Education:
Access to education; costs and restrictions
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The availability of educational opportunities in different neighborhoods, communities, states or nations; inequalities of access; tuition and other educational costs and public financial aids.
1/6/09 Many U.S. colleges play a game of bait and switch with prospective students A writer on Tina Brown's website, The Daily Beast, describes how many colleges send out "congratulatory" letters to graduating high school seniors that resemble "love letters" that seem practically to guarantee acceptance to the college. Actually these colleges typically reject 2/3s of their applications, but still promote such disappointments in a cynical maneuver to show how "selective" they are in their admissions policies. http://www.alternet.org/story/117563/
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Analysis & views: 2/28/07 In Britain they are allocating admission to some popular secondary schools by lottery, a practice not without controversy. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/education/6403017.stm 12/30/06 In sub-Saharan Africa, after years of struggle to get children enrolled in schools, there are now plenty of students but a grievous shortage of facilities to teach them. http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/30/world/africa/30mali.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin
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NATIONAL
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Analysis & views: 1/6/09 Many U.S. colleges play a game of bait and switch with prospective students A writer on Tina Brown's website, The Daily Beast, describes how many colleges send out "congratulatory" letters to graduating high school seniors that resemble "love letters" that seem practically to guarantee acceptance to the college. Actually these colleges typically reject 2/3s of their applications, but still promote such disappointments in a cynical maneuver to show how "selective" they are in their admissions policies. http://www.alternet.org/story/117563/ 11/19/08 Higher education in state of Washington gets ready for $600 million budget cut http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008408803_uwcuts19m.html 8/15/08 As new school year approaches, U.S. colleges and universities are showing a big increase in applications for financial aid: With a weakened economy affecting the ability of parents, even middle class ones, to pay for students' college education, financial aid applications rise 16% nationally and much more in some elite colleges. Such applications have risen 46% at Harvard. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/08/14/many_more_ask_colleges_for_aid/ 7/30/08 Rising tuition costs in Kentucky colleges are one symptom of a situation in which college education is becoming unaffordable to many residents. http://www.kentucky.com/181/story/472654.html 7/29/08 Citing market downturn, Massachusetts says it will be unable to provide 40,000 families with student loans for their children. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/07/29/no_funds_to_lend_to_40000_students/ 3/20/08 Minority enrollment falls at University of Texas as state law requires the University to admit students from top 10% of their graduating classes, limiting the ability of the University to promote ethnic diversity in its student body. http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/5634400.html 2/24/08 As tuition rates at Brown University approach $50,000 per year, the University moves to expand greatly its program of tuition waivers and assistance for the children of middle class parents. http://www.projo.com/ri/providence/content/BROWN24_02-24-08_9E94G0J_v16.3649f21.html 2/10/08 Obama, Clinton and "affordable" college tuition:. Both presidential candidates proclaim commitment to the principle of affordable tuition, but both fail to see the "elephant in the room" which Derrick Jackson says is the reluctance of American universities to use their huge endowment funds toward lightening the burden of higher education costs on students and their parents. Their "blindness" to this beast may be related to the fact that these supposed fighters against "special interest" political influence have been the beneficiaries of very large campaign contributions from one such interest, American colleges and unversities; contributions that dwarf those given to Republican candidates 8/15/07 Texas community colleges trying to find ways of maintaining their programs in the face of the Governor's veto of their funding bill. 7/2/07 Free community college tuition a drop in the bucket of costs for Massachusetts students. Governor Patrick's proposal for free tuition will help financially struggling college students, but maybe only those "stay with mom and dad" kids who don't have to balance college with necessary efforts to work to support themselves while they are in college. 6/23/07 Alumni of Antioch College, noted for their protest activity in the 1960's, are now protesting the closing of their campaus. University officials, citing low enrollment and financial problems, are closing the campus in July 2008, to remain closed until at least 2012. A "tent city" for assembled protesters doesn't quite materialize, but angry protest does. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/23/us/23antioch.html?_r=1&oref=slogin 5/31/07 Experimental school in Dayton Ohio which has successfully graduated and sent to college many low-income students may have to close after local voters turn down a school budget. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/31/education/31dayton.html?th&emc=th 4/13/07 University of North Dakota seeks to join ranks of NCAA Division 1 and student fees may be doubled to finance the project. http://www.grandforksherald.com/articles/index.cfm?id=34186§ion=News 2/28/07 Vocational education programs in North Carolina are feeling the pinch of pressure in the schools to focus on college preparation for students. http://www.newsobserver.com/102/story/548070.html 2/1/07 Education funding cuts in Michigan have many school districts seeing red. http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070201/SCHOOLS/702010420/1003/METRO 10/22/06 Competition among colleges in Pittsburg area for enrollments has created a kind of "alms race" in which colleges are offering scholarships not to the most needy but to those whom they are most likely to attract. The result is that the needy are deprived of scholarships and,.like the "arms race," the efforts of the competitors cancel out one another. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06295/732025-298.stm 10/19/06 One problem (spiraling cost of tuition) with two solutions. U.S. Department of Education Commission says U.S. colleges and universities should behave more like "businesses" and work for cost containment. Some education experts says that local, state and federal governments should increase their contributions toward the maintaining of these institutions. http://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/3788 10/12/06 University of Washington launches program to offer 5,000 tuition-free grants to children from low income families. http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/288403_uw12.html 9/8/06 Boston public schools begin a "drop out return" program to entice drop outs to drop back into school; few takers so far. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/09/08/dropout_is_now_in_lesson_learned/ 4/7/06 It is increasingly difficult for applications to get into selective and elite colleges and universities: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/06/AR2006040602292.html?referrer=email 3/21/06 Worried about chances of college admission, high school seniors are applying to a dozen or more colleges: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/education/21apply.html?th&emc=th 3/14/06 College scholarships designed for minorities and women now being made available to all comers: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/14/education/14minority.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin 3/13/06 Vo Tech programs; door to colleges or dumping ground for those who won't make it to college? http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/11/AR2006031101158.html?referrer=email 3/1/06 Proposed bill could cut $14.3 billion from student aid and loans http://www.easterneronline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/03/01/44056b89f2f5c 2/26/06 College financial aid based on "merit" is driven by rankings-obsession and acts to divert aid based on "need" http://www.commondreams.org/views06/0225-22.htm
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FLORIDA:
STATEWIDE
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Analysis & views: 8/17/08 'Bursting at the seams.'. A description of conditions at south Florida community colleges as students begin classes this week. "Frozen" enrollments at state universities and economic hard times are forcing many more students to pursue their college careers at community colleges. http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-flpccgrowth0817pnaug17,0,1421447.story 2/28/08 An endangered species gets a reprieve as Florida higher education officials indicate that Bright Futures scholarship program will continue. http://www.jacksonville.com/apnews/stories/022808/D8V3IM68A.shtml 2/23/08 Florida universities like Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton may benefit from increasing number of students making "second choices" after rejection by the state's "elite" universities. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2008/02/23/m1a_FAUSECOND_0223.html 2/13/08 Future of Bright Futures merit-aid scholarships in Florida universities is being considered by state officials. http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Headlines/frtHEAD02021308.htm 11/7/07 5% tuition increase at University of Central Florida is described as "just the beginning" of increases in tuition and fees that may bring Florida up from its "bargain basement" status among U.S. colleges and universities. 8/21/07 Former Chancellor of Florida Universities says that Bright Futures program is the "dumbest" public policy http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20070821/NEWS/70820021 7/29/07 Extreme selectivity at University of Florida leaves 58% of applicants rejected, including a straight A student who was granted an interview by Harvard. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20070729/LOCAL/707290306/-1/news 7/11/07 Florida Board of Governors, in rebellion against Governor's and legislature's authority establishing tuitions for higher education, votes to approve the 5% tuition hike vetoed by Crist and enter Senator Graham's suit challenging legislative authority to control tuitions. http://www.gainesville.com/article/20070711/SUNFRONT/707110333 7/4/07 Diminished quality of education and restrictions of enrollment at University of South Florida in Tampa may occur as the University looks at a likely $44 million shortfall in its budget. http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBSQ188P3F.html 4/5/07 In Florida, summer breaks may be replaced by summer schools, as school planners struggle to deal with implementing reduced class size policy without undertaking expensive additional classroom construction. http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/040507/met_9071383.shtml 11/17/06 It's about to cost more to be a Gator: Trustees expected to approve proposed $1,000 per year increase for UF tuition. Note to activists: legislative approval will be required. http://gainesville.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061117/LOCAL/211170346/1078/news 4/20/06 Bill in state legislature would divert money from university building funds to construction of K-12 classrooms to implement class size reduction amendment; at the same time, university enrollment contains to grow: http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-ucffunding2006apr20,0,6070625.story?coll=orl-news-headlines 4/9/06 Cost of college textbooks has tripled in the last 20 years; bill in Florida legislature would drop sales tax on textbook sales: 2/14/06 Gov. Bush responds to student protesters, says he'll propose a "more moderate" tuition increase: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13873886.htm 2/14/06 Florida students protest proposed tuition increase while there's a budget surplus: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/state/13864899.htm
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FLORIDA LOCALITIES
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Analysis and views: Gainesville: 2/19/08 A weekend of "elation and heartbreak" for many Florida families as UF announces its acceptances of entry applications, with 63% rejection rate. http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080219/NEWS/802190315/1002/NEWS Gainesville: 2/14/08 It's great to be a Florida Gator; if you can get into UF (cartoon): http://www.gainesvillesun.com/article/20080213/OPINION04/910842628/1089/opinion04 Palm Beach Co.: 7/2/07 "Equitable opportunity" for all eligible students to enter magnet schools in Palm Beach County is not quite that, as 2/3s of the seats are filled from lists of "preferred" students before a lottery is conducting for the remaining third. http://www.palmbeachpost.com/localnews/content/local_news/epaper/2007/07/02/s1b_skaudition_0702.html Miami: 4/14/06 Florida Atlantic University, to raise money for scholarships, tries to sell North Miami waterfront property that it doesn't own: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/14339001.htm Daytona Beach: 2/7/06 FSU seeks to locate a College of Medicine branch in Daytona: http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/locEAST03020606.htm
Miami: 2/7/06 School lunch prices expected to rise in Miami-Dade: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13808506.htm Miami: 2/6/06 Overcrowding and under-utilization mark South Florida schools: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13787941.htm
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