http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-624229.mp3
Albany, NY – SMALL SCHOOLS, Pt. 1 of 2 -
In recent years, small schools have been marketed as the next big
idea in education. Small schools are supposed to create closer
relationships between teachers and students, and ultimately, improve
test scores and student behavior. Three years ago in Cleveland, Ohio,
five large high schools decided to get smaller. High schools with names
like: John F. Kennedy, Glenville, James Ford Rhodes, East High, and
East Tech all kept their buildings, but divided them into many smaller
schools. Now it appears (at least for some of them) that concept is
not working as well as many educators had hoped.
Dan Bobkoff reports. (3:22)
COLLEGE PROVIDES BRIDGE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS -
While small schools work to raise graduation rates, other schools are
trying the next step...to move those students on to higher education.
The Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts has received a grant from
the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. The million dollar grant is to work
on methods to bridge high school students into college. It's just
established a program to do that with Drury High School in North
Adams, Massachusetts.
Carrie Saldo reports. (3:00)
EDUCATION HEADLINES AND UPDATES -
* New York State's Attorney General, Andrew Cuomo, is back in higher education news. Cuomo is investigating more than three dozen college
athletic departments about whether they arranged loans for athletes in
exchange for financial kickbacks. This is part of a broadening inquiry into questionable practices on college campuses. Some of the major sports programs named have gone on the offensive denying that they've done
anything wrong.
* In other legal news, the College Board, which owns the SAT, and NCS Pearson, the company that scans the answer sheets, have agreed to pay
out nearly 3-million dollars to settle a class-action lawsuit. It stems from
glitches that affected the scoring of the SAT given nearly two years ago.
That test caused 44-hundred students to receive incorrectly low test
scores. It works out to 275-dollars per student.
* And in another update, speaking of higher education, space shuttle
Endeavour has returned safely to Earth after two weeks in orbit. You
may recall a few weeks ago we had teacher-turned-astronaut, Barbara
Morgan, on our show before her launch. You likely saw her featured
on NASA-TV during the mission. Morgan took time to answer questions
from students in Idaho, Virginia, and Canada. Mission Control told the
Crew, Congratulations. Welcome home. You've given a new meaning
to higher education.
Dr. Karen Hitchcock reports. (1:45)
THE GIDGET PIPELINE -
Just as our earlier story stressed the importance of support to help
students matriculate to college, our next story is about a program to
encourage young girls' interest in computer science. The Gidget
Pipeline Project recommends educating girls to be designers, not
just users. It wants educators and parents to help girls imagine
themselves early in life as creators and producers of new technology.
To discover how this is being done, TBOOK visited Ohio State
University's After School Technology Club.
Sandra Sleight-Brennan reports. (9:46)