College Success Blog by Dr. Michael Kirst

• Blog is Moving!

  Number of comments: 0
  As of Wednesday, February 11th, this blog will move to a new improved website which you can access by the link below:
  
  [collegepuzzle.stanford.edu]
  
  The new format permits interactive features including RSS feeds, links, and other related blogs.
  
  Thank you for reading this blog![...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 3:34pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Blog That Has Some Similar Goals As The College Puzzle

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  Readers of this blog will find eduoptimist.blogspot.com has some content that is complimentary to this blog. For example, a recent post on the need to include community colleges in the stimulus package is identical to my own views.
  The college transition parts of this blog are prepared by Sara [...]
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  Posted: February 10, 2009, 11:47am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Evidence That Part Time Faculty Produce Fewer Successful College Students

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  Several studies suggest a negative impact from high percentages of part time community college faculty upon student transfer rates, student advising,faculty class preparation, active teaching techniques, and participation in teaching workshops. Scholars suggest part timers be assigned to students least likely to need extra help. The research is a start [...]
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  Posted: February 06, 2009, 12:21pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Book Explores Why Males Lag Females In College Success

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  Peg Tyre has written a book, The Trouble With Boys published by Crown, 2008. It is written primarily for parents rather than educators or policy makers, but is useful journalism.It is provactive and suggestive of future research in a field where so little is known. Why are boys reciving only [...]
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  Posted: February 04, 2009, 1:39pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Studies On College Remediation Show Short term But Not Long Term Effect

  Number of comments: 0
  Bridget Long has published with a co-author a new study on remediation that merits notice. The summary is below -get copy from bridget long@gse.harvard.edu
  A recent study by Tom Bailey at Teachers College raise another isuue- it is not just one remdial course that makes a difference but the [...]
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  Posted: February 02, 2009, 11:20am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Arizona Study Demonstrates High School Exit Test Does Not Measure College Readiness

  Number of comments: 1
  The Arizona Republic
  7:25 am | 55°
  January 30, 2009 |
  News
  
  
  New way urged for gauging schools
  Lawmakers: Measure using college-readiness
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Half of Maricopa County’s high-school graduates who enter Arizona universities or colleges must take a remedial math class. And just [...]
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  Posted: January 30, 2009, 11:38am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Stimulus Bill Intensifies But Does Not Change Federal Role

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  While the stimulus will be helpful for college success, it does not include many new concepts for funding. It increases Pell grants dramatically, has a new tax credit plan, 3.5 billion for construction,.5 billion for work study, and other indirect aid through state government allocations. Other than yet another tax [...]
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  Posted: January 29, 2009, 10:18am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• College Presidents MIA In Discussion About College Preparation And Completion

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  David Breneman , former Dean of the University of Virginia Education School, wrote this for Measuring Up:2008. He has followed the decline of college presidents in the problems of transition from k-12 to college.
  
  Facing the Nation: The Role of College Leaders in Higher Education Policy
  [...]
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  Posted: January 27, 2009, 11:33am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• College Data on Student Preparation and Success Is Getting Worse

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  Dennis Jones of the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems wrote this analysis of college data weaknesses as part of the report Measuring Up: 2008 by the National Center for Higher Education and Public Policy
  The Information Gap: Much Talk, Little Progress
  By Dennis P. Jones
  
  
  [...]
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  Posted: January 24, 2009, 9:16pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Report By Jane Wellman of Delta Project Critiques College Spending For Student Success

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  >
  >
  >Jan. 15
  >More for Less
  >Most college students are carrying a greater
  >share of the cost of their education, even as
  >institutions spend less on teaching them,
  >according to a
  >report released today.
  >The report, published by the Delta Project on
  >Postsecondary Education [...]
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  Posted: January 22, 2009, 6:26pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Tips For College Sucess and Completion

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  Essential Tools for College Success :Guest Blogger Holly McCarthy
  
  Over the last several decades, college has become less of an option and more of a necessity in the eyes of high school students around the country. Even reluctant learners know the importance of getting a college education. However, as [...]
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  Posted: January 20, 2009, 2:10pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• College Board Report Provides Good Overview OF Strategies to Improve Students Success'

  The College Board's Commission
  
  >on Access, Admissions and Success in Higher
  >Education was formed more than two years ago out
  >of concern for the state of American education.
  >Led by chair William Kirwan, chancellor of the
  >University System of Maryland, the commission
  >was charged [...]
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  Posted: January 18, 2009, 7:48pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Part 2 Of Interview With NEA President Dennis Van Roekel

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  NEA President has made an important statement on the need for a union role in forging closer relationships between k-12 and postsecondary education. He signals a change in NEA activities to link members from k-12 and postsecondary to obtain better outcomes for students. Part 1 was on his strategy and [...]
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  Posted: January 15, 2009, 10:55am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New NEA President Charts New Direction For Connecting K12 With Higher Education

  Number of comments: 1
  New NEA President Dennis Van Roekel in the latest edition of the journal Thought Into Action has an interview that indicates a major change in NEA effort to link the two levels of education. Part 1 of the interview is below. Part 2 is in next blog.
  
