University System News
USG VALUE:
www.accessnorthgeorgia.com
http://www.accessnorthgeorgia.com/detail.php?n=269193
Students in medical partnership training in the area
By Derreck Booth Editor
ATHENS – A partnership between Georgia Regents University and the University of Georgia has sent 12 medical students through the Gainesville area for training rotations. Partnership spokeswoman Alison Bracewell McCullick said the effort was launched in 2008 to help north Georgia keep up with a growing need for physicians.
GOOD NEWS:
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/uga/2013-12-25/law-school-enrollment-down-us-not-uga
Law school enrollment down in U.S., but not at UGA
By LEE SHEARER
The number of would-be barristers entering the nation’s law schools declined by 11 percent this fall, but the University of Georgia School of Law actually recorded an uptick in enrollment.
www.forsythnews.com
http://www.forsythnews.com/section/3/article/21646/
County native hailed for contributions to education
Named UGA grad school alumnus of distinction
By Newsroom Staff
A Forsyth County native is among the first recipients of the University of Georgia’s Graduate School Alumni of Distinction Award. The award was created as a way to recognize individuals who have made significant contributions to their professional fields and communities.
USG NEWS:
www.times-georgian.com
http://www.times-georgian.com/article_67bf21a4-6d11-11e3-866a-0019bb30f31a.html
GreenBelt leg to McIntosh Plaza completed
Winston Jones/Times-Georgian | 0 comments
Another segment of the Carrollton GreenBelt, a 300-foot leg from Carrollton Junior High School to McIntosh Plaza, was completed this week. Work on the trail continues on the University of West Georgia campus. …The Carrollton GreenBelt is a paved, 12-foot-wide trail system designed for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles. When completed, it will form a 16-mile loop around the city of Carrollton, connecting existing neighborhoods with the city school campus, University of West Georgia, city parks and several commercial shopping centers.
RESEARCH:
www.myajc.com
http://www.myajc.com/news/lifestyles/georgia-state-explores-health-risks-of-electronic-/ncR8k/?icmp=ajc_internallink_invitationbox_apr2013_ajcstub1
Georgia State explores health risks of electronic cigarettes
BY HELENA OLIVIERO – THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION
As electronic cigarettes surge in popularity, these battery-operated gadgets are also facing a growing chorus of concern. While industry critics agree e-cigarettes are not as dangerous as regular tobacco cigarettes, they are calling for research to determine the safety and effectiveness of what’s quickly becoming the next big thing in the smoking world. A major hub of research is underway at Georgia State University, which was recently awarded a $19 million federal grant over five years from the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health to establish one of 14 Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science.
www.redandblack.com
http://www.redandblack.com/uganews/science_health/she-blinded-me-with-science-why-do-i-feel-sleepy/article_9f79db7c-5d56-11e3-bd40-0019bb30f31a.html
She Blinded Me with Science: Why do I feel sleepy after eating?
Jeanette Kazmierczak
Question: How much turkey to you have to eat to consume enough tryptophan to make you sleepy?
Answer: That’s a long question with a short answer. You would have to eat an unreasonable amount of turkey, somewhere in the range of three to four pounds. Anand Mohan, assistant professor of food science and an extension meat specialist said it would be enough turkey to be TV worthy.
Editorials/Columns/Opinions
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/dec/23/common-core-tests-will-georgias-version-be-parcc-o/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
Common Core tests: Will Georgia’s go-it-alone version be PARCC like or PARCC lite?
Georgia announced in July it was pulling out of the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, a collective of 18 states and the District of Columbia that joined forces to develop Common Core-aligned tests. Gov. Nathan Deal and Superintendent John Barge blamed the decision on the cost of the new assessments, which could have been as high as $27 million, slightly more than the state’s entire K-12 testing budget. “Georgia can create an equally rigorous measurement without the high costs associated with this particular test,” said Deal and Barge in a joint statement.
www.ajc.com
http://www.ajc.com/weblogs/get-schooled/2013/dec/20/us-scores-holding-pattern-where-are-our-schools-go/
Get Schooled with Maureen Downey
U.S. scores in a holding pattern: Where did our schools go off track?
In his Top Performers blog for Education Week, Marc Tucker ponders the flatlining of American education performance since the 1970s and postulates causes. He says it can’t be money since the U.S. spends plenty, more than many of the countries that outperform us on international tests. However, it may be where schools have chosen to place their dollars, says Tucker, president of the National Center on Education and the Economy. He says American schools have put invested heavily in lowering class size and expanding special education without any evidence of success.
www.onlineathens.com
http://onlineathens.com/opinion/2013-12-25/johnson-help-communities-schools-continue-good-work
Johnson: Help Communities in Schools continue good work
By TIM JOHNSON
Tim Johnson is executive director of Family Connection-Communities In Schools, also known as Whatever It Takes, facilitating community collaboration for the success of all children in Athens.
Just before Christmas, we received three checks from Clarke County school teachers donating to Family Connection-Communities In Schools. While hardly unique, why — with no pay raises in years, and with actual pay cuts due to furloughs forced by state funding cuts — would teachers donate to our work? Here are a few possible reasons: …Thousands of children and youth in our community have better opportunities through more than 40 programs we have initiated with our partners. Our work has received national recognition, not just anecdotally (the White House included a story about one of our Neighborhood Leaders in a recent report), but because the data reflect remarkable gains by our partners, including a 67 percent reduction in teen pregnancy, an 88 percent reduction in substantiated child abuse and neglect, continuing improvement in graduation rates, and the largest reduction in the achievement gap of any school district in Georgia.
