You apply to be an undergraduate teaching assistant for a particular semester. Due to the nature of the VIGRE grant, you must be a US Citizen or Permanent Resident to participate in the UTA Program. (If you are neither a US Citizen nor a Permanent Resident, there may be another scholarship, fellowship, teaching assistantship, or research assistantship opportunities available to you. Please consult the Math Center for current opportunities.) You must also be a math major at the University to be accepted into the UTA program.
Applying for Spring 2007
Procedure
Prior to the deadline (November 28), you must do all of the following:
* Locate a faculty sponsor and write a proposal ofplanned activities. If you need help locating a sponsor or coming up with suitable activities, please contact the UTA Program coordinator for assistance.
* Ask the faculty sponsor to write a letter of support. Note that this is not the same as your letter of recommendation writer.
* Ask one of your math teachers to write a letter of recommendation on your behalf.
* Download and complete the application form.
* Deliver all materials to one of the UTA coordinators. Turn in your application to J.P. Cossey or Matt Salomone via their mailboxes in Math 108.
* Sign up for the mathematics skills test, take the test, and pass the test.
Deadline
Selection is competitive. Your application form should be
submitted to the UTA Program coordinators by November 28, 2007.
more info click here
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Postdoctoral Position in G Protein Signaling, University of Texas Southwestern
Location: USA
DeadlinE: 2008-Mar-10
To study mechanisms of signal amplification, integration and timing in receptor-G protein-effector systems. We work both with purified proteins and in cells. We try to focus on essential mechanisms of signaling and quantitative interpretation of experiments. We use both traditional biochemical and cellular measurements as well as data from fluorescence sensors .
Strong applicants could come from a signaling background or from other areas of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular pharmacology or computational/systems biology. You will dig into all of these areas before you leave.
Applicants should send a CV, a brief statement describing their research interests and the names and contact information for three referees.
Feel free to call or email me for questions; our lab web site is ancient and is about to be replaced.
Elliott M. Ross
Department of Pharmacology
Graduate Programs in Cell Regulation and Molecular Biophysics
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
6001 Forest Park Dr.
Dallas, TX 75390-9041
Email: rossatutsw.swmed.edu
DeadlinE: 2008-Mar-10
To study mechanisms of signal amplification, integration and timing in receptor-G protein-effector systems. We work both with purified proteins and in cells. We try to focus on essential mechanisms of signaling and quantitative interpretation of experiments. We use both traditional biochemical and cellular measurements as well as data from fluorescence sensors .
Strong applicants could come from a signaling background or from other areas of biochemistry, biophysics, molecular pharmacology or computational/systems biology. You will dig into all of these areas before you leave.
Applicants should send a CV, a brief statement describing their research interests and the names and contact information for three referees.
Feel free to call or email me for questions; our lab web site is ancient and is about to be replaced.
Elliott M. Ross
Department of Pharmacology
Graduate Programs in Cell Regulation and Molecular Biophysics
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
6001 Forest Park Dr.
Dallas, TX 75390-9041
Email: rossatutsw.swmed.edu
Jazz in as Music Scholarships
Jazz in Arizona, Inc.,a 501© (3) organization, accepts applications for scholarships throughout the year, and generally makes awards on a quarterly basis. JiA’s primary focus is to assist emerging jazz musician (vocalists and instrumentalists) in their development of granting scholarships for performance and educational purposes.
Awards will be made on the basis of demonstrated music achievement, talent potential, and financial need. The amounts awarded will vary depending on the specific purpose of the applicants request. Generally, the amount awarded is a supplement to other sources of support used to fund the applicant’s performance and educational needs.
Eligibility:
* Be between the ages of 14 and 22, and have evidence of success in a formal music program of study (typically high school, college or private instruction);
* Are pursuing a life-long activity of studying and performing jazz;
* If you have not been a member of a group that has recorded commercially-released recordings;
* If you have never signed contracts with any booking agent or manager.
Criteria:
* Application may be submitted at any time.
* A completed JiA application form
* Enrollment schedule that includes music instruction
* Letters of recommendation from applicant’s instructor(s)
* If receiving financial aid, a copy of the award letter.
For application and further information contact Mrs. Ginny Walters in the Career Center or Mr. David Duarte, DVHS band director, in room 1001.
Jazz in Arizona, Inc.
P.O. Box 9651
Scottsdale, AZ 85252-9651
Phone: (480) 994-0807
info@JazzinAZ.org
Awards will be made on the basis of demonstrated music achievement, talent potential, and financial need. The amounts awarded will vary depending on the specific purpose of the applicants request. Generally, the amount awarded is a supplement to other sources of support used to fund the applicant’s performance and educational needs.
Eligibility:
* Be between the ages of 14 and 22, and have evidence of success in a formal music program of study (typically high school, college or private instruction);
* Are pursuing a life-long activity of studying and performing jazz;
* If you have not been a member of a group that has recorded commercially-released recordings;
* If you have never signed contracts with any booking agent or manager.
Criteria:
* Application may be submitted at any time.
* A completed JiA application form
* Enrollment schedule that includes music instruction
* Letters of recommendation from applicant’s instructor(s)
* If receiving financial aid, a copy of the award letter.
For application and further information contact Mrs. Ginny Walters in the Career Center or Mr. David Duarte, DVHS band director, in room 1001.
Jazz in Arizona, Inc.
P.O. Box 9651
Scottsdale, AZ 85252-9651
Phone: (480) 994-0807
info@JazzinAZ.org
PhD Studentships in the Biophysical Sciences Institute, Durham University
Location: UK
These posts are funded by an EPSRC grant to create a world leading research team whose overriding goal is to exploit creative research based on the most recent discoveries of biological sensory systems. This will involve the design and development of new bio-inspired sensing and signal transmission technologies which have the potential to be integrated within the body to create the next generation of diagnostic and self healing solutions. The research will require the integration of technologies including ion channel and electronic transport mechanisms, chemical interactions and membrane assembly techniques, biocompatibility of materials, signal transmission etc.
This is a multidisciplinary project requiring the successful candidates to work in the disciplines of neurophysiology, and electronic and material engineering with Dr Sherri Johnstone (Engineering) and Dr Susan Pyner (Biological and Biomedical Sciences). Thus, excellent communication skills and a willingness to learn and apply new scientific concepts are essential.
Applications for the PhD studentships are invited from candidates who have an upper second class or first class undergraduate masters degree in a mathematically based science or engineering subject. Tuition fees are provided at Home and EU rate. Successful overseas candidates will need to source funding for the extra overseas rate. Please refer to http://www.dur.ac.uk/postgraduate/financ e/tuition/ and http://www.dur.ac.uk/international/fees/postgraduate/to compare the Home and Overseas rates.
Enquiries should be made to Dr Sherri Johnstone sherri.johnstoneatdurham.ac.uk or tel: 0191 334 2445 and applications should be made online via the webpage https://jobs.dur.ac.uk/
These posts are funded by an EPSRC grant to create a world leading research team whose overriding goal is to exploit creative research based on the most recent discoveries of biological sensory systems. This will involve the design and development of new bio-inspired sensing and signal transmission technologies which have the potential to be integrated within the body to create the next generation of diagnostic and self healing solutions. The research will require the integration of technologies including ion channel and electronic transport mechanisms, chemical interactions and membrane assembly techniques, biocompatibility of materials, signal transmission etc.
