1606, 2017

50 Reading Recommendations from Counselors and Deans

According to the College Board, the Reading section of the SAT includes passages from topics as varied as contemporary world literature, a U.S. founding document, economics, biology, and physics. Additionally, there are also questions that ask about “important, widely used words and phrases that you’ll find in texts in many different subjects.“ Besides improving your familiarity with different types of reading and your vocabulary, reading during the summer can also

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2605, 2017

Mark Zuckerberg Speaks to Harvard Graduates About Creating Purpose

Mark Zuckerberg, the famous creator of Facebook, visited Harvard recently to speak to its graduates about purpose, meaningful projects, and community; all lessons which are always important for any student of any age: “The challenge for our generation is creating a world where everyone has a sense of purpose…Purpose is that sense that we are part of something bigger than ourselves, that we are needed, that we have something better

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0202, 2017

How the Travel Ban Affects Colleges

Last week, Trump’s travel ban against people from certain Muslim-majority countries stirred strong reactions across the U.S. The ban affected travelers entering the U.S. and those involved in the visa process. How has the ban affected colleges? The NACAC has made a list of recent news on the issue and the stories that students, professors, researchers, and others in higher education have to tell about their experiences. (Source: NACAC)

1901, 2017

What Can UC Students Do After College?

According to the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, a lot. Some UC alums have been honored on the list for a variety of accomplishments such as: Energy- Charles Cai and a new method to change plant matter into biofuel Social Causes- Rachel Sumekh and her nonprofit to end hunger on college campuses Education- Timothy Downing and his studies in biomedical engineering that could help improve repair of spinal injuries For

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1301, 2015

How Many Counselors Does a High School Need?

Or to flip the question, how many students do you think a school counselor can handle while still working effectively? 50 students? 100 students? What about 500 students? According to a recent article from the New York Times, the national ratio of high school students to counselors is almost 500-to-1. Last year, Time Magazine also mentioned a similar figure, stating that a public high school counselor usually has a caseload

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2212, 2014

Studying Tips for the Holidays

As winter break has just begun, some students are excited for the chance to sleep in and catch up with friends. But the holidays also provide a great chance to review school subjects or work on a long-term school project. In order to ensure the most productive study session possible, see some of the tips below!   1. Check your study environment A quiet and clean place to study is

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1612, 2014

How Much Homework is Helpful?

A recent article on The Atlantic reviewed data on the amount of homework assigned to 15-year-old students around the world. According to the listed countries: Students in Shanghai spend, on average, 13.8 hours on homework each week Students in the U.S. spend 6.1 hours on homework each week Students in Finland spend 2.8 hours on homework each week The report does not take into account any time spent in after-school

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1211, 2014

Increased High School Graduation Rates Seen in the U.S.

The U.S. Department of Education announced that for the 2012-2013 school year, 18 states had high school graduation rates at 85 percent or more. In 2011-2012, only 16 states had that same graduation rate. Specific information about graduation rates for each state can be found online at ED Data Express. There may be some differences between states on how their rates take account of English learners and students with disabilities.

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1111, 2014

Want a Creative Career? Study Up on STEM

As a student, have you ever wondered “Why do I need to know what derivative is?” or “Why should I care what a quantum mechanical system does?” If you’re interested in one of the careers below, you might want to dust off your textbooks and get back to your math and science notes.   1. Fashion Designer (Algebra, Geometry) Besides knowing the difference between red and blood-orange, math is a

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1011, 2014

U.S. and China Increase Time for Visa Validity

On Monday, during the first day of his trip to China, President Barack Obama announced a new policy on visas between the U.S. and China. Originally, U.S. visas such as business visas and student visas were only valid for one year. Under the new policy, business and tourist visas will now be valid for up to ten years. Student and exchange visas will be valid for five years. The new

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0310, 2014

Students Protest Over School Board’s Reaction to AP U.S. History Curriculum

In the past week in Colorado, many Jefferson County students participated in protests against a school board’s response to new guidelines for AP U.S. History. The Jefferson County school board took issue with new AP U.S. History guidelines which came out from College Board in the summer. Some stated that it promoted an anti-American view of history, and placed too much emphasis on the role of race, gender, and class in

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1709, 2014

Public Agrees on Poll That Better Teacher Preparation Is Needed

From the recent release of the PDK/Gallup poll on education, 81% of those surveyed thought that teachers should be required to pass board certification before teaching. As The Atlantic noted, a national certification exam for teachers already exists, although it is not required for every teacher. The poll results started up a discussion among educators on how U.S. teacher preparation could be improved. The American Federation of Teachers and the

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0707, 2014

Corinthian Colleges To Sell And Close Campuses Under New Plan

The U.S. Department of Education has announced that Corinthian Colleges Inc. has agreed to an operating plan which will ease the process of closing down its campuses. In early June, Corinthian Colleges was placed under “increased financial oversight” by the Department of Education since Corinthian had failed to submit required data about enrollment and job placement. Concerns were also brought up about Corinthian’s marketing practices to prospective students. Programs owned

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3006, 2014

U.S. Education Department Releases New Lists on College Cost

Do you know which public 4-year college has the highest tuition? Do you know which private 2-year college has the lowest net price? As The Chronicle of Higher Education noted today, the U.S. Department of Education just released new lists of the most expensive and least expensive U.S. colleges. The new lists are based on tuition data from the 2012-2013 school year. The lists allow the public to view tuition

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1806, 2014

CA Ruling on Teacher Tenure Stirs Arguments on Teacher Effectiveness

How can we judge if a teacher should be tenured? This question was raised by many news sites last week when a California judge ruled that teacher tenure “impose a disproportionate burden on poor and minority students.” As the reasoning went in Vergara v. California, teacher tenure currently keeps many ineffective teachers in schools and changing the tenure system would benefit student success. The ruling also stirred up passionate discussion

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0706, 2014

How Effective are MOOCs?

The answer is still uncertain. MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) are online courses which are usually free and open to anyone with internet access. Three well-known organizations which offer MOOCs are Coursera, Udacity, and edX. According to the U.S. News, some teachers and education experts hold the position that MOOCs can improve U.S. higher education. Others are more skeptical and think more time is needed before any results from MOOCs

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