenomena known as the “summer slide,” where students actually lose knowledge with too much time away from school, coupled with kids who must spend those months in camps or child care due to working parents, are two reasons proponents of year-round schooling cite as it needing to implemented nationwide.

As with all change, certain considerations will arise and must be addressed, though. Making the switch would not be easy for students, teachers or their parents – but is it best?  Here are three important considerations when considering year-round schooling as a nationwide norm.

1. How are the students affected? 

Foremost, we must examine the impact a year-round school schedule has on the people it most affects – the students.   A long-time thorn in the side of K-12 educators has been the above mentioned “summer slide.” The National Summer Learning Association often cites decades of research that support the claim that students really do forget or unlearn things they have learned when too much time off is given between classroom sessions.  A study released in 2007 by The Ohio State University, however, found that there are really no differences in learning between students who attend school year-round, and those who are on a traditional schedule.

While the overall student numbers show no significant differences in learning for better or worse, at-risk students tend to do better in year-round setups. Studies have found that disadvantaged students lose about 27 percent more of their learning gains in the summer months than their peers. By being in school the same number of days, but with shorter breaks, these students are able to keep their minds on a learning track that may not otherwise be fostered at home in the off-months.

2.  How are the teachers affected?

Every job comes with its share of headaches and at one point or another, employees in all industries claim that they are “burned out.” Teaching is unique when it comes to burn out, though, because an unmotivated, exhausted teacher has a direct effect on the young people in his or her classroom. Summers off has long been the light at the end of the tunnel for teachers, particularly in urban areas with higher discipline problems and overcrowded classrooms. In a year-round setting, lengthy breaks are gone, replaced with shorter, more frequent ones instead. Though the loss of those summer months may at first seem like a drawback, many teachers end up liking greater frequency in time off. With shorter, more concentrated spurts of instruction, teachers can exert more energy and face the daily struggles with the hope that there will be relief soon. There is still as much time off, but it is more evenly distributed.

One important consideration for teachers is the effect of year-round schooling on their pocket books.In most scenarios, teachers make the same amount of money in their districts whether they work at a year-round or traditional school, though the pay schedules may differ. Teachers who made extra money teaching summer school still have that option in year-round districts that offer remedial courses during break periods. Where some teachers see the biggest economic cut when they teach year-round is in the three months of summer that other teachers often seek out part-time or seasonal work. Based on the type of work, this could mean a loss of income in the thousands every year. For teachers satisfied with holding down just one job and paycheck, a year-round schedule may not have any economic impact on their families at all.

3.  How does year-round schooling affect the economy? 

Each individual community will feel a different economic impact when it comes to year-round schooling. A tourist community with summer attractions, for example, may feel more of a squeeze if its low-cost employee pool of high school students is suddenly in class instead. The same could be said for ski communities though that could benefit from multi-track scheduling of high school students during its busiest seasons. The summer months tend to be when most high school students earn the most money, however, because there is a significant duration of time with no school responsibilities. Without those months of a steady paycheck, students (and parents) stand to lose potential college money. Trying to work and maintain a job alongside classes can have a negative impact on grades according to most research and most employers cannot accommodate students who are only available two or three week spans at a time.

So the potential economic cost of year-round schooling is two-fold: the individual student may suffer financially, and the local businesses may have to pay out more for jobs that are better-suited for high school students who do not have the time off to work them.

What other considerations do you associate with year-round schooling?

 

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Matthew Lynch published in Equity, Policy & Reform

Education reform in New Orleans may serve white interests and not African Americans

**The Edvocate is pleased to publish guest posts as way to fuel important conversations surrounding P-20 education in America. The opinions contained within guest posts are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of The Edvocate or Dr. Matthew Lynch.**

By Derek Black

Adrienne Dixson (University of Illinois), Kristen Buras (Georgia St.), and Elizabeth K. Jeffers (Georgia St.) have released the paper, The Color of Reform: Race, Education Reform, and Charter Schools in Post-Katrina New Orleans, 21 (3) Qualitative Inquiry (2015).  They argue that

By most media accounts, education reform in post-Katrina New Orleans is a success. Test scores and graduation rates are up, and students once trapped in failing schools have their choice of charter schools throughout the city. But that’s only what education reform looks like from the perspective of New Orleans’ white minority — the policymakers, school administrators and venture philanthropists orchestrating and profiting from these changes. . .

From the perspectives of black students, parents and educators — who have had no voice in the decision-making, and who have lost beloved neighborhood schools and jobs — education reform in New Orleans has exacerbated economic and cultural inequities.

Get a summary of their research here and the full article here.

___

Derek Black is a Professor of Law at the University of South Carolina School of Law. His areas of expertise include education law and policy, constitutional law, civil rights, evidence, and torts. The focus of his current scholarship is the intersection of constitutional law and public education, particularly as it pertains to educational equality and fairness for disadvantaged students. His earlier work focused more heavily on intentional discrimination standards. His articles have been published in the California Law Review, Vanderbilt Law Review, Minnesota Law Review, Boston University Law Review, William & Mary Law Review, Boston College Law Review, and North Carolina Law Review, among various others. His work has also been cited in the U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals and by several briefs before the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

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Matthew Lynch published in Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform

3 Things High School Students Should Know about College

As the stakes rise regarding the necessity of a high school diploma for lifelong success, so do the standards to earn one. High school students and graduates today must know more than the generations that came before them, both in academic and real-world applications. College, which was once considered an option for some students, is now viewed as a necessity. All of the lesson planning from Kindergarten forward funnels student information into the end goal of high school and college graduation.