This is a multidisciplinary project requiring the successful candidates to work in the disciplines of neurophysiology, and electronic and material engineering with Dr Sherri Johnstone (Engineering) and Dr Susan Pyner (Biological and Biomedical Sciences). Thus, excellent communication skills and a willingness to learn and apply new scientific concepts are essential.
Applications for the PhD studentships are invited from candidates who have an upper second class or first class undergraduate masters degree in a mathematically based science or engineering subject. Tuition fees are provided at Home and EU rate. Successful overseas candidates will need to source funding for the extra overseas rate. Please refer to http://www.dur.ac.uk/postgraduate/financ e/tuition/ and http://www.dur.ac.uk/international/fees/postgraduate/to compare the Home and Overseas rates.
Enquiries should be made to Dr Sherri Johnstone sherri.johnstoneatdurham.ac.uk or tel: 0191 334 2445 and applications should be made online via the webpage https://jobs.dur.ac.uk/
2008 International Dissertation Research Fellowships
Deadline: November 6, 2007 at 9pm EST
The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) program supports distinguished graduate students in the humanities and social sciences conducting dissertation research outside the United States. Seventy-five fellowships will be awarded in 2008 with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The IDRF program is committed to scholarship that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies grounded in empirical and site-specific research (involving fieldwork, research in archival or manuscript collections, or quantitative data collection). The program promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region and is engaged with interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives.
Fellowships will provide support for nine to twelve months of dissertation research. Individual awards will be approximately $20,000. No awards will be made for proposals requiring less than nine months of on-site research. The 2008 IDRF fellowship must be held for a single continuous period within the eighteen months between July 2008 and December 2009.
The program is administered by the Social Science Research Council in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies.
Eligibility
The program is open to full-time graduate students in the humanities and social sciences — regardless of citizenship — enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States. Applicants must complete all Ph.D. requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2008, whichever comes first.
The program invites proposals for empirical and site-specific dissertation research outside the United States. It will consider applications for dissertation research grounded in a single site, informed by broader cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as applications for multi-sited, comparative, and transregional research. Proposals that identify the US as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals which focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible. Proposals may cover all periods in history, but must address topics that have relevance to contemporary issues and debates.
Students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in public policy, public health, and education, may be eligible to apply if their research projects engage directly with broader theoretical and analytical issues in the humanities and social sciences. The program does not accept applications from Ph.D. programs in law, business, medicine, nursing or journalism. Students who have already received nine months or more of support for dissertation research in one country are not eligible to apply to the IDRF to extend the research time in the same country.
Selection Criteria
The IDRF program is committed to scholarship that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies and that is empirical and site specific (involving many kinds of fieldwork and surveys, research in archival or manuscript collections, or quantitative data collection). The program promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region and is engaged with interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives. Proposals may cover all periods in history, but must address topics that have relevance to contemporary issues and debates.
The IDRF competition thus promotes a range of approaches and research designs beyond single site or single country research, including comparative work at the national and regional levels (that may in some cases rely on secondary literature) and explicit comparison of cases across time frames. The program is open to proposals informed by a range of methodologies in the humanities and social sciences, both quantitative and qualitative, that seek to answer research questions through sustained empirical, site-specific and source-driven investigations. The IDRF program will not support study at foreign universities, conference participation, short research trips abroad or projects relying primarily on labwork.
Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multi-disciplinary and cross-regional. Proposals should display a thorough knowledge of the major concepts,theories, and methods in the applicant’s discipline and in other related fields as well as a bibliography relevant to the research. Applicants should specify why an extended period of on-site research is critical for successful completion of the proposed doctoral dissertation. The research design of proposals should be realistic in scope, clearly formulated, and responsive to theoretical and methodological concerns. Applicants should provide evidence of having attained an appropriate level of training to undertake the proposed research, including evidence of a degree of language fluency sufficient to complete the project.
Application Timeline
Application Deadline: November 6, 2007 at 9pm EST
Award Notification: April 2008
Research: July 2008 through December 2009
Useful Links:
* FAQ
* Online application
Via: official announcement
The International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) program supports distinguished graduate students in the humanities and social sciences conducting dissertation research outside the United States. Seventy-five fellowships will be awarded in 2008 with funds provided by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The IDRF program is committed to scholarship that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies grounded in empirical and site-specific research (involving fieldwork, research in archival or manuscript collections, or quantitative data collection). The program promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region and is engaged with interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives.
Fellowships will provide support for nine to twelve months of dissertation research. Individual awards will be approximately $20,000. No awards will be made for proposals requiring less than nine months of on-site research. The 2008 IDRF fellowship must be held for a single continuous period within the eighteen months between July 2008 and December 2009.
The program is administered by the Social Science Research Council in partnership with the American Council of Learned Societies.
Eligibility
The program is open to full-time graduate students in the humanities and social sciences — regardless of citizenship — enrolled in doctoral programs in the United States. Applicants must complete all Ph.D. requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2008, whichever comes first.
The program invites proposals for empirical and site-specific dissertation research outside the United States. It will consider applications for dissertation research grounded in a single site, informed by broader cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as applications for multi-sited, comparative, and transregional research. Proposals that identify the US as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals which focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible. Proposals may cover all periods in history, but must address topics that have relevance to contemporary issues and debates.
Students enrolled in Ph.D. programs in public policy, public health, and education, may be eligible to apply if their research projects engage directly with broader theoretical and analytical issues in the humanities and social sciences. The program does not accept applications from Ph.D. programs in law, business, medicine, nursing or journalism. Students who have already received nine months or more of support for dissertation research in one country are not eligible to apply to the IDRF to extend the research time in the same country.
Selection Criteria
The IDRF program is committed to scholarship that advances knowledge about non-U.S. cultures and societies and that is empirical and site specific (involving many kinds of fieldwork and surveys, research in archival or manuscript collections, or quantitative data collection). The program promotes research that is situated in a specific discipline and geographical region and is engaged with interdisciplinary and cross-regional perspectives. Proposals may cover all periods in history, but must address topics that have relevance to contemporary issues and debates.
The IDRF competition thus promotes a range of approaches and research designs beyond single site or single country research, including comparative work at the national and regional levels (that may in some cases rely on secondary literature) and explicit comparison of cases across time frames. The program is open to proposals informed by a range of methodologies in the humanities and social sciences, both quantitative and qualitative, that seek to answer research questions through sustained empirical, site-specific and source-driven investigations. The IDRF program will not support study at foreign universities, conference participation, short research trips abroad or projects relying primarily on labwork.
Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multi-disciplinary and cross-regional. Proposals should display a thorough knowledge of the major concepts,theories, and methods in the applicant’s discipline and in other related fields as well as a bibliography relevant to the research. Applicants should specify why an extended period of on-site research is critical for successful completion of the proposed doctoral dissertation. The research design of proposals should be realistic in scope, clearly formulated, and responsive to theoretical and methodological concerns. Applicants should provide evidence of having attained an appropriate level of training to undertake the proposed research, including evidence of a degree of language fluency sufficient to complete the project.
