Organizing for America | Posts with the tag College Tuition

Posts with the tag College Tuition

By Shawn from Canyon Lake, TX - Mar 9th, 2009 at 12:23 pm EDT

No one should ever pay the full ticket price for their college education.

There's a little known process out there called "credit by exam" that colleges and universities don't want anyone to know about.

Instead of sitting through weeks-long courses and spending over $1k per course, students can take exams that count for 3 or more credits and cost just over $100--books included!

Cut college costs now and do it without taking on any debt!

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National Higher Education Tuition Subsidy Initiatives

By Offworldman - Nov 25th, 2008 at 3:05 pm EST

Part Two The Call for a Forum on Social Engineering and the Future of Subsidized Higher Education Tuitions Dr. Michio Kaku’s Type Zero through Type Four Civilizations Theory forecasts a progressive future society that is not greed driven. It is a vision of a future democratic society motivated by humanitarianism, scholarly knowledge, scientific and technological discovery. This probable future direction is in opposition, literally at war with the current greed based interests, which rail against all fair-minded initiatives to correct our society’s course. We are at a critical juncture in our evolution as a democratic society, but we seem to be in a holding pattern. And, in many respects, humanity seems to be reversing its evolutionary path. If every American citizen, unable to afford the high costs of a four to six year college education were given the opportunity, in the long term these newly educated, upwardly mobile citizens would revitalize our national economy. Many would become entrepreneurs. The Future of Higher Education Tuition:Three Questions for Your Consideration. 1) Question: 50 years from now, what will the average costs of a college tuition be? Keep in mind that the average college tuition was $15,000 to $20,000 per year in 1990, with an average increase of $5,000 to $10,000 per decade. And, if college expenses average anywhere from $2,000 to $2,500 per year in 2001, at the 3 to 5 percent annual rate fees are climbing, imagine what tuition costs will be 50 years from now? Answer: For the sake of simplifying the answer, let’s determine that the $500 to $1000 increase rate continues per decade. 50 years from now, the average college tuition will be $65,000 to $70,000 per year! 2) Question: If the majority of American families cannot afford to pay the exorbitant costs of tuition in 2001 (the date of this report), how will future generations of under-educated, low-skilled working families be able to afford four to six years of higher education for each of their children with a potential price tag of $260,000 to $280,000 per child? Answer: No one can answer this question definitively. But, at the rate we are going, unless there is a significant change in the interests of our greed driven culture, with regard to the higher education industry, including our government’s education policy, a quality education will remain a privilege available only to wealthy families. And, the United States will continue to become a nation within a nation of second class, under-educated, unskilled, serf majority population; ever increasingly disadvantaged and disillusioned, and at the mercy of big industry and a small, wealthy, elitist, policy making ruling caste. An Ameritocracy, that sees it’s under-educated citizens only as an easily replaceable, easily discarded service labor pool; or by the military industrial complex, that sees them only as easily replaceable, easily discarded cannon fodder, but tells them its their patriotic duty to serve, and dangles the carrot known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill as an irresistible incentive. 1) Question: Is the profit driven higher education industry a deliberate attempt to exclude the poorer and less advantaged socio-economic classes from the higher education skills training necessary to become self-determining, productive citizens and raise their economic standing? Answer: Whether it intentionally serves this purpose or not, there is an increasing gap in resources and opportunities between socio-economic classes that is a direct result of unequal access to higher education. The blunt truth is that our greed-driven higher education industry is directly responsible for this of national crisis of social and economic disparity. And, sadly, it will continue to be unless radical new policies are implemented to ensure equal access to higher education and skills training regardless of economic status, for all citizens. The call for accountability is getting louder. Many of the best-endowed colleges and universities are enjoying remarkable good fortune in recent years, thanks to decent stock market returns and record setting fund raising campaigns. According to the following report by journalist Beth Marklein, more than 40 colleges now report endowments of$1 Billion or more. Even some small liberal arts colleges are on that list. This excessive wealth is beyond the necessary level to ensure a good education and a fair admissions policy. But, what about lowered tuitions, so that the less advantaged may afford to enroll? Congress too has taken notice that colleges are wealthier than ever. In a Senate hearing held in 2000 addressing rising tuitions, Senator Joseph Liberman, I-Conn., said that many private schools should, “use their endowments to offset costs and lower tuition.” Some schools, such as Rice University in Houston, Texas, with a $3.4 Billion endowment in 2000, do just that. Others, led by Princeton, have stopped requiring needy students to take loans and have instead increased scholarship grants. Most college endowments are fairly young. The idea, centuries old, took root in U. S. higher education during the 1960’s and inflationary 1970’s, when many colleges and universities were struggling financially. But even in today’s uncertain economy, some economists wonder whether spending rules ought to be rewritten when higher education endowments reach a certain size. The last few years have been prosperous for higher education endowments. Endowments at an unprecedented 41 institutions reached $1 Billion or more in the fiscal year ending June 30, 2000, according to the annual survey released by the National Association of College and University Business Officers (NACUBO), A Washington non-profit organization. With an average rate of 29.2%, they achieved the rate feat of out performing several broad-market indexes, including Standard & Poor’s 500 Index, which showed a 7.2% return for the same period. Large endowments beget even larger ones. And strong endowment returns mean more money in the operating budget. Many campuses report they are spending recent windfalls on faculty raises and big one-time expenses such as technology upgrades and construction projects. Just as most colleges aspire to do, they don’t stray far from a convention that limits endowment spending to no more than about 5% of annual returns on their investments. And now, some endowment managers point to the signs of tough economic times ahead as justification for what some may view as conservative spending policy. A healthy endowment “provides a certain degree of independence because the college can use it as a rainy-day fund”, says John Griswald, a senior vice president (at the time of this writing) of the Connecticut-based Common Fund Group, a non-profit that handles over $30 Billion in investments for about 1,500 universities. Mr. Griswald adds, “One of the things that keeps us up nights is that if the market collapses, you’re not only going to have a collapse in the returns, you also have a collapse in people’s wealth; so the ability of [working class] people to pay tuition is going to collapse, and the probability other sources of income are going to collapse as well, including donations”. Responsibility or Greed Even if the economy sours, the wealthiest institutions will likely be the most cushioned from disaster. But where some trustees and investment officials see fiscal responsibility, others see greed, at least when it comes to schools that tout their multi-billion-dollar