New Zealand's National Business Review - Broadband A Staple In US Education: "In 2001, almost 90 per cent of American schools (K-12) had internet access in the classroom and the 'digital divide' was still showing, but not dramatically: in schools where over 50 per cent of the student enrolment was from minority groups, over 80 per cent of classroom had internet access, as opposed to just over 90 per cent in schools with majority European student populations.
"

The Vindicator: "YOUNGSTOWN %u2014 Graduates of the city's public schools who decide to major in education and teach for two years in those schools after finishing college can apply for special incentive scholarships.

The scholarships, which cover one's junior and senior years of college, were created by the city school board last January to remedy a teacher shortage, especially in urban schools. "

SouthBendTribune.com: Putting her money where her mouth is: "Valerie Sayers looks around and realizes the faces she sees on the University of Notre Dame campus don't mirror today's increasingly diverse world.

Sayers, an English professor at Notre Dame, recently established a scholarship fund for minority and other underrepresented students. Faculty and other employees can support the fund through voluntary payroll deductions."

Applications available for scholarships: "Applications for Western Nevada Community College scholarships for the spring semester are being accepted through Jan. 2. Spring classes begin Jan. 26."

Applications available for Petri scholarships to study classical music : "A total of $12,500 will be awarded to two residents of Oregon who are between the ages of 21 and 35."

Kansas City Nursing News: "University of Kansas School of Medicine receives grant to recruit and assist minority students
"

The Delphos Herald Inc. - Scholarships available for cancer survivors

toledoblade.com: "Electric cooperative offering scholarships"

The deadline for high school students to apply is March 1.

Mitchell County Press-News - Apply now for 80 4-H scholarships

Despite progress, black students still lag on test: "Make it 'cool' for black students to achieve." - [I find this patronizing. But much of the article has merit.]

Grant to Recruit and Assist Minority Students: "KANSAS CITY, Kan.- The University of Kansas School of Medicine has received a federal grant designed to recruit more under-represented minorities to become physicians. The $3.75 million dollar, two-year grant is from the National Institute of Health%u2019s National Center for Minority Health and Health Disparities.

"

PHXnews.com | Breaking News from the Phoenix area, Tucson & Flagstaff, Arizona - Private School Scholarships are Spelling Success

The Macomb (Michigan) Daily - Scholarships are out there; you just need to know where to look
By Dan Heaton, Macomb Daily Business Editor December 14, 2003: "'My philosophy is, if you only get $500, that's $500 less you have to take out of your pocket,' Florian said."

The Jakarta Post - Women education key to slow population growth: "'With sufficient knowledge and education, women will have more options to do activities outside the house, this will eventually decrease their desire to have so many children as they will be too busy,' Imam sa"

Various Scholarship Opportunities for 2004 - Please note deadlines

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10497764&BRD=1380&PAG=461&dept_id=157525&rfi=6

Tallying our losses in the 'education marketplace': "One of the most remarkable changes in my adult life has been the slow abandonment of the public schools. I'm stunned that we've allowed it to happen, when we expend untold treasure and lives to bring democracy to Baghdad and secure cheap oil. I'm stunned that we talk about it so little.
"

Dover Community News:

Scholarships applications accepted for Interlochen music summer camp
: "Top high school musicians from around the country are invited to apply for an Emerson Scholarship Award to the world-famous Interlochen Arts Camp in northern Michigan. Fifty-two students from across the United States and Puerto Rico will receive a full scholarship for the 2004 Interlochen Arts Camp. "

Applications must be postmarked by Feb. 15, 2004, and winners will be announced by April 12. Winners will be determined solely on merit.

Backstage.com - Prime Time for Minority Scribes
By Jesse Hiestand:The number of minority writers in primetime television increased last year amid signs that they are moving beyond the traditional stronghold of ethnic sitcoms, according to a report issued Thursday."

At Colleges, an Affirmative Reaction (washingtonpost.com): "Some conservative organizations argue that minority outreach programs are unconstitutional if they exclude other racial groups. They have threatened legal action and, in some cases, have filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Education. "

State: Admissions Game: "College admissions officers are fond of saying, 'There's a college for every student and a student for every college.' For many students now applying to the state's top schools, a better aphorism might be: 'There's a college for you somewhere, but not necessarily the one you have in mind.'"

CTA | California Educator: "School vouchers play on the fears of concerned minority communities"

State: Education commissioner concedes voucher failings: "A scholarship funding organization in Ocala, for example, is now under criminal investigation. Law enforcement is trying to discover what happened to $168,000 that was supposed to be spent on vouchers for low-income children but disappeared."

USATODAY.com - Poor, minority kids face long odds in education: "Recent scores on national math and reading tests show that gaps between white, middle-class students and their low-income, minority peers persisted in the past decade. In reading, for example, 41% of white eighth-graders read proficiently, compared with 13% of black students, a gap of 28%. In 1992, the gap was 27%. "

NCAA tackles grad rates

New academic rules aim to boost the number of degrees earned.

DEBRA E. BLUM, AND DOUGLAS LEDERMAN
Statesman Journal November 24, 2003

Embarrassed by poor graduation rates for football and basketball players, the NCAA again is implementing new academic rules to ensure that colleges put more athletes on track to earn degrees.

Of concern, however, is whether the rules will trigger more instances of what has become the association’s recurring public relations nightmare: academic fraud.

The Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program is Now Accepting Applications for the Summer of 2004

All application materials are due by January 30, 2004

Program: The Scholars Program brings talented African American, Latino,
Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native college seniors and recent graduates to Washington, D.C., where they work in congressional offices and learn about health policy.

The application deadline is January 30, 2004.

Purpose: The Kaiser Family Foundation established the Scholars Program
to honor the legacy of late U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, who was a
Foundation Trustee, and to expand the pool of students of color
interested in the field of health policy.

Structure: Through the nine-week program (June 1 - July 30, 2004),
Scholars gain knowledge about federal legislative procedure and health
policy issues, while further developing their critical thinking and leadership skills. In addition to an internship in a congressional office, Scholars participate in seminars and site visits to augment their knowledge of health care issues, and write and present a health policy research paper. The program is based at Howard University.

Eligibility: Eligible candidates must be U.S. citizens who are members
of a racial/ethnic minority group and will be seniors or recent graduates
of an accredited U.S. college or university in the fall of 2004. Candidates are selected based on academic performance, demonstrated leadership potential and interest in health policy.

Compensation: Scholars receive approximately $5,000 in support, which
includes a stipend, daily expense allowance, airfare and lodging.

Additional information: Application forms and additional information
about the Program are available online at

http://www.kff.org/docs/topics/jordanscholars.html

All application materials are due by January 30, 2004.

For further information, contact program manager Jomo Kassaye at 202-865-4827 or jkassaye@huhosp.org
[Thanks Brian!]

@griculture Online - News - Monsanto, Farm Broadcasters to award 100 scholarships: "To be eligible for one of the awards, the student applicant must come from farm family and plan to pursue a career in the field of agriculture. One-time awards of $1,500 will be made to 100 high school seniors chosen by an impartial selection committee of agricultural educators and industry leaders."

http://www.agriculture.com/default.sph/AgNews.class?FNC=goDetail__ANewsindex_html___50902___1

Online Archives: "The UC Davis Cal Aggie Alumni Association awards between $75,000 and $100,000 every year to high school seniors and community college transfer students who plan to attend UC Davis."

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/articles/2003/11/26/news/news92.txt

The deadline for applying is Feb. 2.

Atlanta Daily World - "Scientific Society Seeks Minority Students For Scholarships"
: "The deadline to apply for the program is February 15. For more details about the ACS Scholars Program and an online application form, visit chemistry.org/scholars or call 1-800-227-5558, extension 6250."

http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=10576706&BRD=1077&PAG=461&dept_id=237827&rfi=6

TIME Europe Magazine: What Price Education? -- Dec. 15, 2003: "Europeans are used to seeing students on the streets pushing for radical change, but these young people want to preserve the status quo."

[I found this bit interesting. - Barry] "European universities desperately need more money in order to compete with the United States, which spends over 2% of its GDP — more than any other developed country — on higher education."

Scholarship Program for High School Track Stars

Verizon has again teamed up with USA Track & Field to reward top
high school seniors for their academic performance and athletic
achievements with a Verizon Youth Progress Award.

The award, established last year, honors four of the nation's most promising track and field or cross-country athletes with a $5,000 scholarship toward their first year of college tuition. The winners will also receive a collection of USATF apparel.

To be eligible student-athletes must

-- be high school seniors who will graduate in spring 2004

-- have participated as athletes in a Verizon Youth Series track and field and/or cross-country event in the past 24 months. [Editors Note: I don't know why this should matter. - Barry]

-- have achieved a minimum 3.0 grade point average during the first three years of high school and first semester of their senior year, and

-- live in a region served by Verizon or Verizon Wireless.

Employees are encouraged to share information about the scholarship with their family and friends. For more information and an application, go to
http://www.verizon.com/usatrackandfield.

Applications are due by Feb. 15. Thanks Alden!

AP Wire | 12/04/2003 | Diversity: Race won't be factor in A&M admissions, scholarships: "A former CIA director appointed to head the 45,000-student Aggie campus in 2002, Gates said he will continue to make attracting minorities a top priority, but he intends to accomplish this through increased outreach efforts and scholarships targeting first-generation college students who come from lower-income families.



'My recommendations to the Board of Regents regarding admissions, and related ... initiatives, involve two objectives about which I feel quite strongly,' Gates told about 200 administrators, faculty members, students and former students at a forum Wednesday evening. 'The first objective, as I have stated before, is for Texas A&M to better serve all of the citizens of the state of Texas, and that includes a better record in attracting and enrolling minorities. The second objective is that students at Texas A&M should be admitted as individuals, on personal merit - and no other basis.'"

Daily Yomiuri On-Line:BUSINESS INSIDE / Teachers should improve IT proficiency for better education
Fusao Misaki Special to The Daily Yomiuri

When my mother was teaching school I heard her complain for years that she had to spend too much time with "paperwork." Namely administrative duties. I wonder if it had more to do with not having the right tools to get the work done? - Barry

"A survey conducted by the Japan Teachers Union in August 1998 showed that the most serious problem teachers said they faced was a shortage of time. About one-fourth of the teachers surveyed said this was because they had too much work and too many chores to do that did not directly pertain to their core duties. What are 'work and chores' for teachers? Given that their core work is teaching and maintaining close communication with students, additional duties--termed irrelevant by some teachers--include producing report cards, putting together materials related to students' postgraduation courses, creating curriculums at the beginning of each school year, compiling and updating health reports and settling expenses."

Bisk Education Announces First-of-Its-Kind Web-Based Health Law Certificate Program From Nova Southeastern University's Shepard Broad School of Law: "The program consists of four modules with 12 hours of streaming video lectures and takes approximately 25 to 30 hours to complete. Convenient communication methods, such as chat rooms, message boards and email, foster interaction between students and faculty members.

'The uniqueness of this program is that it offers the superb resources of NSU's Shepard Broad School of Law without campus attendance,' noted Mr. Bisk. 'Students can watch streaming video lectures, participate in class and study anytime, anywhere they have access to a personal computer. It is the most efficient and cost-effective way for today's healthcare professionals to learn and achieve their educational objectives.'"

GN Online: Insight: Harnessing e-tools for education: " Using e-learning as the main mode of delivery, e-TQM seeks to become a repository of knowledge on Total Quality Management and to usher in a knowledge-based economy and society in the Middle East and the world.

"

toledoblade.com: "Utility announces $1,500 scholarships

Application deadline is Feb. 6, and the recipients will be announced in spring."

BBC NEWS | UK | Scotland | Education answer to extremism: "A leading academic has warned that education is the only way to tackle religious extremism and hatred. "

sunspot.net - education - Small-town school lures big-city students
St. Mary's College attracts Baltimoreans with its charm, its scholarships : "Admission to St. Mary's is competitive: Last year, the college received 2,275 applications for 420 slots.

However, unlike larger universities that eliminate possible candidates based solely on grades or SAT scores, St. Mary's looks at the whole application, Apter said. 'We're able to take a chance on students who may have thought they weren't good enough to attend,' he said.

To help students at the college adjust to life at St. Mary's during freshman year, the college has several programs to make them feel welcome. The college's Multicultural Achievement Program pairs freshmen with upperclassmen, and tutoring services are available for any student who needs them.

The extra measures have seemed to work. So far, none of the CollegeBound students have dropped out or flunked out, Jordan said, and the retention rate for minority students is no different from that for white students. Ninety percent of freshmen return for their sophomore year.

"

USATODAY.com - Supreme Court takes on religious education