Application Timeline
Application Deadline: November 6, 2007 at 9pm EST
Award Notification: April 2008
Research: July 2008 through December 2009
Useful Links:
* FAQ
* Online application
Via: official announcement
Masters/PhD Scholarship in Software Defined Radio Systems, National University of Ireland, Maynooth
Location: Europe
Applications are invited for a Masters/PhD studentship in the area of interoperability of software defined radio systems. This area of research, led by Dr. Ronan Farrell, as part of substantial ongoing activities in the Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems in the area of reconfigurable radio systems. This project is part of a larger collaborative research programme within the SFI Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (CTVR)
As the number of reconfigurable radio platforms increase, both hardware and software components, it is increasingly difficult to ascertain the relative performance of these systems and the level of interoperability between the different hardware and software elements. Existing solutions in this space are overwhelmingly complex. The research will focus on tools and techniques to assess the performance of measure and accurately quantify the capabilities of the various platforms currently available, and then to propose a low-cost interface for encouraging interoperability between hardware and software platforms.
Candidates should hold a first or upper second class honours degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or a cognate discipline. Interest, and preferably experience, in the area of software engineering, telecommunications and electronics systems is essential.
Successful candidates will join a large multi-disciplinary team and be initially enrolled on a full-time Masters of Engineering Science, with a review after 18 months for progression to a PhD programme.
The studentship will comprise of fees and an annual stipend of 17,000 Euros. It will be initially awarded for a period of 18 months years, extendable upon satisfactory review to a subsequent 18 months. The position is available immediately though, upon agreement, the start date may be postponed to January 2008.
For all queries please contact:
Dr. Ronan Farrell
Email: rfarrellateeng.nuim.ie
Tel: +353-1-7086197
Applications are invited for a Masters/PhD studentship in the area of interoperability of software defined radio systems. This area of research, led by Dr. Ronan Farrell, as part of substantial ongoing activities in the Institute of Microelectronics and Wireless Systems in the area of reconfigurable radio systems. This project is part of a larger collaborative research programme within the SFI Centre for Telecommunications Value-Chain Research (CTVR)
As the number of reconfigurable radio platforms increase, both hardware and software components, it is increasingly difficult to ascertain the relative performance of these systems and the level of interoperability between the different hardware and software elements. Existing solutions in this space are overwhelmingly complex. The research will focus on tools and techniques to assess the performance of measure and accurately quantify the capabilities of the various platforms currently available, and then to propose a low-cost interface for encouraging interoperability between hardware and software platforms.
Candidates should hold a first or upper second class honours degree in Electronic Engineering, Computer Science or a cognate discipline. Interest, and preferably experience, in the area of software engineering, telecommunications and electronics systems is essential.
Successful candidates will join a large multi-disciplinary team and be initially enrolled on a full-time Masters of Engineering Science, with a review after 18 months for progression to a PhD programme.
The studentship will comprise of fees and an annual stipend of 17,000 Euros. It will be initially awarded for a period of 18 months years, extendable upon satisfactory review to a subsequent 18 months. The position is available immediately though, upon agreement, the start date may be postponed to January 2008.
For all queries please contact:
Dr. Ronan Farrell
Email: rfarrellateeng.nuim.ie
Tel: +353-1-7086197
Postdoctoral Position in Immunology at The Wistar Institute
Location: USA
Immunology Post-doctoral Position: Transcriptional regulation/Chromatin remodeling
Post-doctoral position in the field of transcriptional regulation/chromatin remodeling in the immune system is available as of November. Our research areas include the molecular mechanisms of B lymphopoiesis (Nat. Immunol. 7: 819), memory B/plasma cell development, and functional regulation of effector and memory T cells (Nat. Immunol 2:705). The research will involve gene-targeting, in vivo and in vitro experimental models to explore functions of novel transcription factors, and use long-range chromatin structure analysis and BAC recombineering to carry out studies on transcriptional regulation and chromatin remodeling.
The successful candidate will have recently acquired a Ph.D. and/or M.D. preferably in immunology with technique expertise in flow cytometry, molecular biology and/or biochemistry. Candidates should be self-motivated and career oriented.Strong organizational and oral/written communication skills are desirable.
Application
To apply, please submit your curriculum vitae and cover letter including names and contact information of three references to Dr. Hui Hu at hhuatwistar.org
Hui Hu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Immunology Program
The Wistar Institute
3601 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: 1-215-4956820 (office)
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research, dedicated to discovering the causes and cures for major diseases and the development of vaccines. Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, the Wistar Institute has a highly collaborative research environment. Wistar also enjoys a close working relationship with the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and many other medical research organizations in the greater Philadelphia area. Founded in 1892 as the first nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, The Wistar Institute maintains its status as an independent research center and has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute.
For more information about The Wistar Institute visit our website at www.wistar.org.
Immunology Post-doctoral Position: Transcriptional regulation/Chromatin remodeling
Post-doctoral position in the field of transcriptional regulation/chromatin remodeling in the immune system is available as of November. Our research areas include the molecular mechanisms of B lymphopoiesis (Nat. Immunol. 7: 819), memory B/plasma cell development, and functional regulation of effector and memory T cells (Nat. Immunol 2:705). The research will involve gene-targeting, in vivo and in vitro experimental models to explore functions of novel transcription factors, and use long-range chromatin structure analysis and BAC recombineering to carry out studies on transcriptional regulation and chromatin remodeling.
The successful candidate will have recently acquired a Ph.D. and/or M.D. preferably in immunology with technique expertise in flow cytometry, molecular biology and/or biochemistry. Candidates should be self-motivated and career oriented.Strong organizational and oral/written communication skills are desirable.
Application
To apply, please submit your curriculum vitae and cover letter including names and contact information of three references to Dr. Hui Hu at hhuatwistar.org
Hui Hu, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Immunology Program
The Wistar Institute
3601 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Tel: 1-215-4956820 (office)
The Wistar Institute is an international leader in biomedical research, dedicated to discovering the causes and cures for major diseases and the development of vaccines. Affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania, the Wistar Institute has a highly collaborative research environment. Wistar also enjoys a close working relationship with the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and many other medical research organizations in the greater Philadelphia area. Founded in 1892 as the first nonprofit biomedical research institute in the country, The Wistar Institute maintains its status as an independent research center and has long held the prestigious Cancer Center designation from the National Cancer Institute.
For more information about The Wistar Institute visit our website at www.wistar.org.
Datatel Scholars Foundation Scholarship for Undergraduate and Graduate Students
Eligibility
For outstanding students currently attending an eligible Datatel client institution. The Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship is open to fulltime and parttime students (taking at least six credit hours), as well as undergraduate and graduate students.
Personal Statement Essay
The Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship personal statement essay should summarize educational goals and objectives, where the applicant has been as an individual, and where they hope their education will take them. They should also indicate the difference a Datatel scholarship would make in their life and to those around them.
