education

I consider myself privileged, especially with education. I went to a decent high school in a small town, supported by the community (the triviality of local politics aside). I have a great family that supported me throughout my college search process. And the search was a very successful one; after graduating from high school, I went to Meadville, Pennsylvania to attend Allegheny College, a great liberal arts college. But after having graduated from Allegheny, majoring in political science, I've come to realize that my privileged education would have been solidified with the opportunity to take a high school civics course. And while I benefited from Allegheny's great humanities and social science programs, others, especially minorities, are not as lucky.

Former senator and governor Bob Graham (D-FL) wrote an op-ed in the St. Petersburg Times about the poor state of civics education in the country and what Florida is doing, and should be doing more of, in order to foster further civic knowledge and participation among our youngest citizens.

Graham cites an obsession with political correctness and a "lack of institutional support" for the downward trend of civics education in middle schools and high schools. Schools de-emphasize civics, usually offering, at best, one optional civics course to students. In my own experience, my high school, that for years had an optional civics course and a course titled "Problems of Democracy," eliminated both by the time I reached high school age, renaming the latter "History of Government," and restructuring it to offer a more passive, backwards-looking view at our government. Such moves de-emphasize the participatory nature of our democracy at a time in our history when we should be capitalizing on the Millennial generation's willingness to be politically involved. Graham invokes Jefferson: "The objects of primary education … are to instruct the mass of citizens in these: their rights, interests, and duties as men and citizens … to understand his duties to his neighbors and country, and to discharge with competence the functions confided to him by either." We're missing a big opportunity.

So what is Florida doing about it?

The Florida Legislature has taken a first step. Today every middle school student is required to take one semester of civics. This summer a coalition of the Florida Bar, the League of Women Voters, the Lou Frey Institute of Politics at the University of Central Florida and the Bob Graham Center for Public Service at the University of Florida, with the generous support of the Helios Foundation, trained 133 middle school teachers to teach participatory democracy. More will be trained next summer.

Admittedly, our schools are being asked to educate students in everything from hygiene to driving a car. But there are creative ways to blend citizenship into other subjects. While an elementary student is learning the skills of reading, why not also start teaching him or her the content of American history? While high school chemistry students are focused on elements and compounds, wouldn't the course be more relevant if they also learned how science and civics have combined to make our air and water cleaner and safer?

Graham also argues that for all the controversy over the current standardized testing environment, the usual exclusion of civics from tests that always include reading, math, and science is a problem. With civics not emphasized on standardized tests, it usually does not appear on lesson plans in the classroom. Graham proposes civics be included in Florida's major statewide exam, the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test.

I wrote about this mainly because of Mike's call to arms published a few days ago. We absolutely need to be capitalizing on the heightened electoral participation this cycle by exploring innovative ways of educating today's students in civics in addition to math and science. I particularly like Florida's emphasis on middle school education; getting to students as young as possible sets the stage for a higher discourse in our high school education, and so forth.

This post is meant to contribute to a conversation that should be intensifying in the upcoming weeks as we come across a defining election in our nation's history. It's my hope that this intensity lasts well past this November, and that we step up our passion on this subject so that future students have an opportunity that I, and many others, did not have.

Jim Slattery, candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kansas, unveiled a new $5,000 college tuition tax cut last week.

"Few investments are more important than ensuring every young person who aspires to attend college has the opportunity," Slattery said.

Slattery said the cost of attending college has skyrocketed.

"Tuition at Pittsburg State has increased 75 percent in the last five years," Slattery said.

In order to pay the increased tuition rates, more students are taking out student loans that are difficult to pay back in the current economy.

"Students are becoming increasingly burdened by student loan debt," Slattery said. "On average, a student owes nearly $20,000 when they graduate."

I was honored to receive unvetted access to follow Slattery along on his tour talking with him as well as other students interested in his plan as well as other important issues this election. Slattery spent time answering questions in townhall style meetings as well as a special candidate forum hosted by the popular site 18 in 08.

This is cross-posted from RTV and Wiretap but no one seems to want to approve it so I just posted it here

On a recent trip to Washington DC I decided to see if I could talk to a few of our notable Representatives in Congress. Rep. George Miller was not only available but eager to talk with me about the outreach the Committee had done in the first 100 days of the New Congress in 2007 to work with students on how we can make higher education easier and more manageable for students.

Some friends who work on the Hill told me that he was a great guy, and very forward thinking when it comes to technology and outreach, but I had no idea he would be as engaging and eager to talk about the needs of students and ways in which we can continue our work after Election Day. It was a true honor, and I certainly look forward to seeing what is possible in the 2009 Legislative Session.

Crossposted from Wiretap Magazine

In a recent piece by Libby Quaid, the Associated Press's Education Reporter, the higher cost of major components to our schools are causing out of step funding to miss the mark.

The piece mentions high fuel costs influencing expenditures districts are able to spend on busing students from home to class, in addition to the rising cost of food for lunches and delivery of materials such as pencils and paper.

"Field trips? Forget about it."

At a time when the economy is struggling and gas prices were over $4 a gallon this summer, many schools are finding it difficult to pay for everyday tools their students need to learn, study, or simply be comfortable. Heating and cooling costs are on the rise and keeping an entire building at a reasonable temperature might push the question about the definition of comfortable.

"In rural Minnesota, one district is skipping classes every Monday to save fuel. On the other days, classes will be about 10 minutes longer.

"I think it's a great opportunity," said Candice Jaenisch, whose two sons and daughter will be making the switch. "You're cutting expenses that really don't affect school."

The piece goes on to say that teachers use to want tissue for the classroom, but now they ask for things like copy paper instead.

The national site Donors Choose allows teachers to talk about a specific project they wish they could do but cannot fund and then ask donors for materials or dollars to help fund the project. But how to you fund enough gasoline to get kids to school or enough to pay for high gas bills in the winter?

No longer are things being cut like crayons, art supplies, drama books, or playground equipment. Now we're talking about whole days of class and the schools themselves.

"In Jacksonville, school lunch prices will rise from $1.45 to $2 for secondary schools. "It's a huge jump," said LaTasha Green-Cobb, whose sons are in the seventh and eighth grade.

As fuel prices have rocketed higher, the cost of food has zoomed, especially for lunch-tray staples like milk. As a result, most schools will charge more for lunch, the School Nutrition Association said.

Schools will still not break even. More than half of all school children in this country get free and reduced-price lunches, and the government reimbursement is often not enough to cover the cost."

It goes on to say that costs of more nutrient rich foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains and the like are often times more expensive.

In the end, its young people who are being asked to compromise.... again....

Crossposted from Rock the Trail

DMI Blog has a great post up about inequality and higher education costs:

In a nut shell: a person's access to higher education is becoming more and more unequal as a new report by the Education Trust points out. They are right when they say "That is bad for low-income and minority families and bad for America."

The report, Promise Abandoned: How Policy Choices and Institutional Practices Restrict College Opportunites, highlights two huge problems in achieving equality of access to higher education: college costs and student retention. The cost of four-year college has increased over the last twenty years faster than inflation or the family income. Funding impacts the number of low-income students going to college. If you are from a high-income family you have a 75% chance of getting a bachelor's degree by age 24; low-income fewer than 9% chance of a bachelor's by 24.

There's a lot of fantastic stuff coming out about student debt, predatory lending, and other financial/educational issues facing people in their 20's. I'm hoping to have a policy post up about it later this week.

Also hope to have a report from RootsCampDC as well.