Policy & Reform

Matthew Lynch published in list, Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform December 18, 2015

3 Simple Ways to Improve Parental Involvement in Schools

As educators, we talk a lot about the role of teachers in the lives of students and debate the best ways to strengthen the classroom experience for students from all backgrounds. There is only so much a teacher can do, though, particularly with large class sizes and limited resources. Even teachers in the best of circumstances are limited when it comes to hours in the day and the amount of material that must be covered. As K-12 academic standards become more rigorous, parental involvement becoming an even more integral piece of a student’s success.

The timing couldn’t be worse though, from a cultural standpoint. A report released in February by Stanford University that found that the number of U.S. households with two working parents nearly doubled from 25 percent in 1968 to 48 percent in 2008, and that doesn’t even factor in parents who have part-time jobs, health issues or other children that vie for their time. Sending children off to school is a relief for many parents who need a place for their children to go and put their faith in the school to make those hours productive ones.

Asking parents to pick up some of the “slack” for teachers is often perceived as a burden and not as the legitimate parental duty it actually is. If you look at students living in poverty, whose own parents may not have played an active role in their own K-12 learning, the chance of parental involvement in the education process is even slimmer. No teacher would argue the fact that parents ARE needed to maximize student success – so how can educators, and society as a whole, make it so?

The parental difference

The most obvious benefit of parental involvement is more time spent on academic learning, with direct results in student performance. There are other benefits too, though, like:

Parents being aware of what is taking place at the school and getting involved.
Parents better understanding where their children may struggle, and not just hearing it secondhand at a teacher conference.
Better attendance and participation for kids who follow the enthusiasm and good example of their parents.
Parent-child bonding over a common goal (and what better one than education?).

Parents are important to children’s success…now what?

Teachers reading this are likely shaking their heads as their frustration builds. Yes, parents are needed! Yes, students perform better if their parents are involved in their academics! But HOW do we get the message across to parents?

Here are a few approaches that have worked to trigger parental interest in what happens at school:

In schools

The Sunnyside Schools school district in Washington has designed a pilot program that will engage parents and investigate what methods best keep parents involvement in education of children the highest. Regular, informal meetings are part of the plan and a family advocacy group is working with the school district to find the best solutions.

In June 2013 Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett unveiled a five-year action plan to help kids get ready for their college, career and life. In that plan, she discussed the importance of holding adults accountable as indispensable allies and says they must enforce homework, turn off the television and make education a priority. To help parents keep children on track, her action plan promises to launch city-wide “Parent Universities” that help parents learn more about appropriate expectations of their children, how to build academic skills and ways to support their college plans. Parents can also learn more to help better their own lives.

Using technology

ParentSquare is a simple to use, private communication platform that streamlines communication via web, email, text or mobile app. The easy-to-use interface offers two-way messaging, file and photo sharing, event and volunteer sign-up and more. With tabs for messages, events, people, photos, files and other options, parents can log into one system and have all the information they need. In short, ParentSquare makes school-to-home messaging simple, empowering parents to take a more active role in the academic success of their kids. Some of the standout features of ParentSquare include two-way messaging, text, email, web and mobile apps ensure schools reach every parent, and a safe place to store photos.

ParentSquare eliminates overwhelm and fragmentation that can come with the various means of communication available, making it easier for parents to participate and teachers to keep track of their communications.

Although getting parents to the right level of participation will take at least a generation of K-12 students, recent advancements designed to encourage parental involvement in our current cultural climate give us hope that we will see these changes happen.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform December 18, 2015

3 Ways Activists Fought For P-20 Education in 2015

Activism and fighting for the common good are as old as the human race itself. In P-20 education, the last decade has seen progress for groups that have traditionally been left out of the decision and often made to fight for a seat at the table. To the surprise of some and elation of others, many of these education activists groups have be overwhelmingly successful, especially this past year. In honor of those of us that fight for what’s right, I decided to do a piece discussing the top ways that education activists pushed back against “the man” in 2015.

Oklahoma protestors rallied for public school funding. Thousands of protesters attended a rally at the Oklahoma State Capitol that called on the state’s legislators to

do a better job staffing and funding the public schools in the state, as reported by The Oklahoman. The Brighter Future rally was organized by the Oklahoma Parent Teacher Association, and more than 60 school districts cancelled classes so that teachers, students, and parents could attend the rally that has been taking place for over a decade. Whether the legislators listened remains to be seen, but it would be in their best interest to do so.

