Universities Tips

Most parents assume that their children are getting an equitable education, regardless of where they attend school or in what district. However, Chicago schools may differ in educational opportunities, depending upon several factors — the most prominent being the percentage of low-income students and the quality of property values within the different districts. With many of the Chicago schools providing education to low-income students, these factors impact the quality of education your children may receive.

Let’s look at Chicago schools General George Patton School District 133. Its low-income students comprise 97 percent of the overall students educated within the district. The state standard per student funding is $8,786. Patton receives $10,144 per student, 15 percent above the standard. Sounds good? It’s not.

Low-income Chicago schools must provide for the special needs of the low-income students, such as extra tutoring programs, remedial programs, preschool, and free lunches. Once the normal costs of special education and transportation are added in, there is little left of the school’s budget for typical needs, let alone educational enhancements. Some of the Patton students cannot even take textbooks home to study, because there are not enough for each student.

Low-income Chicago schools must provide such services to ensure the children living in poor families have the same education advantages as their other children. With no formal education before kindergarten, they need the extra schooling that many times must continue throughout elementary school.

Now let’s compare Patton to Northbrook School District 27 (not in the Chicago schools area). It has a school budget of $20 million per year for 1,310 students — $15,308 per student. It has only 0.6 percent low-income students and a sky-high property tax base from which to draw funds — according to the Northern Multiple Listing Service, the average home in this school district carries more than $2 million in value.

Northbrook spends very little on low-income student services. They can afford well-educated teachers. Students have access to wireless laptops starting in fourth grade. They provide continual teacher professional development and administration support. Student has daily physical education classes, art and music twice a week, and daily interaction with technology — they have over 700 computers and a seven-person technology staff. Their gifted program meets several times a week for children in kindergarten through third grade, and daily for as long as three periods for fourth graders. They provide after school activities, such as the broadcast club, chess club and competitive sports.

The low-income Chicago schools cannot compete with wealthier districts, and the children are not as prepared for college or post-graduate careers. Chicago schools education advocates are concerned with the wide variation in school district per student funding amounts across the state, which ranges from $4,437 to $23,798 per student. They believe it is unfair that poor Chicago schools have to choose between the basic needs of children in poorer families and education enhancements that are demanded by parents in wealthier Chicago schools.

Some of the contributing factors for inequalities in Chicago schools are:

• Chicago schools have to pay teachers more than rural schools, since their cost of living is higher in Chicago; but much less than wealthier schools — many teachers do not have a college major or minor within the subjects they teach (mathematics, for instance),

• Most Chicago schools spend more on bilingual education to serve the growing immigrant populations,

• Low-income Chicago schools have higher costs for administration and support services to address the students’ attendance, emotional and academic issues, and

• Low-income Chicago schools receive most of their funding from state and federal government grants; whereas, wealthier school districts receive the bulk of their funding locally, most of which is from property taxes.

The funding source also causes difficulties for low-income Chicago schools. State and federal grants come with more strings attached than local funding. They dictate to the Chicago schools how the money is used and cause more administrative costs in dealing with the associated red tape. These Chicago schools are vulnerable to the whims of the politicians, who may create or cancel a program to ensure reelection. The financial status of the state and federal budgets affect low-income Chicago schools annually. Lastly, many grants are tied to specific programs and initiatives, taking away a lot of the choices and flexibility that the wealthier schools enjoy.

So, when choosing a school for your children from the Chicago schools system, determine the percentage of low-income children that make up the school’s student body and research the median property values for the area. Ask the school principal what percentage of their funding is from government grants and what comes from local funding. You will be glad you did — and so will your children!

Colleges in US Information | Colleges in US Index

Links
Universities

The rise of the internet has brought about a wealth of resources and information for people all over the globe. Now, many people are even turning to the web to get a college education, receiving online diplomas entirely via distance education. Acquiring an online college diploma is fast becoming a popular way of furthering educational goals, and many mba degrees can be obtained entirely online. What’s more, there are many benefits to obtaining your degree online versus attending a traditional classroom setting. Whatever your reasons for attending an online institution, there’s no denying that it’s becoming a popular alternative to traditional education.

