Beefing up the college resume without draining the bank account

A student’s educational Experience gets a shot of adrenaline in the last couple years of high school.

Not only is college right around the corner, but the workload increases as do the expectations of a student’s efforts. Throw in the need to appear marketable to future college suitors and a teenager can nearly suffocate.

We obsess over “getting in,” our brain cells fully focused, since higher education is usually a ticket to the world outside Old Forge. Clubs, sports, plays, concerts, volunteer hours, Advanced Placement classes, SATs, ACTs, work, and countless other activities compete for time as we strive to make ourselves among the most well-rounded young people the college-of-our-choice is likely to ever see. Continue reading →

Teacher ability: Standardized tests fail in telling whole story

Education is a hot topic in the United States today, spurred by our children’s standardized test scores, which continue to fall farther and farther behind those of other countries.

So it certainly deserves a place in any political discussion.

How do we fix the shortcomings of our educational system? In last week’s State of the Union Address, President Obama listed some seemingly sensible targets, including a push to hire better teachers.

It’s been proven that a good teacher can increase lifetime income of a classroom by $250,000, according to the president. Continue reading →