Oklahoma ranks below the national average when it comes to academic achievement and chances for success for its students, according to Education Week’s 2015 Quality Counts report. For K-12 achievement and education spending, Oklahoma received “F” rankings. It’s reasonable to surmise that there is a connection between both things; without properly funded schools with highly trained (and adequately paid) teachers, students will not be able to reach their full potential.

The protest’s organizers hoped to double last year’s numbers and have 50,000 people at the rally today as a gathering of that size would hopefully collect the attention needed for some real change to take place when it comes to the public schools in the state and the children who attend them. The connection between public school funding and staffing, and the success of its students, is very clear. To best guide this generation of K-12 students into an economically healthy future for the state, Oklahoma needs to put the right funding behind its public schools.

Corinthian students said USDOE used them as publicity stunt. In a story that continues to grow, students who formerly attended Corinthian colleges are accusing the United States Department of Education (USDOE) of using them as a publicity stunt.

Representatives from the “Corinthian 100” were set to meet with officials from the USDOE about their student loan debts but opted to cancel the meeting because they felt they were being used. According to the New Republic, a representative from the Debt Collective, the organization aiding the students in their quest against the USDOE, did not believe the government wanted to help.

“They’re using us so they can pretend to care about students.”

The Corinthian 100 continue to fight in an effort to get the government to forgive their student loan debt. Students that formerly attended schools under the now-defunct Corinthian colleges banner are attempting to exercise a clause listed in the contracts they signed for student loans.

That portion of the contract allows for students to make a “defense of repayment” if they feel that they’ve been deceived.

Because the federal government fined Corinthian $30 million, in part, for felonious ways of collecting debt, the for-profit institution was forced to shut down. That’s also why the 100 want their debt forgiven.

Caught in the middle are the students who are saddled with thousands of dollars’ worth of debt owed to the Department of Education. But the 100 are refusing to bend and are demanding that their debt be forgiven.

Because Corinthian received nearly 90 percent of its revenue from federal financial aid, the federal government should overreach to help students who have shown that they are unable to repay their loans. As a result of the carelessness of Corinthian and the government, these students may never return to college due to the debt held from a negative and painful experience with an organization masquerading as a college.

Corinthian students refuse to payback student loan debt. Corinthian Colleges, a for-profit education outfit, came under fire when, as reported by NPR, 107 of its former students refused to pay back their student loans as a form of protest.

In addition to the large amount of debt that the students carry, they also claimed that the degrees they received from Corinthian are not recognized by most employers.

The Associated Press reported that Corinthian shut its doors last July due to federal regulations. The college had more than 100 U.S. campuses with more than 70,000 students. But when enrollment started to slump and reports showed that nearly 100 percent of students at for-profit schools take out student loans to pay for their education, the United States Department of Education stepped in.

According to NPR, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau met with representatives from the “Corinthian 100” to discuss “ways to address the burden of their student loans.” This is likely a step in the right direction for those students, but it doesn’t fully address the student loan debt crisis that’s beginning to engulf higher education.

The Institute for College Access and Success, by way of Pew Trusts, a rising number of states’ graduating students have an average debt of more than $30,000. Coupled with the fact that student loan debt now outpaces debt tied to mortgages and credit cards and more than 7 million U.S. borrowers are in default on their loans, higher education just may be in crisis.

The “Corinthian 100” is currently in talks with the Department of Education regarding their student loans.

I think these students have every right to refuse this repayment and that they were victims of predatory practices by this non-defunct university. Colleges and universities need to be held accountable for the degrees they give students and for what those students do after college.

What would you add to my list of ways that education activists fought back 2015?

Matthew Lynch published in list, Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform December 17, 2015

10 More Educational Technology Concepts Every Teacher Should Know About

In a previous article, I showcased seven must-see educational technology concepts that teachers must stay abreast of to become more effective educators in the digital age. Those are important, but they are certainly not the only ones that are emerging in recent years. Here are some more exciting technologies to keep track of:

Alternative input devices. These tools are designed to allow students with disabilities to use computers and related technology easily. Some alternative input devices include touch screens, modified keyboards, and joysticks that direct a cursor through use of body parts like chins, hands, or feet. Some up-and-coming technology in this area is sip-and-puff systems, developed by companies like Microsoft, to perform computer functions through the simple process of inhaling and exhaling. On-screen keyboards are another area of input technology that is providing K-12 learners with disabilities better use of computers and mobile devices for learning.
Speech-to-text options. This technology is making mainstream waves through its use in popular cell phones like the Android-platform Razr M. While it is a convenience tool for people without disabilities, speech-to-text provides a learning advantage for students who have mobility or dexterity problems, or those who are blind. It allows students to speak their thoughts without typing and even navigate the Internet. speech-to-text options can also “talk back” to students and let them know about potential errors in their work.
LAMP. Language Acquisition through Motor Planning, or LAMP, connects neurological and motor learning in a way that makes communication easier for students with autism and related disorders. These principles have proven especially helpful for students who do not speak or have very limited verbal skills. Paired with technology, LAMP principles empower a growing student population with autism to effectively communicate and reach higher academic achievements. LAMP is present in technology – from specially made computers to learning apps.
Sensory enhancers. Depending on developmental patterns, children may need to learn differently than their peers. Instead of ABCs and numbers first, a child with language delays may benefit from bright pictures or colors to learn new concepts. Sensory enhancers may include voice analyzers, augmentative communication tools, or speech synthesizers. With the rapid growth of technology in the classroom, these basic tools of assistive technology are seeing great strides.
Screen readers. This technology is slightly different from text-to-speech. It simply informs students of what is on a screen. A student who is blind or visually impaired can benefit from the audio interface screen readers provide. Students who otherwise struggle to glean information from a computer screen can learn more easily through technology meant to inform them.
Mobile learning. Tablets and smartphones in the classroom are no longer a matter of “if,” but “when, and how quickly?” Administrators and educators can tap into the convenience of mobile technology in the classroom and the potential for student learning adaptation. Over half of school administrators say there is some form of mobile technology in their classrooms and that they plan to implement more when it is financially feasible. School districts should keep in mind that the purchase of mobile devices for K-12 use is only one piece in the learning puzzle. There must be funding for teacher training and maintenance of the devices too.
Learning analytics. This evolving concept in K-12 classrooms is different from educational data mining. It focuses on individual students, teachers, and schools without direct implications to the government. Learning analytics are the education industry’s response to “big data” that is used in the business world for improvements and redirection of focus. Learning analytics show students what they have achieved and how their achievements match up with their peers. If implemented correctly, this technology has the potential to warn teachers early of academic issues while keeping students more accountable. Using the mobile and online technology already in place, students can better track and tailor their academic experiences.
Open content. The rise of MOOCs, or massive open online courses, has trickled down from college learning to K-12 education. Increasingly, K-12 educators are also coming to believe that all information on any given topic already exists. In effect, a growing number of people believe that content does not need to be re-created or purchased, and the idea has gained steam among K-12 educators specifically. Within the next three years, expect more shared content available to teachers and to students. Open textbooks, resources, and curricula are not the only benefit of an open content push; shared experiences and insights are also valuable teaching tools.
3D printing. Also known as prototyping, 3D printing will allow K-12 students to create tangible models for their ideas. Many fields, like manufacturing, already make use of this technology to determine the effectiveness of ideas on a smaller, printable scale. In education, this technology will bolster creativity and innovation, along with science and math applications. The STEM Academy has already partnered with Stratasys, a leading 3D printing company, to start integration of the technology in programming classes.
Outdoor/environmental learning. In short, more schools are looking for ways to get students and teachers outside. We are in an era of experiential learning, so environmental education fits the bill for many students. Lessons in this field teach children an appreciation of the earth and of its resources that the human population is quickly depleting. A better, hands-on understanding of nature also helps with science comprehension and gives students practical learning experiences.

Research has also found that teaching outside, even for short stints, improves student attitudes, attendance, and overall health. In many schools, teachers have always had the freedom to take students outside if they deemed it lesson-appropriate. Look for more official outdoor-teaching policies in the coming year, though, that encourage teachers to incorporate outdoor and environmental learning in all subjects.

As you can tell, many of these technologies have the power to change dramatically the learning experiences of students with learning disabilities, impairments, and other challenges that traditional learning methods have been less able to address. It is likely that we will see more use of these ten technologies and concepts in the next few years. In another article, I will focus on five more of these technology concepts every teacher must know.

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform December 17, 2015

How the ESSA update will impact disadvantaged students

With President Obama signing the new Every Student Succeeds Act, or ESSA, many are wondering what effect the changes in schools will have on minority students, students with disabilities and low-income students.

Some worry the gap between students will not be narrowed with the adoption of the Every Student Succeeds Act. Professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles and director of the Center for the Study of School Transformation, Pedro Noguera, told NPR that he fears ESSA furthers the belief that we can minimize inequality and increase academic outcomes simply by focusing on schools.

Interestingly enough, ESSA is the most current version of the Johnson administration’s Elementary and Secondary Act of 1965, which heavily addressed poverty and underserved students. During the 1970s, large scale gains were made in closing the gaps in academic achievement as school integration and poverty were focused on abundantly.

The situation is often bleak where poverty is heavily concentrated. Unless as a nation we are able to invest in schools the way we did in the past, we can’t expect to see inequalities disappear. The hope is that with focusing on schools at the local level, officials can more effectively pinpoint issues and in turn determine viable solutions for those problems.

It is in our best interest that all children receive quality education. As a nation, we cannot afford to have large numbers of individuals who are under-educated and stuck in low-income jobs. The best way to an equitable society is to focus on education and providing individuals with the proper set of skills necessary to enter and flourish in the workforce.

The Every Student Succeds Act may help rebalance inequality. Though many believe it’ll be up to the next President and Secretary of Education and whether they focus more on teaching and learning, versus placing the spotlight on assessment, as we’ve seen so readily in the past.

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

Matthew Lynch published in Matthew Lynch, OpEducation, Policy & Reform, Testing December 16, 2015

Why K-12 Education Still Needs Federal Oversight

Educating American children has always been a responsibility that has fallen heavily on the states. As the public school system matured in the 20th century, however, it became increasingly apparent that states left to their own educational devices meant dangerous consequences for many children—especially students with disabilities and those living in poverty, for example. Historically, the federal government has always been the one to pick up the slack in K-12 education when states have fallen short.

In his piece for The Daily Beast, Jonah Edelman of Stand for Children warns that members of the newly-seated Congress have already voiced intentions to reduce accountability and transparency over states’ educational systems, while providing additional flexibility with federal funding.

Contrary to what some states-rights activists claim, states do not always act in the best interests of their residents, especially when it comes to education. Left to their own devices, states tend to enact discriminatory practices.

My home state of Mississippi is an example of state control gone awry. If its schools were wholly reliant on the state to outline learning benchmarks and divvy up funding (based on a state population with 24 percent in poverty and over 70 percent of its students eligible for free-and-reduced-price lunch), the inequalities would compound exponentially.

And those inequalities are already startling. For example, while 83 percent of high schools in New Hampshire offer calculus, only 41 percent of those in Mississippi do.

Mississippi has never quite been able to recover from its rampant poverty that began after the Civil War. Even when freedom was granted to slaves in the state and nearby, the African-American population was not able to elevate its quality of life due to the barriers erected by segregation and Jim Crow laws. Less-overt inequalities still exist that keep each new generation of African-American students in the state from breaking the cycle of poverty at home and underachievement in the classroom.

Edelman mentions issues like desegregation as wins for the federal government when states refused to do the right thing for all students. Without federal intervention, for instance, we wouldn’t have programs like the DREAM Act, which encourages continued education for students who might otherwise have been eligible for deportation. Instead, because of this federal program, they can contribute positively to their communities and to our country.

For one, federal guidance is needed to measure how much students are learning from one state to the next. Establishing a common high bar for academic performance that includes rigorous college-prep expectations can only be brought forth through federal involvement in schools.

It will be interesting to see what twists and turns the NCLB rewrites take and certainly no group will ever be completely satisfied. But the basic principle that guaranteeing every student in every state equal access to education is one worth fighting for.

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform December 16, 2015

Report: School funding lower than before Great Recession

A new report on public school funding in the U.S. finds that most states now receive less support per K-12 student than prior to the 2007-2009 Great Recession. In addition, some states continue to decrease funding.

Published by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a nonprofit research and policy institute, the report cites what is says is the most current data available on each state and local funding. After adjusting for inflation, it found:

In at least 31 states, the funding provided was less per student in the year ended in 2014 than in the 2008 school year prior to the recession taking hold. The cuts surpassed 10 percent in at least 15 states.
In at least 18 states, local government funding per student fell over the same period. In at least 27 states, local funding increased. Very few of the states increased funding made up for the initial cuts in support. Total funding nationally declined between 2008 and 2014 in states where comparable data exists.
While comprehensive data on the current (2016) school year is unavailable, it is known that at least 25 states are providing less “general” funding — the primary form of state funding per school — per student than in 2008. The cuts surpassed 10 percent in seven states.
Most states raised the “general” funding per pupil slightly this year. However, 12 states imposed new cuts in funding, despite evidence that the economy has continually improved. The states, including Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Arizona, experienced the deepest cuts since the recession hit.

