Summer Reading & Despedidas
June 30, 2017 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. Summer reading programs and improving admissions at selective high schools are discussed in the K-12 community. Institutions and advocates look at new ideas for supporting low-income college students.
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Elementary & Secondary Education:
- Admissions practices at selective public high schools “leave much to be desired” in terms of promoting student diversity, states The Conversation. The article promotes embracing the foundations of the Making Caring Common project to support enrollment equity.
- A new study from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) finds that students from low-income homes benefit more from summer reading programs than their wealthier peers. The Boston Globe quotes one of the MIT researchers’ explanation: “Summer is when socioeconomic status takes its biggest toll. [Poor] kids typically have less academic content in their summer activities compared to [rich kids], and that results in a slump in their skills.”
- Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality releases a new study determining that adults view “black girls [as needing] less nurturing, protection, support and comfort than white girls” which may cause harsher disciplination at school, says The Huffington Post.
Higher Education:
- ABC News reports on the “surprisingly large” number of college students experiencing homelessness.
- In a commentary for Education Week, Kate Schwass states that free community college may not be a panacea for all low-income students. She writes, “in many cases, low-income high school graduates stand a better chance than they expect of attending and affording a four-year college or university—where they’re more likely to graduate with a degree.”
- Houston Public Media describes how EMERGE, a local college advising organization, held a despedida or send-off, as a way to include parents and families before their students embarked on a summer college tour.
Cooke Foundation Highlights:
- In The News & Observer, Dr. Mary Ruth Coleman states that closing the Excellence Gap in North Carolina “demands committed leadership, sufficient resources, effective strategies and caring and capable educators, as well as strong partnerships with families.” Dr. Coleman says, “it’s time now to move to an A-plus” on the Cooke Foundation’s state report cards.
- Cooke Scholar Neisha Gamble discusses the “hard talks” on injustice she will have to share with her future children in Odyssey.
Social Media Spotlight: