College Allocation Reduced for 2013 (Costly Classrooms) - Justin Capouellze works part time at the
Market Basket in Richland Township, doing anything that needs done. He also works as  a landscaper and at the commercial site of Stuver’s Nursery.

Capouellze, 20, a 2011 graduate of Greater Johnstown High School, knows how hard it is to earn money when so much has to go toward his college tuition.

His task will be even harder with an anticipated decision by the Cambria County Commissioners.



Effective with the 2014 budget, the commissioners plan to reduce the county’s allocation to Penn Highlands Community College, the school Capouellze attends.

“I’ve got to go back and look at my budget and find out where that money is going to come from,” Capouellze said.

“I’m worried about increasing my student loan debt.”

The commissioners recently notified the Penn Highlands board of directors that the county’s 2014 allocation will be reduced by $150,000 from the annual contribution of

$1.2 million, which includes $300,000 toward debt service.

The contribution does not come from Cambria County’s general fund, but rather a 1-mill dedicated tax imposed by county leaders about two decades ago when what was termed “The College Without Walls” was established.

Funds withheld from the college will be used for what Cambria County commissisoners Douglas Lengenfelder and Mark Wissinger are terming “economic development.”

Wissinger said the money is needed to cover costs associated with the planned Cambria County Economic Development Authority and setting up a foreign trade zone, which is designed to foster job creation.

“Last year, in the 2013 budget, to get enough money for economic development, we kind of robbed Peter to pay Paul,” Wissinger said.

The $150,000 cut, according to Frank Asonevich, Penn Highlands president, translates into a per student tuition hike of $75 per semester, or $150 per year. At this point, the only way to make up the $150,000 is by turning to the students, he said.

“I’m concerned if they’re going to look at the college budget and see it as a resource for other projects,” Asonevich said.

Future funding cuts to the college are not planned, said Lengenfelder who also is a member of the community college board. Prior to his election as commissioner, he taught at the college.

Lengenfelder views the funding reduction as indictive of what is happening everywhere in Cambria County government.

County offices have been forced to cut their expenses by 4.75 percent, something all are in the process of doing. The cut to the college, Lengenfelder said, is just more than 1 percent of its total annual budget of more than $12 million.

Those objecting to the cut point out it amounts to more than 12 percent of the total contribution from the county, far higher than the percentage of cuts in other budgetary areas.

Despite this, the $1.2 million the county is giving the college annually is significantly higher than what started out at $500,000 20 years ago, Wissinger said.

The total has more than doubled over the years, in part due to the action in 2005 to set the assessed ratio at 100 percent, up from the 50 percent of a property’s assessed valuation, Wissinger said.

County records show that in 2004, the college was receiving the revenue generated from

1.5 mills. Following the percentage change it was decreased to .75 mill and in 2010 increased to 1 mill.

This year, Cambria is facing a chicken and egg question – which comes first, Lengengelder said.

“With this, we will have a dedicated $150,000 a year for economic development, something the county has never had before,” he said. “It’s great to have an education, but if you have no jobs, it becomes an additional problem.”

A similar amount was carved out of the 2013 budget earmarked for economic development at the Johnstown/ Cambria County Airport.

The scope of Lengenfelder’s plans were larger than the all-volunteer airport authority wanted to tackle and the full $150,000 is still intact after Lengenfelder, in recent days, returned a $75,000 check to the county, Cambria County Controller Edward Cernic Jr. said.

Lengenfelder said the money will be used this year as efforts progress to form the authority, geared at economic development, and the $150,000 from the college will replace that county allocation.

Formed in 1993 as Cambria County Community College by commissioners Wissinger, Kathy Holtzman and the late Ted Baranik and later changed to Penn Highlands, the college has branch campuses in Richland, Ebensburg, Somerset and more recently Huntingdon.

The college is one of Holtzman’s most significant accomplishments.

“It’s my baby,” said Holtzman, who serves as vice president of the board. “It’s grown beyond my imagination.”

Holtzman said she has mixed emotions about the funding cut.

“I hate to see that happen, but I understand the position the commissioners are in,” she said. “We have to take our hit here, everybody is getting cut.”

Commissioner Thomas Chernisky said a vote on the initiative to cut the college’s contribution is a long way off.

“A lot can happen between now and the end of the year,” he said. “I’m not going to be supporting it, but we’ll vote at budget time.”

Penn Highlands is one of the fastest growing colleges in the state, Chernisky said, and deserves kudos for all it has accomplished in tough times.

“The college is an investment and a real economic generator for our county. We need a trained workforce,” he said.

Passing the cost of the cut onto the students is a move Holtzman is opposed to. She plans to come to an August meeting between the college board and Penn Highlands Foundation with some ideas about bringing the business community on board.

“I think we have to make up the money in other ways,” she said. “Businesses have an interest in the community college and we need to look for new revenue sources we can tap.”

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Interest Rates on College Loans on Way Up - Putting her self through school, Shayna Stevens relies heavily on student loans to pursue a degree in secondary education at Northern Arizona University.

Currently a sophomore, Stevens said she is already $40,000 in debt. She works part time during the school year and plans to take two jobs over the summer to keep that amount as manageable as possible.

"If I didn't have to take out these loans then I wouldn't have to work all these extra jobs on the side and I could focus more on my studies and actually getting the education that I'm paying for," Stevens said.

Things won't be getting any easier next year. Unless Congress acts before July 1, interest rates on subsidized student loans, for which students must demonstrate financial need, will rise from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent.

Students don't have to pay interest on subsidized loans while in school. Unsubsidized loans, which currently have a 6.8 percent interest rate, require students to pay interest on loans from the start.

Stevens, who has both types of loans, said she plans to finish her education but has concerns about her peers. She said she already has seen friends drop out of NAU after realizing that the financial burden would be too much.

"I think there's definitely going to be a huge drop out from students who just can't afford to take on these loans anymore," Stevens said.

Serena Unrein, public-interest advocate with the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, said the average Arizona student borrower will pay $1,000 more in interest if the rates double. (see HERE)

Jennifer Johnson, a senior at Arizona State University who took out subsidized loans throughout college, said that with the current interest rates she will be paying close to $2,000 in interest over a 10-year period.

"Doubling it to $4,000, I just can't even imagine," Johnson said.

Tucsonan Ann-Eve Pedersen, president of the Arizona Education Parent Association, said she has talked with parents who won't be able to send their children to college because of the rising cost not just of loans but tuition.

"We're just making higher education unaffordable, but we know that all of the quality jobs now and definitely in the future are going to require higher education, so we're moving in the absolute wrong direction as a state," Pedersen said.

Unrein said that the increased interest rates could also influence the decisions students make after college. She said that those with a lot of debt may choose to not go into lower-paying careers such as teaching or working for nonprofits.

"We need people to go into careers as teachers, as first responders, and if we're saddling people with the kind of debt that makes it impossible to go into those careers then that leaves our state in a world of harm," Unrein said.

The interest rates on subsidized loans were set to double last year as well. Just before the deadline, Congress passed a one-year extension of the 3.4 percent interest rates.

Megan McClean, director of policy and federal regulations with the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, said that another one-year extension is unlikely.

"Last year, extending it for one additional year cost $1 billion, and I'm sure you know that that money is hard to come by in these particular times that we're in," she said.

McClean said that Congress and President Obama are looking for long-term solutions. In Obama's fiscal 2014 budget, he called for student-loan interest rates to be set each year based on the current market rate.

"I think from a broader standpoint … we need to find a long-term sustainable solution versus these quick fixes," McClean said.

Amid national discussions on college affordability, Sheila Shelton decided to return to college after 30 years. She took out subsidized loans to pay for an education degree at Phoenix College. (see HERE)

"If it doubles, I don't know if I'll be able to pay it all back," Shelton said. "It'll be a lifetime. I'm already over the age of the average student."

However, Shelton said that she won't let the increase postpone her dream of being a special-education teacher.

"It's going to be a challenge, but at this point I'm up for the challenge," she said.

Loan types

Subsidized

• Recipients must demonstrate need.

• The U.S. Department of Education pays interest: while a recipient is in school; during the six months after the recipient leaves school (only applies to loans disbursed before July 1, 2012); or during a period of deferment.

• Currently have an interest rate of 3.4 percent.

Unsubsidized

• No financial need necessary.

• Students are responsible for paying interest from the outset.

• Currently have an interest rate of 6.8 percent.