endowments when courting favor. Bard College’s president Leon Botstein says the enormous wealth “creates an obligation and a duty which many of these institutions have not faced up to.” He can think of any number of social ills that could benefit from higher education reserves---illiteracy and failing public schools come immediately to mind. But NACUBO financial officer Larry Goldstein says those types of considerations rarely enter discussions of endowment spending because they don’t strictly represent a donor’s intent. That’s not to say colleges aren’t doing good deeds—though some might argue that the charity is more of a byproduct than a goal. Reducing student debt is another goal. Princeton, whose 48.4 Billion endowment has the most to dollars per student, made ripples in January 2001 when trustees voted to replace all loans with grants in awards to students eligible for financial aid. To meet that and other goals, it approved a one-time adjustment in its endowment spending policy, increasing the minimum payout on its endowments. The policy was widely praised—and copied by well-endowed competitor schools, which managed to scrape up funding similar to Princeton’s. The idea of increasing access to higher education for low income students is laudable and certainly the mission of academe, comments Dr. Gordon Winston, an economics professor at Williams College, who specializes in higher education. “Imagine”, he says, ”if colleges pooled their riches into a consortium, not only to compete for a finite pool of students, but to improve the education of high school students [and older adults] who might otherwise have not gone to college at all. It would be a lot more socially productive to try and increase the number of low income students.” He doubts that will happen. If a college can boast billions of dollars in endowment money, why does it charge tuition at all? Administrators at well-endowed institutions hear that from a lot from parents, especially as tuition levels have crept upwards along skyrocketing endowments in recent years. But while colleges say the strong economy of the 1990’s enabled them to increase their financial aid pot, don’t expect a tuition-free ride anytime soon. According to the national data for the 1995-96 academic year, the average subsidy in U.S. higher education was $8,700 a year. That is, a student bought an education that costs $12,800, but paid just $4,100 for it (these figures are questionable at best). In most cases, the rest of the costs are covered by endowment income, gifts, grants and other sources such as rental income and sales of collegiate merchandise. There are exceptions… Cooper Union, an arts, architecture and engineering institute in New York, Brea College in Kentucky, a school founded to serve low-income students in the Appalachian region, both provide tuition-free higher education, with most academic and living costs covered by their endowments. These are noble and progressive examples of ‘Type One’ initiatives that serve society’s higher interests. Rice University in Houston has long used its endowment--- the 15th largest in 2000 at $3.4 Billion--- to help subsidize tuition costs across the board. In the fall of 2001, new undergraduates paid $23,800 for tuition, room and board---about $10,000 less than Princeton’s $33,613. Rice University also limits loan amounts to students. But that may not be practical for all. Notre Dame in Indiana, for example, had a $3.1 Billion endowment, slightly less than Rice’s, but it had 10,600 undergraduate and graduate students, more than Rice’s 4,300. Notre Dame’s tuition, room and board for fall 2001 was $30,500. Like many other selective schools, it also increased scholarship aid, thanks to strong endowment returns. Not everyone agrees that a full tuition subsidy is the best use of resources. To drop tuition altogether would “gold plate an already gold plated education for the nations most affluent families”, says Williams economist Gordon Winston. But the proponents of the H.E. 2050 Report know that full tuition subsidy for poor students and adults is a mission critical duty to ensure a self determining, highly skilled total population of employable Americans. It will also accelerate the economy and technology. Wealthy families who can afford to pay for their children’s education, and benefactors who choose to finance the tuition of a deserving adult, should be able to deduct a greater percentage of the costs of tuition on their tax returns. Any effort to bless all American citizens with a higher education, to allow everyone to receive the higher skills training that will enable them to be productive and self-sufficient, should be supported. It requires a change in the attitudes of society, business, and industry, from a greed-based perspective to the realization that this is a fundamental, humanitarian issue. Wealthy families and individuals who can afford to pay their own way, must be rewarded with greater tax incentives. Mr. Winston is viewing full tuition subsidy from a short-sighted, ‘Type Zero’ perspective. Nothing changes if nothing changes. For the sake of our poorest, or less fortunate American citizens, it is time to think and operate beyond the confines of the status quo; for the sake of our collective future. The National Commission on Higher Education, chastised education leaders in 1999 for failing to adequately explain the exorbitant costs of college tuitions to parents; but the commission also concluded that “American higher education remains an extraordinary value”, and families must share in the responsibility of paying it. There must be another way—a better way. There are practical solutions to help the less fortunate of our Americans to improve their educational opportunities in life. But first, our state and federal officials and the mass population of struggling students in real need of tuition assistance, need to publicly voice their outrage at the existing policies that the higher education industry and the U.S. Department of Education have been engaged in for many decades. We must expand the debate over access to higher education as a constitutional right and eliminate all barriers to higher education for poor and less fortunate Americans. Only a small percentage of American families and individuals have been able to afford a COLLEGE EDUCATION. Even after the creation of the Montgomery G.I. Bill and an increase in government student loans, education IRA’s as well as increased scholarship funding. There has been a marked progress over the past decades, but the current education funding programs do not adequately assist adult poor and lower income citizens in covering the costs of higher education and job retraining. The 2007 U.S. Senate will debate a bill that will have repercussions for the long term health care and education of minority populations in the country. The 2008 Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations Bill proposes to restore funding to a cadre of university programs that aim to increase minority enrollment for health related degrees, support minorities once enrolled, and encourage research in health issues relevant to under-represented minorities or URMs. Called Centers of Excellence and Health Career Opportunities Programs, the facilities have been facing decreasing funding since 2004. Only four of 34 centers received state money in 2006, the others were left grappling for other sources of funding for programs they say ultimately improve minority health care. A 2000 study by the Institute of Medicine found that one reason people don’t seek medical care is because they want to see a doctor of their own culture or one who understands their culture. The American Medical Association reported in 2007 that only 15 percent of doctors in the U.S. are minorities. Both situations may contribute to the troubling health care disparities between white Americans and minorities in the country. The [problem is becoming more urgent as the size of minority populations grow in comparison to previous statistics. The Bush administration and the Republican led congress had been choking off funding for the programs, which are called Title VII, a label for initiatives that help people from communities deemed “underserved.” The administration