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01/16/2017 | Washington, DC | The Washington Post
Nation’s high school graduation rate reaches new record high
Emma Brown & Alejandro Matos | The Washington Post | Brown Twitter | Matos Twitter
The nation’s high school graduation rose again in the 2014-2015 school year, reaching a new record high as more than 83 percent of students earned a diploma on time, according to federal data released Monday.
The figures show gains among every group of students — including white, black, Asian, Hispanic and Native American, as well as low-income students, students with disabilities and those learning English as a second language. The broad improvement continues a trend that began with the 2010-2011 school year, when states first adopted a uniform method of reporting graduation rates.
To read more visit The Washington Post
Why surging high school graduation rates might be a mirage
Jay Mathews | The Washington Post
U.S. high school graduation rates are soaring. President Obama announced in October that the 2014-2015 rate was up to 83 percent in a fifth straight record-setting year. The D.C. public schools’ increase was the greatest anywhere, from 53 percent to 69 percent.
Sadly, as impressive as these numbers seem, there is no research indicating they reveal any learning gains in our high schools. Because of an accelerating use of a shortcut to graduation called credit recovery — used by 88 percent of school districts — most if not all of this much-publicized high school improvement might be an illusion.
To read more visit The Washington Post
01/16/2017 | Queens, NY | ABC News
Governor Andrew Cuomo Calls For Free Tuition At New York Public Colleges
ABC News
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing to offer free tuition at New York public colleges to eligible residents.
The Democrat unveiled his plan Tuesday morning at LaGuardia Community College in Queens alongside U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
During the senator’s unsuccessful run for the Democratic presidential nomination last year, Sanders pushed for free tuition at all U.S. public colleges.
To read more visit ABC News
The Gaps in New York’s Free-College Plan
James S. Murphy | The Atlantic | Twitter
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo recently announced plans to provide free tuition at the state’s public two- and four-year colleges to residents making up to $125,000. Standing next to former presidential contender Bernie Sanders just a couple weeks before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Cuomo reinvigorated a movement that some feared dead after the defeat of Sanders in the Democratic primary and deader than dead with Hillary Clinton’s loss. The governor’s declaration that “a college education is not a luxury—it is an absolute necessity for any chance at economic mobility” and his commitment to making sure that all New Yorkers have access to college “no matter what zip code they come from” was applauded on social media by Clinton, U.S. Education Secretary John King, and others.
It did not take long, however, for education researchers to highlight the potential flaws in his plan, the Excelsior Scholarships Program.
To read more visit The Atlantic
01/27/2016 | Oakland, CA | East Bay Times
Oakland: Two schools to share $17.2 million school improvement grant
Joyce Tsai | East Bay Times | Twitter
Two East Oakland schools have won a total of $17.2 million in federal school improvement grants Oakland Unified school district officials say will help transform their schools and expand opportunities for student achievement.
Futures Elementary School and Community United Elementary School, both located on the Havenscourt-Lockwood campus at 6701 International Blvd., will receive the five-year Federal School Improvement Grant from the California Department of Education. The schools serve predominantly low-income students, many of whom are learning English.
To read more visit East Bay Times
- The New York Times – Private Colleges Suggest New York’s Free Tuition Plan Limits Choices
- The Sundial – A master plan for free tuition
- The Wall Street Journal – Betsy DeVos Questioned by Bernie Sanders on Wealth, Free Tuition
EdCircuit Staff