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1/31/2012

Journal Throwback: Spring 1958

To celebrate NACAC's 75th anniversary and the release of the Winter 2012 special issue Journal of College Admission, the Admitted Blog will run historic artices from the Journal.

This week's article is from Vol. 3 No. 1 Spring 1958:

The President's Report for 1956-1957
by Hollace G. Roberts, Director of Admission, Western Reserve University

One of the pleasures that befalls the president of the Association of College Admissions Counselors is that of bringing to the membership a report of the official activities of your duly elected representatives, listening to your criticisms of the way things have gone during the past year or have not gone, and keeping an ear tuned to your suggestions, hopes and aspirations for the Association in the years to come. I am sure there are no shrinking violets among you and thus I am sure you will readily understand another pleasant task of the president which he will assume even though it not be given to him, namely, that of looking ahead for a few moments to contemplate about the future in store for the institution he represents, this time your Association.

At the very onset of my remarks I should like to pay respect and extend my own thanks and the thanks of our organization for the long and untiring efforts of a great host of good people from many sections of the country, but especially from Missouri, who have worked so nobly to make this convention a success. While it is usually unfair to single out individuals, I know you will forgive me when I do single out for special recognition Harley Wyatt and Spencer Lane, who have overseen the entire convention; John Schnabel, who has had the always difficult task of handling registration; Robert Bowline, who got our program off to a good start and last, and certainly not least, Mrs. Harley Wyatt, who has undertaken the responsibility to make certain that our ladies be not in waiting, but enjoy some of the attractions of near·by Kansas City. To all of you who in any way, no matter how little or how great, have had a part in planning this convention, on behalf of your officers and Board, I express a grateful thanks.

"We Reach Our Majority"

This is a tremendous time in the history of our Association. For a number of years in the past we have all discussed and debated whether we were local, regional, or national in scope. While no association merits national recognition because of its geographic spread, one evidence of its national character is just that. May I remind you that to the best of my knowledge, never before has this Association met so near the geographic cross-roads of America? This, in itself, is historic.

As we reach our majority, as it were, it is not at all unfitting that we meet in a state which is renowned for the two great arteries of transportation which link the east and the west and the north and the south.

If I have succeeded in these few comments to help some of you to reminisce briefly on the growth of our organization, may I ask you to reminisce with me just another moment? Through the years of this organization one of its stalwarts, one of its real supporters, one of those great souls who lived by his devotion to a cause and to his fellowman was Willard Umbreit. It was three months ago, almost to the day, that through death education lost this remarkable man. (At this point Harry M. Gerlach, secretary, was asked to read the Board resolution.)

Reporting to you on the activities of your Board, may I remind you of its members who have given thought and energy in the cause of education of American youth. Those retiring this year are past-president Harland White of Purdue University, Florence Dooley of Lincoln College, Mildred Fox of Evanston Township High School and John Anderson of Beloit College. Those who will continue to serve you are Harry M. Gerlach of Miami University, Robert Norwine of Wesleyan University, and Gerald Schaefer of Marquette University, each with one year remaining on the Board, and Esther DeMerritt of Coe College, Jean Reiss of Horton Watkins High School, Ladue, Missouri, John M. Daniels of Carnegie Institute of Technology, and Spencer Lane of MacMurray College. During the past year the Board, with regret, accepted the resignation of Dorothy Peterson of Shortridge High School, Indianapolis, because of illness. I would indeed be remjss if I did not extend a special cordial word of thanks for myself and the Association to C. C. Taggart of Proviso High School, Maywood, Illinois, who has agreed to serve out the unexpired term of Miss Peterson. You will recall that Mr. Taggart was one of the first three high school representatives elected to the Board of the Association.

Throughout the year the Board has kept as its main objective the improvement of our service as secondary schools and colleges to youth progressing from the one to the other.

In addition to reports of our secretary and our treasurer, which they will bring to you shortly, may I call your attention to some of the great many activities which are being carried on this year.

Out of the experience of last year and decisions made over the last two years, we have designated a member of the Board to serve as convention coordinator. This will allow the convention to take its appropriate place in the over-all program of the Association, a convention to be planned on a national basis and not as a local enterprise. This decision is but a recognition that as a national organization we could only operate in a manner becoming that stature. Mr. Lane, who will report to you shortly as chairman of the Convention Committee of the Board and coordinator for 1958 will, I am sure, give substance to what I have just said.

I am glad to tip you off in advance of the treasurer's report that the organization is solvent. We have acted to bring our conventions to a position of being able to support themselves. It is appropriate at this point to report that on recommendation of the Finance Committee a special committee has been appointed to study the dues structure of the organization. This is not a forewarning that the dues are to be increased, even though often times studies of dues lead in this direction. Rather, your Board feels that there are some inequities in our present dues structure which need to be examined. I hope we shall have a report for you on this a year hence. I would not pass over this point without reminding ourselves that the strength of an organization lies in its membership, but the expression of that strength is in what the organization does. While it is trite to comment that almost any move these days costs money, it is imperative in my estimation that all of us realize that there is no standing still––we go forward or we go backward. I think I express the feeling of everyone of you that there is only one direction in which we wish to go.

You will hear with justifiable pride from the secretary of the Association's membership growth over the last year. His report will demonstrate to you that our membership extends from border to border and coast to coast. This report will be possible, not by accident, but by the diligence of every one of you in your day-to-day performance of your job and in your frequent expressions of enthusiasm for the Association to your colleagues and co-workers from whom the Association stands to benefit and who in turn may benefit from the Association. But particularly we should be aware of the work of the Membership Committee, another standing committee of the Board, which has extended the activities of former committees and added to them in sterling fashion. This is a committee expressing the will of the Association not content to hide its light under a bushel, but rather to tell the academic world our aims and our desires.

It is hardly necessary that I take time to tell you of the activities of our Publicity and Publications Committee, for you have seen some of the results of the efforts of that committee during the course of the year. You have received copies of The Journal. Those of us who have seen its development during this last year and a half are enthusiastic for its future. You have enjoyed, I trust, The ACACer. The constitution, by-laws, standing rules and membership lists have been published for your use. This is again the year of the Handbook which has proven itself as one of the most treasured information booklets on the shelves of guidance and admission officers, and we hope to have that in your hands before long. As another indication of the maturation of our Association, and as a practical vehicle for getting things done, we are now in the process of appointing an editorial board to serve as a policy recommending group for The Journal.

State and Regional Organization

We have taken a slightly different tack this year in relation to the state organizations which represent such a significant body of this Association. Before now, probably most of you have participated in one way or another in the state group meetings already held at this convention. It is our firm desire to give what leadership we can and extend all the encouragement of which we are capable to local groups in the development of programs within their own areas. You may recognize that something new has been added to the title of this committee this year when I refer to the committee as State and Regional Organization. This represents not merely new words, but a new concept in the Board's attitude toward local organization.