The report says that the consequences of K-12 state-level spending include weakening a key funding source for school districts, slowing the economy’s recovery form the recession, and impeding reforms widely acknowledged to boost students achievement, such as improved teacher quality and reduced class sizes.

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform December 15, 2015

What Factors Make a School Effective?

Although diverse school models exist, a fundamental question remains—how are we to know whether or not a school model is effective, and how can effectiveness be judged? A number of research studies focus on characteristics of effective schools. However, there is debate over which attributes should be considered when describing successful schools.

According to some researchers, student performance should be the primary indicator of a successful school. It makes sense, really, since the sole purpose of schools is educating their students. Other researchers propose that students’ social characteristics, such as personal growth should be included when determining effective schools. Another issue with school effectiveness research is that findings are predominantly based on research conducted in elementary schools or unique school settings in the inner city. Consequently, it is suggested that these findings cannot be generalized to all schools.

In truth, there is no one factor that can accurately determine the effectiveness of K-12 schools. Instead, it is a multi-faceted conversation and one that evolves with each generation of students. As suggested above, the context of schooling will impact factors that contribute to effectiveness in specific schools. At the same time, there are attributes and factors that contribute to effectiveness across schooling contexts. By understanding an array of effectiveness attributes we are able to observe which attributes exist at a particular school and which, if adopted might facilitate effectiveness, given a particular school context.

Common elements of success

A 2008 study describes five common characteristics that make up an effective school; these characteristics, and the theory behind them has also been described as the five-factor theory.

The first factor is quality leadership. In other words, students perform better where the principal provides strong leadership. Effective leaders are visible, able to successfully convey the school’s goals and visions, collaborate with teachers to enhance their skills, and are involved in the discovery of and solutions to problems.
The second factor is having high expectations of students, as well as teachers. High expectations of students have repeatedly been shown to have a positive impact on students’ performance. More attention should be paid to high expectations of teachers. In other words, teachers who are expected to teach at high levels of effectiveness are able to reach the level of expectations, particularly when teacher evaluations and teacher professional development is geared toward improving instructional quality.
The third characteristic of a successful school is the ongoing screening of student performance and development. Schools should use assessment data to compare their students with others from across the country. Effective use of assessment data allows schools to identify problematic areas of learning at the classroom and school levels, so that solutions can be generated as to how to best address the problems.
The fourth characteristic of a successful school is the existence of goals and direction. Administration should actively construct goals and then effectively communicate them to appropriate individuals (i.e., students, teachers, community-at-large). School principals must also be open and willing to incorporate innovation into goals for school processes and practices. It is important to invite input from all stakeholders in the process of developing school goals. Student performance has been shown to improve in schools where all in the school community work toward goals that are communicated and shared among all in the learning environment.
The fifth and final factor of a successful school is the extent to which the school is secure and organized. For maximum learning to occur, students need to feel secure. Respect is a quality that is promoted and is a fundamental aspect of a safe school. There are also a number of trained staff and programs, such as social workers, who work with problem students before situations get out of hand.

Other elements of student success

Apart from the five factors of a successful school already mentioned, the size of the school seems to be a school effectiveness factor. Research has found that the smaller the school, the better students perform, especially in the case of older students. This is the rationale behind the concept of schools-within-schools. Students in smaller learning environments feel more connected to their peers and teachers, pass classes more often, and have a higher probability of going to college.

A number of school districts view preschool education as a factor that will influence overall effectiveness across all schools located within the district. Evidence suggests that children with preschool experiences fare better academically and socially as they enter kindergarten and beyond. Experiences in literacy and numeracy among early learners not only prepares preschoolers for a kindergarten curriculum that has heightened expectations of prior knowledge, but also helps identify early learners who will need additional support to ensure they are able to have positive learning experiences later on.

Additional factors that influence effective schools include time to learn, teacher quality, and school and parental trust. Research supports the commonsensical view that the more time a student spends learning, and the more efficiently that time is used, the higher their achievement. Schools that find creative ways to extend time on learning will likely be more effective. Schools with high quality teachers also tend to be more effective. Schools able to hire teachers from high quality teacher education programs increase the possibility of being an effective school.