  [...]
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  Posted: January 13, 2009, 7:15pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• California Middle Grades Study Will Examine College Preparation And Much More

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  Last blog featured an ACT study that found a profound impact of middle grade education upon college preparation and student success in college. Edsource in California is conducting a large study of middle grades schools as described below. I am part of the research team along with study director Trish [...]
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  Posted: January 11, 2009, 7:45pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Performance in Middle School Strong Predictor Of College Success

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  A 2008 ACT report, "The Forgotten Middle" (www.act.org) finds that under current conditions the level of achievement that students attain by eight grade has a larger impact on their college and career readiness by the time they graduated from high school than anything that happens academically in high school. This [...]
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  Posted: January 09, 2009, 12:17pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Accountability Weak For High School Transition To College

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  K-12 schools are loaded with testing and federal and state accountability, but not for post high school outcomes. According to Achieve Inc only 7 states hold high schools acountable for completing a college or career ready curriculum. Student Attainment of a statewide college and career ready test score is not [...]
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  Posted: January 07, 2009, 1:35pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Data Gaps Hinder Measurement of College Prep and Success

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  A recent blog summarized the findings of Measuring Up by the National Center For Public Policy and Higher Education. Each state receives grades on key indicators of college success such as college preparation In an interview the prime author Pat Callan pointed out that much of the information the government [...]
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  Posted: January 05, 2009, 11:27am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• How To Spend College Money To Increase Student Success

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  This is a follow up to the last blog and the Change Magazine article by Jane Wellman,"Spending More, Getting Less''. Her recommendations are :1.set sharp edged goals for degree attainment 2.look at college spending allocations and student services to align with goals. 3.reduce excess student credits and shorten the time" [...]
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  Posted: January 02, 2009, 2:55pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Studies Indicate College Spending Increases Not Related to College Success For Students

  Number of comments: 1
  Change Magazine issue of November 2008 has an article by Peter T. Ewell that demonstrates there is no relationship between college spending in similar institutions and student performance. The key is how the money is spent If more money is spent on academic support for students- tutors, counselors, faculty development, [...]
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  Posted: December 30, 2008, 12:59pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Boston Study: 7 out of 10 Graduates Start College, But Few Complete College

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  >Globe Editorial
  >The Boston Globe
  >In college, but only marginally
  >December 23, 2008
  >
  >
  >MUCH SOUL-SEARCHING is taking place on local
  >college campuses after a recent study showing
  >that college was a bust for almost two-thirds of
  >Boston high school graduates in the class of
  [...]
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  Posted: December 27, 2008, 10:19am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Report Is Guide To Better College Student Outcomes and Accountability

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  Education Sector is an independent DC think tank with an outside the box approach. Their new report on higher education accountability is well worth reading for those interested in improving college completion and better student outcomes. Below is the Education Sector press release.
  
  
  
  Today's colleges and universities' [...]
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  Posted: December 24, 2008, 12:28pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Achieve Perspectives News Letter Is Valuable Source

  Number of comments: 0
  In this period of slow news I am featuring useful websites and email newsletters for college preparation and college completion. Last post was Lumina Foundation at www.luminafoundation.org. This time I reproduce the Achieve Perspectives email news that includes their own initiatives and links to many other reports and books.
  [...]
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  Posted: December 20, 2008, 12:32pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Luminw Website Very Useful on College Success

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  Lumina Foundation has a periodic email blast that is filled with useful information on college preparation and completion. See sample below:
  Research » Lumina relies on research to advance student success-www.Luminafoundation.org
  
  *
  The Iron Triangle: College Presidents Talk About Costs, Access and Quality
  
  Cost, [...]
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  Posted: December 15, 2008, 10:39pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Gates To Pay Students For College Persistence and Completion.

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  Gates Foundation will pay 2 and 4 year college students between $1,000 and $4,000 to continue in college and graduate. Less than half of all students complete college including vocational certificates. MDRC will conduct a random control study to assess the impact of the payments on student behavior. Studies by [...]
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  Posted: December 14, 2008, 4:00pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Measuring Up Report Charts New Directions For College Preparation and Completion

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  The 2008 National Report Card: Modest Improvements, Persistent Disparities, Eroding Global Competitiveness
  By Patrick M. Callan
  President, The National Center For Higher Education and Public Policy, San Jose, Ca.
  
