Technical Education

Okay, it’s not exactly what Rupert might condone, but since he and his crew are preoccupied and because our News Nuggets shop has plenty to do, I offer some education highlights from my weekend reading:

Charter Fights Move to the Suburbs Winnie Hu had a front-page story in the Sunday New York Times documenting a small trend in the charter movement to open more of the independent public schools in suburbs: about one in five of the nation’s 5,000 charters are now in the ‘burbs.  Not surprisingly, the story raises some existential questions about public education.  Mike calls attention to the article in his Myth of the “good” school post this morning, pointing out that “One person’s `good school’ is another person’s `bad fit.’”  But there is also a  financial question here, which is whether we can afford a good school, or even a good fit, for everyone. Is the computer the answer? Just as we citizens and t

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By Friday, 18 Indiana schools facing state takeover will learn whether they made enough test score gains to avoid that fate.

Those that didn’t could be turned over to be run by private companies — a first for Indiana — as soon as the 2012-13 school year.

State takeover would be among the most controversial moves of state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett’s two-year push for education reform.

“We want these schools to get dramatically better for the students they serve,” said Jim Larson, who heads the state’s turnaround effort.

including Arlington, Broad Ripple, Howe, Manual, Northwest and Washington high schools — waiting to learn if they continue to face state takeover.

Superintendent Eugene White said preliminary scores for those schools are good, and they give him hope.

“I’m encouraged we can get a few schools off probation,” he said. “We’ve had some improvements.

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Purdue University hopes to keep Indiana’s brightest students in the state through a proposed honors college that would pair top students and faculty in an academically rigorous environment.

Purdue trustees voted Tuesday to approve the honors college, which will replace the seven-year-old University Honors Program, along with specific honors programs offered by five campus colleges.

“We have the opportunity to keep Indiana students in Indiana, which I think is a very important proposal,” said associate provost Dennis Savaiano. “It will be a low-cost option to what other cost with tuition and fees.”

University officials are still working out details of the program, including its total cost, admission policies and course design.

Trustee Bruce White urged Purdue to ensure that the program is distinguished from regular campus programs in order to attract top students.

As we have documented in previous blog posts, candidates for bachelors degrees are leaving college with an average of $24,000 in educational debt and increasing numbers of college students struggle to repay their student loans.

For those who pursue advanced and professional degrees, the situation is also dire. For example, the American Bar Associations Legal Education Statistics for the 2008-2009 academic year indicate that the average amount borrowed by law school graduates attending public school was $66,045. Private law school graduates had borrowed $100,003.

Compounding the problem is a weak economy with fewer jobs. Law schools are increasingly aware of this problem and, as reported by the New York Times, some are taking dramatic steps such as retroactively inflating grades in an attempt to help their graduates employment prospects.

And while programs like Income-Based Repayment and Public Service Loan Forgiveness can help after you graduate, reducing your initial debt burden can be trickier.

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Matthew Stewart, a stay-at-home dad in a wealthy New Jersey suburb, is leading a battle against the boutique charter schools that are being planned for his community.

“I’m in favor of a quality education for everyone,” Stewart told Winnie Hu of the New York Times. “In suburban areas like Millburn, there’s no evidence whatsoever that the local school district is not doing its job. So what’s the rationale for a charter school?”

Great question! With an easy answer: different parents define quality education differently. One persons good school is another persons bad fit. Stewart may love his public schools, which might do an excellent job providing a straight-down-the-middle education to its (mostly affluent) charges. But the parents developing a nearby charter school want something more. (Namely, a Mandarin-immersion experience for their kids.) For which Mr. Stewart label

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