Archive for September, 2010
Choosing Great High Schools
Posted on Sep 28, 2010 03:35:02 AM
If you have lived in the same place for a very long time, you already know where your child is going to go to school until graduation. Unless you are willing to move, you don’t have much choice in the way of what high schools you want them to attend. Your choices are usually the public and private options in your community. However, if you are planning to move, but you are not sure where you are going to end up yet, you can look into all of the schools in the general area to decide which you think is the best. There are many things to look for in a school and many questions to ask.
High schools are not all the same. Some are large, some are small, and some are going to disappear. If you had a bad experience in school, you may be looking for a high school that is the opposite of what you experienced, but you can never judge any school by the size. Smaller schools have more close knit classes, but that can be a problem. However, some children get lost in larger high schools and their educations suffers because of it. A middle sized school may be the best all around bet.
High schools can only work with what they have. There are many districts that have had to cut back on many programs that were standard when you went to school. Big changes have happened in some high schools in the last five years. If you have been out of high school for quite a while, the changes are even bigger. When you are choosing among various communities, request information about the the school budget and changes that have been made. This information alone can help you cross some bad high schools off the list right off the bat.
Take a good look at the sports programs at each of the high schools you are considering. A good program has plenty of options, but you also want a school that is not all about the sports. It is great for kids to play end enjoy sports for many reasons, but some high schools focus on sports too much, leaving education in second place. Even worse, those students that are not into sports may suffer in such a school. Look for an active and funded sports program that is a part of education, not the entire story.
Lastly, the most important thing in any high schools is the track record of graduates and what classes they offer their students. Go into the school and talk with the principal and anyone else that can help you. Walk through the school to look for cleanliness and see how the school feels. Some schools just have a better feel than other high schools. You can tell a lot about a school just by walking through with someone from the school during school hours. No school is perfect, but make sure the one you choose has what you want and where you feel your child will be safe and valued.
The United States gives hope to thousands and to its self through education loans
Posted on Sep 25, 2010 03:33:25 AM
In a democracy, through their vote, the people decide what issues should be set before them, what side of an issue will prevail, and what their, and their children’s future will hold. Citizens are expected to be conversant on the issues of the day, expected to use their minds and knowledge to seek and discover the concerns that will shape the destiny and form of their nation. Successful democracies depend on the wisdom of their people, and wisdom comes through discipline, training, experience, and education. Through education comes the higher skilled workers that no robust economy can do without. A strong and healthy economy is the backbone of a strong and healthy nation. No democracy can afford to ignore the importance of education if that democracy is to survive, to thrive and flourish, if it is to be a democracy capable of justice. It is the responsibility of a democracy to assure its citizens the right to an education. It must make it widely available and affordable. Education loans are one important vehicle.
Having long recognized the necessity of an educated populace, and recognizing as well that education comes with a price tag, the people of the United States have heartily embraced the practice of education loans. Education takes up time that might otherwise be used for work and profit. A citizen must live while yet attending a school or a college, and the education facilities and its teachers and staff must all be paid. Unless the citizen is wealthy, most citizens are unable to refrain from work in order to obtain an education. A part-time job will only cover so much. To cover the rest, the people of the U.S., through their government, make the first twelve years of a citizen’s education free, and for higher education, student loans are available.
Education loans in the United States have been supported by the federal government since 1965. Our government subsidizes banks and institutions such as Sallie Mae, enabling these institutions to provide student loans to citizens in need. The government encourages lending institutions to make student loans by reducing risks to the lender. The Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) project, the government program responsible for backing student loans, will pay out 97 percent of a student loan that goes into default.
With this incentive in place, lending institutions have little trouble giving out education loans. There is money to be earned from the interest charged, and the risk is low. Granted, there isn’t the opportunity for lenders to make the highest possible profit from their capital: since 1993 the federal government has been making student loans directly to the student, putting a competitive cap on interest rates the private sector lenders may charge. FFEL has worked very well for students and lenders alike, but, under the FFEL program, the people have been expensed at about $6 billion a year. This is money that could be applied to student grants for low income students, to the Pell grant. To reduce these expenses and make the saved money available for grants, and for junior colleges, the federal government is now retiring FFEL and making education loans directly to its citizens under the Direct Loan Program.
While this may be bad news for the education loans industry, it’s good news indeed for low income students. The Pell Grant is slated to receive an additional $13.5 billion of funding. With so many people unemployed and displaced, wanting to return to school today, this change is just in time. It brings hope to thousands of people thirsting for knowledge and a better job. It is also reason to hope that the United States will win in its struggle to retain its character as democracy’s shining star. Its commitment to education ?and education loans – may very well be the means of its redemption.