We are all aware that in some states, state organizations are not feasible. We are not without precedent in thinking of regional organizations. Out of discussion and action at this convention it is hoped we shall be able to find a home base for those members of the Association who come from areas where membership in the national organization does not yet warrant a state organization.

On another front you will be interested in the report to be made to you this morning by Harland White, past-president, on the deliberations of the Constitution Committee. I should like to say here only that I think you will see in the commit tee's report, as you have seen in the proposed changes in the constitution already circulated among you, an effort to get our organization out of the horse and buggy days to which it was restricted by certain features of our present constitution.

Increased Membership Participation

One of the activities of the Association this year which has given me a great deal of personal satisfaction and which I have interpreted as another sign of our development is an activity which I choose to call broadening the base of participation of our membership. Although sweeping statements are always debatable, I think it is comparatively safe to say that our history has shown that the activities of the Association each year have been carried by a relatively small percentage of our members. Your Board has the conviction that the vitality of the Association is expressed in the activities of its members and therefore its vitality is in direct proportion to membership participation.

I have referred already to the Constitution Committee which has on it only one member from the Board. Other committees which have been working with varying degrees of intensity and success during the past year, but all of which have been working with a devotion are committees on Financial Aid, the Code of Ethics, Educational Workshops, and a committee on that good perennial, College Days.

To tell you something about the Committee on College Days may I take one or two excerpts from the report of the chairman, Elizabeth Halpin? "The committee on College Days has directed its study in two areas––to find out what high schools are trying to accomplish in college days, what the colleges wish to accomplish––and through this to determine what steps might be taken to further accomplish these goals." The committee reports interest in College Days generally has been lukewarm "with fringe interests varying from hot to cold." The committee is "considering the development of a questionnaire to measure the quality and usefulness of such a day-one questionnaire to be directed to high school administrators or their counselors, one to the college admission officer, and one to the high school student after he is enrolled as a freshman in college."

The Code of Ethics Committee, chaired by Machin Gardner, has been working vigorously on its assignment. You will recall that our present code of ethics is directed toward the college admission officer. While I am sure you will agree that it is presumptuous to suppose that there is any need to regulate the ethical practices of our high school members, it is unfair to you not to bring you under the protective covering of a code of ethics serving the entire association!

Frederick H. Rechlin, who has long been one of the stalwarts in this Association, is keeping his shoulder to the wheel this time with a committee on Workshops. Those of you who know Indiana will know what that state did in bringing together high school and college personnel, faculty and administrative personnel in both levels of education. In a sense the title of this committee is a misnomer because in reality what this committee is seeking to do is to provide suggestions, propose plans, prepare digests of local experiences for bringing together high school and college personnel, or what you might be willing to agree might be called the "bread and butter"' activities of our organization.

There is nothing startling about the organization of a committee within our Association on Financial Aid. This is another area in which there has been much talk between colleges, between high schools, and between the two groups. This is a time, however, when financing a college education is becoming more demanding on the part of the student and the cost of a college education is increasing. It is a time certainly when the need to match students and aid plans is emerging. It is a time when talent searches will often have to go hand in hand with financial searches. It is a time when the entire country is showing increased concern with both phases of the cost of higher education. Our concern is not with duplicating information already available, not with duplicating services already performed, but in making desired information available to our members for our mutual benefit and more important for the benefit of the individual seeking to continue with his education beyond high schooL Burton W. Dunfield, chairman of this committee, is reporting progress in the plans of his committee and I shall ask him to report to you in person shortly.

You have heard considerable discussion in the last two years about the activities of the Board in relation to an executive secretary. This item has been on the table for the last year. It is my own hope that we shall be able to have a recommendation for you by the time of the 1958 convention.

I hope this report gives you some indication of the thinking and activities of your Board. We serve by your mandate. It is the earnest hope of every member of the Board that he will express your interest through his activities as a member of your governing body. The extent to which he does that is no better than the degree to which all of us are able to keep open the lines of communication between the body politic and the executive group.

Looking Into the Future

What of the future? No Sputnik is ours by which we can yet decipher the elements in the outer space of the world of education. And yet there are signs that point directions for us. As members of this Association examine these signs, it is my conviction that we must keep clear that this Association was not created nor can it ever exist to serve itself. It is an Association of secondary and college people dedicated to the greatest possible service to youth seeking to make their places in the sun. It is to help each one of them reach forward in their elusive search for immortality that we have any purpose at all. Ours is hardly a refuge for the opportunist or a stage for self-aggrandizement.

Is there any handwriting on the wall? It would be quite out of order for me to attempt to repeat what Dr. Lloyd Michaels said in such a stirring fashion Saturday night. It would be foolhardy for me to try to second guess Harland White who will speak to us at noon today. Although I have had a sneak preview of the profoundly searching address of Dr. Frank H. Bowles scheduled for tonight, I would be a plagiarist of the lowest sort if I took from his remarks. I have no pangs about jumping the gun on my good friend T. Leslie MacMitchell, for I have not even a remote idea of what Leslie will say, although I am equally positive that he will stretch your thinking in his usual, effective, straight-forward fashion. Now you see I have protected myself against all comers and can go ahead and say as little or as much as I wish!

I am excited for the future of this Association, not for its numerical growth which is as certain as tomorrow, but rather for its brilliant opportunity to serve youth and education. Education is in a healthy state of unrest. Public and private or independent sources are pointing out some of our needs, some of our shortcomings; secondary schools are re-examining the three R's; professional and lay educators are looking for the arts and the humanities in technical education, and the same group is looking for the application in the liberal arts; legislators are being badgered for more money; the federal government is in the business of education, and private capital recognizes its stake. In 1957 education at all levels is good copy.

The Growing Function of ACAC

Secondary schools and colleges are plagued by numbers and threats of numbers. Probably never in history have these two levels of education been caught in such a numbers racket. Let us not fool ourselves; we know that the birth rate soared in the late thirties and forties and therefore statistical projections are not imaginary, but they can be illusory. I should like to suggest that we return to a state of statistical sanity and reality. In these very numbers lie our challenge. Policy may be made at higher levels than those at which you and I operate, but there is no level more concerned nor vitally involved with high policy than ours. Ours is but to reason why, and in the reasoning lies the fate of American youth.

As our Association senses its greatness in the mundane day-to-day activities of its members, the commonplace disappears. It is through our constant attention as an Association to our day-to-day practices as individuals, the sharing of our experiences at the local level, the discussion of our problems at the national level, the thinking, planning and doing at all levels, local, state, regional, and national by means of publication, research, workshop, conferences, that the Association of College Admissions Counselors will be able to perform its unique function of bringing together secondary and college personnel most interested in building a safe, well-charted, well-lighted super-highway between these two areas of education. We have contributed illustriously in the past, and I hope it will be our lot to contribute gloriously in the future.

Posted at 10:12 AM by Sarah Cox | Category: College Admission Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/24/2012

More Recruiting Problems: Illinois Lawsuit Against For-Profit College

Last week, Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that the state of Illinois was suing Alta Colleges, Inc., the parent company of Westwood College, in the Cook County Circuit Court “for engaging in deceptive practices that left Chicago area students with up to $70,000 each in debt for degrees that failed to qualify them for careers in criminal justice.”

The case is remarkable for the consistency with which it mirrors for-profit recruiting practices in so many other instances (see here and here for more). The complaint outlines three areas in which the college allegedly misled students:

Misrepresentation of the college’s accreditation status
Misrepresentation about the transferability of credits and the ability of coursework to qualify students for employment with local police departments
Misrepresentation of the cost of attending the college

In addition, the lawsuit sheds more light on the cost structure at many for-profit institutions. The complaint reveals a financing structure at Westwood that absorbs all available federal funding from low-income students, while also adding private loan debt and institutional fees at further expense to the student in the criminal justice program at Westwood, ultimately adding up to $60,000-$70,000.

Need-based grants, which the college’s recruiting materials describe as “gravy money”
Federally backed Stafford loans, which the college refers to as “deferred payments”
Private loans, from Sallie Mae, as “Many options” for payment
An additional enrollment fee charged by Westwood, presumably to collect enough ‘private’ funding to maintain eligibility for federal student aid programs under the 90/10 rule

The complaint compares these costs to similar programs at local community colleges, which would cost students around $12,000 and would qualify them for employment with local police departments.

In addition to the alleged material misrepresentations, and as we have seen in other instances, recruiters at Westwood appeared to employ a variety of ‘high pressure sales’ tactics in their recruitment process. Training documents from Westwood included in the complaint instruct recruiters to “build urgency,” a core component of high pressure sales. Recruiters are also instructed to “[b]uild a dream for long term as well as create a fear of ‘nothing will change’ now if they do not go to school.” Finally, recruiters are trained to methodically gather information about students’ fears and insecurities during the process, then allow the students to use “their own words” to convince themselves to enroll.

The Court will have to judge the veracity of the Illinois claims. However, Westwood’s “own words,” as well as the involvement of numerous former Westwood students and employees, paint a pretty convincing picture that the recruiting debacle in the publicly-traded for-profit colleges is far from being resolved.

Posted at 1:31 PM by David Hawkins | Category: Legislation | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/23/2012

Report to State Legislature Recommends Reducing Student-to-Counselor Ratio

Last week, the Idaho Office of Performance Evaluations (OPE) released a report to the state legislature with recommendations intended to serve the State Board of Education’s goal that 60 percent of 25 to 34 year olds have a college degree or certificate by 2020. The authors of the report, titled “Reducing Barriers to Postsecondary Education,” identified three main barriers facing Idaho students: access, academic readiness and affordability.

In order to promote college access, the report’s authors recommend reducing the state’s student-to-counselor ratio, particularly for “positions that provide education and career counseling,” and creating a “statewide K-12 counselor coordinator” position within the Department of Education. More than half of surveyed counselors in Idaho said that “they spend 25 percent or less of their time counseling students on college readiness and college access.” This is likely attributable in large part to the 459:1 student-to-counselor ratio in the state, almost double the 250:1 ratio recommended by the American School Counselors Association and NACAC. The report’s authors state that reducing the number of school counselors would “assist in spending more time advising students on issues such as postsecondary access and career readiness” while appointing a counselor coordinator would “ensure college and career information is communicated accurately and timely.”

The report also includes recommendations for shifting state funds from merit-based scholarships to need-based financial aid programs and for improving the data collections carried out by the state. The authors conclude that the state has already taken significant steps to promote academic readiness through the adoption of the Common Core State Standards and the promotion of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and Dual Credit coursework.

Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter and Mike Rush, the Executive Director of the State Board of Education, expressed their support for both the recommendations regarding school counselors, although others did not receive the recommendations as well. Tom Luna, the State Superintendent for Public Instruction responded to OPE’s access recommendations by writing that “When we isolate the college culture to one person, it often leaves others feeling it is only that person’s responsibility.” State Representative Stephen Hartgen of Twin Falls, meanwhile, told that Idaho Statesman that “instead of hiring more counselors, the state should require kids to take a course entitled: ‘How to raise yourself up by your own bootstraps.’”

Do you have thoughts on the OPE report or the reactions of policymakers? Let us know in the comment section below!

Posted at 2:47 PM by Katie Berger | Category: Advocacy | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Journal of College Admission: Winter 2012

Happy anniversary NACAC! To kick-off NACAC's 75th Anniversary year, the Journal includes articles that exemplify the realm of professional counseling and admission triumphs and tribulations over the past decades; and reaction articles by current subject experts that benchmark our time in NACAC’s history. This 124-page issue will be in your mailbox soon!

The contents include:

One at a Time
by Rusty Shunk
A past NACAC president highlights association history and reminds admission counseling professionals that students each have their own special set of circumstances, which is why they are admitted “one at a time.”

Will We Be Admitting Foreign Students in 1975? (1966)
by Richard Dremuk
Response by Fanta Aw
As the world becomes more globally connected, the US must expand its educational reach internationally. The author outlines the problems and the advantages, while the response author talks about the current state of international recruitment.

The Cultural Bind of the American Male (1969)
by Gene Chenoweth
Response by Greg McCandless
Males develop verbal skills less quickly than their female counterparts––a disadvantage as they apply to colleges. The response author discusses how today’s fast-paced environment has made the situation worse.

The Evolution of College Admission Requirements (1970)
by Andrew V. Beale
Response by Andrew V. Beale
With more and more colleges appearing on the US landscape, there was call for uniformity in admission that eventually led to “growing emphasis placed upon environmental and nonintellective factors” in the 1960s. Today, colleges look at students in a more comprehensive manner.

20 Myths That Can Jinx Your College Choice (1973)
by Loren Pope
Response by Frank Sachs
Lack of consumer research and common college myths can mislead students and parents. The response author discusses that currently the myths may be more true than the profession cares to admit.

Student Recruitment Practices: A Survey Yields Some Surprises (1975)
by Richard W. Haines
Response by Esther Hugo
Recruitment is most effective when college representatives can meet with counselors, share large amounts of information and clarify the admission process. The response author notes that as institutional priorities become more diverse, the profession must be guided by ethics.

Marketing Higher Education: The Survival Value of Integrity (1980)
by John R. Silber
Response by Michael Barron
Education exists on an unusual plane––one where the business of marketing must be done while maintaining high ethical standards. From past concerns about erosion of curriculum, oversimplification of admission standards and economic self-interest to today’s issues with rankings, exclusion of certain populations and pressure to increase revenue, the education world must be careful to maintain its integrity.

The Future is Now for Renewed Commitment (1981)
by Anthony Campolo
Response by Tony Campolo
From TV to commitment to self-discovery, the author discusses the sociological challenges of the 1980s and how they affect the educational world. Today similar challenges revolve around economic crisis, hope and a hunger to feel significant.

Minority Access to Higher Education (1988)
by Nathaniel Jackson
Response by Angel B. Pérez
The author remarks on the rise of HBCUs in times of oppression and compares minority enrollment and achievements patterns since that time. By 2025, minorities will represent the majority of the population, but will still be the population least represented in higher education. The response author calls for professionals to cultivate an inclusive, educated nation.

Educational Consulting: A Focus for the Profession (1989)
by Steven R. Antonoff
Response by Mark H. Sklarow
Clearing up many of the fabrications about educational consultants, the author outlines the purpose, practices and intentions of this segment of counseling professionals. Today educational consultants are widely accepted as full partners in finding college matches for students.

Beyond the Folklore: A Strategy for Identifying Quality Undergraduate Colleges (1989)
by Clinton F. Conrad
Response by Pete Caruso
The author highlights myths that may lead students and parents to false conclusions about the quality of colleges. He outlines a strategy for assessing true quality and shares how and where students should gather information during their college searches. Today more misleading sources abound, such as rankings, social media and the emergence of demonstrated interest.

Surviving the War: A College Counselor’s Journal (1991)
by Philip L. Clinton
Response by Doug Thompson
The author journals how Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, eventually leading to the Persian Gulf War, affects admission process at Cairo American College in Egypt. With today’s wars and terrorist threats, student security is still a big concern at international schools. However, changes for the better, though volatile, make the work of international counselors all the more crucial.

The Reality, Direction, And Future Of Computerized Publications (1994)
by Nicholas Levenstein
Response by Matthew Summer
With the rise of the Internet came several innovations in colleges’ connections with potential students. While technology plays a crucial role today, colleges are finding that face-to face interactions and print materials are still essential to recruitment.

Gatekeepers or Marketers: Reclaiming the Educational Role of Chief Admission Officers (1995)
by Patricia McDonough and Larry Robertson
Response by Jerome A. Lucido
As enrollment management took root as a profession, the authors follow the trend of educators advancing professionally into jobs that were more marketing-oriented.

Moral Character and Student Aid (1996)
by Thomas A. Flint
Response by Justin Draeger
Need-based aid from the US federal government is meant to provide equal educational opportunity among citizens, but the question always involves who deserves the taxpayers money and how much? The response author notes that today federal student aid is on the chopping block, treated as an expense rather than an investment.

The High School Visit: Providing College Counseling and Building Crucial K–16 Links Among Students, Counselors and Admission Officers (2005)
by Jessica Lautz, David Hawkins and Angel B. Pérez
Response by Andrew Flagel
Chronicling high school visits, the authors offer advice for fostering strong relationships among counselors and admission professionals during high school visits and how this foundation advantages students.

What Counselors Need to Know About Community Colleges (2007)
by Esther B. Hugo
Response by Anne Stansbury Johnson
Community colleges serve several purposes: transfer, vocational, recreational, and remedial. The author outlines what counselors should know in order to help their community college-bound students make the successful transition from high school.

Posted at 1:27 PM by Sarah Cox | Category: College Admission Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/19/2012

State Budgets Recover but Education Funding Remains in Jeopardy

According to the fall 2011 edition of The Fiscal Survey of the States, which is produced by the and the National Governors Association (NGA) and the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), there are clear signs of economic recovery at the state level as tax collections, general fund expenditures and state rainy day fund balances experience growth. Nevertheless, education expenditure data from that report, as well as data from NASBO’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 State Expenditure Report, reveal troubling trends for those involved in both K-12 and postsecondary education. NACAC has organized the most relevant data points from these reports by state for the convenience of policymakers and advocates. Reports with individual state data are available here. The major findings at the national level include:

Overall Expenditures

· General fund[1] expenditures rose for 38 states between FY2010 and FY2011 and for 43 states between FY2011 and FY2012. This represents a significant turnaround from the start of FY2010, at which time 43 states were spending less from their general funds than they were in FY2009.

· State spending levels increased 2.9 percent in FY2012, which is significantly below the historical average of 5.6 percent.

· A majority of states (29) were spending less in FY2012 than they spent prior to the recession (in FY2008) and combined state revenues are nearly $20.8 billion below their FY2008 levels.

· In FY2011, 19 states made mid-year budget cuts in general fund expenditures, significantly fewer than in FY2010 (39) and FY2009 (41).

Education Expenditures

· K-12 education represented 20.1 percent of total state expenditures in FY2011, down from 20.5 percent in FY2010 and 21.5 percent in FY2009.

· Total state expenditures on K-12 education declined by .6 percent in FY2010 but are estimated to grow by 2.1 percent in FY2011. For higher education, state total state expenditures declined by .8 percent in FY2010 and are estimated to grow by 5.2 percent in FY2011.

· Most of the steadiness in K-12 expenditures is a result of dramatically increased federal funding (provided to the states, and therefore listed as a state expenditure). For example, state K-12 expenditures from federal funds increased by 25.2 percent in FY2010.

· In FY2011, 18 states made mid-year general fund budget cuts to K-12 education while 19 states cut higher education. Among FY2012 state budgets, general fund expenditures on higher education were cut by $3.2 billion and 12 states cut K-12 general fund spending.

Two important factors should be kept in mind while analyzing state expenditure data: 1) over the last few years there was a major increase in federal funds to states under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, which doubtlessly prevented many state budget cuts to education programs, but these funds are now rapidly dropping off; and 2) Medicaid costs are rising persistently due to the aging population, often at the expense of other program areas. These factors will continue to play a major role in state budgets and expenditures going forward.

For more information, check out overall and education-specific budget data for your state here, and compare them to the overall trends explained above.

[1] As the Fiscal Survey of the States explains, “although not the totality of state spending, [general funds] are used to finance most broad-based state services and are the most important elements in determining the fiscal health of the states

Posted at 9:32 AM by Katie Berger | Category: Advocacy | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/18/2012

School Counselors Are Ideal College and Career Readiness Advocates

A new report from the Education Trust examined the role school counselors play in ensuring graduating high school students are college and career ready. “Poised to Lead: How School Counselors Can Drive College and Career Readiness” highlighted rigorous course selection in high school as one of the greatest predictors of a student’s college and career success. Unfortunately, research found that many high school students- especially African Americans and Latinos- did not understand the value of rigorous preparation or didn’t know how to access the most beneficial courses. Counselors hold school-wide information and influence that other educators and administrators lack. This unique perspective enables counselors to play a leading role in guiding students through course selection, identifying school practices that propel all students toward success, and ultimately building equal access to high-quality academic preparation. However, many counselors are not fulfilling this leadership role.

According to the report, there are three barriers that prevent counselors from becoming leaders and advocates of college readiness initiatives at their respective schools. First, counselor training programs at colleges and universities rarely prepare future school counselors in the dispositions, knowledge and skills required to develop, implement and evaluate college- and career-ready programs. Second, in many high schools, principals do not know how to hire, supervise or evaluate school counselors. Finally, there is a large discrepancy between how school counselors see their role (both actual and ideal) and how graduates view the guidance and services they received as students.

The authors of the report set out five recommended steps to support counselors in their essential role as readiness agenda advocates. First, states and districts should revise the job descriptions for school counselors so that they focus squarely on equitable education and preparing all students for college and career. Second, university training programs should shift focus from generic counseling to the unique college and career readiness role and responsibilities of the school counselor. Third, states should align and tighten state credentialing requirements to ensure adequate school-specific training and professional development for counselors. Fourth, districts should provide support for existing school counselors through professional development opportunities. Fifth, states and districts should work to align school counselor evaluations to academic outcomes.

This report recognizes the value of college and career counseling for high school students and calls for better utilization of school counselors in preparing all students for life after high school graduation. Your professional colleagues want to hear about the ideas or actions your school district has introduced to support school counselors as leaders in the college and career readiness agenda. Please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section of this post, NACAC’s Member2Member Community, NACAC’s Public Forum or Email NACAC directly!

Source:

The Education Trust. (2011). Poised to Lead: How School Counselors Can Drive College and Career Readiness. Washington, DC: The Education Trust.

Posted at 3:46 PM by Sarah Hurley | Category: Research | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Admission Professionals Advised to Prepare for Common Core

As educators in 45 states prepare to implement the Common Core State Standards, professionals on the college side have also been encouraged to prepare for the coming administration of the new set of assessments.

At a recent webinar hosted by the College Board, Jay Goff, vice president for enrollment at Saint Louis University, reminded postsecondary professionals that the standards have implications for the admission process. "This is the chance to lead rather than react," he said.

While much of the focus has been on how the new standards will impact the K-12 learning environment. Goff addressed the issue of college readiness. "When there is a shift from what is to be taught to what is to be learned, there's bound to be an impact on the other traditional measures that colleges and universities are looking for," he said.

The Common Core is a comprehensive set of educational standards that states can adopt on a voluntary basis. According to officials at the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), the two primary agencies responsible for developing the standards, the Common Core has more focused and clear expectations than most current state standards.

Due to the shift in educational practices at the K-12 level, colleges and universities have been advised to prepare accordingly. "We have to understand that over time, as these standards get put in place there's going to be a shift in what courses are important," said Michael Barron, assistant provost for enrollment management and executive director of admission at the University of Iowa.

Barron reminded the audience of the College Board webinar that college readiness has never been about "seat time." Colleges, he said, want to see an in-depth ability to perform well in particular subjects.

According to the webinar presenters, four core groups from the college side should be actively following the development and implementation of the Common Core: chief enrollment officers, lead curriculum officers, orientation and advising officers, and teacher education curriculum developers.

For more information on the Common Core, visit the NACAC Briefing Room.

Posted at 12:11 PM by Sean Nyhan | Category: Standardized Testing | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

1/13/2012

Journal Spotlight: From the Netherlands to Villanova Without a Student Visa

Every other week, the Journal of College Admission will highlight a current article or other Journal-related findings. In this post, we hear more from the author of " From the Netherlands to Villanova Without a Student Visa." He tells the story of his son who has cerebral palsy and an affinity for basketball stats.

To hear more about Nick and Frankie, watch the Coming of the DL trailer.

The article download is free for NACAC members $5 for non-members.

What was the inspiration for your article?
Of course, the inspiration for this article is the gift of my family – whom I love dearly and am so incredibly proud of…

As you wrote, did you find anything unexpected?
Although the Journal journey was a cathartic experience, I simply wanted to share a lens of perspective, and hopefully the value of humor and not taking oneself too seriously, which has been affirmed from as far away as the Dominican Republic, Kenya and Turkey. For this I am so thankful!

Now, post-publication, is there anything you’d like to add?

I recently heard a speaker sponsored by Villanova’s new student organization LeVel (referenced in this story) who said, “There are two types of people in this world – those who are humble, and those who are about to be.” Attitude is everything – so keep your head down and arms swinging.

Michael Gaynor is a graduate of Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia (PA). Michael received his Master of Science in Counseling and Human Relations from Villanova University (PA) where he serves as director of university admission. He has volunteered as a mentor through Philadelphia Futures and volunteers with Villanova’s WISE program. Contact Michael with questions or comments.

The author requested that along with his interview, we publish the unabridged version of the article:

FROM THE NETHERLANDS TO VILLANOVA WITHOUT A STUDENT VISA

They say that “imitation is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius”. Over the years I have unsuccessfully tried to find the contact coordinates for Emily Perl Kingsley in order to share her brilliantly penned allegory that follows. If necessary, hopefully asking forgiveness will be simpler than the permission I sought.

WELCOME TO HOLLAND

I am often asked to describe the experience of raising a child with a disability – to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience to understand it, to imagine how it would feel. It’s like this…

When you’re going to have a baby, it’s like planning a fabulous vacation trip – to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans. The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It’s all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack your bags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardess comes in and says, “Welcome to Holland.”

“Holland?!?” you say. “What do you mean Holland??? I signed up for Italy! I’m supposed to be in Italy. All my life I’ve dreamed of going to Italy.”

But there’s been a change in the flight plan. They’ve landed in Holland and there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven’t taken you to a horrible, disgusting, filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It’s just a different place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole new language. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would never have met.

It’s just a different place. It’s slower-paced than Italy, less flashy than Italy. But after you’ve been there for a while and you catch your breath, you look around…and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills…and Holland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy…and they’re all bragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest of your life, you will say “Yes, that’s where I was supposed to go. That’s what I had planned.”

And the pain of that will never, ever, ever, ever go away…because the loss of that dream is a very very significant loss.

But…if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn’t get to Italy, you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things…about Holland.

The aforementioned compelling journey paints a vivid image of my family. My wife, Debbie (for the record - I married up with this Jersey Girl), and I have been blessed with twenty-year old twin sons, Nicholas and Christian, and an Irish triplet daughter, Anna, who is sixteen months younger. For many years we went to the zone defense, as the “man to man” simply wouldn’t work.

Our sons arrived in this world three months prematurely – their lowest “fighting” weights just below and above the two pound mark, with an extremely low chance of survival.

After twelve weeks in Pennsylvania Hospital’s Intensive Care (and that is precisely what they received) Nursery, those courageous little peanuts came home, along with heart monitors and a long menu of medications, while Christian remained on oxygen. They went on to endure numerous surgeries and countless hours of therapies (physical, occupational, speech and even horseback riding at a wonderful place known as Thorncroft). Seemingly within a blink of an eye, they are now our brave “boys to men.” - disabled with cerebral palsy and in wheelchairs.

There is more…but rather than feeling a bit like Job, I remind myself “don’t tell God about the size of our storm – tell the storm about the size of our God.”

Anna has been an amazing child and loving sister, and at the time of this first draft, a typical high school student (no drama of course), a goal keeper in soccer, community volunteer, and on her way to a cloistered nunnery (oops - wishful thinking on the author dad’s part). But as you may begin to notice - I digress…

A few summers ago at an Overseas ACAC annual summer conference, I was asked to present on a panel addressing the fine balance between one’s work and personal lives. I began by noting that I was most likely asked to facilitate this dialogue - as my wife and I have co-written; directed and produced a delightful Felini-esque movie (couldn’t find its Flemish equivalent). During the session I paraphrased a formula for success from someone who had spoken on campus: “an ‘A’ professional life plus a ‘C’ personal life does not average out to a ‘B’… it = an ‘F’ life.” The “F” would “absolutely” (in my best Balboa as a second language) stand for “Fuhgetaboutit” in my beloved hometown.

For the past thirty years I have been most fortunate to be a member of the Villanova University community – all in the Office of University Admission. To add literary license to an old joke: If, “God forbid”, as my mother would say, there was ever a nuclear war, there would be three things remaining – cockroaches (having outlived the dinosaurs), Cher (constantly reinventing herself) and me at Villanova!

This may seem odd in that I remained in admission in one place for so long – especially since I attended that Jesuit, Saint Joseph’s University, down the road as an undergrad. For those of you keeping score at home and familiar with the “Holy War” of men’s college basketball – this may indeed be a major violation, perhaps even bordering on a mortal sin.

But it seems as if everything that I have ever learned in life, I learned from the Augustinians in high school (we didn’t have kindergarten in my old neighborhood). It is the same Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who make Villanova so truly distinctive - where the “living and learning in a community of your friends” ideology from the past is very much alive in the present. Corny? Guilty as charged.

The good friars have married my wife and I, baptized our children, have been there for us in challenging and glorious times, and somehow magically manage to knock at our back door just when we need a B-12 shot of optimism and hope. Earlier in my career I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling from VU – thus making me a true “Wild Hawk”. A colleague once joked that I wasn’t truly a Villanova alumnus – I reminded him that during fundraising campaigns I am considered one.

Back in the day, I was provided insights that may have helped me adjust in Holland as an expatriate. Metaphorically I was briefly an exchange student there as a high school cancer survivor at the number one secondary school in the world (in my mind’s eye) when the Augustinians staffed Monsignor Bonner in the Philadelphia area. Unfortunately a few days ago it was announced that it would not see its 60th birthday – its closing, along with my grade school, a sign of the financial and enrollment times. Doing my best to resist reprising the role of George Bailey in It’s a Wonderful Life – like perhaps I never existed.

Adding another stamp in my passport as a young adult, I volunteered at Camp Can-Do for kids with cancer (BC – Before Children). I also worked with Villanova applicants and students who were experiencing extenuating medical circumstances or were disabled - long before our Dutch Ambassadors ever arrived.

This is a story that could easily be entitled “Nothing in Life Is A Coincidence” – the mantra of a friend of mine, Jim Murray. Although some are impressed that Jimmy was the General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles during their Super Bowl XV run when the “win” came in like a Raider (I can just hear NFL Films’ voice of God, John Facenda, who once answered the door when I trick or treated at his house one Halloween). But it was Jimmy co-founding the Ronald McDonald House that is his true legacy. As you will read - the Master Air Traffic Controller of this study abroad passage surely works in strange and miraculous ways indeed.

At the risk of coming off like some feng shui Richard Simmons grasshopper in terms of where I have been positioned in this distinctively linear, vibrant, challenging, changing and always respectful Villanova space - it is a curious place where one can strike a certain sense of harmony by going “back to work” even when you are not working. When Christian was younger it was for the Easter egg hunts, or for Anna in high school it was the concerts for her and her friends that made me a cool dad for at least an evening. For Nick – it has, and always will be, ALL about our women’s basketball program. I am convinced that he and our compassionate and impassioned head coach, Harry Perretta, are twin brothers from different mothers. Harry’s heart is bigger than our 250 plus acre campus on the Main Line. Nick refers to our women’s team as family and my employer as his second home (named after our Spanish patron, Saint Thomas of Villanova – interestingly enough translating into new home).

Three summers ago while running late and flying out of the office to pick up Nick at our girls’ basketball camp, I ran into a family in our waiting room. A mom, dad and son - who happened to be in a wheelchair and used a communication board. I knelt down, introduced myself and let them know that I had twin sons in chairs. His name was Frankie and he was from Manasquan, New Jersey.

I told them that Debbie and I had our nuptials in nearby Asbury Park. We then realized that his parents had their wedding reception the same summer and at the same hotel in the Irish Riviera (Spring Lake) where we held ours (author’s note: if my proverbial ship ever comes in and I am not waiting at the airport – I would like to buy a house there someday). When I returned home and told Debbie about this wonderful family – she recalled that this was the same young man whom her mother had sent Nicholas an article about from the Asbury Park Press years before. Subsequently Charlie Weis (then Notre Dame football coach) called about Frankie -we talked about his special daughter Hannah and her foundation. Our men’s basketball coach, Jay Wright also spoke to Coach Weis about Frankie and everyone else and their mothers were contacting us about this outstanding young man. Nothing in life is a coincidence.

Two summers ago while attending an anniversary party; I stepped away from Nick who was holding court, in order to get him a hot dog. All of a sudden I heard folks laughing and I asked what had just happened. Apparently someone inquired about where Nicholas attended school and in what grade he was enrolled. Being the consummate offspring of an admission officer, Nick replied “I am a ‘rising senior’ at Great Valley High School.” With that, the same individual posed the next logical question “what are your plans after high school”? Nick said that he was “going to Villanova to major in interdisciplinary studies and minor in women’s basketball.” Of course “how can you be so sure?” followed. Without missing a beat, Nick responded “my dad is the Director of Admission.” Game on. Game over!

During his last year of high school at our Saint Thomas of Villanova celebration, Nick and I went to Saint Rita’s, one of our Augustinian parishes in my mother’s South Philadelphia as part of our Day of Service (instituted by Father Peter Donohue, O.S.A, when he began as President five years ago - where thousands of students, faculty, staff and alumni volunteer locally and nationally). Nick was reluctant to go at first, but after finding out that our women’s basketball team would be there too – he quickly discovered God, altruism and learning through service to others. When Father Peter was inaugurated, he noted that Villanova was founded as a college to educate the children of Irish immigrants – reminding me that the word “mission” is embedded in the word admission and how my vocation has become my avocation.

