ProgressNow.org Daily News Digest

College Degree No Shield As More Jobs Are Slashed - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/03/AR2009010302143.html When Nena Razmara was laid off in November from her $70,000-a-year job with a high-end residential building supplier, she thought she would be working again by Christmas. Having worked in residential construction for 20 years, she was used to finding work by flipping through her Rolodex. "Usually it's three phone calls, three job offers, and off you go," she said. The 45-year-old Woodbridge resident made her three phone calls. Then three more. But she still had no leads. For the first time since she graduated from college in the 1980s, she scoured help-wanted ads. She sent out more than 150 résumés and posted one on Craigslist under the heading, "I desperately need a job."

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Bring Rifles and Books: College on a U.S. Base in Baghdad - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/01/04/AR2009010401459.html It makes for a strange college campus: Cement blast walls, helicopters roaring overhead, packs of wild dogs howling, the risk of mortar and rocket attacks. Faculty keep Kevlar flak jackets at the ready. Students bring their rifles to class and leave them on the floor with the barrel pointing toward the front of the room. In November, University of Maryland University College became the first U.S. college to begin offering classes on the ground in Iraq, soon joined by a school from Texas. It is a reflection of the greater stability in Iraq, as violence has dropped, and of the number of American troops leaving small urban outposts for large bases where the courses are taught. The classes, for service members only, offer students a sense of normalcy, a place where a professor calls them by their first name, where classmates debate ideas openly, where academic discussions often encompass the lives they lead in Iraq.

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Advocates for Action on Global Warming Chosen as Obama’s Top Science Advisers - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/18/AR2008121803640.html President-elect Barack Obama has selected two of the nation's most prominent scientific advocates for a vigorous response to climate change to serve in his administration's top ranks, according to sources, sending the strongest signal yet that he will reverse Bush administration policies on energy and global warming. The appointments of Harvard University physicist John Holdren as presidential science adviser and Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco as head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which will be announced tomorrow, dismayed conservatives but heartened environmentalists and researchers. Like Energy Secretary-designate Steven Chu, who directs the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Holdren and Lubchenco have argued repeatedly for a mandatory limit on greenhouse gas emissions to avert catastrophic climate change. In 2007, as chairman of the board of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Holdren oversaw approval of the board's first statement on global warming, which said: "It is time to muster the political will for concerted action."

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Obama taps Harvard physicist as science adviser - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2008/12/19/obama_chooses_harvard_physicist/ In a sign that President-elect Barack Obama intends to elevate science to greater prominence, John P. Holdren, a Harvard physicist widely recognized for his leadership on energy policy and climate change, will be appointed White House science adviser this weekend, the Globe confirmed yesterday. A representative from one of the institutions with which Holdren is affiliated said Obama will announce Holdren's selection during a Saturday morning radio address. That person, who has direct knowledge of the appointment, declined to be named. Representatives for Obama and for Harvard refused comment. The news, coming in the same week as Nobel laureate physicist Steven Chu's appointment as secretary of energy, was heartening for the scientific community. Many scientists have objected to the Bush administration's policies, from restrictions on embryonic stem cell research to the pace of action on climate change.

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Education Pick Is Called ‘Down-to-Earth’ Leader - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/16/AR2008121600265.html In seven years as chief executive of Chicago public schools, Arne Duncan has supported a range of measures to shake up the status quo in urban education, including new charter schools, performance pay and tough accountability for struggling schools. But he has also gained a reputation for reaching out to the teachers union and the community, helping to neutralize some potential critics and win allies. Now, Duncan will take his political skills and reform zeal from the country's third-largest school system to Washington to become the next education secretary, a post that will require him to try to bridge deep divides among education advocates, labor leaders and civil rights groups over how to fix U.S. schools.

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Obama Picks Chicago’s Schools Chief For Cabinet - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/15/AR2008121503429.html President-elect Barack Obama will nominate Chicago schools executive Arne Duncan as his education secretary at an event in the city today, transition aides said, and is expected to tap Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.) later this week to serve as secretary of the interior, all but finalizing his selections for major Cabinet posts. Obama plans to introduce Duncan this morning at Dodge Renaissance Academy, a Chicago elementary school that the two visited together in 2005. Duncan, 44, has been chief executive of the Chicago public schools since 2001, steering the nation's third-largest school district, which has more than 400,000 students. Duncan was raised in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood, not far from Obama's home, and is a longtime friend and basketball partner of the president-elect. He graduated from Harvard University, where he was co-captain of the basketball team, and he played professional basketball in Australia from 1987 to 1991. He returned to Chicago to direct the Ariel Education Initiative, which creates educational opportunities for youths on the South Side.

