FECSBA News Watch

Last post to FECSBA News Watch

2009-11-23T09:42:00.000-08:00

This will be the last post to this blog. Thank you for your interest! There have been very few subscribers to these posts, however, and considering the time investment, I have decided not to continue doing them. If you would like to follow news of interest to families of early college students in the Bay area, I recommend using Google Alerts to collect these items in a news reader.

Some of the items I've regularly reviewed Alerts for include "early college" (put it in quotes to get instances where these two are found together), "city college of san francisco" (or any other particular colleges you are interested in), "community colleges," "UC Berkeley," and so on. You can view these in a news reader like Google Reader at your convenience.

Best of luck in pursuing early college opportunities for your children!

Jennifer Dees

College reviews by gifted students

2009-11-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

Imagine magazine, published by the Johns Hopkins University's Center for Talented Youth (CTY) program, offers a CD containing a collection of 45 university reviews from its archives. Each review combines contributions from multiple gifted students who have been part of CTY and who attended or now attend those colleges.

The CD includes reviews of these selective colleges and universities: Bowdoin; Brown; Caltech; Carleton; Carnegie Mellon; Case Western Reserve; Claremont McKenna; Columbia; Cornell; Dartmouth; Duke; Emory; Georgetown; Georgia Tech; Harvard; Harvey Mudd; Haverford; Johns Hopkins; Lehigh; MIT; Middlebury; NYU; Northwestern; Oberlin; Pomona; Princeton; Rice; Rose-Hulman; St. John's; Stanford; Tufts; UC-Berkeley; UCLA; UC San Diego; U. of Chicago; U. of Michigan; U. of Pennsylvania; USC; U. of Texas; U. of Virginia; U. of Wisconsin; Washington University; William & Mary; Williams; Yale.

To read a sample review or order the CD ($20) see the Imagine Web site.

College crisis is a disaster California can't afford

2009-11-19T07:17:00.000-08:00

The San Diego Union-Tribune's business writer Dean Calbreath reports on the "education apocalypse" in the state of California. In "College Crisis is a Disaster California Can't Afford," he offers the following examples:

-- By 2014 there will be 640,000 more college applicants in California than colleges and universities have room to handle.

-- Colleges are already turning away students. The San Diego Community College District put between 10,000 and 20,000 on waiting lists this year.

-- By 2025, if current trends continue, 41 percent of jobs in California will require college degrees, while only 35 percent of Californians will have graduated from college, translating into a shortage of 1 million college-educated workers, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, or PPI, a think tank in San Francisco.

Already, among the 20 most populous states, California ranks 19th in the percentage of high school graduates who enroll directly in a four-year college or university; 18th in the percentage who enroll in any college, including community colleges; and 18th in the ratio of bachelor's degrees awarded to high school graduates. Although the state likes to promote its “highly educated work force” as a drawing card to high-tech firms, 44 other states have higher percentages of graduates in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).

FULL STORY

Students rage at fee hikes in UC system

2009-11-19T06:53:00.000-08:00

The San Francisco Chronicle reports that "The UC regents are expected to put the final seal today on a hefty 32 percent tuition increase as students resume the protests that shut down their board meeting three times Wednesday and required campus police in riot gear to maintain calm."

Students protested at UCLA, at UC Berkeley, at UC Santa Cruz, and at some community colleges where students turned out in solidarity with the UC students. Fees at UCs will top $10,000 for the first time with the fee increase.

FULL STORY

The Choice answers questions about community colleges

2009-11-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

The New York Times blog "The Choice" has expert answers to questions about community colleges, including especially young students attending them before transferring to four-year universities, in "Answers About Community Colleges."

California community colleges may offer common assessments in 2010

2009-11-19T06:08:00.001-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that California community colleges will be encouraged to offer a common assessment in mathematics and English for incoming students starting in the fall of 2010, according to the system's chancellor, Jack Scott. The system's 110 campuses have long offered dozens of incompatible assessment tests, which Mr. Scott said had wasted money, muddied transfer pathways to universities, and made it more difficult for students to move from one community college to another.