  Measuring Up 2008 is the most recent in the series of national and state-by-state report cards for higher education [...]
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  Posted: December 10, 2008, 12:38pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Income Disparity between White and Latino College Students Is Growing

  Number of comments: 0
  UCLA reports that the income difference between 4 year college entering white and Latino students has quadrupled over the past 30 years- from $8,000 in 1975 to $33,000 in 2006. Moreover, in 1975 57% of Latino first year entering students were men compared to 39% in 2006. I wonder if [...]
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  Posted: December 09, 2008, 2:41pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Communit College Students Do Not Apply For Student Aid

  Number of comments: 1
  A new report stresses a variety of reasons for community colleges not applying for federal aid. The main reason is not the complicated FAFSA form .Often community college students see themselves more as workers than as students because they attend college part time. Some do not think they are elible [...]
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  Posted: December 08, 2008, 11:05am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• College Completion Rates and Suggestions For Improvement

  Number of comments: 1
  Guest blogger who runs a very useful website for students and parents-GoCollege
  
  by Thomas J Hanson, Editor , OpenEducation.net
  
  Poor college completion rates - suggested solutions even worse.
  
  The results of a first-of-its-kind study recently graced the front pages of the Boston Globe. In Hub Grads Come [...]
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  Posted: December 02, 2008, 8:27pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Foundations Pour Money Into Community College Improvement

  Number of comments: 1
  Gates is the latest foundation to announce a big focus on community colleges. But many others came earlier- Hewlett , Lumina, Irvine, Hass, Nellie Mae to name some. But will this grant giving make a difference? Katy Haycock of Education Trust contends more money would be better spent in 4 [...]
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  Posted: November 30, 2008, 5:18pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• New Guide For State Policy: College and Career Readiness

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  Education Trust and Achieve have published a useful guide and specific road map for improving state policy to enhance college and career readiness. It focuses upon neglected areas like better assessments and teacher support materials. It also prescribes moving beyond narrow punitive accountability measures. There is not much new here, [...]
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  Posted: November 26, 2008, 11:45am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• National Assessment Will Move Forward On Grade 12 College Preparedness Measures

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  I chaired a technical panel to recommend how to assess grade 12 state and national performance on college preparedness. Below is our summary from a report accepted by the National Assessment Governing Board on November 21. The recommended studies will help the Board set score scale ranges on NAEP reading [...]
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  Posted: November 22, 2008, 7:08pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Out of School Services Crucial To Student Success, But We Know Little About Interventions

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  Integrating outside community services
  and better teaching could lead to success
  
  
  The on-going struggle to close the glaring gaps in student achievement remains an exercise in frustration. Where student performance is improving, the results are incremental. Where achievement remains low, educators and politicians, parents and students remain [...]
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  Posted: November 17, 2008, 8:31pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Landmines for P-16 State Councils

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  The Education Commission of the States-www.ecs.org has published a useful analysis of the 38 states that have created new structures to better integrate p-12 grades and postsecondary education. It features problems with council membership,vague agendas, lack of funds and staff, and politics among levels that can overwhelm the nascent units. [...]
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  Posted: November 16, 2008, 12:31pm EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Gates Foundation Announces New Focus on College Completion

  Number of comments: 1
  The long awaited roll out of the new Gates funding strategy ( on their website) focuses on a major theme of this blog-low college completion rates particularly at 2 year colleges. Major investments are planned with a surprising focus on internal incentives for colleges to improve college completion. This is [...]
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  Posted: November 13, 2008, 11:02am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Broad Access College Enrollment Surges, But Funds Are Cut

  Number of comments: 0
  In a recession more adults enroll in college, but almost all the selective sector does not grow much. Flagship state universities are expensive, so growth is funneled to nonselective 2 and 4 year colleges.Community colleges take the brunt of enrollment surges, but states and localities are cutting their budgets. So [...]
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  Posted: November 11, 2008, 10:31am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Slow Progress Toward Secondary School End of Course Exams

  Number of comments: 0
  The Center on Education Policy published a report on end of course exams for high school graduation.Secondary courses are better aligned to end of course exams in algebra or world history than a cross cutting skills test. But only 4 states currently use end of course exams, and 11 may [...]
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  Posted: November 07, 2008, 11:32am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• Historically Black Colleges Lack Resources in Maryland

  Number of comments: 0
  The Baltimore Sun has published a report by the Maryland legislature that 4 year historically black colleges are underfunded and cannot provide sufficient student instruction and services. Science and tech labs are inadequate at Bowie ,Coppin, Morgan, and U Md- Eastern Shore. Graduation rates are 30% below Towson University. But [...]
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  Posted: November 04, 2008, 11:25am EST
  by The College Puzzle