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How to Go Forward With ‘No Child Left Behind’ - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/14/AR2008121401924.html President-elect Barack Obama has vowed to "fix the failures" of the No Child Left Behind law, which rates schools based on student performance on annual math and reading tests. The law, one of President Bush's major domestic achievements, was enacted with broad bipartisan support. But that consensus faded, and efforts to reauthorize the law stalled in the past year as lawmakers awaited a new president. Under the law, schools must reach steadily rising performance goals. Certain schools that fall short face sanctions as severe as a management shake-up.

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College degree vital, top educators say - USATODAY.com

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-12-10-college-degree_N.htm A group of college presidents and other top education officials says the USA's "economic, democratic and social health" could worsen over the next several decades if more Americans don't earn a college degree. The group is pushing to increase the percentage of young people who earn a degree from 40% to 55% by 2025. In a report issued Wednesday on Capitol Hill, the Commission on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher Education says a "torrent" of talent entering the nation's schools in kindergarten is "reduced to a trickle 16 years later" as many students drop out of high school or fail to earn a four-year college degree.

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Scores on Science Test Causing Concern in U.S. - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/09/AR2008120901031.html U.S. students are doing no better on an international science exam than they were in the mid-1990s, a performance plateau that leaves educators and policymakers worried about how schools are preparing students to compete in an increasingly global economy. Results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), released yesterday, show how fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States measure up to peers around the world. U.S. students showed gains in math in both grades. But average science performance, although still stronger than in many countries, has stagnated since 1995. Students in Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong outperformed U.S. fourth-graders in science. The U.S. students had an average score of 539 on a 1,000-point scale, higher than their peers in 25 countries.

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Harvard curtails tenure searches - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/12/10/harvard_curtails_tenure_searches/ Harvard University officials said yesterday that they will postpone nearly all searches for tenure-track professors in the school's largest academic body, a sobering indication of how the economic crisis has hit the world's wealthiest university. The move by the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, which also plans to freeze salaries for its 720-member faculty, followed an immediate freeze on the hiring of nonfaculty staff announced last month, dramatic signals of a university scrambling to right itself after its once ballooning $36.9 billion endowment plummeted 22 percent over the past four months. The cuts announced yesterday will take effect next school year and continue for an undetermined period until the budget picture improves.

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Air tests reveal elevated levels of toxics around schools - USATODAY.com

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/environment/school-air-monitoring1.htm In this borough of 2,900 in the westernmost part of the state, the steel industry used to be the primary employer. Today, Midland's schools offer the most jobs — and now are beginning to unravel a mystery that could affect the health of their students. For five days this fall, USA TODAY monitored the air near Midland Elementary-Middle School, a red-brick building blocks from the riverside steel plants that defined the town for generations. It was one of 95 schools in 30 states where the newspaper teamed with scientists at Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland to take samples and analyze toxic chemicals in the air. The highest readings appeared near seven of the schools, including Midland. At those locations, USA TODAY's monitoring showed pollution at levels that could make people sick or significantly increase their risk of cancer if they were exposed to the chemicals for long periods.

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International Science Exam Shows Plateau in U.S. Performance - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/09/AR2008120901031.html U.S. students are doing no better on an international science exam than they were a decade ago, a plateau in performance that leaves educators and policymakers worried about how schools are preparing students to compete in an increasingly global economy. Results of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), released today, show how fourth- and eighth-graders in the United States measure up to peers in dozens of countries. U.S. students showed gains in math at both grades. But average science performance, although still stronger than in many countries, has stagnated since 1995. Students in Singapore, China and Japan outperformed U.S. fourth-graders in science. So did students in the Chinese region of Hong Kong, counted as a separate participant. The U.S. students had an average score of 539 on a 1,000-point scale, higher than peers in 25 countries.