www.ccnewsnow.com
http://www.ccnewsnow.com/community-college-pitfall-causes-higher-ed-dead-end-column/?utm_campaign=1224ccnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=8692f4d72d08409982e5168e9992473b&elqCampaignId=166
Community college pitfall causes higher ed dead end: Column
Last fall, with SAT and ACT scores boosted by countless hours worth of test prep, tens of thousands of students began their careers at highly selective colleges and universities. And last fall, millions of incoming community college students were relegated to non-credit remedial courses. Many will remain in remediation for as long as two years, spending tuition on courses that don’t count towards a degree. Large numbers will drop out before taking a real college class. Only about a quarter will go on to earn any kind of degree. Why? In some cases, perhaps tens of thousands, it’s not because they couldn’t handle regular coursework but because they did not prepare for the standardized placement exam put in front of them as they enrolled.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/24/the-13-most-important-charts-of-2013/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss
The 13 most important charts of 2013
If you continually listen to school reformers in the “accountability” movement — those who believe that standardized test scores are the most important measure of success — then you could be forgiven for really believing that the U.S. economy and the country’s national security are dependent on getting those scores ever higher (because, in this skewed world view, the very flawed tests are seen as a real measure of achievement). You might also think that all of America’s public schools are nothing short of a mess. …Here are 13 telling charts about the economy from the nonprofit Economic Policy Institute, which has a mission of broadening the discussion about economic policy to include the interests of low- and middle-income workers.
www.washingtonpost.com
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/wp/2013/12/26/11-telling-stories-about-2013-school-reform/?wpisrc=nl_cuzheads
The Answer Sheet By Valerie Strauss
11 telling stories about 2013 school reform
I know it’s more common to do a Top 10 list but here are 11 of The Answer Sheet’s most popular posts in 2013, some that I wrote and others that some of my wonderful guest writers have authored. I have chosen posts that seem to me to be revealing about the path that corporate-influenced school reform took in the past year and about what is ahead for 2014. The subjects include the Common Core State Standards, the demoralization of teachers, Teach For America and the standardized testing obsession.
Education News
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59660/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=396306c9d6db415d96def61d495f8b91&elqCampaignId=146#
Foundation Organizes Community-Focused U.S. College Attainment Campaign
by Ronald Roach
With a cohort of 20 U.S. cities and their metropolitan regions leading the way, the Indianapolis-based Lumina Foundation has launched a community mobilization campaign aimed at helping residents in selected metropolitan areas increase their attainment of postsecondary education and training. The campaign, which will conclude at the end of 2016, will cover 75 American cities that will be partnered with Lumina and other national organizations to enact local action plans to “increase the percentage of high-quality credentials” by residents living in those communities.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59664/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=396306c9d6db415d96def61d495f8b91&elqCampaignId=146#
Crazy Horse Program Jumpstarts College Careers
by Dirk Lammers, Associated Press
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. ― An annual summer education program at the Crazy Horse Memorial aimed at Native American high school graduates is giving participants a jumpstart on their college careers. About 68 percent of the students who have attended Indian University of North America summer sessions in the backdrop of the mammoth mountain carving in South Dakota’s Black Hills have continued to pursue degrees at private public or tribal colleges and universities, says Ruth Ziolkowski, Crazy Horse’s chief executive officer.
www.m embers.jacksonville.com
http://members.jacksonville.com/news/metro/2013-12-23/story/more-students-are-taking-college-classes-their-high-schools
More students are taking college classes in their high schools
By Khristopher J. Brooks
Not all classes at Robert E. Lee High School are for typical high school students.
In one classroom down a bright hallway near the school’s front entrance, students are taking a college course. It’s Reginald Benyard’s class, and in this classroom, students are learning the study habits that will help them thrive in college. Like the three college-level classes at Lee High, college classes on high school campuses are becoming more prevalent in Duval County Public Schools. That’s because a change in state law now requires school districts to pay tuition and fees for students who take dual enrollment at the college campus.
www.nytimes.com
Getting Out of Discount Game, Small Colleges Lower the Price
By TAMAR LEWIN
SPARTANBURG, S.C. — A higher education riddle: When can a college slash tuition by almost half, without losing revenues? Answer: When nobody much pays full tuition anyway. When Converse College, a tiny women’s college here, announced that it was “resetting” next year’s tuition at $16,500, down 43 percent from the current year’s published price of $29,000, the talk was about affordability, transparency and a better deal for struggling families. But of Converse’s 700 undergraduates, only a small number — in the single digits, its president said, paid the full sticker price in recent years. …Now, like some other small private colleges, Converse is cutting tuition and reducing discounts.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59668/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=396306c9d6db415d96def61d495f8b91&elqCampaignId=146#
Cañada College’s STEM Center a One-Stop Shop for Support
By Maria Eugenia Miranda
Just a few short years ago, Northern California’s Cañada College had many of the elements necessary to position minority students in STEM for success. Grants were put toward programs and support services like MESA (math, engineering, science achievement), an academic preparation program; and scholarships from the National Science Foundation and the SOLES project, supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education through the Minority Science and Engineering Improvement Program (MSEIP) to increase recruitment, retention and success in STEM. However, over time, various grants would expire at various points, and some programs that students depended on disappeared. That’s how the STEM Center was created.
www.diverseeducation.com
http://diverseeducation.com/article/59675/?utm_campaign=Diverse%20Newsletter%203&utm_medium=email&utm_source=Eloqua&elq=396306c9d6db415d96def61d495f8b91&elqCampaignId=146#
University of North Florida Won’t Appeal Court Ruling on Guns
By Associated Press
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ― A Florida university is going along with an appeals court ruling that says universities can’t regulate guns on campus. University of North Florida President John Delaney on Friday told students and faculty that the university would not appeal the decision to the state Supreme Court. Delaney’s message also stated that effective immediately campus rules would allow students to store guns in their cars.