Source: Federal Student Aid Office of the U.S. Department of Education

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25 Required Things Successful Educators Do Differently - If you ask a student what makes him or her
successful in school, you probably won’t hear about some fantastic new book or video lecture series. Most likely you will hear something like, “It was all Mr. Jones. He just never gave up on me.”

What students take away from a successful education usually centers on a personal connection with a teacher who instilled passion and inspiration
for their subject. It’s difficult to measure success, and in the world of academia, educators are continually re-evaluating how to quantify learning. But the first and most important question to ask is: Are teachers reaching their students?

Here are 25 required things successful educators do differently.

1. Successful educators have clear objectives

How do you know if you are driving the right way when you are traveling somewhere new? You use the road signs and a map (although nowadays it might be SIRI or a GPS). In the world of education, your objectives for your students act as road signs to your destination. Your plan is the map. Making a plan does not suggest a lack of creativity in your curriculum but rather, gives creativity a framework in which to flourish.

2. Successful educators have a sense of purpose

We can’t all be blessed with “epic” workdays all the time. Sometimes, life is just mundane and tedious. Teachers who have a sense of purpose and who are able to see the big picture can ride above the hard and boring days because their eye is on something further down the road.

3. Successful educators are able to live without immediate feedback

There is nothing worse than sweating over a lesson plan only to have your students walk out of class without so much as a smile or a, “Great job teach!” It’s hard to give 100% and not see immediate results. Teachers who rely on that instant gratification will get burned out and disillusioned. Learning, relationships, and education are a messy endeavor, much like nurturing a garden. It takes time, and some dirt, to grow.

4. Successful educators know when to listen to students and when to ignore them

Right on the heels of the above tip is the concept of discernment with student feedback. A teacher who never listens to his/her students will ultimately fail. A teacher who always listens to his/her students will ultimately fail. It is no simple endeavor to know when to listen and adapt, and when to say, “No- we’re going this way because I am the teacher and I see the long term picture.”

5. Successful educators have a positive attitude

Negative energy zaps creativity and it makes a nice breeding ground for fear of failure. Good teachers have an upbeat mood, a sense of vitality and energy, and see past momentary setbacks to the end goal. Positivity breeds creativity.

6. Successful educators expect their students to succeed

This concept is similar for parents as well. Students need someone to believe in them. They need a wiser and older person to put stock in their abilities. Set the bar high and then create an environment where it’s okay to fail. This will motivate your students to keep trying until they reach the expectation you’ve set for them.

7. Successful educators have a sense of humor

Humor and wit make a lasting impression. It reduces stress and frustration, and gives people a chance to look at their circumstances from another point of view. If you interviewed 1000 students about their favorite teacher, I’ll bet 95% of them were hysterical.
8. Successful educators use praise smartly
Students need encouragement yes, but real encouragement. It does no good to praise their work when you know it is only 50% of what they are capable of. You don’t want to create an environment where there is no praise or recognition; you want to create one where the praise that you offer is valuable BECAUSE you use it judiciously.

9. Successful educators know how to take risks

There is a wise saying that reads, “Those who go just a little bit too far are the ones who know just how far one can go.” Risk-taking is a part of the successful formula. Your students need to see you try new things in the classroom and they will watch closely how you handle failure in your risk-taking. This is as important as what you are teaching.

10. Successful educators are consistent

Consistency is not to be confused with “stuck”. Consistency means that you do what you say you will do, you don’t change your rules based on your mood, and your students can rely on you when they are in need. Teachers who are stuck in their outdated methods may boast consistency, when in fact it is cleverly masked stubbornness.

11. Successful educators are reflective

In order to avoid becoming the stuck and stubborn teacher, successful educators take time to reflect on their methods, their delivery, and the way they connect with their students. Reflection is necessary to uncover those weaknesses that can be strengthened with a bit of resolve and understanding.

12. Successful educators seek out a mentor for themselves

Reflective teachers can easily get disheartened if they don’t have someone a bit older and wiser offering support. You are never too old or wise for a mentor. Mentors can be that voice that says, “Yes your reflections are correct,” or “No, you are off because….” and provide you with a different perspective.

13. Successful educators communicate with parents

Collaboration between parents and teachers is absolutely crucial to a student’s success. Create an open path of communication so parents can come to you with concerns and you can do the same. When a teacher and parents present a united front, there is a lower chance that your student will fall through the cracks.

14. Successful educators enjoy their work

It is easy to spot a teacher who loves their work. They seem to emanate contagious energy. Even if it on a subject like advanced calculus, the subject comes alive. If you don’t love your work or your subject, it will come through in your teaching. Try to figure out why you feel so unmotivated and uninspired. It might have nothing to do with the subject, but your expectations. Adjust them a bit and you might find your love of teaching come flooding back.

15. Successful educators adapt to student needs

Classrooms are like an ever-evolving dynamic organism. Depending on the day, the attendance roster, and the phase of the moon, you might have to change up your plans or your schedule to accommodate your students. As they grow and change, your methods might have to as well. If your goal is to promote a curriculum or method, it will feel like a personal insult when you have to modify it. Make connecting with your student your goal and you’ll have no trouble changing it up as time moves on.

16. Successful educators welcome change in the classroom

This relates to the above tip, but in a slightly different way. Have you ever been so bored with your house or your bedroom, only to rearrange it and have it feel like a new room? Change ignites the brain with excitement and adventure. Change your classroom to keep your students on their toes. Simple changes like rearranging desks and routines can breathe new life in the middle of a long year.

17. Successful educators take time to explore new tools

With the advance of technology, there are fresh new resources and tools that can add great functionality to your classroom and curriculum. There is no doubt that the students you are teaching (far younger than you) probably already have a pulse on technologies you haven’t tapped into yet. Don’t be afraid to push for technology in the classroom. It is often an underfunded area but in this current world and climate, your students will be growing up in a world where technology is everywhere. Give them a headstart and use technology in your classroom.

18. Successful educators give their students emotional support

There are days when your students will need your emotional support more than a piece of information. Connecting to your students on an emotional level makes it more likely that they will listen to your counsel and take your advice to heart. Students need mentors as much as they need teachers.

19. Successful educators are comfortable with the unknown

It’s difficult to teach in an environment where you don’t know the future of your classroom budget, the involvement of your student’s parents, or the outcome of all your hard work. On a more philosophical level, educators who teach the higher grades are tasked with teaching students principles that have a lot of unknowns (i.e. physics). How comfortable are you with not having all the answers? Good teachers are able to function without everything tied up neatly in a bow.

20. Successful educators are not threatened by parent advocacy

Unfortunately, parents and teachers are sometimes threatened by one another. A teacher who is insecure will see parent advocacy as a threat. While there are plenty of over-involved helicopter parents waiting to point out a teacher’s mistakes, most parents just want what’s best for their child. Successful educators are confident in their abilities and not threatened when parents want to get into the classroom and make their opinions known. Good teachers also know they don’t have to follow what the parent recommends!

21. Successful educators bring fun into the classroom

Don’t be too serious. Some days, “fun” should be the goal. When students feel and see your humanness, it builds a foundation of trust and respect. Fun and educational aren’t mutually exclusive either. Using humor can make even the most mundane topic more interesting.

22. Successful educators teach holistically

Learning does not happen in a vacuum. Depression, anxiety, and mental stress have a severe impact on the educational process. It’s crucial that educators (and the educational model) take the whole person into account. You can have the funniest and most innovative lesson on algebra, but if your student has just been told his parents are getting a divorce, you will not reach him.

23. Successful educators never stop learning

Good teachers find time in their schedule to learn themselves. Not only does it help bolster your knowledge in a certain subject matter, it also puts you in the position of student. This gives you a perspective about the learning process that you can easily forget when you’re always in teaching mode.

24. Successful educators break out of the box

It may be a self-made box. “Oh I could never do that,” you say to yourself. Perhaps you promised you’d never become the teacher who would let the students grade each other (maybe you had a bad experience as a kid). Sometimes the biggest obstacle to growth is us. Have you built a box around your teaching methods? Good teachers know when it’s time to break out of it.

25. Successful educators are masters of their subject

Good teachers need to know their craft. In addition to the methodology of “teaching”, you need to master your subject area. Learn, learn, and never stop learning. Successful educators stay curious.