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U.S. Lags In Providing College Access, Study Finds - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/02/AR2008120203020.html Other countries are outpacing the United States in providing access to college, eroding an educational advantage the nation has enjoyed for decades, according to a study released today by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education. The nonprofit research group contends that if left unaddressed, the development will harm U.S. competitiveness in the near future. "I don't know what it's going to take to get our nation to wake up to what's happening with regard to the education deficit we're building," said William E. Kirwan, chancellor of the University System of Maryland, who will present a similar study by the College Board on improving access to higher education next week. "We're standing pat while the rest of the world is passing us by. If we continue on this path, our chances of being the leader in the knowledge economy in the decades to come are between slim and none."

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President Hu Warns That China Is Losing Its Competitive Edge in Global Downturn - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/01/AR2008120100598.html Chinese President Hu Jintao warned at a weekend meeting of the Communist Party's elite Politburo that China is losing its competitive edge as international demand for its products is reduced, according to official state media reports Sunday. China's growth rate has been forecast to be about 9 percent in 2008, down from 11.9 percent the year before and close to the 8 percent that economists say China must maintain in order to keep the labor market stable. "China is under growing tension from its large population, limited resources and environment problems, and needs faster reform of its economic growth pattern to achieve sustainable development," Hu said, according to the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper. He did not provide specifics.

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Experts Say Obama Must Build a Bipartisan Machine to Move Education Law - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/20/AR2008112003299.html As the new administration prepares to take over the Education Department, school experts say one of Obama's first -- and toughest -- jobs must be restoring the broad bipartisan support it took to pass the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, which aims to boost the achievement of poor children. That consensus has splintered, with people on both sides of the aisle souring on the law as it is overdue for reauthorization in Congress.

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More colleges may close in ailing economy - The Boston Globe

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/11/17/more_colleges_may_close_in_ailing_economy/ For 15 years, Cascade College in Portland, Ore., struggled to find the financial necessities for any college: students to pay tuition and donors to help build an endowment. Then came the global economic crisis, and suddenly that struggle became an impossibility. Late last month, the small Christian college with just 280 students and $4 million in debt announced that it would shut down at the end of the current academic year. "Our hearts would have said we would like to continue trying," said Cascade president Bill Goad, somberly adding he never imagined his duties would include closing the school. But on top of their long-term challenges, "small colleges like Cascade just don't have the slack to survive those kinds of impacts," he said. Every year, a handful of institutions go under. And while a wave of college closings is unlikely, the economic turmoil could accelerate the pace.

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College Leaders’ Salaries Climb - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/16/AR2008111601974.html Just as tuition has been rising more quickly than inflation, state college presidents' compensation has been growing faster than other costs of living, and some private university chiefs' annual pay exceeds $1 million, according to an annual survey being released today by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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Study Abroad Flourishes, With China a Hot Spot - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/17/education/17exchange.html?ref=us The number of Americans studying in China increased by 25 percent, and the number of Chinese students studying at American universities increased by 20 percent last year, according to the report, “Open Doors 2008.” “Interest in China is growing dramatically, and I think we’ll see even sharper increases in next year’s report,” said Allan E. Goodman, president of the institute. “People used to go to China to study the history and language, and many still do, but with China looming so large in all our futures, there’s been a real shift, and more students go for an understanding of what’s happening economically and politically.” While the traditional study-abroad sites for Americans — Britain, Italy, Spain and France — still attract more students from the United States, the report found that China is now the fifth-most-popular destination.

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School districts caught in a squeeze - USATODAY.com

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2008-11-11-school-cuts_N.htm School superintendents nationwide say the struggling economy threatens to reverse progress they have made in closing historic achievement gaps as schools face trimmed budgets now — and possibly worse ones next fall. According to a survey being released today by the American Association of School Administrators, nearly half of superintendents are reducing hiring and cutting back on supplies. Twenty percent already have laid off staff, and another 31% have considered it. "This is scary. This is the worst that I have seen," says Daniel Domenech, the group's executive director, an educator for nearly 40 years.

