The article “Drilling Down on the Budget-Student Loans in the New York Times is written by Sam Dillon and is about President Obama’s budget proposal on education. The article talks about how Obama’s plan is designed to guarantee low-income college students a stable grant amount and would help eliminate $ 4 billion in annual subsidies to private banks who make student loans. The vice president of the American Council on Education says that this proposal by Obama is one of the biggest changes in the federal program of helping finance a college education since 1965. The article goes on to talk about the current system and how you qualify for a Pell Grant which helps low-income families. It also talks about how Congress votes on the program and how the new proposal wants to keep pace with the current inflation. The article also mentions what the current amount is and what it could possibly rise to under this new plan. Under this proposal there are many changes in the way the federal government provide student loans. The administration wants to eliminate the idea of the government paying a subsidy to banks and loan companies to make loans to students at a congressionally mandated interest rate. Instead the administration proposes the loans come from a direct lending program. Many of the private lenders are opposed to the changes because many of them receive subsidies under the current program.
I think that overall this is a very good article. Many students had trouble finding a way to pay for college before the economic crisis and now are having even harder of a time now. Many people feel like they cannot go to school because they cannot afford it and know that there is a possibility that they will be paying on their education many years after graduating. If this new proposal passes it will help many people. Even though the rise in the Pell Grant is small it will still make a difference too many. This program will also help students feel more secure because they know that they have support.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/27/washington/27web-edu.html?_r=1&ref=politics
The article “Big U.S. Role in Lending to Students” by Jonathan D. Glater in the New York Times is about how with the government taking over the student loan market there may not be any room left for private lenders. The education department agreed to continue their commitment to buy student loans to keep the market working. Many people are worried about the current economic crisis including college students. The article states that a contract was signed by the Education Department where they agree to buy $60 billion dollars in loans which was more than previously stated and was almost enough to cover all the student loans made last year. The article states how while President Obama was on his campaign trail he strongly criticized the program and called it a “wasteful system.” The article then goes on to talk about the Clinton Era and different loan programs. The article also mentions banks and different types of loans that college students may take. It also mentions that this new program was considered to be a last-minute deal with the taxpayers’ dollars being a concern. With this being a concern the Obama administration are asking for additional analysis.
This article much like the first one is concerned with student loans. Education is something that is very important and something that I feel like does not get enough attention. This article goes in depth in talking about the different education programs all the way back to the Clinton era which I think is good because it shows how it has changed over the years. I also feel like the reason loans and other educational issues are getting so much attention is because of the current economic crisis. I feel like the issue of student loans has always been there because people are always going to college and that it is something that is important and should be something that is discussed more.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/business/26student.html?ref=education
The third article that I read was “An Option to Save $40,000: Squeeze College Into # Years,” by Tamar Lewin was also found in the New York Times. This article talks about how you can cut college cost by getting a degree in three years instead of the normal four. Hartwick College in New York will option this option to students in the fall with the hopes of saving $40,000. The program is designed so that students will end up with 120 credits 18 in fall and spring and a January term of 4 credits. With the way the program is designed students should not have to take any summer classes. Even if the college does not offer the three year program their tuition is still expected to rise. The college expects that many students will be interested in this option. In the article several people give their opinion of what they think about the program. Many people think that it will work but say that it is not an easy thing for a college to do. If Hartwick decides to use this program it will only be offered to students who have a 3.0 or higher and will only be offered in 22 out of 31 of their programs.