For students, it’s very hard to juggle a job with school and family life. That’s what makes an online education so attractive. Students have the ability to fit their coursework into a schedule that works for them, while still holding down a full time job and taking care of responsibilities at home. Getting an online college diploma offers students a chance to obtain a college education without shirking their other duties. This works especially well for older students who didn’t go to college right out of high school and instead chose to pursue a career. Whether you work best at two in the afternoon or two in the morning, online diplomas offer the convenience and flexibility you need in your busy life.

For other students, the idea of sitting in a classroom is not very appealing. Many potential students desire to obtain a degree, but are turned off by the thought of having to work at the pace of others. By choosing to obtain a degree online, you have the ability to work at your own pace. Whether you want to focus and complete your coursework ahead of schedule, or feel that you will need extra time during certain portions of the class to truly master some of the more difficult concepts, an online degree provides you with the flexibility and options your desire.

Additionally, with online diplomas you are still receiving the same level of education you would in a traditional classroom. Oftentimes, the scope of your degree program even allows you to learn more information than you would in a classroom. Because students are not limited by geography, you also open up wider connections to network and are able to obtain assistance and support from your teachers and classmates via internet chat rooms, forums and of course e-mail. These methods of communication allow for quick feedback, and you can’t beat the convenience.

If you’re interested in getting an online college diploma, you don’t have to worry about the level of respect you’ll receive from other colleges or employers. In most cases, online diplomas are still well respected in the workforce, and as long as they are properly accredited you will have no trouble furthering your education at other colleges or universities, whether online or off. So, not only do you reap the benefits online university diplomas offer in terms of convenience and networking opportunities, but will still receive the same level of respect you would if your degree came from a traditional brick and mortar facility.

Receiving an online college diploma can help you achieve your educational goals in a convenient manner, and allow you to juggle multiple responsibilities much more effectively than a traditional classroom setting would allow. The benefits to receiving online diplomas are endless, and students everywhere are turning to the internet to further their education. While traditional learning institutions will never be abolished, the internet offers multiple opportunities to succeed in your educational goals, and provides a flexible environment for you to do so.

Colleges in US Review | Colleges in US

Links
Universities

"Creativity is more of a dull glow than a divine spark - the more fanning it receives, the brighter it will burn. "

—James Adams

"More often than not, children are unevenly gifted, often being especially gifted in one area. It's not uncommon to find them quite gifted in one area, but average or learning disabled in another. "

—Ellen Winner

“Avoid compulsion and let early education be a manner of amusement. Young children learn by games; compulsory education cannot remain in the soul. ”

—Plato

“ I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. ”

—Mark Twain

“As parents, we must refrain from showing favoritism, and from comparing our children with others. Above all, we must refrain from pushing them to become something that their unique personal makeup may never allow them to be. ”

—Johann Christoph Arnold

“Alas, how much is in our education and in our social institutions to prepare us and our children for insanity.”

—Goethe

“The home is the principle learning environment for the child and parents are the primary educators.”

—Thomas Armstrong

" But when it comes to children, parental involvement is a must. This is because children often won't know they have an interest in something until after their parents bring it to their attention. "

—John Andersen

Colleges in US Tips | Colleges in US Information

Links
Universities

Formal education is getting very important in today’s competitive world. Proper education and reputed college degree can help one grab better job opportunities and demand higher salary from employers. But owing to certain circumstances or due to lack of funds one is usually restrained from getting a college degree. Online universities present a lucrative option for people with time constraints. Amount of benefits achieved from completing online courses greatly depend on the reputation of the online university. An erroneous choice of online training institute results in your wasting precious time and invaluable money. Hence it is very important to choose a competent university that provides maximum knowledge with minimum cost and time involvement. Factors governing the choice for online institution of higher education are-

Accreditation of institute

Genuine accreditation of institute is a prime factor while determining its creditability. Being accredited from regional authorities renders universities a higher reputation. Students graduating from these places stand a better chance to obtain higher salaries and better jobs. Also eligibility towards student loan gets higher if concerned authority accredits the enrolled institution. Inter course student loan transfers are possible for transfers within similar regional universities.