has proposed eliminating them. The fate of the bill, which may give the programs at most $52.9 million in funding (an increase of more than 100 percent over last year’s allocation), is uncertain. It’s likely to pass the now Democratic dominated Senate, but Mr. Bush has threatened to veto it. A 2000 audit of the U.S. Education Department found $450 Million in fleecing of taxpayer revenues by the department itself; $200 Million alone in unauthorized Education Department employee waste and fraud. $450 Million in United States Education Department fleecing, waste and fraud! There was more than ten times the amount of fleecing going on than actually assisting American taxpaying families and individual adult students in financial need! This is not only a crime it is a national moral disgrace! Our elected officials should either replace the entire administration and majority of staff at the U.S. Education Department or eliminate the department altogether, replacing it with a better system of federal and state education regulating institutions for each level of educational like. One state and federal division for pre K through Grade 5, another for 6th through 12th Grades and a separate governing state and federal institution for higher education and vocational training, founded by new tuition subsidy initiatives. Separate Education Departments would also make accountability easier. Just imagine how many innovations, new entrepreneurs, new teachers, doctors, engineers, scientists and computer mavericks; new cures to medical and societal illnesses; new upwardly mobile, self-determining, self-empowered American citizens, truly living up to all their God-given potential, that this nation can and will produce--if our state and federal government and their national education policies, were as committed to making higher education and life-long retraining available, tuition free, to all in need. Just imagine… Lack of Access to Higher Education: The Catalyst of American Youth’s Ridiculous Antisocial Behavior For several generations, the poorest, less fortunate segment of the American population has been undermined, desensitized and targeted by the purveyors of alcohol, drugs, violent content, pornography, chronic consumerism, the cult of mediocre celebrity, and encouraged ignorant , antisocial behavior; i.e. popular culture. A sign of the decline of Western civilization; antisocial, unintelligent behavior is increasingly glorified by popular sports and entertainment; which is in turn emulated by our children and less than mature adults. Coarseness and social insensitivity have been infused into the popular tastes of our nation’s purposely misdirected youth and gullible, under educated adults. There is a startling statistic out that approximately 41 million adults in America cannot read well enough to fill out a job application or basic form. There are fewer traditional families. The family unit, regardless of social or economic class is under siege. The traditional family structure in the homes of the lower economic class in particular, is fractured beyond recognition. Less than 25 percent of children live in a two parent home. We have been fostering generations of fatherless, discordant, culturally ignorant and socially isolated children, the majority of whom in turn, grow up to become dysfunctional, cross-addicted, unlawful burdens on the society that failed them. Although overall teenage pregnancy is in decline because of better abstinence and sex education programs, underage single mothers, who were in most cases the product of teenage illegitimacy and or parental neglect-- are still repeating a generational cycle of early, unplanned parenthood and subsequent irresponsible child rearing. Any percentage of underage pregnancy, no matter how low the statistics drop is still too many. For at least two generations in the typical American family, behavioral excellence, in the form of manners and social skills training, have not been nurtured in the home. Intelligent moral behavioral development and socialization skills are taken for granted, considered the job of teachers and the school system; and only to be taught at the primary and secondary education levels. This past attitude of apathy and outright neglect by many parents of all levels in the American socio-economic classes, towards responsibility for the proper social training of their own children, is inexcusable. This apathy and neglect towards parental responsibility contributes directly to our young people’s detached, conditioned, antisocial behavior. Uncivilized, dysfunctional behavior as a byproduct of parental dereliction, passed on for generations, coupled with a lack of access to higher education opportunities, has fermented this cultural dilemma in the mass population. We must now face this issue head on, and as a first step towards societal recovery, treat the disease with free or earned tuition initiatives to fund higher education. My case for this course of treatment follows… Rap Music Culture: The 21st Century Minstrel Show We are in a new technological era in the 21st century, yet our society is more fractured, and less civil than it has ever been. We are in the midst of a global cultural crisis. A generation has already been indoctrinated, in reality—brain washed by the violent and pornographic sound bites and imagery of a culture turning back all the progress made by the civil rights movement. Today, children and young adults are bombarded by the primitive, anti-intellectual, anti-social actions of an amoral, self-celebrity-obsessed popular entertainment culture. The bottom line is that today’s parents are neither planning for parenthood, nor are they preparing their own children to be successful, intelligent, disciplined, responsible, civil human beings. It is their duty, and no one else—to their children and society. There is no substitute for a parent to make the investment of their time, every day, to prioritize and nurture each child’s positive social development. The positive effect on a child’s behavior and maturation will be immediate and lasting. Parents cannot afford to fail at this task, because the intense pressure from peers for families failing at this priority, as well as the powerful influence of an immoral, barbaric popular culture, will send a once bright child--full of potential, down the wrong path-- to their own self-destruction. It is ironic that, for example, if the parents of young offenders were held criminally and civilly responsible for the unlawful actions of their children, up to their 21st birthday--- there would be an immediate reduction, close to single digit percentage, in all incidents of barbaric, antisocial behaviors and attitudes from those children and young adults. Because the majority of parents would no longer tolerate any nonsense that would cause them to loose their jobs, or wages for any length of time, because they were caught up in the legal system, fighting charges they did not commit, as a result of their child’s irresponsible, or violent actions. They would be forced to be more attentive in raising their children to be respectable, successful adults. Parents can no longer place the blame on any other influence than their own neglect and dereliction of duty. It is your job to prepare your own kids to succeed, not the educational system. The next element to the young American’s social disconnect involves a family’s future education planning. In the homes of the poorer and lower middle economic classes, more often than not, there are no financial savings plans, implemented at each child’s birth, to build funds for college and ensure their opportunity have a better life. There are any number of reasons and excuses for not sacrificing-- for this short sighted, unforgivable act of neglect that sentences their children to repeat a cycle of social and economic obscurity. This affects directly, a young adult’s sense of self-worth., not being able to attend college, because their parents didn’t care, or couldn’t realize how this neglectful act of apathy would impair their child’s ability to have a better, more successful life than they had. This contributes to their dissonance, pessimism, disregard for life and the decline in overall civilized moral