Colleges deferring more students

USA Today - February 21, 2012

With a growing number of seniors applying for "early action" from colleges, more are being deferred, reports this February 21, 2012 article in USA Today.

The article goes on to suggest that deferred applicants should keep up senior-year grades since all schools want midyear grades from deferred applicants and that students can also submit new accomplishments, awards or udpated test scores.

"A letter reaffirming interest in the school is a good move," it says.

US school rankings called into question

USA Today - February 16, 2012

A new analysis suggests that US schools may not be as bad as some rankings suggest, reports this February 16, 2012 article in USA Today.

A researcher from the Brookings Institution says that when nations with statistically indistinguishable scores were grouped together, the U.S. group - which includes Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands - were essentially in fifth place worldwide.

The observation comes when the sagging performance of the U.S. has become a key theme among education reformers.

Homeschool profile changes

USA Today - February 14, 2012

While government records suggest religion is still the driving force in home schooling, many say parents disillusioned with schools is what's changing the face of homeschooling.

2007 government statistics show 83.3% of parents named "a desire to provide religious and moral instruction" as an important reason to homeschool but some homeschoolers say those statistics are miselading. They point out that moral instruction does not necessarily mean evangelical christian instruction and parents may simply be seeking a better education.

The Dyslexic Brain

Diane Rehm Show - February 15, 2012

This February 15, 2012 edition of the Diane Rehm Show discusses recent research that suggests that dyslexia confers certain advantages, such as sharper peripheral and three dimensional vision.

Guests address the challenges that come with the disorder and developments in scientists' understanding of it.

Foreigners choosing NYC public schools

The New York Times - February 14, 2012

A February 14, 2012 article in The New York Times says the majority of wealthy foreign-born New Yorkers are sending their children to public schools, according to census data.

With 68 percent of households with both parents born abroad choosing public over private, the rate is nearly double the rate of American-born parents in the same income bracket.

The article, which is generating hundreds of comments, says many foreign-born parents are being swayed by the greater ethnic and economic diversity of the public schools.