Research the quality and relevance of course offered

Learning anything that is irrelevant in today’s scenario would result in useless accumulation of knowledge that does not turn to be fruitful. An enquiry about the university’s capability of adaptation towards changing technologies is important. Analyzing the syllabus offered by proposed university by comparing it with other online institutes presenting similar coaching would help determine whether the curriculum is exhaustive or not. An examination about the course being suitable to one’s capabilities and interests is again very important.

Cost involved

Online universities offer personalized education program for adult learners. Hence at times they might occur to be more costly. A considerably low fee charged by online university is a matter of concern as that may be due to low quality education imparted by them. Untalented faculty members are available at low costs and that may be a reason behind reduced fee structure. Sometimes even if the cost of education is higher it is worth the effort as availing student loans is easy. Expected increase in money earned after completion of the course would help repay the loan amount.

Admission requirements

Formalities and academic qualification that are essential to enroll for a particular course are indicative of the universities standard of education. Imparting admission only on the basis of money payment capacity should lower the credibility of the university. As certain minimum academic qualification must be mandatory prior to enroll for graduate courses. Not having any such restrictions results in accumulation of unworthy students who would latter be one’s fellow mates.

Investigate the faculty and alumni

Enquiry about the faculties, educational qualifications are indicative of the online universities competence to impart training. Also the university must have technological infrastructure to carry out the distance-learning program. Usually Students are required to log in for minimum number of times during the week. Although timings for logging can be adjusted in accordance with one’s comfort.

Colleges in US Index | Colleges in US Review

Links
Universities

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools know all about educating students. They know how to efficiently and effectively run a school system. They also know the importance of parental involvement. To that end, they have developed the slogan, “What a family DOES matters more than what a family HAS”.

Recognizing the fact that a child’s first teacher is a parent, Charlotte Schools are working to communicate this belief to Charlotte Schools parents and to encourage them to get involved in their child’s education.

It doesn’t really matter what a family has. Whether they are rich or poor or middle of the road, all that really matters is that they are all involved in each other’s lives. It doesn’t matter if there’s a TV in every room, or only one or even none; families that participate in activities together have children who learn better (notice I didn’t say that they are smarter), are more confident, and feel safe and content both at home and at school. Charlotte Schools recognize that they have the capacity to help parents get involved in their children’s education, and even have a “Family Services Department”. This organization provides a variety of tools, resources, and support to help families learn how to work with Charlotte Schools for the benefit of the children.

In fact, recent research has shown that there are at least 3 distinct benefits to children when their parents get involved in their education:

- Parental involvement improves student learning in all racial, income, and ethnic groups, regardless of the parents’ education levels.

- Parental involvement is linked to better school attendance, homework performance, and higher test scores.

- Parental involvement leads to more students graduating from high school and to more of those same students pursuing higher education.

It’s easy to see that, if a child has parents who are involved in their education, the educational experience they have over the years will be much richer than that of a child whose parents are unable or unwilling to get involved at the school.

There are so many ways that a parent can get involved in the Charlotte Schools that it’s nearly impossible to name them all. The following is a sample of how you can get involved in one of the Charlotte Schools that your child attends (or may attend in the future):

- First of all, join the Charlotte Schools parent leadership organization, commonly known as the PTA, PTO or Booster Club.

- Attend open houses, curriculum nights, book fairs and other programs.

- Visit the school often. Get to know your child’s Charlotte Schools teachers, and principal, by name.

- Be an advocate! Only you know your child best, and it’s important to let Charlotte Schools know as much as possible about your student. Be sure to let the teacher(s) and principal know your concerns about what and how your child is learning.

While not an exhaustive discussion of how parents can get involved in their children’s Charlotte Schools, it is, hopefully, a beginning step to seeing how Charlotte Schools are committed to working with parents to give students a quality education.

Colleges in US Guide | Colleges in US Tips

Links
Universities