School effectiveness can also be influenced by the frequency, relevancy, and quality of the teacher professional development offered by the school and/or school district. Trust and parental participation are also features of a successful school. Trust between all parties of the school community is vital for enhancing the school’s effectiveness because it supports the prospect that parents and teachers believe in the motives and actions of each other. Parental participation is also important because it sends the message to students that the adults in their lives—both teachers and parents—believe in the importance of education and are willing to make time to support students’ educational experiences and efforts.

So there is no simple solution for labeling the effectiveness of a particular school – but it should certainly go beyond assessments alone.

What are some keys to school effectiveness in your opinion?

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform, Teachers December 15, 2015

Student surveys: Measuring what tests cannot

Student surveys are being viewed by an increasing number of school officials, policymakers and researchers as the most effective tool currently available in measuring social and emotional goals for schools and their students. Qualities such as student-teacher relations, student engagement and growth mindset are not only being examined, but incorporated into accountability systems. This means that along with test scores and graduation rates, student state of mind will come into play when rating schools.

Researchers are convinced that students’ attitudes regarding learning, their skillfulness in working well with others and ability to self-regulate and persevere account for more than half of their long-term success.

Students will now be able to rate themselves on important indicators of achievement, such as social awareness and self-management. It has been documented that short, 20 minute surveys, in addition to teacher reports can accurately predict test scores, GPA, suspension and attendance outcomes.

Several school districts have joined forces with Panorama Education, a for-profit startup to analyze and administer these school surveys. With Panorama’s tools, schools are able to ask questions about what they deem important. Guidance is also provided by the company on which type of questions are backed by the best research. Access to questions other school systems have asked and what they have done to improve results is also provided.

Many school leaders find these non-academic factors crucial and are searching for means to document their progress. Increasingly, schools are viewing the academic component and standardized test results as only a fraction of the puzzle.

Matthew Lynch published in Higher Education, Matthew Lynch, Policy & Reform December 14, 2015

4 Ways That Politics Impacted Higher Education in 2015

Politics impacts education in various ways, and they are not always apparent. Here are the ways that politics impacted higher education in 2015.

Accreditation at the center of reauthorization of the higher education act. A Senate white paper detailed issues with the process that many higher education institutions go through to achieve accreditation. In the paper, the question on how to improve accreditation for post-secondary schools was addressed, but it was done to question if schools are properly preparing their students for the workforce.

As mentioned in the paper, a study produced by two professors from the University of Virginia and New York University showed that just 36 percent of students demonstrated “any significant improvement in learning over the course of their four years in college.” It also showed that many college students lacked basic literacy skills, critical thinking ability, and could discern “if their car has enough gasoline to get to the next gas station.”

What may be worse is that colleges are graduating students who are not ready for the workforce. Many business leaders surveyed said that “new workforce entrants with a four-year college degree are ‘deficient’ in writing, a basic skill.”

So it seems that the report was really asking if the accreditation process needs to change since some students aren’t being properly educated and trained. Some of the information included in the white paper was critical and warranted, but it is tough to discern a student’s ability to learn based solely off test scores and surveys.

On the other hand, there should be some way to judge colleges and universities on how well their students are retaining information once they graduate. For that reason, properly judging and questioning the accreditation process is just and deserves proper scrutiny if our future workforce is in jeopardy due to the lack of academic institutional control.

Democrats want changes to Pell grants. With the cost of college rising and cuts being made to higher education in many states, some Democratic politicians are pushing for changes to how students may pay for college.

According to thehill.com, Senator Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) proposed to allow students to use Pell Grants for three semesters instead of two. She also wanted to “increase the Pell Grant maximum for the 2014-2015 school year from $5,730 to $9,139.”

By way of the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), spending on Pell Grants from 2006 to 2011 rose by 158 percent. The data also shows that the increase in spending was due to an uptick in the number of participants in the program. But as of late, Congress has created a bottleneck of sorts around Pell Grants. Restrictions have been put in place, so many students do not have access to receive them.

Another proposal put forth by Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan) had the aim of providing “two years of maximum Pell Grants to qualifying middle-school students who maintain good grades through high school, to help them pay for a college or university.” According to Stabenow, her bill would encourage middle school students to go after a college degree if they have some form of guaranteed funding starting in the 8th grade.

These ideas were surely meant to secure needed funding for students who would otherwise struggle to pay for college. But they were also a way for Democrats to show their strength on higher education compared to their Republican counterparts.