Award Amount
The applications for the Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship are divided into three groups based on the undergraduate tuition at the college or university the applicant attends. Each group receives scholarships and the Datatel Scholars Foundation Board of Directors determines the number of scholarships each year. Award amounts for each group are as follows:
* Group A - $2,400
* Group B - $1,600
* Group C - $1,000
Winners Profile
For the 2007-2008 academic year awards, 38% of the students who were nominated by their institution won an award. The Foundation awarded 270 Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarships totaling $450,000.
Scholarship Application
To ensure you accurately and successfully submit all necessary materials, please review the Scholarship Application Instructions. All applications must be complete and submitted electronically between September 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008, by 5:00pm EST.
For more information, please visit the official announcement.
For outstanding students currently attending an eligible Datatel client institution. The Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship is open to fulltime and parttime students (taking at least six credit hours), as well as undergraduate and graduate students.
Personal Statement Essay
The Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship personal statement essay should summarize educational goals and objectives, where the applicant has been as an individual, and where they hope their education will take them. They should also indicate the difference a Datatel scholarship would make in their life and to those around them.
Award Amount
The applications for the Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarship are divided into three groups based on the undergraduate tuition at the college or university the applicant attends. Each group receives scholarships and the Datatel Scholars Foundation Board of Directors determines the number of scholarships each year. Award amounts for each group are as follows:
* Group A - $2,400
* Group B - $1,600
* Group C - $1,000
Winners Profile
For the 2007-2008 academic year awards, 38% of the students who were nominated by their institution won an award. The Foundation awarded 270 Datatel Scholars Foundation scholarships totaling $450,000.
Scholarship Application
To ensure you accurately and successfully submit all necessary materials, please review the Scholarship Application Instructions. All applications must be complete and submitted electronically between September 1, 2007 and January 31, 2008, by 5:00pm EST.
For more information, please visit the official announcement.
American Center of Oriental Research
Application deadline February 1, 2008
Founded in 1968, the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, is a private, international, non-profit academic institution dedicated to promoting research and publication in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, ancient through modern history, art history, conservation and preservation studies, Arabic and other Near Eastern languages, Islamic studies, and many other fields related to Near Eastern studies. The center has 11 full-time employees, a six-story residential facility, and a fellowship program that grants over 20 awards annually for periods of two to six months
The library has more than 30,000 books and periodicals in a variety of disciplines. ACOR also offers offices and workrooms; equipment for field projects; computer facilities and wireless Internet access; a lecture room; and an archaeological conservation laboratory. In addition to these facilities, ACOR assists researchers by coordinating introductions and giving advice on conducting research projects in Jordan and the region. One NEH fellowship award of $20,000 for a tenure of 4 months at ACOR in Amman will be available for 2008-2009. Further information about ACOR and its NEH fellowship program, including applications, can be obtained by visiting ACOR’s website or by contacting our offices in Boston or Amman.
Contact:
In the U.S.:
American Center of Oriental Research
ATTN: Donald Keller
656 Beacon Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA 02215-2010
Telephone: 617/353-6571
FAX: 617/353-6575
E-Mail: acor@bu.edu
Website: http://www.bu.edu/acor
In Jordan:
American Center of Oriental Research
Barbara A. Porter, Director
P.O. Box 2470
Amman 11181
Telephone: 962 6 534-6117
FAX: 962 6 534-4181
E-Mail: acor@go.com.jo
Website: http://www.bu.edu/acor
Founded in 1968, the American Center of Oriental Research (ACOR) in Amman, Jordan, is a private, international, non-profit academic institution dedicated to promoting research and publication in the fields of archaeology, anthropology, ancient through modern history, art history, conservation and preservation studies, Arabic and other Near Eastern languages, Islamic studies, and many other fields related to Near Eastern studies. The center has 11 full-time employees, a six-story residential facility, and a fellowship program that grants over 20 awards annually for periods of two to six months
The library has more than 30,000 books and periodicals in a variety of disciplines. ACOR also offers offices and workrooms; equipment for field projects; computer facilities and wireless Internet access; a lecture room; and an archaeological conservation laboratory. In addition to these facilities, ACOR assists researchers by coordinating introductions and giving advice on conducting research projects in Jordan and the region. One NEH fellowship award of $20,000 for a tenure of 4 months at ACOR in Amman will be available for 2008-2009. Further information about ACOR and its NEH fellowship program, including applications, can be obtained by visiting ACOR’s website or by contacting our offices in Boston or Amman.
Contact:
In the U.S.:
American Center of Oriental Research
ATTN: Donald Keller
656 Beacon Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA 02215-2010
Telephone: 617/353-6571
FAX: 617/353-6575
E-Mail: acor@bu.edu
Website: http://www.bu.edu/acor
In Jordan:
American Center of Oriental Research
Barbara A. Porter, Director
P.O. Box 2470
Amman 11181
Telephone: 962 6 534-6117
FAX: 962 6 534-4181
E-Mail: acor@go.com.jo
Website: http://www.bu.edu/acor
Ron Brown Scholarship Program
This program focuses on yung African-Americans of outstanding promise who seek to become leaders in business, education, government and various other professions.
The Ron Brown Scholar Program seeks to identify students who will make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact on their communities through service to others.
To be eligibile, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, Black or African American and current high school seniors at the time of their application. Current college students are not eligible to apply. Applicants shoud demonstrate academic achievement, exhibit leadership ability, participate in community service activities and demonstrate financial need.
Each year, a minimum of 10 students will be designated Ron Brown Scholars and will receive $10,000 annually for four years, for a total of $40,000.
See Mrs. Walters in the Career Center for more information and application. You may also contact:
Ms. Fran Hardey–franh@ronbrown.org
Executive Assistant
Ron Brown Scholar Program
1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 206
Charlottesville, VA 22901
434-964-1588
FAX-434-964-1589
#78
There are two deadlines:
* First Deadline: November 15, 2007
* Second Deadline: January 9, 2008
The Ron Brown Scholar Program seeks to identify students who will make significant contributions to society. Applicants must excel academically, show exceptional leadership potential and make an impact on their communities through service to others.
To be eligibile, applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents, Black or African American and current high school seniors at the time of their application. Current college students are not eligible to apply. Applicants shoud demonstrate academic achievement, exhibit leadership ability, participate in community service activities and demonstrate financial need.
Each year, a minimum of 10 students will be designated Ron Brown Scholars and will receive $10,000 annually for four years, for a total of $40,000.
See Mrs. Walters in the Career Center for more information and application. You may also contact:
Ms. Fran Hardey–franh@ronbrown.org
Executive Assistant
Ron Brown Scholar Program
1160 Pepsi Place, Suite 206
Charlottesville, VA 22901
434-964-1588
FAX-434-964-1589
#78
There are two deadlines:
* First Deadline: November 15, 2007
* Second Deadline: January 9, 2008
Keeping Low Income Students Out of College
Barriers to Higher Education are Alive and Well
The Higher Education Act of 1965 launched some of the first financial programs aimed at the support of low-income and disadvantaged students. Since then, dozens of federal and state scholarship and grant programs have been developed to assist the same. A popular theory remains: more and more free money will put more disadvantaged and minority students into college and solve the problem of low college attendance rates among high poverty students. Regardless of the money higher education continues to throw at low-income students, the numbers actually attending college and staying in college remain low. If money is not the solution, then what’s the problem?
