Who is creating the tests…?

“Education Dept. Planning Case Studies of Kindergarten Entry Assessments”

“The feds want to pull together case studies of how schools and districts are using kindergarten entry assessments, and they want the public's help in telling them how to do it.” 

“Through the Race to the Top early learning challenge grants and other grant programs, the department has been promoting the use of these assessments, which are intended to help kindergarten teachers evaluate the academic and social readiness of their students early in the school year. As I've written, experts worry about tying any kind of high-stakes decision, such as evaluating teachers or preschools, to such an assessment. "We have to take into account that there is no absolute standard for [children] to have achieved when they enter kindergarten," said Samuel J. Meisels, the executive director of the Buffett Early Childhood Institute at the University of Nebraska in Omaha.”

“Those who support these assessments say that teachers should welcome valid tools that guide them in their work.”

“The notice from the Education Department, published May 15 in the Federal Register, indicates that the department is interested in case studies reflecting the experiences of 24 schools within 12 districts located in four states. The department is looking for comments on how the it might "enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the information to be collected" and how it might minimize the burden of the information collection on respondents, among other factors.”

Read it here: http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/early_years/2014/05/education_dept_planning_case_studies_of_kindergarten_entry_assessments.html?cmp=ENL-EU-NEWS3

Now I am not big fan of tests as it is, but I understand they do have their place in the world. I do get bothered by the way schools often seem to lose their minds during test time and in turn cause students to lose their minds as well.

I am especially bothered by the fact that teachers often have no input on the construction of these tests. Testing companies are raking in huge profits on these tests, and I guarantee you most educators no little about the construction of these tests.

Something to think about…

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam



Be safe May 15 2014

Hope everyone in San Diego is safe during this early fire season.


Dr Akerele

Sharing an article May 14 2014

“Sallie Mae to Pay Millions to Settle Claims It Overcharged Military Borrowers”

“Sallie Mae has agreed to pay almost $100-million to settle claims that the student-loan giant failed to provide members of the military with an interest-rate reduction and imposed unfair late fees on other borrowers.”

 

“In a pair of settlement agreements with the Department of Justice and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Sallie Mae, which split into two companies on April 30, pledged to pay $90-million in restitution and refunds to borrowers, along with almost $7-million in civil monetary penalties and fines.”

 

“In a written statement issued on Tuesday, Jack Remondi, chief executive of Navient, the newly formed loan servicer and collection agency, offered "sincere apologies" to members of the armed services affected by the company’s "processing errors." He added that the company had made changes in its procedures and training programs "to prevent these mistakes from happening again."”

Read it all here: http://chronicle.com/article/Sallie-Mae-to-Pay-Millions-to/146543/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Speaks for itself

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam



Choose your words carefully, and not just because the internet is forever

We are all guilty of some kind of casual bigoted comment (please do not confuse this with racism), but hopefully we are making the effort to change ourselves. However, it is amazing that in academia, this casual demeaning type of speech happens as often as it does.

“The Last Acceptable Prejudice?”

“A quick exchange on a university's faculty discussion board has led experts in Appalachian studies to consider again whether bias in academe (and society) is too accepted when it is about the people of the region they study.”

“On the faculty discussion board, a staff member posted a complaint about a student walking around barefoot in a building. A response is what set off the larger discussion:”

“One professor wrote: "My approach would be to assure this student that going barefoot is not against the rules because the assumption is that by the time they reach college, students are expected to understand why wearing shoes is expected on campus. If s/he disrespects his or her peers and the college community enough to (un)dress like a hillbilly here, I would say, then s/he should be prepared to be dismissed as one, in whatever pursuits s/he favors, in the preference of someone more attuned to proper decorum and respectful behavior."”

“A professor who was troubled by that response forwarded the comment to the Appalachian studies email list with the question: "Colleagues, if you read the following on your institutional discussion board in reference to a complaint about a barefoot student, how would you respond to the professor?" The responses came quickly. Many were furious that a faculty member would feel free to to talk about "hillbilly" behavior in this way.”

Read it all here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/05/13/online-faculty-discussion-raises-concern-about-bias-against-appalachians-and-poor#sthash.VEgrJ2RO.dpbs

Every group deserves to be treated with respect, and educational institutions should be leading the way.

