District Administration - January 2011 - (Page 14)

NewsUpdate Finding the True Cost of College A recent move by the U.S. Department of education’s office of Postsecondary education will soon relieve many of the financial mysteries involved in the college search. Under the higher education Act of 2008, all higher education institutions are required to post a net-price calculator on their Web site by october 2011. The calculator will consider what grant aid each student is eligible for and compare it to the institution’s sticker price. The calculator is expected not only to help college-bound students realistically look at what schools are available to them, but to encourage students who may not necessarily pursue college to consider their options. All colleges partaking in title Iv student financial aid programs—an overwhelming majority of postsecondary schools—are required to participate. “There are misperceptions and myths,” says robert bardwell, school counselor at monson (mass.) high School and former board member of the American School counselor Association. “Students think they can’t afford it, so why bother applying? you never know what aid is available, so students shouldn’t let cost necessarily dictate where they apply.” According to bardwell, approximately 180,000 students each year are qualified for college and don’t apply. melissa clinedinst, assistant director of research for the national Association for college Admissions counseling (nAcAc), hopes the net-price calculator will help to redirect the national discussion about the cost of colleges. “Despite the information out there, there are many families that still don’t understand that most students don’t pay the scary sticker price for college,” she says. The ultimate success of the calculator, says clinedinst, depends on how effectively students use it, but she hopes it will serve as a valuable tool for families trying to plan ahead for college. Br iefings Alfie Kohn’s New Salvo in the Progressive Education War renowneD Author AnD progressive education advocate, Alfie Kohn, continues his fight against traditional classroom teaching in “Feel-Bad education.” Kohn’s twelfth book is a collection of essays detailing—as its title suggests—how conventional teaching, testing, praise and punishment methods create an environment unsuitable for learning. “this book contains articles about everything from why self-discipline is an overrated concept, to the disturbing policies now referred to as ‘school reform,’ to a tongue-and-cheek essay about 21st-century schooling,” says Kohn, describing the book’s major themes. one message Kohn addresses is the topic of unconditional teaching, which stems from a previous book, “unconditional parenting.” unconditional teaching, according to Kohn, involves showing students that even when they make mistakes or fall short, we still care for them. As a result of pressures to raise test scores, “one Florida superintendent observed that ‘when a low-performing child walks into a classroom, instead of being seen as a 14 January 2011 Fast Fact challenge, or an opportunity for improvement, for the first time since i’ve been in education, teachers are seeing him or her as a liability,’” Kohn writes in Feel-Bad education. this, believes Kohn, “is the epitome of conditional acceptance.” Kohn hopes this book and others will resonate on a larger scale with educators around the country and funnel into the classroom. “the best administrators are creating a democratic environment of professional development—not dictating to teachers,” says Kohn. “Likewise, the best teachers are creating democratic classrooms. this is where the best learning takes place—in the process of making decisions together.” Feel-Bad education will be available in April 2011. For more information, visit www.alfiekohn.org. 47% of schools managed by for-profit education management organizations (eMos) have not made adequate yearly progress (AYp) under no Child Left Behind in 2009-2010. Large eMos and virtual school eMos performed especially poor. For more information, read Profiles of For-Profit Education Management Organizations: 2009-2010 at nepc.colorado.edu. District Administration http://nepc.colorado.edu http://www.alfiekohn.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of District Administration - January 2011

District Administration - January 2011
Contents
From the Editor
Letters
News Update
Administrator Profile
District Profile
Conversations
Crisis Response
Going Mobile
Online Edge
Professional Opinion
K12 Guide to Audio/Visual Solutions
Product Focus
What’s the Value in Value-Added?
The Politicization of Bullying
Holding On to Parent Voices
Tough New Issues Refocus Health Education
New Products
Books

District Administration - January 2011