behavior in society. They will carry this pain of underachievement into full adulthood. They will act out on it as social rebellion; it is evidenced in the popular entertainment of the day. For at least two generations the influence of an amoral popular culture, combined with anti-intellectual peer pressure and the failure of parents to adequately train and prepare their children to be successful has germinated. This has creating not only another generation of adults hopelessly locked into this systematic course of socio-economic obscurity, but also a highly uncivilized environment that entices them to act out on their ignorance and frustrations. A criminal minded social caste. Many so-called disenfranchised young people consider antisocial and illegal activity as the only option to rise above abject poverty or build social status among their peers; this idiotic, immature desire to be considered “cool” at any cost. Popular entertainment’s highly exploitive glorification of sex and violent criminal lifestyles is the so called ‘ghetto culture’; an exaggerated projection of the lowest common denominator--negative images, lyrics, and overall egomaniacal, boorish, anti-social behavior---and a total disregard for the gift of life, as the authentic African American and Latin American experience. This is greed motivated exploitation at its absolute worst and its objective is to corrupt out children and young adults by exposing them non-stop to its negative influence. Sports and popular entertainment, including the entire talent-less music industry; this cult of mediocre celebrity, should not be the strongest influence in our children’s and young adult’s lives. The parental example educational excellence and social/ civic responsibility should be instead. As a result of this breakdown of the traditional family the most ignorant, greed driven factions of society, through the various media engines, are leading this moral decline. The glorification of uncivilized, anti-social behavior, which is gangster rap culture or the ‘Neo Minstrel Show’-- as it is accurately identified by the country’s foremost columnist on failed socio-economic engineering, and noted jazz historian, Stanley Crouch-- is taking its most destructive toll on our immature young minds. Ethnic Americans in particular, should not allow their people to live the stereotypes perpetuated by popular entertainment since the era of slavery on through Jim Crow to present day. The Neo Minstrel Show called gangster rap culture is a proudly ignorant, self-imposed sentence on the lives of ethnic Americans to social obscurity, and intellectual inferiority. In our greed driven society, as long as the product or idea turns a profit, it is acceptable, even to the detriment of humane, intelligent moral and social progression, even in our American higher education industry. A heavy price will continue to be paid by society until this chaotic course is guided on a straight and progressive path, by and through improving the education policies of this nation. Without a fundamental change in access to higher education, for all citizens, there will continue to be an ever-widening disparity between the so-called social classes and an increase in cultural segregation. Desperation, frustration and resentments will continue to fuel a pessimistic climate and reinforce class conflicts, creating a growing cycle of civil disobedience and self destructive antisocial behavior that cannot easily be cured. As a nation, we have come a long way from the brutal injustices and engineered inequities of the past. But, as we enter the 21st century, will we learn and adapt from the hard lessons of the past, or will we continue to ignore the core logical solutions to our major societal problems? There is an old saying, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” If we consider our society metaphorically as that chain, we will find that it has many fractured links. As citizens of what is still the greatest democratic experiment in history, we must take on the task of mending this particular broken link immediately. Far too many generations have been lost to obscurity in the past century. The cycle of failure and low expectations must end well before 2050. That national mending all starts with greater unlimited access to higher education, for all American citizens in need. Another metaphor, “If you give a hungry man a fish, you feed him for a day, If you TEACH him how to fish-- you feed him for a lifetime…” Intelligence development is a modern win/win situation for our entire society. It should be an inalienable right, protected by the Constitution. To impede and deter the intellectual development of the poorer, less fortunate population for any reason, especially an inability to afford higher education tuition costs, should be interpreted for what it really is—a deliberate attack on the very fabric of a healthy, vibrant, progressive American democratic society; against life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness--all that we stand for. It’s motivated by nothing more than greed—nothing more. The education industry is saying to the less fortunate American economic classes, “If you can’t pay, we won’t teach you the skills you will need to earn a decent living and prosper in the new economy of the 21st century. You will suffer, and so will your family and their future generations—we don’t care about the country’s overall socio-economic progression. We only care about profit—and keeping the wealthy class in power and overseeing control of the mass economically disadvantaged population.” The wealthy class needs a permanent ‘serf’ service workforce. And if the mass population reverts back to near barbarism fueled by the influence of a dumbed-down, mass media and popular sports and entertainment culture, the education industry does not consider it their overall fault or itself as the source of the overall problem. They refuse to see the connection between the lack of access for all Americans to higher education and the moral decline of American society. The H.E. 2050 Report levels the blame for social disparity and educational inequity directly on the head of the higher education industry and the federal government. If this nation continues to produce a mass population of dumbed-down, unskilled labor, the result in the long term will be more of what we see in the headlines: celebrated anti-social behavior, crimes and incidents exaggerated to an even greater immoral, idiotic, and outlandish degree. And, America’s role as leaders and innovators in the world will be drastically diminished in the manufacturing technology industries. Some Perspective It has been estimated that in the 21st century, the American worker will either change career paths, or need job retraining up to seven times. Also, according to a 2001 United Nations population study, the world’s population—already more than double what it was in 1950, is projected to boom by another 3 billion in the next half century. Today there are 6.1 billion people in the world. By 2050 that figure is anticipated to swell to 9.3 billion. The United States in particular, with a steady influx of 1 million immigrants a year, will grow to nearly 400 million by 2050, from 283 million today. By the year 2100 the land of the free may have a population of over 1 billion citizens. An unsettling trend in the 2000 census was the growth of the prison populations nationwide. Without new solutions to society’s inequities, including new social education policy initiatives, the prison population’s growth may climb to incredible levels by 2050. Journalist Tamara Henry reported in 2001 on how societal shifts could alter education by mid-century; major social trends, including growth in the size of the elderly and ethnic populations, may force U.S. education policy to change. According to the Educational Research Service, future trends will require an expansion of adult education. And all schools will have to ensure equal access, work harder to close achievement gaps between races and strive to diversify the teaching force. The Education Research Service released a year-long study in 2000 outlining trends that represent a paradigm shift in attitudes about education. Key among the trends:

The elderly will outnumber the young for the first time in history by 2030, when baby boomers are between 66 and 84 years old.
The ratio of people working for every person drawing social security may be as low as 2-to-1. In 1950, the ratio was 6-to-1.
Higher Education and Adult retraining investment will become will ensure the solvency of social security and other social programs, because it will expand the workforce with skilled labor and raise the ratio of working people to retirees.
Intellectual capital will also become the economic currency in the future. What you know will count more than ever. Many students and professionals will be working on their own while interconnected with cyber-teams and networks. So management and entrepreneurial skills will be essential.

If ‘Type One’ new education initiatives are not implemented and on track by 2020, then by 2050 the economy will collapse under the strain of still operating in a ‘Type Zero’ environment of socio-economic disparity fueled by a mass population of under-educated, unskilled citizens. At that rate, by 2100 America may be nearly indistinguishable from a third world country, unable to reverse its downward spiral. The death of the greatest democracy on earth would be imminent. So it is imperative right now, that America’s mass population and greater workforce have access to as much higher education and higher skills retraining as possible. The larger the skilled workforce, the better the chances we have of keeping social security and other humanitarian social services solvent in perpetuity. To improve overall national education policy, identifying current inequities and offering solutions becomes a critical priority. Despite some far reaching improvements, both racial and disability discrimination exists, according to Dr. Gary Orfield, a Havard professor who co-directs the Civil Rights Project. For example: · Ethnic Americans and poorer students are more likely to be unjustly labeled as “mentally slow or mildly retarded”, in order to place them in less challenging classes.· African American public school students are more than three times likely than other students to be unfairly categorized as needing “special education services”, more restrictive classrooms and isolation from their peers.· It is reported that 63 percent of 4th graders cannot read proficiently and less than 40 percent of all primary and secondary students are knowledgeable in basic mathematics, history and geography. The studies commissioned by Harvard University also found that in richer school districts, African-American male students were at greater risk of being disproportionately labeled ‘mentally retarded’. The research points out that, African-American students are “over-represented” in special education classrooms in which students are often segregated and poorly taught. The ethnic breakdown of other students in special education programs is more in line with that of the total population. Children who begin school with poorly developed language skills and a limited vocabulary are more likely to end up in special education. They are supposed to go through a strict screening process. But many of these children are not being properly diagnosed. If evaluators also have a bias against students from an ethnic or a poor background, the conclusion is quickly made that these children are either not able to learn, not worth the effort, or both. So they assume their only option is social promotion through special education. The H.E. 2050 Report is leveling the charge of criminal neglect and apathy, by educators, against the very children they pledged to adequately teach, innocent children. There is an ongoing policy of lowered expectations and bias targeted at poorer ethnic students. Placing them in special education programs perpetuates the worst stereotype, that ethnic races are inherently intellectually inferior—when nothing could be further from the truth. Children that suffer this clearly biased treatment are being denied their civil rights. There is also a push by some educators to get so called “disruptive children” or children who function at slightly lower academic levels out of regular classes, instead of making the extra effort to teach them or provide extra tutoring. There may also be cultural bias in the intelligence testing that is used to make a diagnosis. Logic and reasoning skills are not measured. Evaluators look only for “learning weaknesses” and or” deviant behavior”, convenient nomenclature to disguise the disgraceful procedure of segregating ethnic children off to early conditioning; warehoused special education classes where they are not challenged to learn and excel. In these warehouse classes, they are merely held until the bell rings, then they are moved along, like mindless livestock. One possible solution may be as simple as nutritional supplements, such as ginko biloba to enhance the brain’s oxygen absorption, thereby improving brain function and reducing fatigue; or Focus Factor supplements, already in use by many primary and secondary schools. Other true education policy solutions will be more labor intensive, such as hiring more teachers and tutors; smaller classes to prevent overcrowding and spreading a teacher’s workload too broadly; and other proven learning methods such as Phonics and Eye Q Reader. But, educators should never use special education programs or social promotion to simply write off and devalue students, because of deep seeded racial bias. This is an abuse of the authority and trust placed in primary and secondary education administrators. It must be exposed and stopped. This practice perpetuates the cycle of socio-economic obscurity. Lack of Education on Future Prison Populations There is a startling, unnerving correlation between the number of African American and other ethnic students in special education---who end up in the criminal justice system. And, this should disturb and outrage all Americans, and not just the civil rights organizations that fought to reduce discrimination in education. Warehousing young ethnic Americans has become a profitable burgeoning new industry, to the degree of offering public stock in many states. Prison manufacturing assembly labor is cheaper, on par with many foreign nations with which the U.S. conducts trade relations. This state of affairs is unacceptable and should make all truly enlightened, fair-minded Americans absolutely furious. The implication is clear. This scandal in primary and secondary education policy in America has such a far reaching effect on the future adult lives of it’s victims, the innocent students, and this nation’s future economy, that immediate action must be taken. It is adding to the mass population of under-educated, unskilled labor and the future prison populations. The term conspiracy is not too strong a term to describe this entrenched, racially biased, incendiary education policy practice. It is ethnic profiling, plan and simple. Alarms of ethical concern should go off among patriotic Americans at so many children “taking that short trip from the cradle to the grave”, followed by indignant outrage, pure outrage. It is difficult enough to be of African, or Native Indigenous ethnic descent in America; a stolen land that was built and derives its original wealth off of the foundation of oppressed free labor, and the selling of that stolen, captive people. Imagine having to encounter on a daily basis, experiences where society attempts to demean and remind you, either subtly or overtly, of how much it loathes you and how low it regards people of your ethnic heritage; marginalized descendants of a conquered, oppressed ancestry-- people of color. But when there is evidence to support charges that: A) Either the Education System continues to be grossly derelict in equally and adequately preparing our innocent, disadvantaged ethnic American students… OrB) There is a deliberate effort by a hopelessly biased element in the entire national primary and secondary education administration to divert our ethnic American students down a path of low expectations and under-achievement, to