The Problem
There are significant numbers of public funds already available for low-income students. Add to this the increasing trend among elite and reputable colleges and universities to spring for full tuition scholarships for academically eligible disadvantaged students and a more relevant question becomes: “With the money available already for low-income and minority students, why do so many fail to earn a college degree?” What circumstances beyond the financial, continue to impede the educational roadway of the disadvantaged student, and why does higher education, at large, repeat the same ineffective gestures in its quest for the solution?
Dream of College Access for All Americans
Capitol Hill.President Lyndon B. Johnson dreamed of building our country into one in which “a high school senior [could] apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 States and not be turned away because his family is poor…” He further declared, “Education in this day and age is a necessity.”1 He made these statements on the same day he signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 into legislation. If higher education was deemed a necessity in 1965, then it has become critical by today’s standards.
For the most part President Johnson’s dream has become a reality, but outside of the financial, some of the same barriers to higher education remain:
* Schools that fail to adequately prepare students for college.
* Outside influences and expectations, especially those of parents/family and educators.
* Psychological factors.
Secondary Schools Fail to Prepare Students for College
Does the Student Qualify?
Regardless of the money available to low-income students, in many cases students fail to even qualify for college admission. Perhaps, as some critics of the current system argue, where career and guidance counselors proactive in “talking up” college as soon as middle school, kids particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds would incorporate college goals into their futures much more naturally than when career and education goals are thought inconsequential.
Educators, including teachers, counselors, and principals, simply have low expectations of disadvantaged students, say some proponents of education reform. An overall neglect of college preparation routinely takes place at most minority and high poverty high schools. The perception that disadvantaged students will either not make it into college, have little interest in higher education, or be unworthy of the time spent to get them prepared, are all subversive and deeply damaging perceptions. At best this disregard is a primitive throwback to the same circumstances President Johnson sought to bury.
The Non-Existent College Prep Curricula
Average, college bound high school seniors are alarmingly unprepared for the rigors of college academics, but an even more disturbing population of low-income and minority students seem to avoid college altogether or possess test scores and academic records that have put many in higher education on alert. In fact, the circumstances renew debate over the quality of public school systems: “Nine in ten high school graduates from families earning more than $80,000 attend college by the time they are 24, compared to only six in ten from families earning less than $33,000.”2
Research proves that many of the so-called high school assessment tests “bear little resemblance to the work [students] are expected to do in college.” Despite the best hopes of those students that do possess college degree expectations, preparation for such is sorely lacking—students again and again clearly “lack crucial information on applying to college and on succeeding academically once they get there.”3 College administrators report that most students only think they are academically prepared; the sobering reality is that the so-called college prep curriculum they slogged through in high school was not college level work, after all.
Ironically, this lack of preparedness is the ailment of many average high school grads, and not exclusive to low-income students. But evidence shows that “a greater percentage of low-income students are marginally qualified or unqualified for admission at four-year institutions.”4
And college prep includes providing students the appropriate information with which to pursue college, including college search, financial aid and scholarships, and admissions processes. But in many disadvantaged schools the information is not disseminated, not included as a natural progression in education.
Financial AidFor students interested in pursuing college the process becomes a bit like fumbling in the dark: “many low-income college students need aid and do not know how to apply for federal or state assistance.”5 Low-income students often opt for a community college—open access and remedial coursework, and schedule flexibility that allows students to work part time and carry on normal family responsibilities.
High Scores vs. Student Success and the “Push-Out” Phenomenon
High schools across the country have new standards by which to adhere. Accountability in secondary education may play a significant part in the collegiate success or failure of certain students. Since the inception of No Child Left Behind the reliance on test-based schools has split students down the middle—in some areas. Students are either an asset or a deficit to a school.6
In New York City, test scores served to define a dispensable archipelago of students most likely to fail. Students at disadvantaged schools throughout the region were so overlooked that rogue administrators and educators systematically amputated from the system whole populations of underachievers for the “betterment” of the whole. The plan was simple: “push out” students with poor grades and low test scores and test score averages would look a lot better.7
The Teacher Factor
Teacher.Does a high quality teacher make a difference to a low-income and/or disadvantaged student, and if so, why? A growing body of evidence shows that teachers do matter. But studies have begun to prove an alarming trend: “The very children who most need strong teachers are assigned, on average, to teachers with less experience, less education, and less skill than those who teach other children.”8
A study that surveyed three Midwest revealed consistent data proving that in most low income schools teachers were much more likely to be “inexperienced, out-of-field, and uncertified.” Furthermore, as school enrollment of low-income students increased, the population of teachers hired grew increasingly inexperienced.9 Most studies declare five years of teaching experience as the dividing line between experienced and inexperienced.
The less experienced the teacher the less likely he or she is to be qualified or motivated to guide disadvantaged students in wise career and education choices. Surprisingly, teacher surveys have also proven that on the whole they, too, tend to have an unsure grasp on the college preparatory process.10
The qualities most valued and effective in high-quality teachers include:
* Over five years experience teaching within their specialty.
* Teachers able to modify methods on-the-fly and in direct response to student abilities.
* Teachers with degrees from reputable institutions.
Contemporary findings such as these provide more leverage for school systems, and lawmakers when it comes time to plan teacher distribution models designed to serve future generations of students.
Can Experienced Teachers Get Disadvantaged Students to College?
Data has been culled from a crew of challenged high schools, turned-high-performing, in various regions of the U.S. that proves high quality teachers can make a significant difference with at-risk youth. In every high performing school surveyed almost half the student bodies were from high minority-high poverty backgrounds. And in every case the population of college bound students had increased above the national average.
What factors set high performing high schools with diverse student bodies well above others in nurturing college ready graduates?
* High quality and experienced teachers able to adjust methods to suit students.
* A very relevant and challenging college preparatory curriculum that surpasses state requirements.
* Unlimited access to academic tutors and career advisors.11
Part of the goal of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was to promote improvement in high minority/high poverty schools, including attracting more experienced teachers. Contrary to some, both these factors—schools and teachers—continue to figure prominently in the educational futures of students.
College Admission Requirements Detrimental to Disadvantaged Students
Whether high school or college, the fact is that reputation, high marks, selectivity ratings, and even cost of tuition, all constitute factors that conspire to create an institution’s reputation. Ratings and credentials have become a beacon for student business, a means to market and advertise a college to expanding populations of prospective students.
US News and World Report.
The annual U.S. News and World Report: America’s Best Colleges has become a much-anticipated publication.
New criticism, though, from college administrators aims to downplay the relevancy of some of the ratings, which many say have nothing to do with a good college education. Why so much fuss over ratings? The report has been widely dubbed the college “beauty contest,” and the higher colleges and universities have driven ratings the better their business. But in the process, some pieces of the academic puzzle have been forsaken, like some populations of students.
Ratings Drive Business, Which In Turn Drives Up Admission Reqs
Colleges and universities that rank well in the U.S. News report seek to be considered “selective.” This kind of marketing seems to make business more brisk, but it also makes it challenging to attract a large minority or low-income student population. In order to make a college accessible for the majority of low-income and disadvantaged students, admission requirements must be relaxed.
The traditional metrics of admission include SAT scores and GPA, precisely the type of measurements most low-income students suffer by. As we explored above, it’s not their responsibility—educators have been loath to provide the proper guidance and nurture—and, besides, SAT and GPA are rarely accurate indications of academic worthiness. This then is why a growing stable of college administrators is taking aim at the notoriously exclusive annual ratings race.12
SAT.Compared to the relatively small number of college administrators backing away from the ratings game, there are plenty that believe in its promise. For instance, a strong cadre of schools believes the marketing theory that overpriced products and services attract buyers and consumers because high price implies high quality. This then is why tuitions are hiked and SAT and GPA requirements inflated. Yet again, disadvantaged students are unable to reach certain institutions where, ironically, money is likely to exist for their education.
When Admission Hikes Purposely Dismiss Disadvantaged Students
Another strategy behind ramped up admission requirements seeks to purposely define the splinter group of underachievers and those students with low test scores and make it impossible for them to essentially clog the way of those students without academic challenges. Low income and minority students with low SAT scores and low GPAs “will be steered” to the state’s community colleges.
Simultaneously more college prep programs are being built into the state’s public school system. Students will now have a system in place able to alert them should their academics fall below realistic first year college goals.13
Outside Influences Offer Most Resistance to College Life
Besides money and academic challenge, many low-income and disadvantaged students face challenges much more murky to middle and upper income, white Americans. In some cases the influence of parents and family are more profound than more mainstream issues.14
Parental Influence
ParentalConsider the idea that many minority and low-income students come from first generation families, meaning no one else has yet gone to college. For many average American students, the dream of a college degree is fueled over the years by parents. When that drive is not there, other priorities may take precedence, such as job, finance and family.
It’s not that parents of first gen college students have no desire to see their children succeed, even go to college, but most are unable to provide the type of support necessary to bolster a fresh and, perhaps, disenfranchised college newbie.
Cultural Perceptions of Debt
Financial aid experts may also have discovered another roadblock—“cultural aversion to debt.” Over the years the financial aid needs of middle and upper income students have risen, but statistics have shown little or no increase in the student loan debt among low-income and ethnic minority student groups, which “calls into question the effectiveness of student loans in aiding low-income populations.” Studies strongly suggest that minorities are “more sensitive to price and less willing to use educational loans to pay for college when making their college decisions.”15
Tuition sticker shock may be a similar deterrent. Even though academically talented low-income students may qualify to enroll in elite universities where the ability to prove a certain level of disadvantage buys them a free ride, only a fraction of those actually eligible partake of the opportunity. The scholarships from institutions like Harvard and Princeton are not just in place for altruistic purposes. These “white-bread” institutions want to diversify and offering money for disadvantaged students seems a good idea. Surprisingly, a much larger wellspring of academically qualified low-income students is out there. SAT scores prove the numbers,16 but where are they?
Educator Expectation Matters, Too
ExpectationsThe nation’s low-income students, including those with academic fortitude and those dubbed low-achievers, may share common bonds: many face familial and cultural obstacles, but do they also face low educator expectations? Studies have already measured the effect of educator expectation on the college outcomes of low-income, minority students and found alarming numbers of low-quality teachers and counselors with little hope for students in lower income brackets.
Teachers and advisors acting out of their personal beliefs and stereotypes may be unable to provide the unbiased guidance underserved students require to get them to the doorstep of a college campus, whether it be a community college or one of the elite universities.17
What Then if Not Money?
WonderingConsidering the obstacles discussed above, are there further psychological impacts? If I am a student from a low-income household in which neither of my parents attended college, isn’t it likely that a college degree will not be a main priority in my life? And if I am academically talented, would I not feel out of place and disenfranchised on a Harvard campus even if my education were fully funded?
If I overheard teachers in my high school complaining about their jobs and saying that many of the students will be lucky to make it to graduation, much less college, would I not doubt my teachability, my worth as a student?
Harvard can roll out its red carpet and dangle full scholarships ‘til the cows come home, but what really eats away at the collegiate futures of low-income, minority students—talented or not—has little to do with money.
Footnotes
1. LBJ for Kids, accessed September 3, 2007, http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/edu_whca370-text.shtm.
2. “Harvard Announces New Initiative to Aimed at Economic Barriers to College,” Harvard University Gazette, February 28, 2004, accessed September 5, 2007, http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/0402/28-finaid.html.
3. Rooney, Megan, “High Schools Fail to Prepare Many Students for College, Stanford Study Says,” March 3, 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/news-bureau/displayRecord.php?tablename=susenews&id=25.
4. Andrea Venezia, Michael Kirst, Anthony Antonio, Betraying the College Dream: How Disconnected K-12 Schools and Postsecondary Education Systems Undermine Student Aspirations, 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject/betrayingthecollegedream.pdf.
5. Kirst, Michael, “Betraying the College Dream in America,” The College Puzzle, August 21, 2007, accessed September 4, 2007, http://thecollegepuzzle.blogspot.com/2007/08/betraying-college-dream-in-america.html.
6. Beveridge, Andrew, “Counting Drop Outs,” Gotham Gazette, August 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/demographics/20030814/5/492.
7. Beveridge, Andrew, Gotham Gazette.
8. Heather Peske, Kati Haycock, Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality, The Education Trust, June 2006, accessed September 2, 2007, http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/010DBD9F-CED8-4D2B-9E0D-91B446746ED3/0/TQReportJune2006.pdf.
9. Peski, Haycock, The Education Trust.
10. Venezia, Kirst, Antonio, Betraying the College Dream
11. “Preparing All High School Students for College and Work: What High-Performing Schools are Teaching,” ACT, February 23, 2005, accessed August 30, 2007, http://www.act.org/news/releases/2005/2-23-05.html.
12. “U.S. News College Rankings Debated,” The Online News Hour (transcript), PBS, August 20, 2007, accessed September 5, 2007, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec07/rankings_08-20.html.
13. Tresaugue, Matthew, “UT Campuses Will Raise Admission Standards,” University of Houston, May 10, 2007, accessed September 5, 2007, http://www.uh.edu/ednews/2007/hc/200705/20070510admission.html.
14. Szelenyi, Katalin, “Minority Student Retention and Academic Achievement in Community Colleges,” 2004, accessed August 29, 2007, http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-4/minority.html.
15. Cultural Barriers to Incurring Debt, ECMC Group Foundation, 2003, accessed September 3, 2007, http://www.ecmcfoundation.org/documents/CulturalBarriersExecSummary.pdf.
16. “Large Numbers of Highly Qualified, Low-Income Students Are Not Applying to Harvard and Other Highly Selective Schools,” Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, 2006, accessed August 26, 2007, http://www.jbhe.com/news_views/52_low-income-students.html.
