Texas Community Colleges Recognized for Excellence / Public Information Service

AUSTIN, Texas – San Antonio College (SAC) is the 2021 recipient of the so-called “Oscars” for outstanding achievement by a community college, and the reason is its commitment to students who have often find it difficult to stay in school.

the Aspen Award for Community College Excellence is given every two years.

Dr Robert Vela, president of SAC, said the 95-year-old institution is focused on serving people in its immediate environment in some of the poorest postcodes in the country, with low graduation rates and high unemployment rates.

“It is very difficult for a large urban institution to achieve excellence and achieve that kind of success,” said Vela. “So we make sure to prepare students for success, in the job market or in a university setting. “

SAC will receive $ 600,000 for its first place in areas such as certificate and diploma completion, job success and equity for students of color and low income. Amarillo College, Odessa College and San Jacinto College were also recognized.

Josh Wyner, executive director of the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, said four of the 10 finalists were in the Lone Star State, testifying to the state’s investment in improving community colleges.

“We’re looking at which colleges are achieving the highest, fastest, and fairest improvement,” Wyner explained. “And it really is a testament to the hard work that has been done by so many entities in the state of Texas.”

Vela has pointed out in the past that many prospective students avoid community college if they can afford a four-year institution, but since President Joe Biden promoted them to the American Families Plan, Vela thinks a lot of people take a second look.

“It gives you options,” Vela observed. “And for so many years we’ve been coined as ‘you settle in.’ But given our environment, given our economic position that we all find ourselves in, it’s actually a very smart decision to make. , financially. “

Two-thirds of SAC students are Hispanic, Black or Native American. Vela added 52% of students who enroll in either a degree or transfer within three years, compared to the national average of 46%.

Support for this report was provided by the Lumina Foundation.

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By next fall, refugee students may be able to apply to attend U.S. colleges and universities. The State Department said it plans to pilot a new category for refugee admissions, known as P4.

P4 status would allow a group or institution to sponsor a refugee. A university sponsorship program would allow them to study in the United States and then apply for permanent residence.

Laura Wagner, project leader for the Initiative on US Education Pathways for Refugee Students, which is part of the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, said the current international student visa program requires students to leave after graduation.

“Right now we get the best and the brightest in the world, and then we say, ‘Thank you, now you have to go back to your home country,’” explained Wagner. “While this would provide them with an opportunity to stay and continue to use and share these talents with their new community in the United States”

The Alliance recently published a report Calling on the State Department to implement a P4 category in spring 2022. Community colleges and universities, including the University of California-Davis, would step up to offer free tuition. Service groups would cover other costs and the State Department would help with the relocation.

Wagner argued that refugees deserve a chance for a better future in the United States, a country founded by immigrants.

“Less than 1% of the world’s refugees can be resettled,” Wagner reported. “And we only have 5% of refugees entering higher education.”

Advocates for the pilot program say it could initially be limited to 30 students who apply next fall and start their college courses in 2024.

Support for this report was provided by the Lumina Foundation.

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A bill in New Hampshire would allow local communities to choose whether to fund the education of children who attend private schools or home schooling, in addition to the statewide voucher program.

Bill House 607 as amended is put to a vote in the House in early January, and parents and educators are concerned about its implications for public schools.

Jen, a parent who formed the volunteer group Save our New Hampshire schools and chose not to use his last name, said any investment should be made to improve Granite State public schools, for example, by providing all school districts with full-time kindergarten.

“These vouchers would be paid for by local property taxes,” Jen explained. “And the other thing that’s also really alarming is that there is no income limit for families.”

She said the statewide voucher bill has an income limit of 300% of the poverty level. Legislators budgeted $ 129,000 for the statewide program, enough for about 28 students, but the price tag now stands at over $ 6 million, as more than 1,500 children have been enrolled.

Supporters of the new voucher bill have argued that it gives voters local control over whether they want to fund the program using their property taxes. But Jen countered that once a school district enrolls, they are required to fund students who enrolled during the year throughout their studies, even if the district withdraws from the program. after a year.

“It could mean lost income,” Jen said. “It could mean for some districts millions of dollars every year for up to 15 years, so there really is no voter control.”

She added that the voucher programs are not unique to New Hampshire, noting that special national interests have passed or are working on similar legislation. She urged Granite Staters to contact their lawmakers about this.

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Only 52% of New York City teachers teach climate change. An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated the percentage. (11:43 a.m. EST, December 28, 2021)

CORRECTION: Only 52% of teachers in New York City teach climate change. An earlier version of the article incorrectly stated the percentage. (11:43 a.m. EST, December 28, 2021)

A new survey found that only 52% of public school educators in New York City teach their students about climate change, and many said they were not trained to teach the subject.

Supporters of climate education hope to bring about statewide change. The Climate and Resilience Education Working Group, along with the National Wildlife Federation and the United Federation of Teachers, sent the survey to teachers across town, and 1,500 responded.

Emily Fano, senior education officer for the Wildlife Federation in New York City and co-founder of the task force that commissioned the survey, said most students get information about climate change outside of the classroom. class, and more knowledge could better equip them to handle the climate crisis moving forward.

“There is a lot of climate anxiety among our young people,” observed Fano. “We believe that learning about climate change is a way to take action, to feel empowered.”

Only half of teachers who reported teaching about climate change receive classroom materials, and only one in five report that climate education has been covered in their student-teacher training.

Fano’s group is push legislation to the state Senate Education Committee to require climate science in the state high school curriculum. Fano believes the topic should extend beyond high school classes, including grades from Kindergarten to Kindergarten.

“We really wasted an incredible amount of time that students needed to learn about this crisis,” said Fano. “We looked at the Terms of Reference because it may be the fastest way to bring climate education into the classroom.”

Almost 60% of survey respondents said they support a teaching mandate on climate change. Fano added that New York has a chance to set an example for other states and nations.

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