I found this article to be very interesting. I think that if it is possible to graduate in three years then it would be nice for colleges to offer it because it will save many students a lot of money. I think that for some majors it would be difficult to graduate in three years without attending summer school or taking extra credits during a semester. I think that if more colleges offered programs like this that many students would be interested, but one drawback is that like at Hartwick it is not offered for all majors.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/25/education/25hartwick.html?ref=education
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Articles Week 2
The article “Economy Hits Hard on Black Campuses” was written by Shaila Dewan is about many Black Campuses that have been hit hard and are struggling due to the economy. Morris Brown College in Atlanta is just one of the schools that have been hit hard by the economy. The school is in 30 million dollars worth of debt and currently only has 151 students. Some of their utilities have been cut off because of not paying their bills. Clark Atlanta University had to lay off about 100 staff members and had to cancel some of their class saying that it was an “enrollment emergency.” Other schools have announced salary reductions among many other things. The article gives two reasons that black institutions have disadvantages over non black institutions. One reason is that they receive smaller endowments which in return leads to reliance on tuition and fees and there is a higher percentage of disadvantaged students who are facing credit crunches when they apply for loans. Another reason that Black Intuitions are facing hard times is because most of their students qualify for grants and scholarships but the money is just not there to fund it. The article also mentions how the funds that the United Nergo College Fund has collected has decreased by 10%.
Overall I think that this is a very good and informative article. This article gives an insight on how difficult it is for many students to attend college and how many colleges are struggling do to the way the economy is. I think that this is something that is very important and doesn’t get enough attention. With the current state of the economy and many jobs being lost, some of the only ones left are the ones that require degrees. If one is not able to attend college because of financial problems then how do they have hopes of getting an education and finding a job?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19colleges.html?_r=1&ref=education
The article “Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes” by Max Roosevelt talks about how college student’s expectations are too high for the work that they do. The article interviews a professor at the University of Maryland who teaches English classes who says that every time that he hands back papers there are complaints from students saying they deserve a higher grade. He says that he tells students that meeting the standard requirements is not enough that they need to achieve more. The article also mentions research that has been done which revealed that 1/3 of students say that the expected a B for attending lectures and 40% said that a B was deserved for completing the reading. The article also mentions how expectations are very different at the college level. The article also interviews different people who state their opinions of how grades should be given and they are all different.
Overall I found this article to be very interesting. I think that it is very true that expectations are very different at the college level. I think that it is a process that everyone learns. The first semester of college everyone learns how all professors are different and how different college is from high school. I think that it is good that this is an issue that is talked about because it is important.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/education/18college.html?_r=1&ref=education
Overall I think that this is a very good and informative article. This article gives an insight on how difficult it is for many students to attend college and how many colleges are struggling do to the way the economy is. I think that this is something that is very important and doesn’t get enough attention. With the current state of the economy and many jobs being lost, some of the only ones left are the ones that require degrees. If one is not able to attend college because of financial problems then how do they have hopes of getting an education and finding a job?
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/us/19colleges.html?_r=1&ref=education
The article “Student Expectations Seen as Causing Grade Disputes” by Max Roosevelt talks about how college student’s expectations are too high for the work that they do. The article interviews a professor at the University of Maryland who teaches English classes who says that every time that he hands back papers there are complaints from students saying they deserve a higher grade. He says that he tells students that meeting the standard requirements is not enough that they need to achieve more. The article also mentions research that has been done which revealed that 1/3 of students say that the expected a B for attending lectures and 40% said that a B was deserved for completing the reading. The article also mentions how expectations are very different at the college level. The article also interviews different people who state their opinions of how grades should be given and they are all different.
Overall I found this article to be very interesting. I think that it is very true that expectations are very different at the college level. I think that it is a process that everyone learns. The first semester of college everyone learns how all professors are different and how different college is from high school. I think that it is good that this is an issue that is talked about because it is important.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/education/18college.html?_r=1&ref=education
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Article Review-Week One
The Article “Desperate School Districts Are Eager for Stimulus Money” by John Mooney was interesting. The article talks about how schools in New Jersey are suffering and how there are talks about the stimulus plan that was recently approved could greatly help public education. The article talks about how the bill would provide an estimated $150 billion for education from preschool all the way through college. The article also talks about some of the ways that the money would be used in New Jersey as well as some of the advantages and disadvantages of this bill. Overall I found the article to be interesting. I think that it is important that school districts are being advised to be careful when it comes to this bill and what they are told they will receive. I also think that like mentioned in the article that just because they are getting this money doesn’t mean that they should stop worrying. Education is something that is very important and should also be something that should be thought about for the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/nyregion/newjersey/08stimulusnj.html?_r=1&ref=education
The article “Milwaukee-Area Schools Face Legal Action Over Church Graduation Ceremonies” was about how people are getting upset because students have voted to hold their graduation ceremony in a church. The article talks about how a national group threatens a lawsuit if the schools decide to have graduation at the church. The article also says that the students voted to have graduation at the church because it is not only big enough but is handicapped accessible. All signs of religion except one cross are covered during the ceremony. I think that it ridiculous that a national group is trying to sue school because they want to have graduation in a church. The students voted to have the ceremony there so it should not be a problem. It is no different than using any other building because the ceremony has nothing at all to do with religion and will not be mentioned. I also think that a law suit would be wrong because the main thing that should be focused on is that the students are graduating and hopefully continuing their education so their future will be bright. Schools should have the right to decided themselves without getting outsiders involved.