a life of intellectual, social and economic obscurity, potential self ruination and or self destruction. An institutionalized “Fast Track” education policy, in order to warehouse poor, under-educated ethnic Americans; to condition them for “removal” from productive, progressive society…OrC) Both apply simultaneously. If both charges are true, again, ethical flashing red lights should signal alarm should signal in the national conscience, an ongoing injustice taking place. The U.S. Education System can alter course away from this caste policy, sentencing innocent children to hopeless lives. Or, it can remain at the top of the roster of historical institutions guilty of genocidal high crimes against the ethnic populations of America. This reversal of progress in education simply will not stand without challenge. It must not continue. It is a direct threat against Type One social progression. The Harvard Study didn’t surprise former educator and former NAACP president Howard Jefferson. He believes that the criteria for placing students in special education is, “flawed and needs to be changed”. Another trend listed by the research study was that smaller class size is a racial equalizer. The current focus on higher standards and testing will create a movement toward more personalized help for students. According to a 2001 Princeton research study, smaller class sizes will help schools narrow the “black/white” achievement gap, lower teen birthrates and possibly reduce crime rates. Poor, disadvantaged and ethnic students benefit the most when classes are reduced from the average 22 to 25 students, to between 13 and 17. Average standardized test scores increase by 7 to 10 percentile points for African-American students and 3 to 4 percentile points for Anglo-American Students. The likelihood of African- American students taking the ACT or SAT college entrance exams rose from 31.8 to 41.3 percent, and that of Anglo-American students from 44.7 to 46.4 percent. The average score increased slightly for both student groups. The teen birthrate was one third less for Anglo-American females, while the fatherhood rate was 40 percent lower for teenage African-American males. The Council for Basic Education says that the study shows, “there are more than transitory gains in reducing class size“. But other problems persist, besides the shortage in new teachers to facilitate a reduction in class size. For example: · One quarter of high school students fail to graduate. After decades of improvement, the nation’s school completion rate has stagnated over the past 20 years, despite large amounts of money and attention focused on education. Some students do go on to earn GEDs and other alternative credentials. But as the national debate refocuses on raising standards and increasing accountability, some experts claim that too many graduates are being lost before the so called “new education reforms” are in place that may help them. Some experts predict that the dropout rate may increase. Achieve Incorporated is a consortium of state and corporate leaders that advocate higher standards and tests for graduation and promotion. Their challenge is to raise academic standards and increase accountability for all students while simultaneously ensuring that students receive the support they need to meet the standards and stay in school. The dropout rate is most severe in large cities. Crushing societal problems and poor academic preparation often eliminate huge percentages of students from the rolls before they graduate. This is what happens when primary students are merely passed along in warehouse style classrooms where they are not challenged to learn at an early age. Programs that divide large high schools into smaller units, create more familiarity with staff and offer intensive remedial instruction to ninth-graders, show promise. But such programs have not been widely implemented, even as more educators grow concerned about the drop out problem. Dropouts do not have a place in the economy. Dropouts are 50 percent more likely to be unemployed than high school graduates, according to the National Center for Education. When they are employed, high school dropouts earn about 25 percent less than high school graduates. Adults with only a high school diploma or less than a bachelor’s degree do not fare much better. The hard fact is adults that are under-educated, more often than not, subsist just at or below the poverty level. We live in era where 12 years of basic fundamental high school education will not ensure a living wage income. Higher education, a bachelor, masters or doctorate degrees, make all the difference in the world. Although success is never guaranteed, higher education is a blueprint for a more successful life. Another trend listed by the Educational Research Service Study: · Students born between 1982 and 2003, known as the Millennial Generation, will insist on solutions to an accumulation of society’s problems, inequities and injustices. The H.E. 2050 Report urges strongly that this nation create more high tech graduates, and offers more high tech vocational training; made available to the poorer, less fortunate socio-economic classes. Cisco Systems Computer Networking Academy does just that. With 2400 Networking Academies in the U.S. and 6400 worldwide, Cisco Systems Networking Academy offers CCNA Computer Technician training and certification. Entry-level salaries in this field begin around $40,000. That is a reasonable living wage for the 21st century. Imagine trying to live on less than half of that salary? Millions of working poor are doing just that every day, some working two jobs just to make half of that salary. The economy has rapidly evolved into one increasingly dependent on the resources of the mind, according to Texas State Representative Brian McCall. Job growth in the knowledge-based sector has exploded in the last decade. High tech employment has jumped. Yet the number of engineering and computer science graduates increased by less than 10 percent; and the number of engineering graduates actually dropped during that period. Today one of every two students who enroll in an engineering program does not graduate with a degree. Among ethnic minorities and women, less than 20 percent of U.S. engineering degrees went to women. Only 5 percent were African–American and just over 6 percent were Hispanic. Vacancies exist nationwide in the technology sector. These include positions for electrical engineers, computer scientists, skilled technicians with two year degrees from community colleges and vocational schools, and manufacturing specialists with high school diplomas. There is a growing concern that our number of engineering and computer graduates from public colleges and universities must increase. There is also a growing concern that America’s economic growth and competitive advantage in the technology sector could be challenged. Using the Texas Workforce Development Act as an example, colleges and universities should implement aggressive and innovative new approaches to improve the retention of engineering and computer science students. State and federal legislation should be proposed to provide grants to public universities to increase enrollment and improve retention rates in those areas of study. The leverage of public-private sector funds is a key feature of the bill. Co-sponsored by Texas State Senator Rodney Ellis and Texas State Representative Brian McCall, Senate Bill 353 would commit up to $5 Million annually to match as much as $5 Million from the technology industry and other private sources—for a total of $10 Million. The fund would be administered by The Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. The bill serves as a model of the kind of state legislation needed to encourage the nation’s high school graduates to train for careers in the technology industry. Texas Senate Bill 1596 is also aimed at scholarship funds for students attending technical schools and training programs for skills such as software development and semiconductor manufacturing. One causality of the 2001 Texas legislative process was an established and by many accounts successful job training program for adults. Smart Jobs was eliminated from funding. The program was part of the Texas Department of Economic Development debate in 2001, referring to the state agency that has been under threat of being disbanded by a number of legislators. It was embroiled in that larger debate, and when the dust cleared, was simply gone, rejected. This is an example of a ‘Type One’ initiative stamped out by a short-sighted ‘Type Zero’ status quo; a one step forward, two steps back trend in neoconservative politics. Teacher Recruitment In a ‘Type One’ future, incentives to encourage the entrance of college graduates and trained professionals into the teaching professions could range from: · Tax exemption for educators. · A zero dollar co-pay and no payroll deductions so teachers can get the best health care insurance available. · A guarantee of tuition free higher education for children of career primary, secondary and collegiate educators with at least 10 years of teaching. If the incentives are substantial enough, future generations will never have to worry about a shortage of professional teachers. But, that would exist only in a progressive, ‘Type One’ society where logical solutions are implemented. Teach For America is a group that encourages new college graduates to enter this noble profession, while Troops to Teachers encourages military retirees, particularly those with mathematics and science skills to enter teaching professions. According to reports by journalists Laurence McQuillan and Debbie Byrnes, experts say that the teaching profession faces shortages that could grow worse in the decades ahead. A shortage of qualified teachers is a major problem in urban areas. The Department of Education projects that public schools will need 2.2 million teachers in the next decade to offset the retirements and influx of a greater number of students. Baby boomers—those born between 1946 and 1964—enrolled in unprecedented numbers in schools in the 1950’s. Thirty years after the baby boomers entered school in record numbers, their children are surpassing that feat, the 2000 census reports. There are nearly 49 million students. One student in five at least one foreign born parent and 5 percent of students are foreign born. Experts say today’s students are drawing attention to the need for substantial funds to be devoted to school construction and teacher training programs. With 30-year-old buildings deteriorating and a generation of teachers nearing retirements after decades in the classroom. “We have a series of incentives that encourage people to get out just as we need them to stay in”, said Bruce Hunter of the American Association of School Administrators. Large numbers of teachers who began their careers during the last wave of the 1960’s and 1970’s are being encouraged to retire, even though many are only in their late 50’s. Shawn Lewis of the Council of Great City Schools believes that teacher shortages and problems with instructors teaching outside of their specialty will worsen as will problems with aging buildings. “With the influx of new students we’ll have to continue to use those older buildings that are in bad shape and should be3 torn down”, Lewis said. The 2000 Census data shows that 48.7 million students in public and private schools were enrolled in the 1st through 12th grades, slightly more than in 1971 when enrollment last peaked. An additional 3.8 million students were in kindergarten in 1999, for a total of 52.5 million. The Education Department predicts that total elementary and secondary school enrollment will rise to 53.2 million by fall 2001, and that number will peak in 2005 at about 53.5 million. That total covers public students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The figures show that 15 percent of the students are Hispanic and 4 percent are Asian—roughly comparable to the nation’s total population. The 2000 school Census figures released in 2001 were the first to collect information on the origin of the student’s families. Researchers have asked such questions since 1944, but have never gathered results in a report. Schools are trying to adapt to an increasingly diverse student body. Teaching Program Sees Steady Growth Journalist Debbie Byrnes notes how Teach for America is making a difference in the way children learn. The organization is beginning to create a wave in the field of education that stresses the importance of equality for all school age children. Three times a year, Teach for America recruits a select number of recent college graduates to become members of its corp. These individuals commit to a two-year contract to teach in some of the country’s most under-resourced areas. Although they recruit individuals with many different backgrounds, they prefer those with science and math degrees. Typically, science and math majors have a lot of job opportunities when they graduate and don’t think of education as a career path. Teach for America is trying to change all that. This non-profit organization, which places teachers in 15 regions throughout 14 states, doesn’t care what kind of educational degrees its corps members receive. It cares that they are driven individuals with a strong desire to want to help improve the public education system. Once perspective corps members are accepted based on their applications, they undergo an intensive interview. The procedure includes participating in educational disclosure, as well as a one-on-one teaching session. The organization received nearly 5000 applications nationally. About 25 percent of those will be accepted into the program. When Teach for America recruits corps members, they try to attract Latinos and African-Americans, to reflect the communities that they are teaching in. The corps members span all levels, kindergarten through grade 12, and teach in all areas, including bilingual, English as a second language and special education. They undergo an intense training program before entering the classroom and work closely with mentors throughout their two- year term. Although the corps members can indicate a preference of where they would like to teach, it’s up to Teach for America to place them. Assignments are based on what kind of college coursework a corps members has taken in relationship to district requirements, the corps member’s preferences in locations the school district needs. Teach for America wants its corps members to make a two-year commitment to the community and student, and highly discouraged from breaking the contracts. Typically, these individuals have a lot more time during their second yea to give back to the community. Teach for America contracts with various schools districts, which in turn hire corps members as regular teachers. The schools are selected based on a certain percentage of free and reduced lunch population and demand for quality teachers. The organization is trying to create education equality so they concentrate where there is a high need for teachers. The organization also tries to place a number of corps members in the same school so they can support each other. With 10 years behind them, Teach for America has experimented a steady growth and bracing itself for more success. On a national scale, Teach for America is hoping to do more than double it’s number of active corps members in the next few years from approximately 1500 to 4000. There are many ways to measure the success of this organization. The success of this organization speaks for itself; indicating the growing number of people interested in improving public education. For those who have become corps members and chose not to stay in education, it was a learning experience for them, and a gift to the children whose lives and minds they challenged to reach for excellence in learning. Careers and Education Education has become the most important bipartisan issue in government, and rightfully so. Senator John Kerry, (D) Massachusetts commented, “Every CEO in America will tell you that we need a better educated workforce.” It is cle Read More »

