Mich. H.S. wins Obama as grad speaker – In the first annual Race to the Top Commencement Challenge, President Obama selected Derek Jeter’s old high school in Kalamazoo. MI as an innovative place of learning that prepares students for college. Kalamazoo Central’s video featured an African-American student reciting a poem about the school while students behind him softly chanted, “We are the Giants.” He said at one point, with feeling, “Our classrooms are punctuated by the resolve of 1,700 sets of lungs breathing and believing in the mathematics of our promise and potential, fostered through the interwoven languages we speak.” (NYT)
Formspring.me becomes obsession - Popular website allows anonymous postings on Facebook, resulting in gossip similar to Juicy Campus, which colleges have blocked. “Nice stuff is not why you get it,” said Ariane Barrie-Stern, a freshman at Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in New York City. “I think it’s interesting to find out what people really think that they don’t have the guts to say to you. If it’s hurtful, you have to remind yourself that it doesn’t really mean anything.” (NYT)
NYTimes top 10 student poems - 17=year-old Pa. poet was inspired by the death of Alexander McQueen to write “Panic,” which was chosen as a Top 10 selection in NYT’s poetry contest. A bubble growing, History collides, Bad markets, bone chilling numbers, Reserves of happiness drying up, breaking up… (NYT)
The Recession and Education – NYT magazine article examines how the recession has led to a record number of students to enter college but also a dramatic fall in college graduation rates. College administrators and researchers admit they do not yet know exactly what works. The most important factor appears to be student preparation, which is mostly beyond a college’s control. But intensive remedial programs seem to make a difference. So does financial aid linked to academic performance. (NYT)
