July 1: Education News We're Reading
July 1, 2016 – Here’s our weekly roundup of education news you may have missed. Low-income students in K-12 have less exposure to edtech. Geographic location, college cost, and access to financial aid are some of the barriers to higher education discussed this week.
Elementary & Secondary Education:
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Teachers in high-poverty schools are less confident about edtech, notes Education Week (paywall). In a related article, EdSurge shares best practices for choosing and implementing technology tools with underserved students in mind.
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The Dallas Morning News asks: “Why aren’t there more African-American boys in gifted classes?”
Higher Education:
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A new report determines that “nearly one in 10 community college students, or 9 percent, don’t have access to federal student loans because their institutions don’t offer them,” Inside Higher Ed
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The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) is being revised to make it easier for homeless college students to access federal loans and grants, reports The Washington Post.
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Sallie Mae’s “How America Pays for College 2016” report shows that scholarships and grants cover 34 percent of college cost, more than either parent income and savings (29 percent) or student income and savings (12 percent).
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Quartz details some of the hidden costs and fees that low-income college students may not expect.
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Education Week (paywall) describes the findings of a new study finding that “the deep scarcity of colleges within manageable commuting distance shows how difficult it could be for students of limited means to have a meaningful college choice.”
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As Washington University works toward becoming more socioeconomically diverse, its administration has begun focusing on “experiential parity.” The Chronicle of Higher Education (paywall) describes the school’s efforts to ensure that students with financial need are able to participate in special events and programs like study abroad.
Cooke Foundation Highlights:
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“No one knows if the narrowly drawn Supreme Court decision will apply to race-conscious affirmative action as practiced at other colleges,” writes Executive Director Harold O. Levy in his latest op-ed for Fox News. “Should any of those programs be overturned in the future, efforts to increase the number of low-income students at colleges will become even more important.” Levy summarizes the foundation’s new issue brief on the topic in The Huffington Post.
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Several talented Cooke Scholars were featured in the media this week: Brendan Terry from New Roads School; Ethan Ambrose from Medgar Evers College Prep School; and Ojaswee Giri from North Lake College.
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Curious what about what it’s like to join the Cooke Scholar community? Here are a few of our favorite photos and social media posts from Welcome Weekend 2016.