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Obama's Speech in Jacksonville

By Emily - Sep 29th, 2008 at 1:21 pm EDT

Hi everyone,A week ago the Paterson family went to Metro Park in Jacksonville to hear Barack Obama speak. I created a photo collage which captures some of the event (see attached photo). We had an amazing experience, and I wanted to share it with you.
Obama was to speak in on an outdoor stage set on a riverside park in downtown Jacksonville. The campaign was anticipating 3000 attendees. They closed the park gates 45 minutes before the event started because they had 10,000 attendees and were at capacity. Still, more people kept arriving. Instead of going home when they saw the park was closed, an estimated 8,000 more people gathered in fields and streets next to the park to listen and support.
What I saw truly affected me. I saw people of different ages, backgrounds, genders, classes, and ethnicities freely mingling and talking. I felt the energy of a movement that represents change and hope to so many of us. As I looked around at everyone excitedly talking and sharing together, I had a very hopeful thought: this is America at its best. There is nothing our country can't do if we really mobilize and let every single citizen know he or she has a part to play.
Obama talked about the economy and his plans for tax cuts for 98% of America. He mapped out a plan for ending reliance on Middle Eastern oil. He talked about funding research into renewable energy resources, and how that could be the next boom segment of our economy. He discussed education, and ideas to finance college for those who volunteer or serve our country. Then he asked us all to go and talk with our neighbors about his campaign, so we could win Florida and the rest of the country. I know that we shy away from discussing politics with each other. However, this election means too much. Pat and Parker and I have been talking with our neighbors, and we're going to be canvassing and doing voter registration in the upcoming weeks. I encourage you to discuss your ideas and opinions with others in an open and friendly way--yes, even if your ideas aren't the same as mine.
An article about the rally: http://www.wnbc.com/politics/17521077/detail.html
Here are some of the points that Pat and I feel are important:
There is a widely believed myth that Obama will raise taxes for everyone. In fact, he will greatly reduce taxes for 98% of Americans. Taxes will be LOWER for 98% of Americans then they were under Reagan. To calculate your tax cut go to: www.obamataxcut.com. And an article about taxes from the nonpartisan FactCheck.org: http://www.factcheck.org/elections-2008/there_he_goes_again.html
Obama has pledged to get us off of Mid East oil in 10 years. He has a plan to increase funding for renewable resources, and is concerned about climate change. McCain wants to repeal the gas tax to temporarily lower gas prices (prolonging our addiction to oil), McCain has promised tax cuts for oil companies, and McCain's choice for VP shows how out of touch he is on the issues of oil and global warming: Palin's home state relies on financial kick-backs from oil companies, her husband works for Big Oil, and she does not believe that humans are contributing to global warming.
Obama sees that our nations future is tied to the intelligence and patriotism of its populace. He wants to make education affordable. He has proposed a plan, similar to the GI Bill, to finance college tuition for anyone who gives back to our country through military service, Peace Corps, Americorps, or other volunteer opportunities.
Like Eisenhower, Obama believes that the future of America is also tied to a healthy populace. And healthcare prices are rising almost as fast as gas prices. At yesterday's rally, he said that he would offer uninsured working Americans "the same healthcare plan that we members in congress give ourselves."
Thanks for reading... and good luck to us all! Em
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Milking Our Students Dry: The Cash Cow of College Tuition

By Rich from FLA - Sep 24th, 2008 at 11:09 am EDT

Also listed in: The Ghost Writer Guild | The Colbert Report Fans for Obama! | Countdown with Keith Olbermann Fans for Obama

The cost of college outpaced the rate of inflation this year, as it has for 10 years. The average cost of a 4-year private college is now $29,000 a year. Public institutions average about $12,000. These numbers have serious repercussions to new graduates and to the U.S. economy. Over 60% of 2008 graduates will be shackled with student loans. They can’t afford to take jobs in government or nonprofit organizations that typically pay far less than corporations do. Take a teaching job? Only if you want to eat mac and cheese until you’re 40. For many, the dream of a house and a family must wait.
Perhaps the most distressing consequence of increased tuition is that many students will not go to college. In a global economy that requires an educated workforce to be competitive, we lose people because they simply cannot afford college. As a nation, we are stacking the deck against ourselves.
Senator Barack Obama offers solutions to these problems. His education plan includes a $4,000 tax credit per year for students to attend college, in exchange for volunteering in some form of national service. In addition, Obama supports an increase in sponsored research to solve pressing issues facing our planet: energy, global warming, disease control, and an ever-increasingly challenged economy. This increase translates into funding for students who will be the scientists and economists of the future.It is time to quit viewing our college system as a cash cow, and start looking at it as an investment. Obama’s vision of education and service will improve the quality of life for many young professionals and allow us to keep up in the global economic race.

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Student Loans

By Student Loans - Feb 22nd, 2008 at 8:44 pm EST

I work for a state student loan agency that is a guarantor, lender, and servicer of FFELP Loans as well as the state grant administrator. We are a non-profit agency that gives back to students in the form of grants, scholarships, loan forgiveness, and other outreach programs. Most states have an agency like our's. I guess Obama would be putting me and a few thousand of my co-workers and thousands of others out of work with his Direct Lending initiatives. The Fed taking over student loans and healthcare??? Is this the answer?? The government should focus on helping colleges and the healthcare industry manage their costs to pass on the savings to consumers instead of taking over the industry. It sounds like a monopoly and communism.

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Texas : grab the moment

By dharmas - Feb 19th, 2008 at 9:09 am EST

An apeal tp citizens of texas,

this is your moment to change your future. Vote for Obama and you will be assured of an economic progress. Obama will bring change for all , he is not worried about the lobbyists.
he is genuine , he can make things happen for us .
He will change the way our kids are educated. what else is more important for us? He will help young men and women with collge education tuition.

There will be no unecessary wars were money and lives will be wasted.

VOTE FOR OBAMA and ENSURE YOUR fUTURE

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Obama Makes College More Affordable

By Scott A. Giordano - Sep 12th, 2007 at 12:00 pm EDT

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His bill would make tuition more affordable and improve America's global competitive edge.
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The Myspace "My-Bad"

By Ryan Westart - May 3rd, 2007 at 9:36 pm EDT

Also listed in: Central Illinois Obama-crats | Obama in the Heart, Peoria, IL | Teachers for Obama

In light of the inevitable blips that will occur in an unprecendented lengthy Presidential campaign season, I hesitate to use the phrase, "Stay the course."    In regards to the gentleman that raises the level of civil discourse, is the source of an empowering aura, and embodies a spirit this country has long yearned for... I'm willing to say there are bigger fish to fry.
Ladies and gentlemen, our collective strength is our passion. Do not allow short-sightedness to impair America's future.
Get some glasses and remember: Gas isn't getting any cheaper, the air isn't getting any cleaner, hurry up and read this so you can get to your second or third job so you can pay your health insurance and prescriptions, college tuition is skyrocketing, Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Venezuela, Afghanistan, corporate corruption, Libby, Rove, Gonzalez, etc., etc., etc.
The list of legitimate issues to tackle are long enough, lets not tack on non-issues... As you can see... if you're not short-sighted.

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