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Pulitzer Center 2013 Student Fellows Announced - The Pulitzer Center and its Campus Consortium partners are pleased to announce the nearly two dozen students selected to receive international reporting fellowships this year. The fellowship recipients will report on a range of global issues from around the world and be mentored by Pulitzer Center-supported journalists and staff over the course of their projects. The reporting fellowships are awarded to students who attend colleges and universities that are part of the Pulitzer Center's growing Campus Consortium educational initiative.. Depending on the arrangements with each educational institutions, one to two students are selected as fellows. A unique arrangement with the College of William and Mary incorporates a seminar in which up to a dozen students work on individual reporting projects, generally without a travel element.

Most of the students undertake their reporting during the summer, but several already have begun their projects. Catherine Schurz is a Guilford College senior studying criminal justice and political science in the pre-law program who undertook her reporting project in London in spring 2013. She is examining the case of convicted murderer Gary Dobson. Dobson was one of five suspects accused in the 1983 stabbing death of an 18-year-old black man by a group of white teenage boys in a racially motivated attack. The suspects were found not guilty. The High Court of the United Kingdom reversed double jeopardy in 2003, allowing two of the original suspects, including Dobson, to be tried twice for the same crime. Both were found guilty this time. From March to May 2012 Cate was an intern at the visiting center of Belmarsh Prison in London just months after the conviction.

Elon University senior journalism majors Kassondra Cloos and Rachel Southmayd completed their project in January 2013, reporting from an organic, sustainable farm in Cuba. Before the fellowship, Cloos interned for Al Jazeera English and the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs in Washington, DC. One of her pieces from the Pulitzer Center reporting project was published in the Huffington Post. She is now has working at The Gazette in Colorado Springs. Southmayd has held senior reporting and editor positions at Elon's student newspaper, The Pendulum, and internships at The Coastal Point, 60 Minutes and the Cape Cod Times. She also freelanced for Delaware Beach Life magazine.

University of Chicago junior Yiqing "Linda" Qiu took a semester abroad to study in Botswana in spring 2013 and is now exploring the "Diamond-Cattle-Water Paradox." She will look into Botswana's water usage and management policies to examine a limited water supply faced by the country due in part to livestock production and its four profitable diamond mines. Qiu, an international and environmental studies double-major, is a news production intern at GabzFM and serves as news editor for The Chicago Maroon.

Among the students undertaking reporting during summer 2013 are two Davidson College juniors Jonathan Cox and Adrian Fadil. Cox is a political science major who will travel to Andhra Pradesh, India to report on the effects of a highly publicized Aarogyasri Public Health program that intends to make health care affordable for the rural poor. This trip will be his second to India. Cox also spent 14 years living in Romania and has traveled to Europe, Mexico, and Turkey. Fadil is a junior English major whose proposed a project will take him to the West Bank to report on the effects of Israeli occupation on Palestinian farmers. Fadil spent fall 2012 farming throughout the region. He also has spent time in Ecuador, Costa Rica, Spain, France, England, Egypt, and Cyprus.

Loyola University Chicago junior Shirley Coenen will trek south to Chile to report on the volatile relationship between the government and Chilean youth who are demanding change in their country. Coenen is an international studies and journalism double major and an intern at El Instituto Cervantes. She also is assistant news editor for The Loyola Phoenix and has written for USA Today College.

Senior Devon Smith studies history at Westchester Community College. She will report from northern Ireland, an area rife with tension and segregation, on conflict between religious communities and "peace walls" that physically separate these communities by religious belief. High Point University junior Henry Molski will be nearby to cover Scotland's debate over whether to secede from the United Kingdom. On September 18, 2014, Scottish citizens – from 16-year-olds on up – will vote on the issue. Molski, a communication major with a concentration in journalism, serves as a sports and organizations editor and staff writer for the Campus Chronicle and an admissions ambassador for the University. He is a Dean's List scholar, Presidential Scholar and treasurer of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.

South Dakota State University graduate journalism student Melisa Goss will examine human trafficking in Cambodia, writing victims' stories as well as documenting the methods used to acquire slaves and current efforts to prevent this exploitation. Goss has a Bachelor of Arts in theology and philosophy from the University of Sioux Falls and has written freelance pieces for The Christian Century, Throne Publishing and BizNOW magazine. She has also spent time in South Korea.

Eleanor Klibanoff, a junior political communication major at The George Washington University's School of Media and Public Affairs, will travel to El Salvador and Nicaragua to report on women's healthcare and the effect of the countries' abortion laws. After abortion was made illegal in 2006 maternal health has declined and the number of mothers under age 15 has risen 48 percent. Klibanoff has interned for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty in Prague and for The Nicaragua Dispatch. She is a member of GWU's University Honors Program.

Nicholas Swyter, a sophomore at the University of Miami double-majoring in broadcast journalism and international studies, heads to Panama to report on the controversial construction of the Barro Blanco hydroelectric dam. Flooding caused by the dam may displace more than 36,000 indigenous Ngobe-Bugle in the semi-autonomous region. Swyter has served as a MetroTV News intern in Indonesia and reported for the King's College of London international politics journal. He is a contributing blogger to the Huffington Post.

Brandice Camara is pursuing a master's degree in human development with concentrations in social justice and nonprofit management from Saint Mary's University in Minneapolis. She will journey to Guinea to study its state of maternal and child health, which is among the worst in the world. Camara will focus specifically on the Donka hospital in the capital city of Conakry. She writes that "newborns suffering from malnutrition, HIV, malaria and vitamin deficiencies crowd a small ward where one incubator is used to sustain the life of multiple babies, simultaneously." Camara works with Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Greater Twin Cities and has served as program coordinator for Hands Across the World Catholic Charities La Cruz Community Program.

As the world's population continues to expand and bring with it larger economies, water rights issues, hydropower in particular, come to the forefront. On the banks of the Kosi River, between Nepal and the Indian border state of Bihar, conflict over rights to its water has dragged on for decades. Photographer Steve Matzker, who graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in December 2012, will report from the Kosi during its flooding season. Matzker, who also earned a degree in liberal studies from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville in 2003, is the 2013 recipient of the John H. White “Keep in Flight Award” and was named 2013 runner-up Student Photographer of the Year from the Illinois Press Photographers Association. Matzker will be paired for the reporting project with Jennifer Gonzalez, who also received her bachelor of science in journalism with a specialization in photojournalism from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale in December 2012.

The Wake Forest University fellow, Jawad Wahabzada, plans to visit Rio de Janiero, Brazil to explore the 2014 World Cup-sponsored relocation efforts in the region and their effects, especially on children of the favelas, or shanty towns. Wahabzada has worked on documentaries in Afghanistan, India, and United States, including his project on child laborers, "Children of Kabul." His work has been featured on CNN International, CNN Heroes and NPR, and screened in film festivals in Canada, Russia, Denmark, Finland and the United States. Wahabzada is a senior studying communication, film production and religion at Wake Forest.

Three students – two from Boston University and one from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health – will combine their international reporting projects with work at the Pulitzer Center's Washington, DC, office during the summer. Varsha Ramakrishnan, a master's in public health candidate at the Bloomberg School, is a physician from India who is majoring in health in crisis and humanitarian assistance. Her project will focus on dowry violence in India, with reporting from district hospitals in the states with some of the highest reported violence of this kind: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. The two Boston University students will also undertake reporting projects focused on global health issues as part of their fellowships. Lusha Chen, a senior with a focus on broadcast journalism at the College of Communication, has had internships at UNICEF's media section in New York, WDHD-TV's public affairs/program services section in Boston, and China Central Television's "Insight Program"in Beijing. Kerstin Egenhofer, a graduate student in the School of Public Health, came to Boston University from the University of Massachusetts Amherst where she received her undergraduate degree in anthropology along with a Five Colleges Certificate in African Studies.

As part of a pilot program, the Pulitzer Center is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania's Africa Center to provide support for two students' reporting projects this summer. Diksha Bali, a junior studying English (creative writing) and economics (operations and information management), will travel to Ghana through UPenn's Africa Center and report on issues related to the growth of rural communities, such as waste management. Bali has been a public speaking advisor at UPenn's Communication Within the Curriculum program and project implementation intern at The Student Leadership Project, a start-up at Kipp West School. Bali also has been a staff writer and general assignments reporter for The Daily Pennsylvanian. Luke Messac will spend time in Malawi reporting on the effects of health user fees at hospitals and health centers, especially on the rural poor. The country has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, but its ongoing economic crisis has helped to keep the debate over fees alive. Messac graduated summa cum laude from Harvard University, where he was a Truman Scholar. He is working toward his MD/PhD in history and of science at UPenn. He is a Gamble Scholar and student editor of The New Physician, and he sits on the board of trustees at the American Medical Student Association.

