On Tuesday, September 8, President Obama will be delivering a national address to America's high school students on the importance of education, challenging them to work hard, set goals and take responsibility for getting the best education they can. We'd encourage you to watch the speech as well, if you can; it will be aired live on C-SPAN, and will also stream live and be archived for later viewing on the White House's streaming video site.
The link above also offers a link to discuss the speech on Facebook; in addition, the Department of Education is offering tools for both teachers and students in conjunction with the President's address and the start of school. Teachers in grades Pre-K - 6 and 7 - 12 can download classroom activities at the Department of Education Web site. And students are encouraged to respond to the President's speech with a video of their own: check out the I Am What I Learn competition homepage. Details will be posted next week, but we can tell you now that students 13 and older who make a video in response to President Obama's challenge will be entered in a nationwide contest to pick a favorite.
If you're reading this, we know you care about educating our nation's youth, and we'd encourage you to watch, discuss and respond on Tuesday.
The link above also offers a link to discuss the speech on Facebook; in addition, the Department of Education is offering tools for both teachers and students in conjunction with the President's address and the start of school. Teachers in grades Pre-K - 6 and 7 - 12 can download classroom activities at the Department of Education Web site. And students are encouraged to respond to the President's speech with a video of their own: check out the I Am What I Learn competition homepage. Details will be posted next week, but we can tell you now that students 13 and older who make a video in response to President Obama's challenge will be entered in a nationwide contest to pick a favorite.
If you're reading this, we know you care about educating our nation's youth, and we'd encourage you to watch, discuss and respond on Tuesday.
21/07: Some Good News For Students
Times may continue to be tough for the American economy, but we've found a couple of pieces of very good news for students worth sharing. Just click on the headlines to read the full stories.
• Streamlined Financial Aid Process Makes Money Easier To Get: "Bewildered and frustrated by all the paperwork required to get a student loan? You aren’t alone, and the federal government has taken notice.
"Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the United States Department of Education will be introducing a process to help simplify the student loan application procedure. The Obama administration plans to request that Congress enact legislation to delete more than half of the questions presently listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, the streamlined form will not require students to answer questions that do not apply to them. Currently, the FAFSA requires applications to answer more than 153 questions, and many people require at least several hours to complete the form."
• Rise in Private College Tuition at 31-Year Low: "The price of a private college education will rise less than it has in decades.
"Tuition and fees at Minnesota's private colleges and universities are up an average of 4.8 percent this year -- the smallest increase since 1978. Same goes nationwide, where tuition and fees are 4.3 percent more than last year. That's the lowest bump since 1972, according to a survey of 350 schools by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
"A survey released today by the same group shows that more than three-quarters of the schools have also increased the financial aid they're offering students."
Paying for college is still first and foremost in the minds of a lot of students and parents, but these are a couple of promising developments. For more advice and information, don't forget to check out Scholarship America's Online Financial Aid Resources!
• Streamlined Financial Aid Process Makes Money Easier To Get: "Bewildered and frustrated by all the paperwork required to get a student loan? You aren’t alone, and the federal government has taken notice.
"Beginning with the 2010-2011 academic year, the United States Department of Education will be introducing a process to help simplify the student loan application procedure. The Obama administration plans to request that Congress enact legislation to delete more than half of the questions presently listed on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). In addition, the streamlined form will not require students to answer questions that do not apply to them. Currently, the FAFSA requires applications to answer more than 153 questions, and many people require at least several hours to complete the form."
• Rise in Private College Tuition at 31-Year Low: "The price of a private college education will rise less than it has in decades.
"Tuition and fees at Minnesota's private colleges and universities are up an average of 4.8 percent this year -- the smallest increase since 1978. Same goes nationwide, where tuition and fees are 4.3 percent more than last year. That's the lowest bump since 1972, according to a survey of 350 schools by the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
"A survey released today by the same group shows that more than three-quarters of the schools have also increased the financial aid they're offering students."
Paying for college is still first and foremost in the minds of a lot of students and parents, but these are a couple of promising developments. For more advice and information, don't forget to check out Scholarship America's Online Financial Aid Resources!
If you'd like to explore just how the federal government is investing in children, head on over to ChildrensBudget.org, a project of First Focus and the America's Promise Alliance. The site is an incredibly thorough and user-friendly way of examining exactly how much federal money is being spent on youth- and education-related programs, and exactly what those programs are. You can also take a look at how funding for children compares to funding for other major areas, and see breaking news and trends in past budgets, look at the effect of the current economy on children, and create your own category to keep an eye on the programs you're most interested in.First Focus, and ChildrensBudget.org, are national bipartisan organizations, and the information on the site is extremely useful for parents, educators, financial aid professionals, or anyone interested in seeing just what Washington means when they talk about addressing the needs of young people.
Following up on his remark to Congress that "it will be the goal of this administration to ensure that every child has access to a complete and competitive education," President Obama's office today released a fact sheet outlining the administrations goals and objectives regarding education policy. The full release is available here, and it's well worth reading for anyone interested in American education. A brief excerpt:
"Providing a high-quality education for all children is critical to America’s economic future. Education has always been the foundation for achieving the American dream, providing opportunity to millions of American families, newcomers, and immigrants. Our nation’s economic competitiveness depends on providing every child with an education that will enable them to compete in a global economy that is predicated on knowledge and innovation.
"Progress toward this goal requires a race to the top to reform our nation’s schools. It requires holding schools accountable for helping all students meet world-class standards aligned to the demands of the 21st century workforce. It requires solutions for schools to close the achievement gap, and strategies to accelerate the learning of those that are the furthest behind. It requires new reforms to promote effective teaching and attract the best and brightest into the profession. It requires a national strategy to confront America’s persistent dropout crisis, and strengthen transitions to college and career."
The fact sheet goes on to outline goals in early education, K-12, "driving innovation" and "restoring America's leadership." Head on over to whitehouse.gov to read and share the full fact sheet.
"Providing a high-quality education for all children is critical to America’s economic future. Education has always been the foundation for achieving the American dream, providing opportunity to millions of American families, newcomers, and immigrants. Our nation’s economic competitiveness depends on providing every child with an education that will enable them to compete in a global economy that is predicated on knowledge and innovation.
"Progress toward this goal requires a race to the top to reform our nation’s schools. It requires holding schools accountable for helping all students meet world-class standards aligned to the demands of the 21st century workforce. It requires solutions for schools to close the achievement gap, and strategies to accelerate the learning of those that are the furthest behind. It requires new reforms to promote effective teaching and attract the best and brightest into the profession. It requires a national strategy to confront America’s persistent dropout crisis, and strengthen transitions to college and career."
The fact sheet goes on to outline goals in early education, K-12, "driving innovation" and "restoring America's leadership." Head on over to whitehouse.gov to read and share the full fact sheet.
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