http://www.wisn.com/education/18695484/detail.html
The article “Study links children's lead levels, SAT scores” is about a Virginia economist who believes that the about of lead in I a student has to do with how well they perform on test such as the SAT’s. After doing many studies and research for many years he came to the conclusion that as lead levels dropped test scores rose and as they increased they test scores dropped. One argument for this story is that the non-school factors affect student’s achievements. I think that overall this article was very interesting. I think that it is hard to agree or disagree by just reading the article. Rick Nevin the economist had his findings published in an Environmental Research issue. I think that if I were to read more about his findings and research that I would be able to know more. I do think that it is interesting that he found this relationship when lead and the effects and reports of it have not been very high in the past few years.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-02-02-lead-SAT_N.htm
When looking through the different articles since there were so many to choose from I decided to choose three about education since I am an education major. I am very passionate about education and all of the issues that surround it. I found all three articles to be interesting because they were all about education but different aspects of it. I think that the first two articles relate more to each other because they both deal with money. One is about how there might not even be enough for there to be schools and supplies in one state while in another a group is trying to sue for money because of something as unimportant as where they are holding graduation. I think that the big issue is to make sure that we are finding some way to keep our students educated so that they can have hope for the future.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/nyregion/newjersey/08stimulusnj.html?_r=1&ref=education
The article “Milwaukee-Area Schools Face Legal Action Over Church Graduation Ceremonies” was about how people are getting upset because students have voted to hold their graduation ceremony in a church. The article talks about how a national group threatens a lawsuit if the schools decide to have graduation at the church. The article also says that the students voted to have graduation at the church because it is not only big enough but is handicapped accessible. All signs of religion except one cross are covered during the ceremony. I think that it ridiculous that a national group is trying to sue school because they want to have graduation in a church. The students voted to have the ceremony there so it should not be a problem. It is no different than using any other building because the ceremony has nothing at all to do with religion and will not be mentioned. I also think that a law suit would be wrong because the main thing that should be focused on is that the students are graduating and hopefully continuing their education so their future will be bright. Schools should have the right to decided themselves without getting outsiders involved.
http://www.wisn.com/education/18695484/detail.html
The article “Study links children's lead levels, SAT scores” is about a Virginia economist who believes that the about of lead in I a student has to do with how well they perform on test such as the SAT’s. After doing many studies and research for many years he came to the conclusion that as lead levels dropped test scores rose and as they increased they test scores dropped. One argument for this story is that the non-school factors affect student’s achievements. I think that overall this article was very interesting. I think that it is hard to agree or disagree by just reading the article. Rick Nevin the economist had his findings published in an Environmental Research issue. I think that if I were to read more about his findings and research that I would be able to know more. I do think that it is interesting that he found this relationship when lead and the effects and reports of it have not been very high in the past few years.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-02-02-lead-SAT_N.htm
When looking through the different articles since there were so many to choose from I decided to choose three about education since I am an education major. I am very passionate about education and all of the issues that surround it. I found all three articles to be interesting because they were all about education but different aspects of it. I think that the first two articles relate more to each other because they both deal with money. One is about how there might not even be enough for there to be schools and supplies in one state while in another a group is trying to sue for money because of something as unimportant as where they are holding graduation. I think that the big issue is to make sure that we are finding some way to keep our students educated so that they can have hope for the future.
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