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Telling ‘Advantage’ for Chinese Applicants - Wake Forest University is launching a new programme for
Chinese high school students intended to help “bridge the gap” between the Chinese and US educational systems and provide students with “incontrovertible” video evidence of their academic readiness, which Wake Forest will send to college admissions offices on their behalf.

“Our notion was by going to the high schools and providing exposure to Western-style pedagogical
practices, we’ll both have a better sense of who’s applying, at least in some cases, and we’ll have a head start on integrating students once they’re here,” said Rogan Kersh, Wake Forest’s provost.

American colleges have struggled both with validating the credentials of the increasing numbers of applicants from China - the number of Chinese students in the US has increased by 139 per cent in five years, and the heavy involvement of agents in the application process has brought with it concerns about fake transcripts, essays and letters of recommendation - as well as with helping students adjust to American classroom practices once they arrive. Intensive English or pathway programs frequently cover acculturative academic content, such as oral presentation skills or citation practices, but Wake Forest wants to bring that content to Chinese students before they graduate from high school.

Ann Cunningham, an associate professor of education at Wake Forest, has spearheaded the development of what’s called the Wake Forest Advantage curriculum, which focuses on four core learning skills - academic research and inquiry, academic discourse and communication, exploring US college and university culture, and refining individual learning strategies - and emphasises collaboration and reflection.

Wake Forest has partnered with the company EdisonLearning, and will be offering the curriculum in several formats. It will offer a two-week intensive summer academy, taught by its own education faculty and teacher education alumni and students; it will employ and train local teachers to deliver the curriculum in an after-school setting; and it will train instructors at partner high schools to teach the content during the normal school day. In the latter case, Wake Forest enters into a financial relationship directly with the high school; otherwise, the 72-hour summer academy costs $1,500 (£970), while students who take a 90-hour after-school programme pay $2,500.

One key difference is that students in the after-school programme, but not the summer academy, produce a “digital portfolio” that Wake Forest will distribute directly to US admissions offices upon their request. The student-created DVDs will show the students engaging in common Western-style classroom practices – such as giving presentations, debating with classmates, and working in groups - as well as reflecting on those experiences. A team of school teachers in North Carolina will evaluate the videos, which will be placed in envelopes sealed with gold, silver or bronze stickers to indicate the students’ level of preparedness for a US classroom.

“Just having a course like this under their belt is going to be a good sign for a university admissions office,” Dr Cunningham said.

However, Parke Muth, a consultant and former director of international admissions at the University of Virginia, questioned the value both to students and to admissions officers given that the only evaluative grade is a colour-coded seal. “For $2,500, you get a star,” he said. “That to me just isn’t worth it.” By contrast, he said, a signed letter from a Wake Forest faculty member describing the student’s progress in the classroom would be much more valuable to admissions officers.

“This sounds like a really good money-making venture potentially,” Mr Muth said.

Professor Kersh, the Wake Forest provost, maintained that profit isn’t a main motive behind setting up the programme. “It’s much more important that we have a clearer sense of who these applicants are, and that we can at least in a small way help prepare them for the very different college and university experience in the US. If it winds up being more lucrative than we imagine that certainly would be nice, but that’s not what we’re modelling or expecting,” he said. The programme has been piloted at the Dulwich College International High School Programme, in Jiangsu Province, China. The intensive academy will be run for the first time this summer and Wake Forest hopes to enter into partnerships with up to five high schools this autumn.

“These [types of] programmes really are designed to ensure student success,” said James Cross, associate provost and senior international officer at Champlain College, in Vermont. Champlain also has a presence in Chinese high schools: it offers a one-year bridge programme at Datong High School in Shanghai which focuses on English language skills and American classroom and university culture. Students are granted conditional admission to Champlain pending successful completion of the programme.

“There are other benefits to this – branding and the like. But more Chinese students do want to come to the United States, and those schools that want to accept them want to make sure they’re quality students who can be successful in the classroom. That really is the bottom line,” he said.
Source : www.timeshighereducation.co.uk

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From Americans to Canada for College Education - Americans are increasingly leaving the country to
seek an education in Canada, where college tuition costs are significantly lower and the quality of education is high.

Over the past decade, the number of Americans who enrolled in Canadian colleges has risen by 50 percent. About 10,000 Americans are currently enrolled at universities in Canada, the Institute for College Access & Success reports.

“Undergraduate students that complete [school] in Canada have tremendous access to the best graduate programs right now in the world,” Paul Davidson, president of the Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada, told AP. “So, if you’re a student that wants to pursue graduate studies,
a Canadian degree will serve you very well, indeed… They also are a passport to a good job.”

And that passport comes at a much lower price: Undergraduates in Canada pay an average of about $5,000 in tuition fees during each undergraduate year, while undergraduates at a private university in the US pay an average of $32,000 each year, according to the Institute of Education Sciences.

Some American universities charge nearly $50,000 per semester, which often forces students to take out hefty loans to afford a basic undergraduate degree. (see HERE)

Eric Andreasen, a college student from Maine, told NBC News that he chose to attend Montreal’s McGill University because of the low tuition cost. A four-year undergraduate program at McGill cost him what it would have cost for just one year at George Washington University in the US capital.

“When the financial packages came in, it was a no-brainer for me,” he said. McGill is ranked 18thon US News & World Report’s ranking of the world’s 400 best universities and some refer to the school as the “Harvard of the North”.

“At McGill I believe I’m paying at most $20,000 with tuition and housing,” Jamie Berk, a fourth-year college student from Pennsylvania, told USA TODAY. “Which is pretty good, it’s about a little less than half of what a lot of Americans pay for private university.”

Those who graduate from an American university carry an average of $26,000 debt, causing nine percent to default on their student loans within two years. And with low-skill jobs largely replacing high-paying ones, hundreds of thousands of college grads are finding themselves working minimum wage jobs post-graduation. 

“Money is definitely a factor,” 20-year-old Leah Ott, a physiology major from Houston, told NBC News. She and her two sisters all attend universities in Canada. (see HERE)

And as Americans continue to discover the benefits of attaining a high-quality education in Canad, more students may choose to head north – especially since the cost of education continues to rise in the US.

About six percent of undergraduates at McGill are Americans, and at the current rate, that number could double within the next twenty years.

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Secret College Admission Essay Format for 2013 - College admission essay format is a design to make
your essay appear impressive and professional. There  are some guidelines that have been set by academic authorities to make your essay have an ideal presentation. These guidelines must be followed because they will be evaluated as part of the paper.

Formatting an admission paper begins with a good header. Your admission paper will require a title page. The titled page should contain on separated lines, centered and double spaced, the title of the paper and the writer's name. The instructor's name and the course name are left out since this is not a work for class presentation. Most admission papers are not necessary to be started using outlines. But if you use an outline to commence the paper, the outline should be typed on the centre of the
page one inch from the top and double-space the outline to fit the first line of the text. Take note that the outline should appear in short sentence form rather than in the shorter topic form. It is a skeleton of the admission paper. (see HERE)

Number all pages of your paper. If you use the MLA format, number all pages after the title page in the upper right hand corner, half an inch from the top. The outline pages should be number with small Roman numerals. Number the text pages with Arabic in the upper right hand corner. Begin the text one inch from the top and leave one inch margin at the bottom and sides of the paper.

You will normally be given word or page limits. Respect these limits even if you think you have something very important to write about. If you go beyond these limits, the rest of the work will be discarded.

If you are not given a particular font style, use the clear formatting. This will require a twelve point font size using times new roman.

The paper must have an introduction, a body and a conclusion. There will be so many admission essays to be viewed by instructors and if your paper fails to meet these standards, they will be nervous and may end up giving poor grades or even shoving your paper aside. Nothing should be taken with delight because there is no room for making corrections. (see HERE) The only available correction is that you will not be admitted into that particular college.

The requirement of typing out your paper should not be repeated. Almost all admission essays are typed out. This will allow for an easy reading of your essay. Most teachers are so obsessed about the handwritings of students. Anything boring or not visible will receive little or no attention. Take note that at times, you may even find it difficult to read what you have written.

College admission essay format has a lot of ins and outs to cater for. In researching and writing this paper, you will not only draw inspirations from library research techniques, but also ask from your teachers or get help from parents. There are different styles such as the MLA, APA, and CBE etc. It is of the student's interest to have an insight into all these styles of writing and know what path his or her curriculum takes.

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Knowing Our child's learning ability - Each and every child is different and so also is their learning ability.

Some may learn and understand faster than others. Some children, whether they are in school, junior college or university, may require some additional help to grapple with their school or college work. Often it is not that the child isn't capable, it is just that he might not be able to fully understand what he heard in class and may need to revise what he has learnt or get further explanations on the subject. Such a child should consider taking extra tuition in that particular subject to enable him cope.

The advantages of having a home tutor

Although home tuition in Singapore is expensive, it has several advantages. It helps your child improve his or her performance in class. If your child is lacking in confidence or independence, then giving him home tuition may assist him reach his full potential. Some children have uncertainties and problems with certain subjects. By taking home tuition, the tutor is able to identify the child's strengths and weaknesses and will be able to tailor the tuition to focus on the needs of the child without neglecting the child's strengths. Also this allows the tutor to go at the child's pace and allows him to focus on the areas that need the most attention.(see HERE) Having a home tutor could also be less intimidating for a student who is shy and finds it difficult to speak in front of a group. Taking tuition at home provides the child the flexibility of choosing the preferred time and days when to have his tuition and he gets to have it in the comfort of his home.

Look for a proficient home tutor

When looking to provide your child with home tuition in Singapore, there are some factors you have to consider. It is essential that you find a tutor that has the right academic qualifications, has the proficiency to teach the subjects required and the right personal demeanor to tutor your child. It would also be advisable to do a background check on the tutor or the agency who is supplying the tutor.

A home tutor can help boost your child's performance in class

When your child reaches Junior College level, it might help to boost his or her performance in class by providing some extra tuition, especially if you find your child's grades are lower in a certain subject. If you find that your child has a lower grade in economics than in any other subject, then finding him a good JC Economics tutor could help improve his or her grade to bring it up to the level of his other subjects.(see HERE) There are several agencies or individuals that offer JC tuition in Singapore, but it is important that you find the right tutor who will be able to help bring out the full potential in your child.

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Why Students lag in financial literacy - The Wall Street meltdown of 2008 and the ensuing recession did little to help make high school seniors In real terms, that might mean that students might have difficulty understanding the impact of a poor credit rating, the relationship between consumer spending and higher unemployment or how inflation can eat away at pay raises.
Students’ scores of economic literacy changed little between 2006 and 2012, suggesting that the national discussion about the millions of jobs that were lost and homes that were foreclosed didn’t translate to

higher academic achievement. During that period, several states added an economics course to high school offerings and some started requiring it to earn a diploma.

The findings show that more than half of students leave high school without an economic knowledge that federal officials consider proficient. In 2012, 39 percent of students had a basic understanding of economics while 18 were considered below basic.

“This is exactly what I would have expected,” said Annamaria Lusardi, a distinguished scholar at George Washington University who on Wednesday testified to a Senate subcommittee about students’ economic skills. (See HERE)

“Financial literacy is like every topic; they don’t learn by osmosis. Just because you read the Wall Street Journal, you’re not going to learn about interest compounding,” Lusardi said, noting headlines were no substitute for instruction.

About 10,900 high school seniors at 480 public and private schools took the economics test as part of the 2012 National Assessment of Educational Progress, more commonly called “the nation’s report card.” (See HERE)

But among Hispanic students, performance rose, narrowing the gap between their scores and those of their white classmates.
financially savvy and less than half of them have a solid understanding of economics, according to an Education Department report released Tuesday.

Source : www.spokesman.com

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Internship Hunt, Students choose Boston for Jobs - Due to the various types and sheer number of
internship opportunities in Boston, students come to the city to get a taste of their desired careers.

“There’s a great number of schools in the Boston area [and] there are many fine employers looking for the best talent,” saidJames French, assistant dean for career services at the Boston University School of Management. “We have an excellent relationship with the companies in the area, but also across the country and across the world, and employers know the quality of our students and are very much attracted to them.”



French said in the BU Feld Career Center, he helps connect students with business internships in the city. (see HERE)

“In the past 12 months, 230 employers have visited us to meet our students,” he said. “They’ve posted over 1,600 jobs and some of those are internships and others become permanent jobs.”

Cesare Grieci, manager of staffing and employee relations at American Students Assistance, said ASA started seeking younger interns who could provide more insight on how students are dealing with educational loans and debt.

“In the beginning we started hiring the upperclassmen who were toward the end of their college years,” he said. “But we found that we weren’t giving ourselves enough exposure to the people entering into school.”

French said students who get the best internships have high academic standing but also know how to interact in social situations.

“Being very prepared for interviews, knowing how to interact with a potential employer, knowing how to behave and how to be productive all show that you can add value [to the company,]” he said.

Some students said they came to BU specifically for its internship programs and opportunities.

Morgan Perry, a College of Communication junior, said she transferred to BU because there were several internships in the city for her major. (see HERE)

“I was attending school at the University of Pittsburgh and realized that there were not as many opportunities for internships in my field there,” she said. “Not to mention that [BU has] one of the best communication schools in the country.”

Perry said she completed two internships and plans to intern for Digita in Boston this summer.

“My internship at Digita was really competitive to get, but my two other internships were less competitive because they are smaller companies,” she said. “Getting an internship in Boston has been relatively easy, [so] long as you are persistent and not too picky.”

Chloe Conceicao, a College of Fine Arts sophomore, said her previous internship at Mazda helped her gain valuable experience in the workforce.

“It makes you take responsibility because you have to be there on time every day,” she said, “and you don’t leave until you get your work done.”

Source : dailyfreepress.com

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Ohio State Men's Basketball Student Managers - The squeaking of brand new Nikes against polished hardwood fills the expansive interior of an empty Schottenstein Center. Bouncing basketballs, blowing whistles and exhausted grunts combine to form the soundtrack of a Buckeye basketball practice. Some of the members of the Ohio State men’s basketball program stand drenched in sweat, hands on their hips and watch as others participate in drills.

These spectators and participants combine to comprise an indisposable crew on the floor, but they aren’t the basketball team. They’re the seven members of the Ohio State men’s basketball managerial staff.

While the actual team wins the games and earns the headlines, the staff supporting the team is happy to sit behind the bench on game days, out of the spotlight. They’re OK with the idea that the outside world has no clue how important they were to coach Thad Matta and his teams’ preparations for victory.

“A lot of people just think we’re all ‘water and towels’ and just kind of there,” said Weston Strayer, manager and a fourth-year in marketing. “But they don’t understand just how much time and work we put in each week to the program.”

Their contributions are noticed by those who pay attention though.

“The managers do everything you really don’t want to do, and they do it with a smile on their face,” said senior forward Evan Ravenel. “They’re one of the key components to our team, and we wouldn’t be half as good without those guys.”

A typical OSU student gets up, goes to class, maybe goes to work afterward and then juggles homework with a social life. The managers have those same obligations, but in addition to their school obligations, they deal with between 35 and 40 hours a week of unpaid work for basketball activities.

They show up for 10 a.m. practice an hour before to set up. They stay two hours after to rebound for players who want to get extra shots up or to run errands for coaches. It can end up being a five-hour shift. On game days, they’re there for the pre-game shootaround five hours before tip-off and will stay at the arena for the next eight hours, through the pre-game team meal and the game itself.

During the games, they take advanced stats for the coaches, set up chairs on the court for the team during timeouts and manage Matta’s play-calling whiteboard.

“Once the game starts, nothing we have done is going to change anything, but preparation-wise, we definitely help them out where we can,” Strayer said. “We try and do our best to help them prepare and make everything a little bit easier for them.”

The man in charge of the managers is David Egelhoff, director of basketball operations. He’s been on the OSU staff for 10 years and in his current position for seven. In addition to handling the day-to-day, off-court activities of the basketball team, he handles the application and hiring process of the team’s managers and serves as their boss.

It’s a position his past has qualified him for.

Egelhoff served as a student manager for OSU’s basketball team from 1998 to 2002 under former OSU coach Jim O’Brien. He said his times as a manager make up some of his favorite college memories.

“I’ve made lifelong friendships, not only with the managers but the coaching staffs and players I’ve worked with as well,” Egelhoff said. “We had a really enjoyable time doing a lot of things … those experiences we had were pretty special to me.”

The sheer quantity of time the managers spend with each other has allowed them to form a special bond.

“It’s a great group of guys, we joke and mess with each other and it’s a lot of fun,” Strayer said. “We kind of joke when we walk out of the tunnel (during home games), they announce the ‘three-time defending Big Ten champions’ and then we all kind of just come out before everyone, so I always wonder what people think when they see us in the suits walking out by the team.”