After all, we serve all students correct?

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam



Higher Education and Athletics



Athletics is an important part of an educational experience because sports and exercise in general help balance the mental with the physical. I have always enjoyed playing sports, and it continues to be a part of my daily life.

I am however, a little suspicious about the true motivations of giving scholarships to student athletes. Do not get me wrong, athletic scholarships allow people to attend school who normally would not have the chance, but we are missing the something here: student athlete and scholarship.

We are not serving our student athletes properly if they are not getting a good education.

Education can never be taken away, and it has been proven to propel you further in life. Sports are games, and as such, they are not forever. Most college athletes will not make it to a professional league, no matter what dreams they are sold, so we need to put the student back into this equation.

“Emancipate the Black College Athlete”

“History was made on April 25 as the scholarship athletes of the Northwestern University football team, led by the former quarterback Kain Colter, cast their votes on whether or not to unionize after a regional director of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that they could be considered employees. The results won’t be known for weeks or even months, as the university appeals the decision to allow a vote. But if the students are successful, college athletics as we know it could change drastically.”

 

“The regional ruling indicated that college athletes in the high-profile and high-revenue sports have a right to unionize and, thus, to bargain collectively over health-care coverage, transfer rules, and even practice time. (Testimony indicated that football players can spend 40 to 60 hours a week on football-related activities during the season.) But most notably, the NCAA is concerned that athletes would be able to negotiate for potential compensation for their role in the college-sports industrial complex.”

Here:http://chronicle.com/article/Emancipate-the-Black-College/146273/?cid=cr&utm_source=cr&utm_medium=en

I believe we are all missing a point here, and that is, the colleges should spend some these millions they are making to set up an environment where the students can truly learn, not starve, and are not being exploited without their knowledge. Help them become students!

In the end, it is always about the best interests of the student

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam

Ideas to Combat Sex Assaults in Colleges and Beyond

The current administration is really pushing colleges to find ways to combat this issue. As educators, part of our job is to provide solutions, so I am curious as to what you all think about how we can truly stop this.

Ironically, there was an article published to today that I want to share with an appropriate title:

“Ideas to Combat Sex Assaults”

“The message from the White House was loud, clear and footnoted last week: Colleges aren’t doing enough to combat sexual assault on campus and dozens may be out of compliance with federal law.”

“But the 23-page report, “Not Alone,” also handed out high praise to three universities that will “lead by example” to pinpoint how colleges can improve their sexual assault knowledge, policies and responses. Researchers at University of New Hampshire, University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University will build on proven records of sexual assault research and launch studies over the next year to help fulfill the White House’s goals.”

University of New Hampshire

“One of the most important lessons New Hampshire researchers have learned after designing sexual assault education programs is that college students are “at the peak of their narcissism,” said Sharyn J. Potter, an associate professor of sociology and co-director of Prevention Innovations Center.

Read the whole thing here: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2014/05/09/look-three-university-research-efforts-white-house-says-can-contribute-combatting#sthash.AoTdHxa4.dpbs

What can we be doing differently to combat this culture? Share some ideas please.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam



For schools with international students…

Your school is always going to be scrutinized if you have large pockets of international students attending, because homeland security is always looking out for fraud. That being said; we should police ourselves and call out the bad players in the industry.

“Former Head of Ga. Language School Is Sentenced for Immigration Fraud”

“The former head of an English-language school in Duluth, Ga., has been sentenced to 21 months in prison after pleading guilty to immigration-document fraud in connection with allegations that he used student visas to bring women to the United States to work in local bars.”

“Federal prosecutors in Atlanta said in a news release that Dong Seok Yi, the former head of College Prep Academy, conspired with Korean bar owners to fraudulently enroll women even though many of them never attended classes. He was convicted in February of immigration-document fraud after pleading guilty.”

Read here: http://chronicle.com/blogs/ticker/former-head-of-ga-language-school-is-sentenced-for-immigration-fraud/77297?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

Let us help keep it clean, and for those committing the fraud, not only is not worth it, but you hurt everyone else who is legit.

Dr Flavius A B Akerele III

The ETeam