17. Patricia George and Rosa Aronson, How Do Educators’ Cultural Belief Systems Affect Underserved Students’ Pursuit of Postsecondary Education?” Pathways to College Network, 2003, accessed September 3, 2007, http://www.pathwaystocollege.net/pdf/EducatorsCulturalBeliefs.pdf.
source: www.collegescholarships.org
The Higher Education Act of 1965 launched some of the first financial programs aimed at the support of low-income and disadvantaged students. Since then, dozens of federal and state scholarship and grant programs have been developed to assist the same. A popular theory remains: more and more free money will put more disadvantaged and minority students into college and solve the problem of low college attendance rates among high poverty students. Regardless of the money higher education continues to throw at low-income students, the numbers actually attending college and staying in college remain low. If money is not the solution, then what’s the problem?
The Problem
There are significant numbers of public funds already available for low-income students. Add to this the increasing trend among elite and reputable colleges and universities to spring for full tuition scholarships for academically eligible disadvantaged students and a more relevant question becomes: “With the money available already for low-income and minority students, why do so many fail to earn a college degree?” What circumstances beyond the financial, continue to impede the educational roadway of the disadvantaged student, and why does higher education, at large, repeat the same ineffective gestures in its quest for the solution?
Dream of College Access for All Americans
Capitol Hill.President Lyndon B. Johnson dreamed of building our country into one in which “a high school senior [could] apply to any college or any university in any of the 50 States and not be turned away because his family is poor…” He further declared, “Education in this day and age is a necessity.”1 He made these statements on the same day he signed the Higher Education Act of 1965 into legislation. If higher education was deemed a necessity in 1965, then it has become critical by today’s standards.
For the most part President Johnson’s dream has become a reality, but outside of the financial, some of the same barriers to higher education remain:
* Schools that fail to adequately prepare students for college.
* Outside influences and expectations, especially those of parents/family and educators.
* Psychological factors.
Secondary Schools Fail to Prepare Students for College
Does the Student Qualify?
Regardless of the money available to low-income students, in many cases students fail to even qualify for college admission. Perhaps, as some critics of the current system argue, where career and guidance counselors proactive in “talking up” college as soon as middle school, kids particularly from disadvantaged backgrounds would incorporate college goals into their futures much more naturally than when career and education goals are thought inconsequential.
Educators, including teachers, counselors, and principals, simply have low expectations of disadvantaged students, say some proponents of education reform. An overall neglect of college preparation routinely takes place at most minority and high poverty high schools. The perception that disadvantaged students will either not make it into college, have little interest in higher education, or be unworthy of the time spent to get them prepared, are all subversive and deeply damaging perceptions. At best this disregard is a primitive throwback to the same circumstances President Johnson sought to bury.
The Non-Existent College Prep Curricula
Average, college bound high school seniors are alarmingly unprepared for the rigors of college academics, but an even more disturbing population of low-income and minority students seem to avoid college altogether or possess test scores and academic records that have put many in higher education on alert. In fact, the circumstances renew debate over the quality of public school systems: “Nine in ten high school graduates from families earning more than $80,000 attend college by the time they are 24, compared to only six in ten from families earning less than $33,000.”2
Research proves that many of the so-called high school assessment tests “bear little resemblance to the work [students] are expected to do in college.” Despite the best hopes of those students that do possess college degree expectations, preparation for such is sorely lacking—students again and again clearly “lack crucial information on applying to college and on succeeding academically once they get there.”3 College administrators report that most students only think they are academically prepared; the sobering reality is that the so-called college prep curriculum they slogged through in high school was not college level work, after all.
Ironically, this lack of preparedness is the ailment of many average high school grads, and not exclusive to low-income students. But evidence shows that “a greater percentage of low-income students are marginally qualified or unqualified for admission at four-year institutions.”4
And college prep includes providing students the appropriate information with which to pursue college, including college search, financial aid and scholarships, and admissions processes. But in many disadvantaged schools the information is not disseminated, not included as a natural progression in education.
Financial AidFor students interested in pursuing college the process becomes a bit like fumbling in the dark: “many low-income college students need aid and do not know how to apply for federal or state assistance.”5 Low-income students often opt for a community college—open access and remedial coursework, and schedule flexibility that allows students to work part time and carry on normal family responsibilities.
High Scores vs. Student Success and the “Push-Out” Phenomenon
High schools across the country have new standards by which to adhere. Accountability in secondary education may play a significant part in the collegiate success or failure of certain students. Since the inception of No Child Left Behind the reliance on test-based schools has split students down the middle—in some areas. Students are either an asset or a deficit to a school.6
In New York City, test scores served to define a dispensable archipelago of students most likely to fail. Students at disadvantaged schools throughout the region were so overlooked that rogue administrators and educators systematically amputated from the system whole populations of underachievers for the “betterment” of the whole. The plan was simple: “push out” students with poor grades and low test scores and test score averages would look a lot better.7
The Teacher Factor
Teacher.Does a high quality teacher make a difference to a low-income and/or disadvantaged student, and if so, why? A growing body of evidence shows that teachers do matter. But studies have begun to prove an alarming trend: “The very children who most need strong teachers are assigned, on average, to teachers with less experience, less education, and less skill than those who teach other children.”8
A study that surveyed three Midwest revealed consistent data proving that in most low income schools teachers were much more likely to be “inexperienced, out-of-field, and uncertified.” Furthermore, as school enrollment of low-income students increased, the population of teachers hired grew increasingly inexperienced.9 Most studies declare five years of teaching experience as the dividing line between experienced and inexperienced.
The less experienced the teacher the less likely he or she is to be qualified or motivated to guide disadvantaged students in wise career and education choices. Surprisingly, teacher surveys have also proven that on the whole they, too, tend to have an unsure grasp on the college preparatory process.10
The qualities most valued and effective in high-quality teachers include:
* Over five years experience teaching within their specialty.
* Teachers able to modify methods on-the-fly and in direct response to student abilities.
* Teachers with degrees from reputable institutions.
Contemporary findings such as these provide more leverage for school systems, and lawmakers when it comes time to plan teacher distribution models designed to serve future generations of students.
Can Experienced Teachers Get Disadvantaged Students to College?
Data has been culled from a crew of challenged high schools, turned-high-performing, in various regions of the U.S. that proves high quality teachers can make a significant difference with at-risk youth. In every high performing school surveyed almost half the student bodies were from high minority-high poverty backgrounds. And in every case the population of college bound students had increased above the national average.
What factors set high performing high schools with diverse student bodies well above others in nurturing college ready graduates?
* High quality and experienced teachers able to adjust methods to suit students.
* A very relevant and challenging college preparatory curriculum that surpasses state requirements.
* Unlimited access to academic tutors and career advisors.11
Part of the goal of the Higher Education Act of 1965 was to promote improvement in high minority/high poverty schools, including attracting more experienced teachers. Contrary to some, both these factors—schools and teachers—continue to figure prominently in the educational futures of students.
College Admission Requirements Detrimental to Disadvantaged Students
Whether high school or college, the fact is that reputation, high marks, selectivity ratings, and even cost of tuition, all constitute factors that conspire to create an institution’s reputation. Ratings and credentials have become a beacon for student business, a means to market and advertise a college to expanding populations of prospective students.