While rigorous academics can certainly prepare students for college, which is just one facet of what I believe they should know. There is no way to totally prepare a young adult for the realities of the college experience and what it will mean for his or her long-term success, but there are some things that high school educators should emphasize, including:

1. The cost of a college education. We are so quick to push our students towards a college education that we often forget the practicalities. While in most cases a college degree will pay off in the end, it is expensive upfront and can have an impact on the early years of adulthood. It is flawed thinking to assume that young people with very limited experience with their personal finances will truly be able to comprehend the cost and sacrifice of a college education. Any efforts to better inform students about the responsibility and reality of a college education should not be undertaken as a discouragement but rather as a way to inform them of what those things will mean in real-life settings. Things like estimated college loan repayments, and for how long, should be discussed and put in terms of how many hours of work that money will end up equaling.

2. The importance of a college degree. While it does come at a cost, a college degree is well worth it over the course of a lifetime. People with bachelor degrees earn nearly $1 million more over their lifetimes than their peers who receive high school diplomas. People with master’s degrees earn closer to $1.3 million more. So even the most expensive colleges, if paid out of pocket and through loans, still do not tally up to the lifetime earnings potential of a college graduate versus a high school one. A college degree holds more than financial value though. There is the issue of job stability and security too. By 2018, over 60 percent of jobs will require a college degree and that number is sure to rise. This next generation of K-12 students simply cannot afford to bypass college learning and this should be emphasized to high school students whenever higher education is discussed.

3. The outlook in the industry of interest. From a young age, children are asked the inevitable “what do you want to be when you grow up?” question. With stars in their eyes, they talk about the jobs that seem the most glamorous – firefighters, movie stars, doctors and maybe even teachers. While all of these are noble career choices, high school students should have a firm grasp on the field they want to pursue in terms of job opportunities and earning potential. Again, this is not to discourage students from following what they believe to be their calling – but it is a way to guide them into their field of interest with eyes wide open.

Before high school graduates are shipped off to college with dreams of jobs and big paychecks on the other side, they need a reality check. A college degree is a valuable asset but does not come without a cost.

What else should high school students know before they enroll in college?

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Matthew Lynch published in Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform

Next Generation Science Standards are Smart

Earlier this month California became the seventh state to adopt a new brand set of K-12 science outlines, dubbed Next Generation Science Standards, or NGSS. The “real world” approach to science mastery focuses on engineering, problem solving, modeling, and cause and effect experiments. Other states that are on-board with the science outlines are Maryland, Nevada, Kentucky, Kansas, Rhode Island and Vermont. The term “science standards” sounds like a positive one as far as learning is concerned, but do schools need really need another tier of learning accountability – and will students really benefi

What are Next Generation Science Standards?

Over the past year and a half, NGSS have been developed by education experts in several states. They are not an official part of the new Common Core standards but are meant to layer on top of the standards in place for stronger science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) outcomes. These standards are intended to teach the overlapping nature of science subjects, rather than to present lessons in topic isolation. In states like California, the value of a strong STEM foundation is critical to individual and state success. Over the past decade, STEM jobs have grown at a rate three times faster than other industries. By equipping K-12 students with better STEM knowledge, the long-term economic outlook will improve.

Why are NGSS controversial?

A report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute reveals a flaw in the enthusiasm for NGSS. The Common Core math standards and NGSS outlines do not align. The authors of the math review from the Institute say that while there are many strengths on the math side, there are also “a distressing number of weaknesses.” These include science expectations that have math components that are not grade-appropriate, according to an Education Week post by Erik Robelen,

Other critics believe the standards are actually subpar when compared to current state standards. There is also concern that implementing a one-size-fits-all approach to science neglects individual learning initiatives and also regional needs when it comes to science education. Some critics also believe there is a lack of computer learning in the standards which is a disservice to students with how rapidly science technology is changing.

The verdict?

Applying any cookie-cutter standards to any K-12 topic certainly comes with its share of potential problems, as NGSS critics have pointed out. Still, shining the focus on real world STEM learning in real-world settings is necessary to fully equip the present and future workforce. American students also need the extra focus in areas of math and science where they fall behind their peers in other developed nations.

Science, math and engineering topics are also less likely to be discovered by students, in the way that many find a love for reading or music, without some guidance from educators. Let’s face it – science and math are less romantic than other topics and so the “aha” factor takes some navigation. Once students have experienced a science spark of interest, they are more likely to maintain it, particularly if they can see the real-world ramifications.

Like other curriculum standards, NGSS need some tweaking to best impact K-12 learners. The foundation is there though and that is a step in the right STEM direction. The NGSS are a building block of a much larger cultural shift that needs to happen where science and math are concerned. Empowering students with better conceptualization of science in everyday living is necessary for career success and progression as a nation.

Do you like the Next Generation Science Standards? Will students ultimately benefit from these areas of focus?

 

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