Evan Kurt, a third-year manager and a fourth-year in marketing, said the experiences of going to the Final Four and to different venues around the country have made managing the “best time” of his life.

While the managers know they will never make the game-winning shot, they also are aware that their weeklong contributions before the 40-minute games are vital.

“There’s a lot that goes on at practices that people don’t see. If you don’t know all about what goes on behind the scenes, you don’t really understand,” Kurt said. “Game to game, it’s players and coaches who determine success, but behind the scenes, it’s us helping everybody improve and helping everybody get better.”

The managers’ reward for the hours upon hours of dirty work isn’t fame, money or recognition. It’s something less tangible, but something the managers say is much more important.

“The sense of being a part of the team,” Strayer said. “It’s one thing to be a fan, but to be emotionally involved, and to be with the team all the time and to be a part of the team is something I’ll never forget.”

Ravenel, a player who has played on three Big Ten championship teams and two Final Four teams, expressed the team’s gratitude for its managers.

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Boston Marathon bombing victims : A Boston University Grad Student - While the name of the third

"The student was one of three friends who watched the race near the finish line," the university said on its website. "Another of the three students, also a BU grad student, was injured and is in stable condition at Boston Medical Center."

The third person in the group was unharmed, the statement added.

A short time later, China's consulate in New York announced that the deceased victim was a Chinese national. At the family's request, the consulate did not name her.

According to a profile on LinkedIn, the woman was a graduate student in mathematics and statistics at Boston University who was due to get her master's degree in 2014.

She graduated from a Chinese university with a degree in international economics, the professional networking site indicated. She'd also previously studied for a semester at the University of California at Riverside.

Chinese students at Boston University respected her family's request for anonymity, with many of them forming a tight-knit group.

One of them, former CNN intern Alex Shi, said that the students are deeply saddened. Many of the students feel affected because people were trying hard to locate those reported missing -- including the victim -- by calling hospitals and posting on social media.

victim killed by the blasts was not officially confirmed on Tuesday, Boston University said that the person was a graduate student at the school.
Source : http://edition.cnn.com/

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As STEM education programs take hold, Colorado seeks common vision - Students in Travis O'Hair's Creative Engineering class at Skyline High School had grown accustomed to designing solutions to problems stemming from hypothetical hurricanes or earthquakes.

Then he introduced them to a 10-year-old girl from a neighboring elementary school whose debilitating joint condition made it impossible for her to operate a water fountain. She became their "client," and their adaptive-technology project became more than just a school assignment.

"They became very invested in their product," said O'Hair. "They felt like they had a mission, or vision, around what they were building."

O'Hair's class, and its project-based learning, represent just one cog in a burgeoning approach to STEM education — shorthand for science, technology, engineering and math — embraced by the St. Vrain Valley School District and many others.

While a proliferation of grass-roots efforts isn't necessarily bad, stakeholders from education and business are seeking to apply greater coordination to dozens of disparate STEM programs whose popularity spiked in recent years.

Experts such as Brad McLain, who co-directs the XSci Experiential Science Education Research Collaborative at the University of Colorado Denver, said agreement on a set of common goals could streamline what's now a collection of scattered initiatives.

"Having the ability to go after what you're interested in, or even compete for the grant money that's out there, is a healthy thing, like a competitive marketplace in the private sector," he said. "But pulling in the same direction is important, so we can do our own thing in service to larger goals."

The Colorado Department of Education created a new state position last May, financed by federal Race to the Top funds, that administers $500,000 in federal grant money for STEM programs.

But at this point, the definition of a STEM program in K-12 education can mean almost anything, from programs that emphasize math and science, to schools that offer an engineering course, to districts that want to integrate STEM throughout the curriculum.

"We need a vision that moves us forward instead of everyone doing their own thing," said Violeta Garcia, Colorado's newly minted STEM education coordinator. "To have a vision with common goals seems appropriate at this time, but it's not happening yet."

It's getting closer, though.

Colorado Legacy Foundation, in conjunction with the governor's office and a variety of other groups, has been working on a project to more clearly define criteria for quality initiatives and collaboration. Once that framework has been established, both public and private entities can determine how to replicate and grow successful programs — and where industry partners can invest resources.

An online portal will help students and educators connect the dots between those programs and illuminate STEM pathways through school to workforce. Organizations looking to fund STEM initiatives could also use the information to determine which gaps in the pipeline they'd like to fill.

"So how can we take what's good about everything, how can we harness that energy and find common ground and purpose and get everybody moving in the same direction?" said Heather Fox, spokeswoman for the Colorado Legacy Foundation. "That's where there's renewed energy and push."

Even at the federal level, there's a push to consolidate and coordinate. President Barack Obama's proposed 2014 budget, while pumping up funding for STEM education by nearly 7 percent, calls for trimming the number of federally funded programs in half to more precisely target the money.

Launched amid concern over the ability to fill the growing ranks of science- and engineering-related jobs, particularly as those fields expand in Colorado, STEM education has gained traction in the K-12 arena as schools have pursued initiatives both large and small.

DSST Public Schools have grown since 2004 to enroll more than 2,000 students at six STEM charter schools — with big plans for expansion that will more than double enrollment.

CEO Bill Kurtz last week testified before a U.S. House of Representatives education subcommittee on the factors that have contributed to those schools' high performance.

St. Vrain Valley, aided by associations with the University of Colorado at Boulder and IBM, has constructed a STEM program that begins in preschool and encompasses six elementary schools and two middle schools that feed into Skyline High School.

Students who successfully complete the prescribed courses of the "STEM Academy" can earn guaranteed admission to CU's engineering school. That's one reason enrollment has more than tripled from 40 to 130 over the last four years.

"We'll have changed the culture of that whole feeder," said Regina Renaldi, an assistant superintendent in the district. "If we have the success we think we'll have, it will be easy to replicate and sustain in another feeder."

The efforts, aided by a $16.6 million grant from the Race to the Top program and $3.6 million from Investing in Innovation, also have attracted lots of outside interest. Sporadic visits from other districts have turned into a steady stream that necessitated a twice-a-month tour schedule.

It hasn't hurt St. Vrain Valley to have a big hitter like IBM, with many employees in the Longmont area, as a partner.

"The public is realizing the need to start early, not wait until high school or middle school," said Ray Johnson, IBM's corporate citizenship manager. "I was hearing 6-year-olds use the word 'prototype.' "

The district drew on collaboration with Adams 12 Five Star Schools, which three years ago launched its STEM Magnet Lab, one of the first K-8 public STEM schools in Colorado, said Kellie Lauth, the district's science and STEM coordinator.

It started small, with only 250 students. By year's end there were 483 families on the waiting list, and the school expanded to double its original enrollment.

Last year, Adams 12 closed a failing middle school and reopened it with an identical K-8 STEM model with 920 students. The wait list exceeded 300 families.

As students from the K-8 model now move on to high school, Lauth has been working on turning Northglenn High School into a comprehensive STEM high school that will begin operation next fall.

In all, Adams 12 will have more than 4,000 students in its K-12 STEM pipeline at three sites identical in design and with more than 50 strategic partnerships. The district did it all without grant money and at a time of severe budget constraints

Lauth said she's asked all the time how STEM can remain relevant in a few years, when some other initiative becomes education's flavor of the month.

"It's because we don't define it by four letters, but by a teaching and learning vision directly tied to workforce readiness and the promise to have children well prepared," she said. "That need is never going to be gone. We stay relevant because we're constantly hitching ourselves to industry and to what they need, to their problems, to their different careers."
Source : Denver Post

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Early Education According Senate Dems - Senate Democrats unveiled their education budget Thursday, Like the budget unveiled by House Democrats this week, Senate Democrats are focusing on education for Minnesota's youngest students.

Much of the Senate budget's $356 million in new spending would fund free all-day kindergarten statewide. About two-thirds of the state's school districts currently offer all-day kindergarten, but many of them charge for it. The Senate budget also boosts early learning scholarships for 3- and 4-year-olds, from $3 million a year to almost $50 million.

"We will have students prepared for kindergarten and much more likely to succeed in life," said Sen. Chuck Wiger, DFL-Maplewood.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton also voiced his support for early education in his own budget proposal.

The budget bill passed through the Senate education finance committee on a voice vote, its first stop as both chambers work to nail down financing the state's education for the next two years.