US News and World Report.
The annual U.S. News and World Report: America’s Best Colleges has become a much-anticipated publication.
New criticism, though, from college administrators aims to downplay the relevancy of some of the ratings, which many say have nothing to do with a good college education. Why so much fuss over ratings? The report has been widely dubbed the college “beauty contest,” and the higher colleges and universities have driven ratings the better their business. But in the process, some pieces of the academic puzzle have been forsaken, like some populations of students.
Ratings Drive Business, Which In Turn Drives Up Admission Reqs
Colleges and universities that rank well in the U.S. News report seek to be considered “selective.” This kind of marketing seems to make business more brisk, but it also makes it challenging to attract a large minority or low-income student population. In order to make a college accessible for the majority of low-income and disadvantaged students, admission requirements must be relaxed.
The traditional metrics of admission include SAT scores and GPA, precisely the type of measurements most low-income students suffer by. As we explored above, it’s not their responsibility—educators have been loath to provide the proper guidance and nurture—and, besides, SAT and GPA are rarely accurate indications of academic worthiness. This then is why a growing stable of college administrators is taking aim at the notoriously exclusive annual ratings race.12
SAT.Compared to the relatively small number of college administrators backing away from the ratings game, there are plenty that believe in its promise. For instance, a strong cadre of schools believes the marketing theory that overpriced products and services attract buyers and consumers because high price implies high quality. This then is why tuitions are hiked and SAT and GPA requirements inflated. Yet again, disadvantaged students are unable to reach certain institutions where, ironically, money is likely to exist for their education.
When Admission Hikes Purposely Dismiss Disadvantaged Students
Another strategy behind ramped up admission requirements seeks to purposely define the splinter group of underachievers and those students with low test scores and make it impossible for them to essentially clog the way of those students without academic challenges. Low income and minority students with low SAT scores and low GPAs “will be steered” to the state’s community colleges.
Simultaneously more college prep programs are being built into the state’s public school system. Students will now have a system in place able to alert them should their academics fall below realistic first year college goals.13
Outside Influences Offer Most Resistance to College Life
Besides money and academic challenge, many low-income and disadvantaged students face challenges much more murky to middle and upper income, white Americans. In some cases the influence of parents and family are more profound than more mainstream issues.14
Parental Influence
ParentalConsider the idea that many minority and low-income students come from first generation families, meaning no one else has yet gone to college. For many average American students, the dream of a college degree is fueled over the years by parents. When that drive is not there, other priorities may take precedence, such as job, finance and family.
It’s not that parents of first gen college students have no desire to see their children succeed, even go to college, but most are unable to provide the type of support necessary to bolster a fresh and, perhaps, disenfranchised college newbie.
Cultural Perceptions of Debt
Financial aid experts may also have discovered another roadblock—“cultural aversion to debt.” Over the years the financial aid needs of middle and upper income students have risen, but statistics have shown little or no increase in the student loan debt among low-income and ethnic minority student groups, which “calls into question the effectiveness of student loans in aiding low-income populations.” Studies strongly suggest that minorities are “more sensitive to price and less willing to use educational loans to pay for college when making their college decisions.”15
Tuition sticker shock may be a similar deterrent. Even though academically talented low-income students may qualify to enroll in elite universities where the ability to prove a certain level of disadvantage buys them a free ride, only a fraction of those actually eligible partake of the opportunity. The scholarships from institutions like Harvard and Princeton are not just in place for altruistic purposes. These “white-bread” institutions want to diversify and offering money for disadvantaged students seems a good idea. Surprisingly, a much larger wellspring of academically qualified low-income students is out there. SAT scores prove the numbers,16 but where are they?
Educator Expectation Matters, Too
ExpectationsThe nation’s low-income students, including those with academic fortitude and those dubbed low-achievers, may share common bonds: many face familial and cultural obstacles, but do they also face low educator expectations? Studies have already measured the effect of educator expectation on the college outcomes of low-income, minority students and found alarming numbers of low-quality teachers and counselors with little hope for students in lower income brackets.
Teachers and advisors acting out of their personal beliefs and stereotypes may be unable to provide the unbiased guidance underserved students require to get them to the doorstep of a college campus, whether it be a community college or one of the elite universities.17
What Then if Not Money?
WonderingConsidering the obstacles discussed above, are there further psychological impacts? If I am a student from a low-income household in which neither of my parents attended college, isn’t it likely that a college degree will not be a main priority in my life? And if I am academically talented, would I not feel out of place and disenfranchised on a Harvard campus even if my education were fully funded?
If I overheard teachers in my high school complaining about their jobs and saying that many of the students will be lucky to make it to graduation, much less college, would I not doubt my teachability, my worth as a student?
Harvard can roll out its red carpet and dangle full scholarships ‘til the cows come home, but what really eats away at the collegiate futures of low-income, minority students—talented or not—has little to do with money.
Footnotes
1. LBJ for Kids, accessed September 3, 2007, http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/lbjforkids/edu_whca370-text.shtm.
2. “Harvard Announces New Initiative to Aimed at Economic Barriers to College,” Harvard University Gazette, February 28, 2004, accessed September 5, 2007, http://www.hno.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/0402/28-finaid.html.
3. Rooney, Megan, “High Schools Fail to Prepare Many Students for College, Stanford Study Says,” March 3, 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://ed.stanford.edu/suse/news-bureau/displayRecord.php?tablename=susenews&id=25.
4. Andrea Venezia, Michael Kirst, Anthony Antonio, Betraying the College Dream: How Disconnected K-12 Schools and Postsecondary Education Systems Undermine Student Aspirations, 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://www.stanford.edu/group/bridgeproject/betrayingthecollegedream.pdf.
5. Kirst, Michael, “Betraying the College Dream in America,” The College Puzzle, August 21, 2007, accessed September 4, 2007, http://thecollegepuzzle.blogspot.com/2007/08/betraying-college-dream-in-america.html.
6. Beveridge, Andrew, “Counting Drop Outs,” Gotham Gazette, August 2003, accessed September 4, 2007, http://www.gothamgazette.com/article/demographics/20030814/5/492.
7. Beveridge, Andrew, Gotham Gazette.
8. Heather Peske, Kati Haycock, Teaching Inequality: How Poor and Minority Students are Shortchanged on Teacher Quality, The Education Trust, June 2006, accessed September 2, 2007, http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/010DBD9F-CED8-4D2B-9E0D-91B446746ED3/0/TQReportJune2006.pdf.
9. Peski, Haycock, The Education Trust.
10. Venezia, Kirst, Antonio, Betraying the College Dream
11. “Preparing All High School Students for College and Work: What High-Performing Schools are Teaching,” ACT, February 23, 2005, accessed August 30, 2007, http://www.act.org/news/releases/2005/2-23-05.html.
12. “U.S. News College Rankings Debated,” The Online News Hour (transcript), PBS, August 20, 2007, accessed September 5, 2007, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/education/july-dec07/rankings_08-20.html.
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source: www.collegescholarships.org
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