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Written by Grace Chen

 A recent Opens Doors Day by Detroit Public Schools gave parents and students the chance to catch a glimpse of the wide range of schools available in one of the largest school districts in the country. Among other possibilities, this tour featured a unique school to Michigan and one of the only schools of its kind in the U.S. Who would have suspected that a district-wide open house could cumulate into a tour of the city by air – in a private plane used at a high school that prepares students for a career in the aerospace industry?

 

According to a report at mLive, students who recently visited Davis Aerospace Technical High School as part of their tour of Detroit Public Schools got a welcome surprise. One of the instructors at the school, who also happens to be a pilot, took students and their parents on free airplane rides using one of the small private planes kept at the school for training purposes. The four-seat aircraft was the smallest many of the guests had ever flown in, and the tour of Downtown Detroit from miles above the ground could only be described as “breathtaking.”

 

Flights took off from a small runway adjacent to the Davis Aerospace Technical High School campus. The pilot of the flights, Captain Miller, is an instructor at Davis, and a veteran of the U.S. Air Forces with more than 35 years of flying experience. Captain Miller is a high school teacher...

Written by Grace Chen

A recent study revealed some startling statistics about teacher retention in Duval County Public Schools. The study from the Jacksonville Public Education Fund found that this large U.S. county loses more than half of its public school teachers within just five years of their careers. This high turnover rate may be costing the school district a significant amount of money, as well as impacting the quality of education provided to public school students. As the statistics come to light, theories begin to circulate on how to promote public school teaching as a long-term career choice in Duval County.

 

WTEV was one of the first to broadcast the results of the study by the Jacksonville Public Education Fund. The news station reported that researchers involved in the study surveyed 600 Duval County public school teachers to explore the possible reasons for the exceptionally high turnover rate. The teachers interviewed told the station that salary and benefits are both factors that could either keep teachers in the profession – or drive them away.

 

Teachers were also asked what would make them stay in the profession, rather than search for greener pastures after just a few short years. Trey Csar, president of the Jacksonville Public Education Fund said that the majority of teachers told them compensation and benefits, increased autonomy and a louder voice in policy decision could be the driving force behind long-term employment of public teachers in the county. Calling the findings a “human capital”...

Written by Grace Chen

As high school seniors are busy making their choices about which college to attend, those coming behind them may be watching the process with interest. They know that they too will be facing that quandary in a few short months, even as they are amassing piles of information about various colleges and universities across the country. While choosing a college can seem like a daunting task, there are ways to narrow the choices and make the decision-making process a little easier. Check out these 10 tips for choosing the best college for you.

 

What is your primary reason for attending college? Are you all about the academics, or is the social aspect of college important as well? Do you relish moving away from home to experience college life independently, or would you prefer to live at home as you take your first year or two of classes? Consider how you picture your college life for the next two to four years, to determine which types of colleges will meet your expectations best.

 

Talk to friends and family members that are in college or recently graduated, to learn more about their experiences with higher education. Find out what they like and didn’t like about various schools. A report at National Public Radio also recommends talking to those closest to you about what they see as your best college fit. You might discover that friends and family think you would do well on your own in...

Written by Grace Chen

U.S. News has released its newest ranking of the top performing public high schools in the country. The rankings are compiled by the news publication annually to help students and parents discover the best high school choices in their states. Rankings are determined by a precise set of criteria that looks at student performance and college readiness. A special look is taken at how well a high school serves its least-advantaged students in these areas.

 

To assess thousands of schools throughout the United States, U.S. News teams up with the American Institutes for Research. This DC-based organization is considered a foremost authority on behavioral and social sciences research across the globe. AIR is responsible for the new criteria utilized by U.S. News this year, which were based on the idea that top schools should effectively serve all the students in their population. This explains the specific examination of student performance by disadvantaged students at each school.

 

Researchers perused data from more than 21,000 high schools in 49 states and the District of Columbia. States had to provide adequate data and 12-grade enrollment to be included in the rankings. Nebraska did not submit sufficient data on the state’s high schools to be considered. Rankings were completed on a statewide and national basis, to provide the best framework for parents and students who use the rankings to choose the best local high school for their needs.

 

According to a report at U.S. News, the first...

Written by Grace Chen

It may be assumed that segregation is no longer a significant problem for public schools throughout the United States. However, a recent study found that segregation is still very much alive and well in Maryland public schools. Despite efforts at the end of the last century to desegregate schools in the state, recent data suggests the efforts have come up short in ensuring an equal education quality for all Maryland students.

 

The new research, which was compiled by the Civil Rights Project at UCLA, found that black students in Maryland attend public schools that are nearly as segregated today as they were during the desegregation efforts of the 1980s. Afro reports that during the 2010-2011 school year, more than half of all the African-American students attended schools with a strong majority of minority students. In addition, those schools had a much higher percentage of low-income students than schools that were primarily attended by white students in the state.

 

This discrepancy can lead to a serious disparity in educational quality. School with a high percentage of low-income and minority students tend to receive fewer resources and less experienced teachers than other schools in the area. At the same time, the resources the schools do receive must be used to fulfill basic functions, such as free lunches to qualifying students, rather than for improved learning opportunities. High turnover rate for school staff and higher student-teacher ratios also tend to plague these schools.

 

“To the extent...

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