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Struggling Economy Puts Colleges in a Tight Spot - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/10/AR2008111002740.html At colleges across the country, the economic crisis is playing out in ways large and small, immediate and long-term. It is creating short-term problems that school officials have scurried to patch. And it is creating more-fundamental worries about the future. Many administrators are finding that most, if not all, of their revenue streams are under pressure, including government funding, tuition payments and donors' gifts. Most are rethinking fundraising campaigns, construction projects and tuition levels as they try to predict the road ahead in an uncertain time. And most are working hard to maintain and increase financial aid so they can continue to attract and retain students. "The sense of helplessness is enormous," said Patricia A. McGuire, president of Trinity Washington University. "Right now, we're watching and waiting and not spending anything we don't have. We all just want to stay in bed and pull the covers up till it's over."

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As Kids Go, So Goes the Nation - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/02/AR2008110201883.html In classrooms locally and nationwide, students have been staging debates and casting ballots in mock elections. Here are a few of the ways students have learned about democracy and about Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.): Fifty-two years ago, students who participated in the Weekly Reader presidential election poll picked Dwight D. Eisenhower over Adlai Stevenson. Since then, the kids' choice has mirrored the country's in all but one election. In 1992, students chose President George H.W. Bush over the man who succeeded him in the White House, Bill Clinton. "When Bush senior heard the results, he said he was really excited and was going to send [former U.S. senator] Bob Dole up to the Hill to pass the 28th Amendment to lower the voting age to 5," said Clara Colbert, Weekly Reader's senior managing editor. This fall, more than 125,000 Weekly Reader fans across the country, from kindergartners to high-schoolers, cast ballots. Obama captured 54.7 percent of the votes compared with McCain's 42.9 percent. Obama was the choice of students in the District, Maryland and Virginia.

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College tuition could rise sharply, officials warn - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-tuition30-2008oct30,0,4819952.story A report released Wednesday by the College Board showed that the average price of attending college rose nearly 6% this fall, but education officials warned that the widening economic crisis might push tuition bills sharply higher next year. Annual tuition, fees, and room and board for in-state students at four-year public colleges and universities nationwide grew 5.7% for the current academic year to $14,333, according to the College Board's annual college pricing survey. For four-year private schools, the price of attending rose 5.6% to $34,132. Financial aid reduced schooling expenses for eligible students. The increases closely matched the 5.6% overall inflation rate for the fiscal year ending July 2008 and were relatively moderate compared with a run-up of college costs a decade ago. "This is certainly not high by historical standards," said Sandy Baum, a College Board policy analyst and economics professor at Skidmore College in New York.

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Cost of Higher Education Heading Up - washingtonpost.com

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/29/AR2008102901642.html College students and their parents should brace for sharp tuition increases as the widening economic downturn begins to hit campuses across the country, an organization of higher education officials said yesterday. The warning came in response to an annual national survey of tuition and fees that showed that college costs rose only modestly for the current academic year. But that report, released yesterday by the College Board, was based on data collected before June and did not reflect many of the economic trials embroiling the country. The financial landscape has become far more grim, according to the American Council on Education, a coalition of more than 1,600 college and university presidents. "I am afraid this year's report may prove only to be a snapshot of a time in history that we might soon be referring to as 'the good old days,' " said ACE President Molly Corbett Broad.

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States, schools will have to improve dropout rates - USATODAY.com

http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-10-28-drop-out-rates_N.htm One in four students quits high school, a grim rate that will have to improve under new federal rules. Schools and states will now have to track and lift the graduation rates for all students, including minorities and students with disabilities, under regulations being announced Tuesday by Education Secretary Margaret Spellings. Among black and Hispanic kids, one in three drops out of school. A school might have a high graduation rate but still have a low rate for black or Hispanic students or for kids with disabilities. Making schools responsible for progress in every group of students puts pressure on schools to improve. The new rules are an attempt to extend the No Child Left Behind education law to the high school grades, and they come in the waning days of the Bush administration, which made the law a signature domestic achievement.

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U.S. dropout picture is grim, report says - Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-dropout24-2008oct24,0,6528493.story Your child is less likely to graduate from high school than you were, and most states are doing little to hold schools accountable, according to a study by a children's advocacy group. More than half the states have graduation targets that don't make schools get better, the Education Trust says in a report released Thursday in Washington. One in 4 kids is dropping out of school, a rate that hasn't budged for at least five years. Among minorities, more than 1 in 3 drop out. "The U.S. is stagnating while other industrialized countries are surpassing us," said Anna Habash, author of the report by Education Trust, which advocates on behalf of minority and poor children. "And that is going to have a dramatic impact on our ability to compete."

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