Education Trust News

Obama Presses Colleges for More Affordability

During last week’s State of the Union address, President Obama highlighted the importance of restraining the growth of college costs for middle- and low-income students and families. Later that week, before a boisterous crowd at the University of Michigan, he took his college affordability pitch on the road and offered some details. Specifically, the president proposed linking eligibility for the billions of federal dollars spent on campus-based aid to the schools’ ability to provide better value to students.

College costs are spiraling out of control. While most families struggle to keep up, low-income families, not surprisingly, are the hardest hit. Currently, to send just one child to a four-year university for one academic year, low-income families must contribute an amount equivalent to 72 percent of their annual household income. In contrast, families with annual earnings of $100,000 are required to contribute only 21 percent.

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Plugging a Leak in the College Pipeline

Every year, a phenomenon known as the “summer melt” washes away the higher education plans of thousands of would-be college students. It’s a tragic scenario in a competitive economy where a college degree matters more than ever. Research from Chicago schools suggests that the college plans of as many as 1 in 5 students who’ve already been accepted to colleges “melt” away during the dog days of summer before their college careers begin. A new study out of Rhode Island holds promise for freezing summer melt and keeping more of America’s youth on the path to a postsecondary diploma. It also underscores the key role of school counselors in readying students for college and beyond.

Senate Bill Aims to Protect Service Members from For-Profit Predators

A new Senate bill, introduced by Sens. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), seeks to eliminate the financial incentives that invite for-profit college companies to prey on active-duty service members and recently returned veterans. It is an encouraging development for both students and taxpayers.

New Reports Offer Guidance on Improving Teacher Quality

Strong teachers can boost student learning just as weak teachers can undermine it. And the impact that a strong or weak teacher can have on students who are behind, as many low-income students are, can make a huge difference in students’ long-term success.

Robust teacher evaluation systems are a useful tool for identifying teachers who need help, and Ed Week’s Steven Sawchuk highlighted two valuable resources this week for those charged with setting up these systems: Craig Jerald's paper for the Center for American Progress, and the Aspen Institute Education and Society Program’s paper by Rachel Curtis and Ross Weiner.

Students Are Counting on Obama

The 2012 State of the Union address on Tuesday evening is an opportunity for President Obama to remind Congress and the country that we cannot abandon the educational needs of low-income students, students of color, and other groups of students who have been historically disadvantaged.

Report, Book, Webinars Show How Principals Can Drive Learning

A new paper from The Wallace Foundation explores how school leaders influence student achievement. The findings are mirrored in the recently published Getting It Done: Leading Academic Success in Unexpected Schools by the Ed Trust’s own Karin Chenoweth and Christina Theokas. An ongoing webinar series, organized by Chenoweth and Theokas, and cosponsored by Ed Trust and Wallace, digs deeper into how effective principals can help vulnerable children learn to high levels.

L.A.’s Best Educators Aren’t Teaching Students Who Need Them Most

A new study of the Los Angeles public schools by The Education Trust–West shows Latino, African-American, and low-income students are less likely than their peers to be taught by the ablest teachers. The impact of inequities in the nation’s second largest school district can be measured in months of learning and can accumulate through the grades. Meanwhile, patterns of teacher mobility and seniority-based layoffs contribute to the quality gap for the students who need the most.

Thank You, Delta Cost Project

After nearly five years, a champion for affordability in higher education has completed the first phase of its journey. In 2007, the Delta Project on Postsecondary Costs, Productivity and Accountability set out to increase the understanding that institution leaders, policymakers, and journalists have of college spending. The project did this by developing and advocating for better data, cost metrics, and communication. Few organizations have done as much to expose and explain the spending practices of postsecondary institutions.

The Education Trust Voted ‘Most Effective’

The Education Trust was named one of the “top three most effective education lobbyists” in Washington, D.C., in a survey of 50 influential leaders active in education reform.