Celebrating Students and Supporting College Goals
May 3, 2019 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. This week marked the fifth annual College Signing Day. Read about new research, resources, and recommendations for supporting students with financial need.
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Elementary & Secondary Education:
- “The most well-resourced public schools also are the ones that are most likely to receive an infusion of tax-free charitable contributions from parents,” reports Phi Delta Kappan. The article includes strategies for equity-minded district leaders.
- New research summarized in The Hechinger Report examines how changing practices for gifted identification would affect demographic diversity and achievement levels.
- “Students who qualify for free or subsidized lunch are significantly less likely than their wealthier peers to play instruments outside of school,” finds an analysis from Education Commission of the States.
- College Greenlight publishes its annual list of college fly-in programs. The listing includes 86 colleges and universities that offer opportunities for rising high school seniors with financial need to visit their campuses.
Higher Education:
- Former First Lady Michelle Obama and Reach Higher hosted the fifth annual College Signing Day. The Los Angeles Times describes the excitement at this year’s celebration, which included a spotlight on Cooke Transfer Scholars and other community college students.
- A nationwide survey of college students determines that 45 percent have experienced food insecurity in the past month, and 56 percent have experienced housing insecurity over the previous year. MarketWatch provides an overview of the findings and recommendations from the Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice.
- In RealClearEducation, Julie Peller explains how policies that address financial aid obstacles, non-tuition costs, and student-parent needs could help support the success of today’s college students.
Cooke Foundation Highlights:
- “My internship experience has given me a greater perspective of policy advocacy and how to use the legislative process to address issues of equity for my community,” says Cooke Scholar An Garagiola-Bernier of her accomplishments in the Citizens League‘s Capitol Pathways program.
- Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) receives the 2019 National Partnership for Educational Access (NPEA) and Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Award for Excellence in Educational Access. In a press release, Executive Director Seppy Basili states: “LEDA is truly a leader in educational equity, and it should come as no surprise that its successful model prioritizes building a community of scholars.”
- Our new cohort of Cooke College Scholars continues to receive media attention. The Philadelphia Tribune features Nicole Harrington and the Salina Journal profiles Gage Roberts.
- 2019 Cooke Transfer Scholars are also making headlines. Read about Daniela Cervantes in The Baltimore Sun; Matthew Wilson and Sukhrob Abdushukurov in Campus News; Laura Bisono Medina in the Association of Latin American Alumni‘s updates; and Taima Al-Iriani from Northern Virginia Community College.
Social Media Spotlight:
Photo header: Foundation staff celebrate College Signing Day with college shirts and banners representing their alma maters.