• High School Senior Year Curriculum Can Enhance College Success

  Number of comments: 0
  Students who attend broad access colleges usually take light academic loads in their senior year. But more attention is being paid to not just to increasing academic loads, but also to help revamp what is in the courses. University of Oregon is designing reference courses based on what first year [...]
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  Posted: October 31, 2008, 11:51am EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• First year College Students Cannot Keep Up With Pace of Instruction

  Number of comments: 0
  Last blog covered some aspects of this ,now some data from The High School Survey of Student Engagement- HSSSE in search engines. This is a national survey of 170,000 students grades 9-12.First year students in college spend more than twice as much time studying in college compared to their high [...]
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  Posted: October 29, 2008, 5:54pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Pacing of College Courses Is Difficult For First Year Students

  Number of comments: 0
  I just returned from a conference in Northwest Missouri on high school college prep. One message was that the pace of college courses is so different from high school, and freshman cannot keep up. 4 year broad access colleges cover in 30 days the math that high schools cover in [...]
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  Posted: October 28, 2008, 11:38am EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• New Report On College Remediation Has New Facts

  Number of comments: 0
  Diploma to Nowhere published by Strong American Schools has some fascinating new remediation data. 4 out of 5 high school students who enrolled in college remediation had a high school grade point average of 3.0 or higher. 95% said they did all or most of their high school work that [...]
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  Posted: October 24, 2008, 11:54am EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• A Ten Year View of Progress In Improving the Transition to College-1998-2008

  Number of comments: 0
  This is a long blog, but puts together my analysis of our progress and integrates many components of past blogs. Revised version is in the Chronicle of Higher education on line, October 7, 2008
  
  PROGRESS AND GAPS IN COLLEGE PREPARATION
  POLICY
  MICHAEL W. KIRST, STANFORD UNIVERSITY
  
  Most [...]
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  Posted: October 15, 2008, 9:02pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Rethinking student Aid Report Is Comprehensive and Correct

  Number of comments: 0
  Two of the nations leading experts on college student aid have a new report suggests big changes and not just tinkering around the edges. Sandy Baum of the College Board and Michael McPherson of Spencer Foundation attack the roots of our current aid limitations. They want to get rid of [...]
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  Posted: October 14, 2008, 10:55am EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Class Rank Admissions Process Is Controversial

  Number of comments: 0
  The University of Texas admits almost all students under the top 10% of the class for each high school criteria. UT is struggling with equity and quality issues in applying the top 10%, UT is considering eliminating grades in music, career education, and many electives from the class rank calculation, [...]
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  Posted: October 11, 2008, 12:19pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Testing and Academic Fitness for College Success

  Number of comments: 0
  Madison, Wisconsin
  >Academic Fitness
  >
  >Will Fitzhugh, The Concord Review
  >
  >
  >
  >The NACAC Testing Commission has just released
  >its report on the benefits of, and problems
  >with, current standardized admission tests. The
  >Commission says that "a 'one-size-fits-all'
  >approach for the use of standardized tests [...]
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  Posted: October 07, 2008, 9:00pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Why Do Students Drop Out of 4 Year Colleges?

  Number of comments: 1
  From guest blogger Sarah Scrafford:
  
  Why do College Students Drop Out?
  
  It’s an irony of sorts – almost every high school kid dreams of going to college, but once that dream is realized, they end up crushing it beneath their feet by dropping out even before they [...]
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  Posted: October 04, 2008, 4:22pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Admissions Officers Challenge Use Of SAT

  Number of comments: 0
  The New York Times on page a-13 carried a good article on the new report advocating less reliance on SAT for admissions at the annual convention of college admissions officers. The report drafted by the Harvard admissions director said SAT is "incredibly imprecise" and favored students who can afford intensive [...]
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  Posted: September 30, 2008, 12:26pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Student Loans May Be Part of Bailout

  Number of comments: 0
  HigheredWatch reports that Paulson put student loans into the bailout bill in the last few days. Many reports have come to my attention about student loan credit squeezes and private lenders in fiscal difficulty. So watch for whether a bailout happens and who gets the money. Is it some of [...]
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  Posted: September 26, 2008, 5:58pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle

• Indiana's Policies Improve College Access and Success

  Number of comments: 0
  SIGNIFICANT SHIFTS IN INDIANA POLICY PRIORITIES
  >OVER TIME INCREASE STATE RESIDENTS' ABILITY TO ACCESS AND SUCCEED IN COLLEGE
  >
  >Study Reveals How Policymakers, Education
  >Officials, Interest Group Leaders Adopted
  >Bipartisan Policies to Improve Postsecondary
  >Opportunities for Hoosier Students
  >
  >Washington, D.C., September 17, 2008 ­ When [...]
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  Posted: September 24, 2008, 8:09pm EDT
  by The College Puzzle