The Senate's bill doesn't address the roughly $850 million that the state owes schools from previous borrowing to balance deficits. House Democrats plan to pay off the entire school shift in the next two years. Legislative leaders have been split on that issue from the start of session.

Wiger said school officials have told him they support the Senate's plan to pay back that shift over time.

The Senate budget adds $52 per pupil to the state's bedrock funding formula, which would bring it to $5,276 per student. The House plan aims to add $209 to that formula.

Another $9 million increase in the Senate bill would go to special education, which the House didn't address.

Senate Democrats are also looking to increase the age at which a Minnesota student can drop out of school — from 16 to 17 — to boost graduation rates.

They also want to retool testing practices to "move the state in a direction of teaching the subject matter, not teaching for the test," said Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis. By moving college entrance exam preparation up to as early as eighth grade, Torres Ray and other Democrats say schools can help those who need an extra hand and better prepare all students for college. (see HERE)

Republican Sen. Sean Nienow criticized the newer approach, saying that students would graduate regardless of whether they understood the material or earned a passing grade.

Echoing House Republicans, Nienow said he supported several measures of the Senate budget but would rather take money allocated for specific purposes — like all-day kindergarten — and add it to the state's general funding formula.

"That doesn't help schools with their funding concern. Local control is better than a state mandate," Nienow said.

Part of the Senate's budget also buys out old local property tax levies. Sen. Leroy Stumpf, DFL-Plummer, said that property owners statewide will see a decrease on their bills, though the structure of those levies makes it hard to guess how big, or small, the relief may be.

But Stumpf said it will also ease school districts' reliance on local property tax increases. School districts in cities and counties where education taxes haven't passed have suffered, leading to a funding gap in which some schools get far more funding per pupil than others.
a $15.6 billion package that would add to the state's basic per-pupil funding formula, increase Minnesota's school dropout age eliminate some local property tax levies. (see HERE)

Source : www.nujournal.com

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Detailed Overview Kenyon College 2013 - Kenyon is one of the nation's finest liberal arts colleges, a small school where academic excellence goes hand in hand with a strong sense of community.We bring together 1,600 young men and women to study with nearly 200 professors on an exceptionally beautiful hilltop campus in central Ohio. Their curriculum is rooted in the traditional liberal arts and sciences, and enriched by interdisciplinary programs. We set high academic standards and look for talented students who love

learning. Small classes, dedicated teachers, and friendly give-and-take set the tone. (See HERE) Kenyon welcomes curiosity, creativity, intellectual ambition, and an openness to new ideas. We see learning as a challenging, deeply rewarding, and profoundly important activity, to be shared in a spirit of collaboration.
Their greatest strength is their faculty, outstanding scholars who place the highest value on teaching. Close interaction with students is the rule here: professors become mentors and friends. Requirements are flexible enough to allow for a good deal of exploration. Other notable strengths include their distinguished literary tradition, many opportunities for research in the sciences, and programs connecting students to their rural surroundings. The Kenyon experience fosters connections of all kinds—to classmates and teachers and friends, to the life of the mind, to global perspectives, to their own unique traditions and history, and to a place of inspiration. (see HERE)

Source : www.kenyon.edu

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Do not to ignore doctors in immigration reform (US Congress) - An influential professional body of
Indian-American doctors on Friday appealed to US lawmakers "not to ignore" physicians from the comprehensive immigration reforms, arguing that America faces shortage of doctors. During its day-long activities at the Capitol Hill, members of the powerful American Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) - which is a national representative's body of thousands of Indian-American doctors - met Congressmen to press for their points.


US lawmakers tended to support the AAPI's agenda. "We want the best, the brightest and the bravest to stay here," Congressman Joe Crowley, Co-Chair of the Congressional India Caucus, said in his address to APPI members, assuring that he would work for their legislative agenda. In fact, Crowley is sponsor of the "Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2013" which would provide an additional 15,000 residency positions in fiscal 2015-2019.

"The next Thomas Edison or Thomas Singh Edison would be from China or India. We may be blessed that he or she could be born here and his or her last name would be Singh," Crowley said. "We should be encouraging them to come here. But the reality is under the changes after 9/11 in our asylum laws, it would be more difficult for the Albert Einstein's to come to the US than we did before the second world war. That in itself speaks for itself for the need for change in immigration laws," Crowley said. 

The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) predicts that America will need 90,000 physicians by 2020. The number of physicians needed by 2025 according to the AAMC will reach a staggering 130,000. AAPI urged US lawmakers to include physicians graduating from accredited US residency programs for green cards, given that as part of comprehensive immigration reform, a proposal may include international students graduating with degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) being fast-tracked for Green Cards. 

"This proposal enables highly-skilled workers to remain in the US after receiving their higher education in America. Physicians graduating from accredited US residency programs should also receive similar treatment. Such a proposal would enable more physicians to be eligible for Green Cards and address the ongoing physician shortage," AAPI argued. These physicians would still be required to meet all US licensing standards before they could officially practice medicine. (see HERE)

Among other things, AAPI also urged Congressmen to make permanent the J-1 visa waiver programme; which attracts a large number of Indian-American doctors to serve in the rural areas of the country. Besides Congressman Crowley, among others who addressed the AAPI members were Congressmen Phil Gingrey, Jim McDermott, Frank Pallone, Phil Roe, and Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.

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Collaboration is Key to School Success - The lack of diversity on the Abilene Independent School District’s board of trustees’ was frequently brought up by the community during the four-plus months the board took to fill its Place 7 vacancy.

With all six current board members being white in a district where 41.6 percent of its students are Hispanic, 40.2 percent are white and 12 percent are black, the need to address the ethnicity issue was pushed to the forefront.

Hardin-Simmons University associate professor and board appointee Kelvin Kelley said it’s disappointing that race played such a large role in the discussion leading up to Monday night’s unanimous vote to name him the board’s seventh member.

Kelley is the first African-American to serve on the board since 2000, only the third to serve in the district’s history and only fifth minority trustee ever.

“It’s disappointing and I acknowledge it for what is, but in reality I don’t have to play by those rules,” said Kelley, Hardin-Simmons’ student diversity programs coordinator. “If your primary goal is student achievement, then it doesn’t matter who the student is. I had Hispanics, Caucasians and African-American students in our (Campus Advocacy) Program.” (see HERE)

Board President Stan Lambert reiterated Tuesday that seeking diversity wasn’t the board’s “main focus” in the appointment.

“We were looking for the best qualified individual,” Lambert said. “(Kelley) had outstanding qualifications and experience and was very eager and willing to jump into a middle of what is very difficult and challenging times for school boards.”

However, trustee Robert Laird said he was looking for a diverse candidate to appoint.

“My desire in the appointment process was to find a candidate with diversity in mind,” Laird said. “He works at Hardin-Simmons, he’s an ACU (doctorate) graduate and the diversity concept is very strong here. I don’t think he has an agenda, he only wants to do what’s best for our kids and I think that’s great.”

Kelley said he indeed doesn’t come into the position — for which he plans to seek election in May 2014 — with an agenda.

“For most of us, we have been influenced by ethnicity and you can’t deny that reality,” Kelley said. “But what you have to do is understand you have to take responsibility for that. If you acknowledge it, then you’re willing to make a decision that’s different from what the constituency demands.

“To make a viable education system, we have to work together; there must be collaboration.”

Kelley said student success is at the heart of his educational philosophies. (see HERE)

“The reality is that the learning space should be conducive to student discoveries,” said Kelley, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church of Cisco. “What that means is the teacher and instructor, as well as the student, have a responsibility of what’s going on in that environment. We (might) put an onus on the teacher or the student, and the reality is it’s a relationship.”

Along with those philosophies, Kelley also is adamant that people shouldn’t refer to some student populations as “at-risk.”

“I don’t use ‘at-risk students,’ I use ‘underperforming students’,” Kelley said. “Underperforming doesn’t mean you can’t do it, it just means you’re not doing it.”

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Is College Expenses Not Deductible ? - With less than two weeks to go to file your 2012 tax return, you
Today's question:

probably have questions. Whether you prepare your own tax return or pay someone to do it for you, we are here to help. Every day until April 15, members of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants have agreed to answer tax questions from USA TODAY readers. Submit your questions to taxadvice@usatoday.com.

Q: Our son is a freshman attending an out- of-state university. We are paying tuition, travel expenses, car expenses including insurance, books, dorm and meal fees and travel expenses for trips back and forth during holidays and other visits home. Tuition amounted to $25,000 for the fall 2012 semester, and with the additional expenses we easily spent $30,000 per semester for the 2012/2013 year. Can we claim the costs besides tuition as deductions on our taxes for 2012?

A: For purposes of the tuition and fees deduction, student activity fees and expenses for course-related books, supplies, and equipment can be considered qualified education expenses but only if they have to be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance. For example, even if you buy your books directly from the institution, they will not be considered a qualified education expense unless they are required to be purchased directly from the institution.

Expenses for insurance, medical expenses (including student health fees), room and board, transportation, and personal living expenses are not considered qualified education expenses even if the amount has to be paid to the institution as a condition of enrollment or attendance.

It's also important to note that if you are married filing jointly and your Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) is $130,000 or less, your maximum tuition and fees deduction is $4,000. If your MAGI is $130,001-$160,000 your maximum deduction is $2,000, and if your MAGI is over $160,000 no deduction is allowed.

The Tuition and Fees Deduction section of IRS Publication 970 gives all the details of the tuition and fees deduction.

Clare Levison, CPA
Blacksburg, VA

Previous questions:

Q: Help! I didn't file taxes in 2011 or 2012, I make a modest wage in a factory and am losing my house to foreclosure. What's the best way to "get right" with the government?

A: I would like to encourage you to file your 2012 tax returns, federal and state, by April 15 or at least file extensions by that date and pay as much as you can with the extension. The IRS charges a penalty for the failure to timely file of 5% per month (maximizes at 25%) of the tax required to shown on the return, less credits for withholding and estimated taxes paid. The penalty for the failure to file timely adds a huge burden to what you will eventually owe the IRS. Each state has its own penalty structure so I will not be commenting on those penalties.

You should file your 2011 tax returns as soon as possible even if you do not have the funds to pay the tax liability in full. The IRS encourages taxpayers to "get into compliance" by filing delinquent tax returns by mailing them to the same Service Center that you mail your 2012 return. If you owe taxes with the return there will be a Failure to Pay penalty (1/2 of 1% per month up to 25%) and interest will run on the tax and the penalty.

It sounds like you might not have the money to pay the taxes owed with the return. If you have the ability to pay monthly on an Installment Agreement you can file a Form 9465, Installment Agreement Request, with your return or separately. Also, you can get an "Online Payment Agreement" application at www.IRS.gov. If you owe $50,000 or less, the IRS will allow up to 72 months to repay your tax, penalty and interest. There is a fee to establish an Installment Agreement of $105 if paid by check, money order or credit card but is reduced to $52 with electronic fund withdrawal. This user fee is reduced to $43 by filing Form 13844 for low income taxpayers.

There are other options, such as filing an Offer in Compromise, if you cannot repay your taxes over the 10-year collection statute of limitations. Also, for taxpayers owing greater than $50,000 financial information is required when establishing an Installment Agreement. These are topics for another day.

Mary Lou Gervie, CPA
Watkins Meegan, Bethesda, Md.

Previous questions:

Q. I had deferred compensation from my previous employer which was not paid upon my retirement in June 2009 due to bankruptcy. The court system has determined all people will get their deferred compensation less legal fees. My deferred comp was mapped to a mutual fund's performance to determine actual payout amount. Can I claim a loss for the difference between what was originally due to be paid upon retirement and the final distribution amount received almost four years later? Or, can I claim a loss for the value of the deferred comp based on the mutual fund's performance over the four years since retirement and the actual value received.

A. Unfortunately, you can't deduct income that you didn't receive and pay taxes on, which means that you are unable to claim a loss for the amount that you expected to receive but did not due to the bankruptcy. This is an example of the downside of deferred compensation, which is that when you made the election, you basically agreed to the risk of becoming an unsecured creditor of your employer.

A case could be made for taking a loss for the change in value of the mutual fund over four years based on the value you will receive, but that is a very specific case that would require the personal engagement of a CPA or tax attorney. May I also opine that considering the state of the stock market in 2009, there is a good chance that the mutual fund's value has only increased since then?

Kelley C. Long, CPA
Shepard Schwartz & Harris, Chicago

Q: I live in Washington state, where gay marriage is legal, we have no state income tax, and we are a community property state. My partner and I have been together for 12 years, but we have not yet converted our domestic partnership to marriage since it became legal in December. In previous years we have both filed our federal returns as single, but this year we bought a house together and we are wondering what the proper way would be for us to file our federal income tax.

A: Federal law does not treat same-sex or registered domestic partners (RDPs) who are married under state law as married. Thus, such couples may not file their federal income tax return as married filing jointly (MFJ) or as married filing separately (MFS). So, being married under state law will not change your filing status under federal law.

Because you live in Washington state though, being married or RDPs changes how much income you each report on your federal returns. The IRS will follow state community property laws and has provided guidance for RDPs and same-sex couples in three such states: California, Nevada and Washington.

Basically, spouses or RDPs in these states split their community property income, with each spouse or partner reporting half of it on their federal returns. The IRS has provided several FAQs, as well as Publication 555, and Form 8958, to help in determining how to report community property income (as well as deductions and credits) on each spouse's federal tax return.

You each still file a separate return (not a joint return). Note that there could be changes to the filing rules depending on the outcome of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

For the mortgage interest, if you are married or RDPs in Washington, you can show the split of the mortgage interest on Form 8598 (and report your share on your Schedule A, with a reference to "See Form 8958"). If you are not RDPs or a married couple in Washington, you each determine your share of the mortgage interest and you each deduct your share that you paid.

One of you likely received a Form 1098, Mortgage Interest Statement, with only one name and Social Security Number on it. The IRS suggests that the other payor attach a statement to their return explaining that they paid part of that Form 1098 amount and provide the name and address of the person who received the Form 1098, and how much of the mortgage interest each owner paid. On Schedule A, Line 11 for mortgage interest, add "See attached" so the IRS knows the statement explaining the interest amount is on the return (since the IRS does not have a Form 1098 for that owner). For details, see IRS Publication 936, page 9.

Annette Nellen, CPA
San Jose State University, San Jose, Calif.

PREVIOUS QUESTIONS

Q: I filed 2 state tax returns for 2011, one for Massachusetts and one for Rhode Island. I received $400 from Rhode Island, but paid $200 for Mass. I itemized on my federal return. Do I have to claim the $400 refund as income, or can I reduce it by $200?

A: I will answer the question in two parts:

• The $200 paid to Massachusetts can be claimed as an itemized deduction on your 2012 tax return.

• The $400 refund from Rhode Island will need to be reported as income in 2012 if you paid taxes to Rhode Island in 2011 and claimed the taxes as an itemized deduction on your 2011 tax return. The entire amount of the refund would be reported as income if the entire amount of Rhode Island taxes were paid in the 2011 calendar year. This would include withholding amounts, quarterly estimates, extension payments and balance-due payments.

A portion of the refund may be taxable if the Rhode Island taxes credited on the 2011 tax return were paid over two years. In other words, you need to determine if payments were made in the 2012 calendar year but were credited in the 2011 tax-reporting year.

These type of payments would include a 2011 fourth-quarter estimate paid in January 2012 as estimates are due January 15th. Another type of payment is an extension payment that was paid in April of 2012 but was for the 2011 tax return year.

Therefore, if a state tax refund is the result of payments paid in two different years, you make an allocation to exclude the portion of the refund that was allocable to the 2012 calendar year payment. Please note that the portion that was excluded from income is also an offset to your 2012 state tax deduction.

Don Zidik, CPA
McGladrey LLP, Boston

Q: I am 73 and I cannot itemize my deductions (I will use the standard deduction of $7,400). My question: I heard there was a way to deduct my property tax ($4,600) while utilizing the standard deduction. Is this still allowed?

A: Unfortunately, this is not still allowed, and there is no way to deduct your property taxes on your federal income tax return without itemizing.

Five years ago, Congress passed a bill allowing a single person to deduct up to $500 of property taxes on a primary residence in addition to their standard deduction. The limit was $1,000 for a married couple filing jointly.

Unfortunately, this provision was only put in place for 2 years, so for the years 2008 and 2009, a person could deduct at least a portion of their property taxes, even if they were not itemizing.

The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization and Job Creation Act of 2010 extended some tax breaks, but this tax break was allowed to expire and has never been reinstated.;

The instructions to for the 2010 Form 1040 on the IRS website lists expired tax benefits on page 6. For more information on itemized and standard deductions:

Frequently asked questions for itemized and standard deductions

Mackey McNeill, CPA
Mackey Advisors, Bellevue, Ky.

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