Spring College Enrollment Drops

The first-ever National Spring Term Enrollment Report released this week by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center revealed that close to 450,000 fewer students enrolled in college this spring compared to a year ago.

Sponsored by the Pearson Foundation, the Research Center’s Spring 2013 Current Term Enrollment Estimates is the first time that national estimates for spring enrollment have been available to the educational community.

The spring findings are consistent with the trend found in the Research Center’s fall report, which showed that fall 2012 enrollment declined by over 360,000 students from 2011.

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center is the first and only organization to provide the education community with real-time indicators of enrollment trends for a current term overall. The ability to monitor postsecondary enrollment trends is critical in determining the nation’s progress in meeting its education goals. It is important for state, federal, and institutional policymakers to understand and project enrollment patterns in order to make decisions about financial aid and resource allocation.

To read the full report, please click here.

Meet Lorena Gonzalez, One of the Pearson Prize Fellows

Here’s a person to know—Lorena Gonzalez, one of the 20 National Fellows who received the 2012 Pearson Prize for Higher Education.

The Pearson Prize is a student leadership award that recognizes and provides support to exemplary college students who are distinguishing themselves by leading public service efforts in their local communities.

In an effort to celebrate ways is which these students exemplify giving back to their local communities we are showcasing them throughout the year.

Lorena Gonzalez attends the University of California, San Diego in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree in cognitive science. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and has served in the Student Council. As founder and chapter coordinator of a local youth group in the underserved community, she initiated and developed volunteer opportunities for young people ages 13 through 19. She has reached out to middle school and high school students to complete their community service hours for graduation, inspired young people to go to college, and become a peer adviser. Lorena has also received numerous awards and has been honored by community leaders for her continued commitment and for opening the doors for youth to get involved in volunteering and make it a lifelong commitment.

Here’s an excerpt from Lorena:

During my freshman year in high school, I had always wanted to be in leadership… In fact, I wanted to serve the community, but could not gain appointment to the city’s Youth Advisory Commission because I live just outside the city limits. With perseverance I searched online for more leadership opportunities. Then, one day I found the Los Angeles Youth Council (LAYC) and I joined right away. Joining the LAYC was the most important thing I have ever done in my life. Through LAYC, I developed leadership skills, and helped develop volunteer opportunities for young people in my community.

In my community three years ago, there were no volunteer opportunities for students like me. I did not only see the needs to help the youth in my community, but I also saw a lot of potential that youth can do to make the community a better place to live in. With great potential, enthusiasm, persistence, and strong leadership skills in hand, I founded my own community service group in June 2009. It is a student-run non-profit chapter for young people between the ages of 13-19 who need to complete service hours for high school graduation, want to meet new friends or simply just want to get involved in the community. It started with five members and to this date there are forty members and going strong…

As the Chapter Coordinator, I presided over all LAYC chapter meetings, served as a spokesperson for the chapter at designated civic, community and public events, organized and developed projects, and prepare agendas for all meetings and oversee the progress of committees and projects undertaken by the chapter. These projects include Soup Kitchen, Food/Toy Drives, Cook-a-Meal at Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House Charities, participated in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, Annual Neighborhood Clean-up, monthly park clean-up, Annual Three Kings Procession & Children’s Fair, Annual 5K Walk Childhood Obesity Awareness, and Annual E-waste & Bulky collection for proper disposal…

My mission is to inspire other young people to get involved in volunteering. I wanted to share with them that how giving of yourself for the benefit of others can make you successful and that you add value to your own life by adding value to the lives of others. Thus, the challenges I overcame reflects on who I am today and if I think about it now it was all worth it that I didn’t stop searching for other alternatives on how to get involved in my community. I am glad I took the initiative to start a chapter in my community and the only sad part now is that I will not be a member of the Multi-Taskers Los Angeles Youth Council Chapter anymore after I turn 20. However, founding the Chapter was my greatest accomplishments because I was able to reach out to middle and high school students. Starting this Chapter may have given a positive impact on other young people and my community, but had the biggest impact on me. Through this Chapter, I opened the doors for the youth to get involved in volunteering and making a lifelong commitment.

To learn more about the Pearson Prize go to http://www.pearsonfoundation.org/great-learning/programs/pearson-prize.html.

Pearson Foundation and OECD Release Two New Documentary Films

More great films highlighting great educational systems:

Two new documentary films have been completed in the “Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education” video series developed by the Pearson Foundation in partnership with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

New films on the Netherlands and Flanders, Belgium have been added to the collection of videos on Finland, Ontario-Canada, Poland, Shanghai-China, Brazil, Germany, Japan, Korea, Portugal, and Singapore.

The “Strong Performers and Successful Reformers in Education” video series documents the policies and programs being utilized by education leaders around the world to improve student achievement. The school systems featured were chosen for their strong performance in the OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Each story of educational innovation presents concrete solutions that have helped high-quality education system teach the skills its students need to succeed in an increasingly global, interconnected economy.

To view these informative videos please go to www.pearsonfoundation.org/OECD.

Five Things I’ve Learned Celebrates National Teacher Day

Thank a teacher today!

This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week—a time to thank the nation’s teachers for all they do. To celebrate on Five Things I’ve Learned we are spotlighting some of the countries best and brightest—go to www.thefivethings.org to read inspiring lessons from award-winning teachers.

On Five Things I’ve Learned, Melanie Park, Indiana Teacher of the Year, writes, “As a teacher, you relate, motivate, and differentiate, but you must also remember to celebrate.”

Please remember to celebrate a teacher today!

Mind’s Eye for Math

There’s an interesting article on LEARNING STARTS about the value of visual representations for supporting math learners.

Matthew Peterson of the MIND Research Institute, a non-profit education and research organization, states, “By representing math problems visually, we can show students why their answers are right, as well as why their answers are sometimes wrong. And thanks to software, we can do this in real-time.”

Currently, America ranks 25 out of 34 industrialized nations on math tests, “while tomorrow's jobs—more than 8 million by 2018—will require skills in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields, with math being at the heart. Students need to have a deep and solid understanding of math and the ability to utilize it in the solving of non-routine problems.”

Peterson believes “that all students have the cognitive horsepower to be proficient or advanced in mathematics all the way through algebra and beyond. By letting students visualize the math and intrinsically motivating students to solve increasingly difficult puzzles, we have a scalable vehicle for making this belief a reality.”

Innovative software programs, like MIND Research Institute’s ST Math, are having a positive impact on student learning. To see for yourself and read the full article click here.