Giving “Early Action” an entirely new meaning, Nick’s senior year high school graduation present was a winter Big East road trip with our women’s team to Notre Dame. The Irish’s Hall of Fame coach, Muffet McGraw and husband Matt warmly greeted us – she played basketball on Hawk Hill while I was a student-athlete there. She gave me the RCA Victor tilted head stare when learning that I was now at cross-town rival Villanova (as my favorite comedian, Dom Irrera, who happens to be from South Philly would say – “I don’t mean that in a bad way”). We then boarded the team bus to West Virginia. Of course, Nick told his guidance counselor that he was “visiting colleges”, which was somewhat true.

Do the cobbler’s children really have the worst shoes? Time for another symbolic analogy with the same theme about an admission lifer trying his best to help out his own kids with their post-secondary school dreams… Nicholas’ wooden clogs although getting older but never worn on the bottom, are still in outstanding shape, and fit his leg braces perfectly. Nick is now studying in the states without needing his Form I-20 as he recently received his dual citizenship with the “Nova Nation” - all thanks to a trusted friend and colleague - Steve McWilliams. Steve interestingly enough oversees (or is that overseas) our International Students Office and our Disabilities Office, which sets his heart on fire (very Augustine).

In his twenty-fifth hour of the day, Steve created a social justice film making class at Villanova, and had the vision to suggest to our students they consider making a documentary about Nick as a high school senior and Frankie as a VU freshman and their unique relationships with our men’s and women’s basketball programs entitled Coming Off the DL.

The movie has gone somewhat viral – garnering film festival recognition in Australia, Los Angeles, Chicago, Delaware and the Garden State (where we spent a moment with the late, great, Big Man, Clarence Clemons, at the same place where I was humbled when my wife’s beautiful friends raised funds for our family’s van over a decade ago). But it was the showing for a community of adults with developmental disabilities that was the real Oscar experience. They treated Nick and Frankie like rock stars. Debbie had always told me about a Villanova dad and daughter whom she would see at Thorncroft. Like us, he also had two disabled sons, where one would ride at the same time as Christian. Their sister ended up as a student in the class that made the DL and had a brother who lived in this lovely place. Nothing in life is a…

Who would have thought that Nick and another “out of status” Netherlander, Frankie (like Nick, he cannot walk or write – and like Christian, he cannot talk) whom we had such a connection to, would transform so many minds and hearts (another Augustinian charism) and inspire an ESPN feature that premiered at College Game Day Live in our spirited Pavilion (the dynamic duo even hung out with Erin Andrews). My tear ducts and kidneys collided when our students spontaneously chanted “Nick & Frankie” after the airing of the Tom Rinaldi piece.

That evening while getting Nick ready to hit the rack, he said “Dad – I think this can really lead to something big”. I didn’t say, but thought, “bud – you just made Erin Andrew’s tweet.” Of course, what did I know – as the NY Times’ Greg Bishop, like Tom Rinaldi, shared this story with such incredible dignity and integrity. The boys are resisting the temptation to become divas and insisting on only the blue and white M&Ms. As their agent I am waiving my normal 95% commission.

Nicholas is now taking a reduced course load and is in his second academic year at Villanova. And yes, he is managing our women’s hoops dreams as Frankie does for the men. Both have earned a place on our Dean’s List. Our Lady Cats high-five Nick when they come off the court during a game. Our women’s basketball players acknowledge his loyalty, inspiration and insightful scouting reports at their after season banquets. They treated him to a birthday dinner where we had to tether down his chair that was floating on air, sent him a card that was mantle piece worthy and keep in touch regularly through Facebook. They hang out with him during our summer girls’ camps where he has worked alongside many other tremendous counselors – including two other citizens from Holland; Matt who is completely visually impaired (another Msgr. Bonner boy), and Chris who is also in a wheelchair. I actually remember Chris when I was a college “ham and egger” in my own seventies show. Chris was a boy then and would attend sporting events with his father, Don, who was, and still is, the genuine article and almost mythical AD at St. Joe’s (promise I am not singing “Circle of Life”). But, nothing in life is…

For nostalgia vertigo purposes only and not to disappoint my children who constantly tell me that I am so random - it is interesting to note (at least to me) that Harry, Steve and I all attended the same high school. Nothing in life…We all had one thing in a common - a pioneering and caring guidance counselor named Father John Melton, O.S.A., God rest his soul. In fact, when this Willy Lowman tries to become a recruiting legend of the fall, I used my rank and tenure for the privilege of representing Villanova at the Bonner college fair. This past fall I stopped in front of Father Melton’s photo, and then smiled while meeting with some first generation candidates – a few whose parents, like mine, weren’t formerly schooled (my mom and dad are incredibly educated people).

In 1973 Bonner produced a Heisman Trophy winner in John Cappelletti – who of us (who are old enough) can forget him dedicating the award to his younger brother Joey, who was courageously fighting the good fight against leukemia. Before John, another Bonner (and VU) grad, Al Atkinson, was an All-Pro middle linebacker with the NY Jets and helped Broadway Joe Namath’s bold 1969 Super Bowl prediction come true. But it was Al’s younger brother, Bill, who became the first priest to be ordained as a quadriplegic (as a result of a toboggan accident as a seminarian) that helped change my life forever - receiving his award twice – upon graduating from high school and many years later when Nicholas had the chance to meet Father Bill before his passing. Steve McWilliams never spoke of his good deed of getting Father Bill up and ready for each day – never took the grace away.

The DL was shown at an assembly at Bonner this past fall. Afterwards during an extremely respectful Q&A, one of the students asked Nick where he went to high school. Nick grabbed the microphone and stated “I wasn’t going to go to O’Hara”, which is Bonner’s archrival – which prompted a “Let’s Go Bonner” cheer that I will never forget should those doors close for good.

Back from the detour on the service road I just took to the international terminal at the airport…

Christian, who is extremely involved with multiple disabilities, including being mentally challenged and non-verbal – speaks volumes with his eyes and is easily recognized in our home as the esteemed Dutch poet laureate. Laying in a field like the gentle Ferdinand the Bull, as my mother-in-law would describe Kiki (to those in his inner circle). He is in a good place where he commutes daily to school for his lectures and readings with those beautiful panes to his pure soul – at least until he turns twenty-one, then we will jump off that bridge into a canal when we get there.