Scholarships For Students
Posted on Sep 23, 2010 05:53:35 AM
College is expensive. There are loans and other ways to get money for higher education, but free money is always the best way to pay for college. If you can afford to pay for your kids to go to college, you probably made some sacrifices and good savings choices when they were young. Not everyone can do this, so if you know your child wants to go to college, encourage them to work towards scholarships for students. Not all good students are going to get these, as there are only so many to go around, but there are a few things they can do to get noticed.
Good grades are almost always a way to get good scholarships for students. Not all of them rely on this for qualification, but many do. Students should always be encouraged to do their best, but don’t push too hard. There are some students that will never be straight-A students, but they can still get into a good college because they have solid grades. It also depends on the target college. Where a student wants to go makes a difference in what GPA is acceptable. Just encourage them to work hard and to use good study habits.
Some students find that doing special projects that are not necessarily grade-orientated are ways to get scholarships for students. These special projects can come up all throughout school. It could be something as simple as a science fair project. Encourage your child to participant in all types of special projects that may otherwise be optional at school. Also encourage them to do special projects and contests that develop in the community rather than just as school. Even without a scholarship, this helps your child become much more well rounded.
Don’t forget about getting involved with the community in general. There are many scheduling committees that look at more than just grades, or give out scholarships based on single projects. Many colleges want their students to be well-rounded, and so do those that offer money to a student. Encourage your child to help the community by volunteering in a few different ways each year. They can also do things like Boy or Girl Scouts or programs like it. There are many out there, so your child is sure to find something that they will love to do.
There is a bonus to having your child go through all of these things in high school other than scholarships for students. They are going to be better people and they will grow up keeping others in mind when making choices. They are also going to know the value of hard work and keeping a goal in mind. Whether they get the money to go to college through scholarships or through loans or savings, there is always something to be said for doing your best and giving back. What they learn from your guidance will carry throughout their lives, even when it seems that they are not hearing a word that you are saying.
Courses for Continuing Education – Medical Doctors
Posted on Sep 22, 2010 03:30:56 AM
It is usually the government that tries to get in and ruin everyone’s fun when there is a conflict of interest. If there is a business making too large a contribution to some politician’s kitty, the law (not to mention the media), swoops in and has something to say about it. If someone in law enforcement accepts a gift, they get suspended. If a doctor accepts a pass to an all expenses-paid junket, paid for by a pharmaceutical major, people whisper that there is some kind of cozy arrangement at play. What about doctors-in training though? The University of Michigan’s medical school is the first anyone’s ever heard of that has decided that it will no longer accept contributions from pharmaceutical majors like Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson to help doctors engaging in continuing education, medical license renewals and so on pay for their coursework.
That’s the way it will be, starting New Year’s Day next year; and it’s a move that’s been voted for by the entire university administration. All of this comes from the outcry that’s been building up in the medical profession – medical associations, med school lecturers, law makers, medical ethics experts and so on. They worry that doctors who come in for continuing education, medical exams and so forth, who accept contributions from the drugmakers, will feel beholden to them when they step into their clinics to practice.
So how much money are we talking about here? At the University of Michigan, it’s about a million dollars for the doctors’ continuing education; medical courses like these nationwide call in about a billion dollars – that’s about 50% of their entire budget. This is actually getting serious – with Continuing Medical Education or CME as it is known, the accrediting authority is beginning to become completely intolerant of commercial involvement. They’ve declared that no doctor attending any meeting held by an industry-employed expert is going to get any credit anymore. So what do the doctors think about this? The National Institutes of Health and the American Heart Association find this an egregious intrusion in their affairs. They feel that this is their main source of continuing education, medicalknowledge and so on; and to cut them off from it would be a disservice to medicine.
Private medical education businesses that accept funds from pharmaceutical companies to run their courses completely disagree with all of this though. They claim that if they were to charge doctors for their education, no one would be able to afford it. They feel that there certainly can be a certain amount of doubt and suspicion that commercial investment can have an unwholesome effect on a doctor’s judgment; but they feel that since this is not proven, and you can’t just go about banning things on suspicion.
Continuing education medical courses are a huge business in this country, and there are more than 500 accredited providers. They claim that there is nothing in the courses that could possibly persuade attending doctors to prescribe products by any company. A survey of doctors fresh out of these courses claims that the doctors don’t see any cause for worry. But that is a survey that kind of begs the question. The ethicists wonder why on earth tightfisted corporations would spend a billion every year if it didn’t come back to them in some way. And the doctors argue right back that there is so much science that’s going on in the private sector. If they didn’t have access to it, where would they be? If Johnson & Johnson and makes a discovery or invention, how else are doctors going to know about if not from Johnson & Johnson? Good arguments on both sides. But for now, they’re shutting industry out of medical education.