Both proposals from Stabenow and Hirono will have to be pushed through a Republican-controlled Congress, one that already placed constraints around Pell Grants

so that the program isn’t so economically stressed.
Still, students need new and innovative ways to pay for college. They also need help from the government due to the rising cost of college. Increasing the max Pell

Grant amount and extending the offer to middle school students seem to be good incentives to keep students interested in attending college and tamping costs down.

House bill tackle sexual violence on college campuses. A bipartisan bill introduced by Representatives Jackie Speier, a Democrat from California, and Patrick Meehan, a Republican from Pennsylvania, aimed “to toughen federal oversight of how colleges respond to campus sexual violence.”

According to The Washington Post, the legislation “would require colleges to survey their students on sexual violence every two years, increase the maximum penalty (to $100,000, from $35,000) for each violation of a campus-safety law known as the Clery Act…” In essence, colleges and universities would be heavily fined for failing to properly protect students who claim that their civil rights were violated by sexual assault.

An increase in fines would certainly help, and is a good starting point, but the heart of the bill lies with its language, mandating that the public know more about colleges that are under investigation by the federal government because of sexual violence on campus.

The bill, with almost 30 co-sponsors, was introduced in the right environment. It certainly seems that America has no appetite for sexual violence against young adults, specifically young women.

Because the bill must make its way through a House filled with conservatives, it may be too early to tell if it will pass or not. Even so, this bill is needed. Far too many young women feel uneasy and unsafe at school, a place that is supposed to be reserved for learning and safety. Protecting our students should be a top priority for administrators and this country’s lawmakers. Hopefully we will see positive moment on H.R. 2680 as it makes its way through Congress.

Wisconsin makes sizable cuts to higher education budget. Yet another state may be in the process of cutting funding to higher education. Wisconsin lawmakers grappled with the idea of slashing upwards of $150 million from higher education this year.
According to insidehighered.com, the Wisconsin Legislature may put into a place a mandatory tuition freeze and “a 13 percent reduction in the higher education budget.”

The article stated just how dire the situation may be for the University of Wisconsin system. With no tuition increases, little leftover revenue due to tax cuts, and funding contractions that totaled $300 million, the university’s chancellor Rebecca Blank said that there may be 430 layoffs. “I particularly regret the impact these cuts will have on our employees and their families.”

Delving deeper into the problem that these cuts will have on jobs, insidehighered.com detailed that the University of Wisconsin system would offer “early retirement of more than 1,000 employees…and leave more than 90 vacant positions open.”

Regarding Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and the legislature’s decision to cut higher education funding so severely, this was certainly an undue injustice to students attending schools within the University of Wisconsin system.

As mentioned earlier, the system hasn’t been allowed to approve tuition increases because that decision sits with state lawmakers. With employment reductions and cuts totaling $300 million, the quality of education that students will receive will greatly reduce if these cuts are allowed to stand.

Can you think of additional ways that politics impacted higher education in 2015?

Matthew Lynch published in Policy & Reform December 11, 2015

Is breakfast in the classroom problematic?

According to Nypost.com, New York Mayor Bill De Blasio’s new “Breakfast in the Classroom” program is causing problems for students and teachers.

The idea behind the program is that by allowing students to eat breakfast in the classroom instead of getting up earlier to eat breakfast at school, it should enhance learning opportunities.

But some parents and the PTA state that teachers are spending too much time cleaning up and passing out food.

“[P]arents and teachers say distributing the food and cleaning up takes as much as 30 minutes — a total of 2¹/₂ hours a week.”

One school’s PTA president believes that education is being stolen because of the new rule. The New York Post quotes Vance Gorke, PTA president of Peck Slip public schools as saying that “It’s stealing education from all of our kids.”

The main complaint from parents is that food isn’t healthy and is processed, so it’s not serving the best interest of the kids.

But De Blasio isn’t budging and the United States Department of Education is standing by the program as “many families couldn’t get their kids to school at an earlier time, and that giving free breakfast to everyone would mean poor kids were no longer ‘stigmatized.'”

More than anything, it seems as if the program is so new that teachers haven’t firmly grasped how to manage the program. As one teacher interviewed by the Post put it, “We have not figured out how to manage it.”

Once that bridge is crossed, and maybe a better partnership is formed, the program will be successful. Until then, the PTA and some parents are likely to continue to complain about the breakfast program.