presented by
KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman
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Second Language Study Increases
Since 2002 enrollments in second-language courses at American colleges and universities jumped 13 percent.
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Ranking Colleges
There are many rankings of colleges but recently a traditional report has come under fire.
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Preserving Magazine Readership
Magazines have always been popular in the US. But, with the threat of the Internet, they have joined forces to promote their importance in an ad campaign.
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For-Profit Colleges
Just about 30 years ago, less than 100,000 students attended for-profit colleges and universities. Today, there are more than 450,000 students at just one school.
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Graduate High School in Two Years
A new system of testing high school coursework with board examinations, modeled after high performing nations will be introduced in the US next year.
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A Look at Women's History
Numerous studies show that women are often the primary bread-winner in a household and the primary homemaker, translating to more money but less time and less satisfaction.
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Girls Benefit From Playing Sports
According to one expert, changes set in motion by Title IX, explain about 20% of the increase in women's education, and a 40% rise in employment for 24-35 year olds.
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Increasing Technology for Teaching
Kids are used to getting information and connecting in digital formats so schools are being encouraged to tap more technology for teaching.
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Older Adults as Entrepreneurs
For more than a decade, those 55 to 64 have reportedly had a higher rate of entrepreneurial activity than any other age group and many are targeting their own demographic.
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Economic Vitality is on the Way
Today, many Americans are pessimistic. Yet, in his new book, Joel Kotkin makes a strong case for a nation of economic vitality.
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Teachers with Math Anxiety
A study from the University of Chicago is the first to examine attitudes of teachers about math and the relationship to student performance.
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Lincoln Revisited
Much has been written about all our presidents; but more books have been written about Lincoln than any other president.
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High Poverty Neighborhoods Set Literacy on Negative Course
Young children who live in neighborhoods with higher rates of poverty show reduced scores on literacy tests even 7 years later, regardless of where they then live.
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A Sad Part of Black History
Although the Constitution's preamble uses the phrase 'secure the blessings of liberty,' Washington had many slaves.
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Sustainability is Coming of Age
The web site for the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education lists 9 universities offering master's degrees in sustainability studies.
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Financial Literacy for Adults
Most people don't understand financial management and few have savings to shield against unexpected events like job loss or emergencies.
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Six-Year-Olds Write and Create
A special reading program at a chronically low performing school in North Philadelphia is having great success by teaching kids to 'write and create'.
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Womenomics
It appears that 'female' qualities, such as collaboration and networking, are becoming more valuable in business.
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What Makes a Good Principal
How do you define a good school principal? Evaluating educators requires more than perceptions and opinions in making judgments.
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Childcare Centers at Prisons
A criminal lawyer who was always bothered by seeing young children visiting parents in jail, has been advocating to change this experience for kids.
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Rent-A-Textbook
Companies like Chegg.com have rented 2 million text books to college students at about half retail price.
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Prolonged Inactivity
A new group of studies links watching TV to higher risk of death.
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Building Emotional Support Into Online Tutoring
Researchers are trying to develop 'emotionally sensitive' computers for tutoring students.
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An Update on the Arts
Clearly, technology is increasing access to the arts, but the economy has reduced attendance at live performances.
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The Need for National Standards
In a 2006 ranking of 15-year-olds in 30 industrialized countries, American teenagers came in 21st in science and 25th in math. Little has changed.
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Are the Humanities Still Important?
Today many young people are focusing on what comes after college. The demand that majors translate into jobs is changing what happens in the classroom.
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Helping Public Schools Succeed
As the year ends, it's good to note those outside of traditional schooling who have devoted great amounts of thought and money to make K-12 education better.
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A Tale of Two Cities
A Philadelphia glass artist and children he is teaching his trade are making stained-glass windows for an impoverished school in Africa.
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Shattering Myths About Older Employees
If you believe that older workers are less adaptable, overly cautious and not willing to learn, you're dealing in stereotypes.
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Good Holiday News: Volunteers Are Increasing
While giving has been on the decline in recent years, more people are reportedly volunteering.
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Giving Kids a Second Chance
At the More Than Words bookshop in Massachusetts lost teens are given a chance to find themselves by helping others.
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Gender Bias in College Admissions
As women have gone from an underrepresented minority to an overrepresented majority on US college campuses, they may now face discrimination.
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Debate Over the Three-Year Bachelor's Degree
It's not a new idea, but some pols are pushing for a 3-year college education which, they say, would require less federal support.
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Corner Stores Contribute to Youth Weight Problems
Many low income kids of elementary school age are overweight and shopping at corner stores near schools is contributing to the problem.
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Issues in Rural Education
The rural student population is very diverse and incredibly disadvantaged economically and, therefore, scholastically as well.
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Altruism and Health
A holistic remedy for chronic pain requires giving of oneself.
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Fellowship Advisors
Fellowship advisors have a code of ethics, not choreographing students to win grants and fellowships, but counseling them.
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The Homebound Workforce
While the figures on unemployment are constantly in the news, one sector of the economy is growing - the at home workforce.
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Online Financial Literacy
While a majority of school districts don't require teaching financial literacy, the economic downturn has motivated growing interest.
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Integrating Schools
Desegregation programs help close the black-white and Latino-white achievement gaps and improve racial attitudes.
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TeacherPlanIt.com
Teacherplanit.com provides a virtually free, sustainable system for teachers to connect with colleagues and collaborate.
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Suicide - A Preventable Death
Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that more than 32,000 people died of suicide in 2008.
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Effectiveness of the Harlem Children's Zone
The Harlem Children's Zone serves 1200 kids with wrap-around community services for minority students and their low income families.
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What Helps in Teaching Math?
Middle school students in Oregon have achieved greater mastery of math than they did three years ago.
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Evaluating Teachers
With the goal to raise student achievement, Washington DC chancellor Michelle Rhea, developed the IMPACT plan for evaluating teachers.
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School Integration By Socioeconomic Levels
About 60 school systems now use socioeconomic status, rather than race when integrating the student population.
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The Price of College
Fifty-eight private colleges are charging $50,000 annually for tuition, fees, room and board but financial assistance is available.
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A National Conversation on Fatherhood
Politicians on both sides of the aisle agree on the importance of fathers in children's' lives but differ in opinions about who should fill that role in fatherless homes.
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Arts Education Makes a Difference
Studies show that educational arts programs are strong motivators for would-be dropouts to stay in school and on the path to graduation.
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Digital Directons
With more schools using computers, educators are looking at differences in how the sexes learn online.
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Helping New Americans
Philadelphia is re-emerging as a gateway destination for those coming to our country and there are a number of services available to help them.
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How Teachers Feel About the Profession
Researchers categorizing teachers' opinions of their profession identify them as disheartened, contented or idealistic.
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Sleuthing for Words
Jon Simon is a word sleuth -- finding information for the Oxford English Dictionary by going back in time. Just how far back he must go, depends on the word.
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Career Academies
The National Career Academy Coalition will hold its annual conference in Philadelphia next month - 40 years after the first one was started - in Philadelphia.
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The Power of Poker
That assessing of risk and other strategies that apply to poker are now being studied formally at universities as a teaching tool.
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50 Colleges That Rival the Ivy League
The Hidden Ivies describes 50 top colleges that are not officially 'Ivy League', but in a league of their own nonetheless.
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Is Handwriting Important?
Education Week reports 26% of 12th graders lack basic proficiency in writing.
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Motivating Kids for College
Fifteen hundred Ohio State University students have been recruited to encourage kids in Columbus to prepare for college.
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College Orientation
Today, college orientation is a way for new students to build relationships with classmates, get to know faculty and become involved with activities.
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Family Dinners
A growing number of studies suggest that family dinners have a positive effect on the nutrition, mental health and stress level of adolescent teens.
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Encore Parents
They're known as "encore parents" - grandparents who are raising their grandchildren - and there are more than 2 million in the US.
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Nxt Up Education
A group of educators trying to help Philadelphia's kids will showcase some innovative ideas at an event later this month.
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Educating Girls
In some of the world's poorest countries the economy is suffering because girls don't get an education.
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Pennsylvania Makes Diplomas Mean More
According to the chairman of the State Board of Education, Pennsylvania is about to make the biggest change in high school since the 1960's.
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Race to the Top
'Race for the Top' is the Education Department's $4.35 billion competitive award fund, implementing four interconnected reforms.
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Quality Education for Every Child
It's a sad commentary that the fight for equity is still being fought all over the nation. A new book chronicles the courtroom battles.
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Getting Students Hooked on Science
A Temple University professor who teaches a core- required science course to non-science majors has come up with a way to hook them.
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Midnight Oil College Courses
At a community college in Massachusetts, 2 course are being offered from 11:45pm to 2:30am.
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Fighting Youth Violence in Chicago
Last year, 34 students were killed and 290 more were shot in Chicago, despite many programs created to curb violence.
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60 Second Recap.com
This web site and it's creator - may well change the way students learn about classic works of literature.
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The 'i3'
The i3 is $650 million fund for investing in educational innovation - not just new ideas but solutions.
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Careers in Technology
Employment opportunities in the high-tech field of computers will continue to grow throughout the decade.
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Looking for Social Entrepreneurs
If you're between the ages of 18 and 35, here's a chance to realize your dream to improve the world.
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Crisis in the Kindergarten
In most kindergartens today children spend far more time on literacy and math than they do in socialization and exploration.
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Online Education Versus the Classroom
A new report suggests students in online learning conditions perform better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.
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Teaching About the Civil Rights Movement
Mississippi is to become the first state in the nation to mandate teaching about civil rights.
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Study Abroad
Studying abroad may help Americans cope with globalization, migration, increasing economic interdependence, and communication.
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Deaf History and Awareness Month
September is "Deaf History and Awareness Month", not simply Deaf Awareness Month.
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Dropping Enrollments in Public Schools
Enrollment in urban public schools is low as students have left for charters, private and parochial schools and suburban districts with open enrollment.
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President Motivates African Americans to Volunteer
A recent survey found the number of African American parents planning to volunteer this school year jumped by 37% in contrast to a 6% rise in white parents.
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Beep Baseball
Beep Baseball, started in 1976, is a game for the visually impaired which got its name because teams play with balls that beep.
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DonorsChoose.Org
DonorsChoose.org is a website dedicated to teacher requests for classroom contributions with an easy way to give online.
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The Justice Detention Alternative Initiative
The JDAI is a reform program for juvenile delinquents that focuses on positive family interventions and results in fewer kids getting locked up.
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Young Playwrights
A Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and nominee for a Tony Award shares her talents with young playwrights in Philadelphia.
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Young Playwrights
A Pulitzer Prize winner for drama and nominee for a Tony Award shares her talents with young playwrights in Philadelphia.
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The Influence of Sigmund Freud
It is hard to imagine a time when psychiatry was no part of medical training as 'Freudian' therapy is now commonplace.
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Youth Volunteerism Up
Whether you call it civic engagement, volunteerism or service, it's encouraging to know that more young people are doing good.
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What Happened in August?
Noteworthy are the many people born and important events that took place in August that made a mark on the world.
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Forensic Nursing
Forensic nursing is a relatively new field that equips nurses to be able to look at a wound and perhaps tell what weapon was used.
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Buffet Helps Kids Invest
Most of us would love financial advice from Warren Buffet, however his new cartoon series is aimed at kids.
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Hurt People, Hurt People
Research shows that violence and trauma impact children and adults in negative ways and they often become violent themselves.
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The Status of Women in Pennsylvania 2009
In 2003, Pennsylvania was ranked as one of the ten worst states for women. Things are better but there's still progress to be made.
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Calling Nancy Drew
Supreme Court candidate Sonia Sotomayor, former congresswoman Pat Schroeder and House speaker Nancy Pelosi are all Nancy Drew fans.
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Esperanto - An International Language
Esperanto, an artificial tongue meant to bring peace to humanity, hasn't really caught on.
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Racing to the Moon
For those who weren't around for the moon landing, or those whose memories have dimmed, the time is right for a good book.
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Getting Boys to Read
Authors, librarians and teachers share strategies to shrink gender gap in reading that leaves boys lagging behind girls.
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Will Electronics Help Obese Teens?
Researchers are working on a device that could motivate someone obese to get moving when they've been sedentary too long.
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The Legacy of Julius Caesar
July was not always the name of the 7th month of the Gregorian calendar. It was named after the famed Roman emperor Julius Caesar.
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Communal Teaching
Recent studies on communal learning have shown that African American kids in particular often perform better in cooperative groups.
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July Reading
Those who leave school in June and return in September can lose as much as 2 months in skills if they don't read.
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Helping Struggling Teachers
How to help struggling teachers improve achievement is a nationwide concern of both school management and union leaders.
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Two Students - World's Apart
A story in the Los Angeles Times talks about 20 miles between two studentsthat exemplifies - "a social chasm so deep as to seem unbridgeable."
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Positive Behavior Support
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) - now in about 8,000 schools - is increasing student success by changing school environment.
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Brain Research
Chronic stress from growing up poor—households with job loss, delinquent bills, moving often--appears to have impact on the brain.
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Tracking Students
The tracking of students on academic performance creates controversy because it tends to break down classes along socioeconomic and racial lines.
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Education Reform in Philadelphia
Science Leadership Academy, SLA, one of Philadelphia's newer high schools has garnered national attention.
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Women in Science
Why do more girls go into the humanities fields even though they test on par with boys when it comes to math and science?
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More Effective Teachers
Studies indicate that recruiting more effective teachers, like those in Teach for America, is the key to student achievement.
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Drastic Measures to Improve School Attendance
Cracking down on parents of truant students has made a difference in attendance in San Francisco's public schools.
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Teachers at $125,000 a Year
The Equity Project is a new school in New York where top notch teachers are paid top dollar to inspire low income kids to learn.
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Harvard's Woes
Harvard, the nation's richest university lost $8 billion of its endowment last year. While there is still plenty of money to be spent, some cuts have been made.
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Mom Corps: A Non-Traditional Headhunter
'Mom Corps' is a national staffing company that matches professional women with flexible work opportunities.
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Dark Themes in Young Adult Fiction
In recent years, young adult fiction has changed from clothes and crushes to books that are dark and life-threatening.
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A New Degree and Exam: Doctor Nurses
'Doctor Nurses' may fill the gap where primary care physicians are scarce.
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Loan Forgiveness
Since financing loan forgiveness depends on state budgets, programs are being sharply cut and even eliminated.
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Using Stimulus Money
According to the Associated Press, the nation's schools will get about $100 billion over the life of the new stimulus law - how should it be spent?
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PrisonMail.org
Prisonmail.org converts emails into letters and sends them to prisoners.
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Finding Jobs
Times are tough but graduates struggling to find jobs should keep in mind government, teaching and healthcare have great opportunities.
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Early Warnings of Later Failure
The Early Warning Indicators Project found that struggling middle grade students show signs of distress as early as 6th grade.
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Bad Times for College Baseball
Both Northern Iowa and Vermont Universities have announced that they're eliminating their programs next year and other schools may follow suit.
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Teaching English Language Learners
School districts throughout the nation are facings shortages of teachers for English language learners.
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School Success at No Extra Cost
Jay Mathews, a well-respected education reporter, suggests some ideas for school success without spending a dime.
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Afghan Girls Attend Classes in Danger
According to a report on NPR, public education is among the many casualties of the war in Afghanistan.
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Summer Reading
Research shows that kids who don't read from June through September tend to lose 2-3 months in skills.
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Career Changes
In March of this year, New Jersey lawmakers approved a pilot program called Traders to Teachers, and many are making the switch.