Californians see higher education budget cuts, fee hikes as big problems

2009-11-12T06:37:00.000-08:00

A new poll by the Public Policy Institute of California finds that Californians give high grades to their public higher education systems, but they are worried about college costs and the impact of state budget cuts.

In the context of the state budget situation, most Californians place a very high (26%) or high (33%) priority on spending for public higher education, which at $12.2 billion is the third-largest area of spending in the budget. But residents split along partisan lines, with 67 percent of Democrats and 61 percent of independents putting a very high or high priority on spending in this area, compared to 42 percent of Republicans. The same percentage of Republicans (42%) puts a medium priority on higher education spending.

Given the high value that most Californians place on spending for higher education, what would they be willing to do to offset state spending cuts?

-- 68 percent are unwilling to increase student fees. Solid majorities across parties, regions, and demographic groups concur.

-- 56 percent are unwilling to pay higher taxes. Although 56 percent of Democrats are willing to pay higher taxes for this purpose, 58 percent of independents and 74 percent of Republicans are not.

-- 53 percent would support a higher education construction bond measure on the 2010 ballot. But support is lower among likely voters (46% yes, 47% no) for this hypothetical bond measure and would fall short of the simple majority threshold needed to pass such a measure.

FULL PRESS RELEASE (pdf, 56K)

Early College High School Initiative

2009-11-11T03:13:00.001-08:00

The Early College High School Initiative is a program famously championed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. From its Web site:

"Early college high school is a bold approach, based on the principle that academic rigor, combined with the opportunity to save time and money, is a powerful motivator for students to work hard and meet serious intellectual challenges. Early college high schools blend high school and college in a rigorous yet supportive program, compressing the time it takes to complete a high school diploma and the first two years of college.

Since 2002, the partner organizations of the Early College High School Initiative have started or redesigned more than 200 schools in 24 states and the District of Columbia. The schools are designed so that low-income youth, first-generation college goers, English language learners, students of color, and other young people underrepresented in higher education can simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an Associate’s degree or up to two years of credit toward a Bachelor’s degree—tuition free."

PROGRAM WEB SITE

O'Connell visits an early college high school

2009-11-11T03:05:00.000-08:00

California's Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell recently visited the classroom of Orange County teacher of the year Candace Leuthold at Early College High School in Costa Mesa, California.

The Daily Pilot reports, "O’Connell was interested in seeing the innovative program at Early College, which allows motivated high school students to earn dozens of college units while enrolled at the school on a Coastline Community College campus in Costa Mesa."

FULL STORY

CSU cuts and application increases again

2009-11-11T02:59:00.001-08:00

The Los Angeles Times reports on the California State University budget cuts and application increases, including the following:

"For Cal State campuses, it was more grim news. Many already have enrollment caps and give priority to qualified students from their own community. More are taking measures to expedite graduations to make room for new students.

At Cal Poly Pomona, for example, students with enough credits for a degree will be notified they've met graduation requirements and will not be readmitted. Students there are generally being limited to one major and those who pledge to graduate in four years are given priority registration, said spokesman Tim Lynch."

FULL STORY

CSU system outlines enrollment cuts

2009-11-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

The Collegian Online also covers the CSU budget cuts story:

"Facing a $564 million budget cut for this fiscal year, California State University Chancellor Charles B. Reed provided an update on the drastic measures that the CSU is undertaking to address the deficit including slashing enrollment by more than 40,000 students, as demand to attend the CSU continues to rise.

CSU estimates that it cut 4,000 students in fall 2009, and will see a much larger drop in spring as a result of curtailing enrollment including the elimination of spring admissions. In all, CSU needs to reduce its student numbers by more than 40,000 students in order to match student enrollment with funding received from the state."

FULL STORY

CSU campuses see big increase in applications

2009-11-10T20:50:00.000-08:00

Applications submitted to California State University (CSU) campuses this year have almost doubled since last year’s application period, in just the first month, reports the Daily Sundial.

CSU Mentor, the CSU application submission Web site, recorded a total of 187,329 submissions between Oct. 1 and Oct. 28, compared to 124,684 during that same period last year.

The largest increase of applications, according to the CSU Web site, came from community college students, with more than 41,000 applying to transfer to a CSU, nearly three times higher than last year’s numbers.

FULL STORY

California State University will get smaller, have tougher standards

2009-11-10T17:02:00.001-08:00

The San Jose Mercury News reports that the California State University system will shrink and institute tougher standards starting next fall.

"For the second time in its century-long history, San Jose State University will shrink the size of its freshman class — accepting all qualified students from Santa Clara County but limiting entry by non-residents, and toughening standards for the most popular majors like engineering, business and nursing. With less state money to support teaching, 2,500 fewer seats will be available at SJSU next fall; last year, the school cut 3,000 seats. The SJSU cutbacks are part of a significant reduction within the entire California State University system."

FULL STORY

CCSF cuts summer classes

2009-11-08T12:11:00.000-08:00

KCBS in San Francisco reports that City College of San Francisco, the largest community college in the nation, has cut most if not all its classes for Summer 2010.

"City College of San Francisco will be offering very few, if any, classes this summer. Summer school classes at the community college are being cancelled because of funding cuts.

The state has slashed the budget for community colleges and CCSF took a $20 million hit, which adds up to about 900 classes in the summer."

KCBS FULL STORY (includes video)

The San Francisco Examiner also reports on the story, including that "Some 800 classes have already been eliminated in the current academic year — about 300 from fall and about 500 from spring" and that there are 2,500 more students vying for classes at CCSF this year compared to last year.

The Examiner story

Transfer students at Stanford University

2009-11-06T16:28:00.001-08:00

The Stanford Review reports on the experience of transfer students at Stanford University:

"Having attended other post-secondary institutions, Stanford’s small and tightly-knit group of transfer students has the unique ability to make comparisons and shed light on what many Stanford undergraduates likely take for granted. Diana Munoz-Villanueva, Teryn Norris, and Tenzin Seldon are three such transfer students. In addition to telling their stories, they were asked to compare their former post-secondary institutions to Stanford, focusing specifically on making comparisons regarding Stanford’s political life, academics, and social life."

FULL STORY

Success of Dual Enrollment & Early College High School programs

2009-11-05T06:34:00.000-08:00

The American Youth Policy Forum has published a comprehensive analysis of programs meant to increase the success of young people in education and life, including early college experience. Its report, "Success at Every Step: How 23 Programs Support Youth on the Path to College and Beyond," is available as a free downloadable pdf.

Of particular interest to our audience are two sections -- one on dual enrollment and one on the Early College High School Initiative championed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The report analyzes the success of dual enrollment programs (high school and college) in Florida and New York City. Approximately 34,000 students participate in dual enrollment each year in Florida, and 19,000 participate in the College Now dual enrollment program in New York City. In Florida, dual enrollment was associated with increased high school graduation rates, college enrollment rates, persistence in college, and credit accrual. In New York City, dual enrollment was associated with increased likelihood of pursuing a bachelor’s degree and higher first-year college GPAs.

"Early college high schools" target underrepresented groups in colleges, and currently serve 43,000 high school students taking community college courses in 24 states. The report finds that "Early College High Schools had higher achievement test scores and expected graduation rates than district averages, and ECHS graduates were more likely to plan to enroll directly in college than national averages. Early results from the North Carolina experimental study found that ECHS students were more likely to be on track in a college preparatory course of study than control group students."

FULL REPORT (links to pdf)

UC Berkeley enrolls more out-of-state students; racial diversity may suffer

2009-11-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that as UC Berkeley enrolls more out-of-state students to bring in higher tuition dollars, racial diversity may suffer.

According to the article, "To save money, Berkeley plans to reduce the size of next fall's freshman class. The university intends to enroll about 15 percent fewer Californians, while at the same time nearly doubling its number of out-of-state and international students, who will generate millions of dollars in new revenue from higher, nonresident tuition."

FULL STORY

Opinion: California's higher-education debacle

2009-11-04T07:24:00.000-08:00

In an opinion piece in the Los Angeles Times, Jeff Bleich, a longtime member of the Board of Trustees of the California State University system, the last two as its chairman, shares his deep concern for California's higher-education system.

He writes, "This experience has been more than just professional; it has been a deeply personal one. With my term ending soon, I need to share my concern -- and personal pain -- that California is on the verge of destroying the very system that once made this state great."

Bleich adds that as someone who "has lived the California dream," he finds "there is nothing more painful to me than to see this dream dying. It is being starved to death by a public that thinks any government service -- even public education -- is not worth paying for. And by political leaders who do not lead but instead give in to our worst, shortsighted instincts."

FULL COLUMN

Education Dept. releases template for college net-price calculator

2009-11-04T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that the U.S. Department of Education has released a template that colleges can use to create the net-price calculators they are required to offer on their Web sites in two years.

The calculators, which are required under a provision of the Higher Education Opportunity Act, will allow prospective students and their families to estimate their personal out-of-pocket expenses at a particular college.

FULL ARTICLE

Students study the cost of college

2009-11-03T07:16:00.000-08:00

The New York Times' education section, "The Learning Network," presents an interesting assignment for students in "The Cost of College: Graphing Tuition Prices and Other Expenses."

The piece ask students to look at these questions: "How do the costs of two-year, four-year, public and private colleges vary and compare? What factors have fueled the community college enrollment boom? In this lesson, students analyze the rise in tuition costs and consider the implication of the economy on the costs of college. They compare and investigate college education costs and create graphs to represent the data, and then research and graph their own anticipated college costs."

FULL ARTICLE

Early college boosts opportunity for homeschooled teens

2009-11-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

A homeschool teacher writes on Homeschool-Articles.com that her 19-year-old son has recently graduated with his B.S. in computer science. She then goes on to recommend early college for other homeschooled teens, saying "I don’t know about you, but I’ve never seen the point in wasting time. I was always the kid who read ahead in class, finished homework before leaving school for the day, and saw no point in filling out sixteen workbook pages on a concept I already knew. When it came to educating my four boys, I’ve taken a similar approach. Once the basics of a subject are mastered, they can move ahead as quickly as they like, earning college credit while still in high school. Why not?"

She then goes on to list some of the ways homeschoolers can get started accumulating college credits early.

FULL ARTICLE

More colleges pass $50,000 mark

2009-11-03T06:51:00.000-08:00

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports that 58 private colleges and universities have now passed the $50,000 per year mark for room, board, and tuition in 2009-10. Last year only five institutions charged this much.

FULL TABLE

Community College Week at Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco

2009-11-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

The Examiner.com reports that this week, the first ever-statewide Community College Week celebration will be held in San Francisco.

Events for the week include a kickoff ceremony on Monday at 6 pm at Yerba Buena Gardens, a Community College Film Festival with shorts by students, faculty and staff on Thursday on Nov. 5 at 7 pm at Downtown Campus at 88 Fourth Street on the 8th floor, free classes Wed., Thurs, and Fri at Yerba Buena Gardens which include a sketching class, a physics class about making ice cream and a financial planning seminar. There will be a Candlelight Vigil on Friday, Nov. 6 starting at 7 p.m. at Union Square.

Also, students and alumni have created The Student Success Stories Project, 75 life-sized soft sculptures. These will be a Yerba Buena all week.

FULL STORY

Editorial: Squeezed out of college in California

2009-11-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

An opinion piece in the Fresno Bee says that California's state budget crisis has meant more fee increases for students and pay cuts for professors and staff, but that still hasn't closed the budget gap at California's public universities and they've had to limit admissions and reduce the number of classes they offer.

Students have a legitimate gripe when they complain they pay more for their educations and get less from the universities.

FULL COMMENTARY

Poet Laureate praises College of Marin and other CCs

2009-10-31T09:49:00.000-07:00

A New Yorker column discusses Poet Laureate Kay Ryan's championing of community colleges in our country, including College of Marin, where she has taught for many years.

Ryan has just announced her "Community College Poetry Project," a much-needed program aiming to highlight the country’s community colleges as vital educational institutions. “I simply want to celebrate the fact that right near your home, year in and year out, a community college is quietly—and with very little financial encouragement—saving lives and minds. I can’t think of a more efficient, hopeful or egalitarian machine, with the possible exception of the bicycle.”

FULL COLUMN