We occasionally travel back and forth from Holland to Milan, as Contessa Anna just finished her exhausting higher ed window shopping for her fine Italian footwear. I prayed for something from Payless on the Tuition Exchange list rather than Prada U. I thought Anna may just want to blaze her own backpacking trail on her admission trek, as Nicholas can cast a long charismatic shadow from that power chair. I recall in May of Anna’s junior year while researching colleges on Naviance, her saying “hey, your name is on the Villanova page.” Of course, I asked Anna what she thought I did for a living and where I went to work every day – as the Bible goes, you are never a prophet in your own land. I recall running into Frankie as I was rushing to pick up Anna for a college visit. He pointed to letters on his communication board; “How does it feel to be on the other side?” This past spring, we even had a “Final Four” cake made with brackets to try to help Anna narrow down her decision - my friend, Joe Lunardi from ESPN and St. Joe’s would have been proud.

Last semester Nick and Frankie spoke to members of our incoming Class of 2015 (that by the way, includes our Anna and Frankie’s sister Annie). Our students are igniting change by starting a new organization called LEVEL to even the playing field regarding the way people perceive ability. As Steve would say – providing access to their hearts. Nothing in…

I was once known as Michael from Admission, but now only as Nick’s dad or a friend of Frankie and his family – and this Jerry Maguire wouldn’t have it any other way.

For now, Nicholas is so excited to be back at Villanova for the Spring semester as the Big East schedule kicks into full gear. He must be on a career path to becoming a high level Dutch diplomat to the U.S., as a recent e-mail read: “Dad…you are the James Brown of parenting – the hardest working father I know. Your loving son, Nicholas Salvatore.” As my own dad would say – “where’s my wallet?” I know that deserves a few Euros for a memory smile that should last a long long time and help me when I am having “a day”. “I don’t mean this in a bad way” – but a grin that I don’t think I could ever have received from an Italian applicant.

Nick and I did have an Italian moment once, perhaps because of his middle name – we were watching Pinocchio when he was little. Nick belied his years and asked; “Dad – am I ever going to be a real boy one day?”, when the marionette was transforming into a human being. This teary eyed Gepetto replied: “You already are.”

Posted at 3:20 PM by Sarah Cox | Category: College Admission Resources | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

12/21/2011

Nationwide Study Reveals Public School Funding Inequity

This post was written by Sarah Hurley, NACAC Research Associate, and Katie Berger, NACAC Public Policy Coordinator.

According to the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, only 68 percent of 12th graders attending high poverty schools graduate from high school and only 28 percent attend a four-year college, compared to 91 percent and 52 percent of students at low-poverty schools. Congress recognizes these gaps, as well as the substantial cost of educating students who grow up in poverty, by providing targeted funding under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). To ensure Title I funds are not used to supplant diverted state and local dollars, legislation requires that services provided in Title I schools from state and local funds must be at least comparable to those provided in non-Title I schools.

Currently, this comparability requirement may be met in several ways, including reporting district-wide salary schedules rather than the actual, school-level, expenditures on staff salaries. This reporting loophole allows districts to use Title I funds to backfill gaps caused when more experienced, higher paid teachers are concentrated at more affluent schools. A new study by the US Department of Education used school-level expenditure data reported by recipients of funds under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 to compare per-pupil state and local expenditures at Title I and non-Title I schools within the same districts in the 2008-09 school year.

The study revealed considerable variability in per-pupil state and local expenditures across schools within districts. Within districts that had both Title I and non-Title I schools of the same grade level, more than 43 percent of Title I schools had lower personnel expenditures per pupil than the non-Title I schools. Of all the districts with both Title I and non-Title I schools, 74 percent had at least one Title I elementary school with per-pupil personnel expenditures below the non-Title I average. In 48 percent of Title I high schools, the per-pupil expenditures on instructional staff (which include the salaries of school counselors) were lower than the district non-Title I average. These findings suggest many school districts in the United States are shortchanging high-poverty schools and that federal Title I funds are not reaching the vulnerable student populations for which they were intended.

In conjunction with its study, the Department of Education released a policy brief describing the potential impact of three proposals for closing the current funding loophole by requiring that districts use school-level salary data in meeting the comparability requirement. While 18 to 28 percent of school districts (depending on the stringency of the selected proposal) would be in violation of the new comparability requirements, the average cost of compliance would amount to just 1 to 4 percent of school-level expenditures in affected districts. Still, the impact for the affected Title I schools would be substantial: the policy brief found that “low-spending Title I schools and high-poverty schools would see their per-pupil expenditures rise by an average of 4 to 15 percent.” The potential benefit for schools is higher than the overall cost for affected districts because a relatively small number of schools (about 15 percent) would be impacted while the cost would be spread over the whole district.

NACAC supports closing the teacher salary comparability loophole as a part of its efforts to ensure that all students have access to a rigorous cussiculum. For more information, read the full text of the Department's study and policy brief and see NACAC's Rigorous Curriculum page.

Posted at 3:07 PM by Sarah Hurley | Category: Research | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

Student Traits, Not School or State Characteristics, Predict Latino College Enrollment

Individual and family characteristics had a stronger effect than school- and state-level factors on the probability that Latino students enrolled in a four-year college or university two years after high school graduation, according to a study by Anne-Marie Nuñez and Dongbin Kim. The researchers found that gender, ethnicity, objective and subjective financial factors, and rigor of high school coursework were significantly related to the college entry patterns of Latino students in the United States who were high school sophomores in 2002.

In particular, Latina females were about 3.3 times more likely to enroll in a four-year institution than their male peers. Additionally, students from Central and South America were twice as likely as their Mexican counterparts to enroll at a four-year school. High levels of family material capital, measured by household income in the top quartile (above $75,000), as well as parental hands-on involvement in the college application process, were positively related to student college enrollment. However, factors estimating family cultural capital, including parental education and native language status, were not significant factors in college enrollment decisions. A student’s personal educational expectations and concerns about financing college were also positively related with enrollment at a four-year institution. Latino students who completed a middle-level math course in high school were more than four times as likely to enroll at a four-year college while those who took an advanced-level math course were about 45 times more likely to enroll. In comparison to these individual traits, variation in school resources and state policies seemed to have little influence on Latino student college enrollment.

These findings reinforce the importance of nurturing college expectations and encouraging rigorous academic preparation among Latino high school students regardless of school or state characteristics. High school counselors and teachers can positively influence postsecondary enrollment by advising Latino students and their families to consider four-year colleges and supporting them in completing advanced high school math courses.

Nuñez and Kim suggest that elements of the Latino culture trigger the gender, ethnicity and family involvement trends revealed in this study. Additional research is needed to clarify this cultural influence and inform policies that can help close the postsecondary achievement gap between Latinos and their non-Latino peers.

Source:
Nuñez, A.M. & Kim, D. (2011). Building a Multicontextual Model of Latino College Enrollment: Student, School, and State-Level Effects. The Review of Higher Education, 35 (2), 237-263.

Posted at 2:53 PM by Sarah Hurley | Category: Research | Permalink | Email this Post | Comments (0)

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