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Teachinig Civility
The Allentown, Pa. school district was recently awarded the Compass Award in recognition of its successful school violence prevention project.
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Older Americans
It's estimated that 50 million people, 17% of our population, will be older than 65 by 2020 - but not too old to earn.
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Chinese Applicants to College
Ten years ago, the University of Virginia had only 17 Chinese applicants. This year, there are more than 800.
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Finding Non-profit Career Opportunities
Many non-profit opportunities will be expanded by the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, passed on March 31st.
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Women's Wellness Health Kiosks
The Women's Wellness Kiosk is a free-standing touch screen unit that educates people on health and other isssues in Spanish or English.
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School Sports
Athletics play an important role in our society and most athletes start their careers in middle and high school.
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Beyond the Final Four
Despite controversy, the NCAA defends making money off 'March Madness' and the college athletes involved.
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Nanotechnology Moving into High School Curriculum
Even though it's is hard to define, Nanotechnology is a growing field that we all should learn more about and try to understand.
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Public Education in Pennsylvania
The 175th anniversary of public education in Pennsylvania is being recognized by the Pennsylvania School Boards Association.
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A Four Day School Week
School administrators argue that eliminating a day of classes through extending the school day would save money without sacrificing education.
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Poetry 180
April is National Poetry Month, a good time for teachers to start sharing the pleasures of poetry with their students.
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Baby Boomers Ending Teacher Shortage
More than 50% of the nation’s teachers and principals are baby boomers and they're planning to retire, maybe.
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Strategizing the Job Market
Those graduating from college next month will be facing the worst job market in decades but a new book could help.
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Encouraging Older Adults for Community and National Service
If you're 55 and over a new bill passed by Congress will expand your opportunities for community and national service.
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A Part of Our History - Pullman Porters
For almost 100 years, trains offering overnight service, were staffed by Pullman porters -- black men who delivered immaculate service.
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Technology Links Ill Kids to Their Classrooms
Even though she has not been in school for a while, a 7-year-old girl with leukemia joins her class every morning by video hookup.
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Assessing Reading Skills
Since it's been shown by research that the key to comprehension is familiarity and context, reform in test material seems indicated.
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More Hours to Learn
With high numbers of low achievers, educators are looking for extra time to teach and there are reportedly hundreds of new initiatives.
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Reading Fiction is Up
Data from the National Endowment for the Arts indicates that, for the first time in 25 years, fiction reading is on the rise.
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Making Teaching Relevant
It's no longer the 3 R's only that help kids learn but another ingredient is relevance in teaching. Here are two examples.
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News for Women's History
Congress declared March as Women’s History Month in 1987. We've come a long way and the newly announced White House Council on Women and Girls promises more equity to come.
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Motivating Kids to Wear Seatbelts
Approximately 80% of kids are immunized against contagious diseases, but less than 10% are properly restrained while riding in a car.
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Adult Literacy Needs
Twenty-two percent of Philadelphia's adult population is considered illiterate, meaning they can't read or write well enough to complete a job application.
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School Districts Deal with Shortfalls
With the worst economic outlook in decades, the Boston Globe reports on ways some school districts are being creative.
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Writing: No Longer Pen and Paper
A recent report suggest that writing is no longer pen and paper but e-mails, Facebook entries, text messages, blogs and the like.
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Saving Lives
While we think of the Red Cross primarily as providing disaster relief and blood, education is a vital part of its mission.
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Book Censorship
As long as the written word has existed, it has been a target for censorship. Despite protests by those defending freedom of speech, challenges continue about books deemed inappropriate for young readers.
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Success Centers
Success Centers -- the name spells the purpose -- are places that motivate kids to prepare for their futures. Twelve Success Centers began last year in some of Philadelphia’s poorest high schools with the greatest need for academic and social assistance.
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Equity for Women Leaders
It’s March -- Women’s History Month -- and the history of women administrators in our public schools is not a good one. Think about it: of the schools that you’ve attended have there been many women at the helm?
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