High-Achieving Students & Equitable Education Offerings

Posted January 17, 2020 | By Cooke Foundation Staff

Cooke Young Scholars tour college campuses as part of exploring their postsecondary plans.

January 17, 2019 – Here’s what we’re reading this week about the issues affecting high-achieving students. Across the country, public schools consider new approaches to identifying and serving advanced learners. Higher ed looks at equity and basic needs.

Do you know an academically talented 7th grader? Encourage them to apply for the Cooke Young Scholars Program, a selective pre-college scholarship that offers educational support to exceptionally promising students from across the nation. Cooke Young Scholars receive comprehensive advising and scholarship support from 8th grade until high school graduation. The application deadline is March 23, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. ET.

 

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Elementary & Secondary Education:

  • A transition to universal screening, instead of relying on teacher recommendations, has helped identify an additional 600 gifted and talented students in Memphis, Tennessee. Chalkbeat reports that this change in practice has already significantly increased the program’s overall participation.
  • A new bill was recently introduced in Washington state that would require schools to develop individualized learning plans for gifted students before phasing out separate gifted classes. As The Seattle Times discusses, this bill would intervene in the recent Seattle controversy over gifted and talented programs in the city.
  • New York City Department of Education’s decision to eliminate gifted and talented programs has stirred up debate among parents, teachers, and students. Erin Richards of USA Today looks at why one school in Brooklyn is moving forward with keeping its program amidst the controversy.

 

Higher Education:

  • New data from the College Board indicates that individuals with a bachelor’s degree will earn $400,000 more in their lifetimes than individuals who do not graduate college. This research, covered in Education Dive, comes at a time when many have been questioning the value of a college degree.
  • A new brief from CLASP outlines strategies for states looking to support college students’ basic needs for housing, food, and health care.

 

Cooke Foundation Highlights:

  • An article in The Florida Weekly’s Key West edition spotlights “From the Top”, which promotes young classical musicians. Performers will include Aram Kim, an accomplished violinist and recipient of the Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award.
  • A new program at The Carleton College Summer Liberal Arts Institute will allow Cooke Young Scholars to take summer courses at the prestigious liberal arts university, as was outlined in the Northfield News.
  • Belinda H. Y. Chiu mentions the Foundation’s work in her interview with Inside Higher Ed, while sharing her insights on mindfulness and intentionality in the college admissions process.

 

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Photo header: Cooke Young Scholars tour college campuses as part of exploring their postsecondary plans.