Study Bolsters Case For Tuition Vouchers (washingtonpost.com): "Students using vouchers to attend private schools in Milwaukee graduate at a higher rate than students enrolled in Milwaukee public schools, according to a study released yesterday by supporters of that city's voucher program. "

NASA - NASA to Provide Scholarships and Jobs to Students: "To attain the Vision for Space Exploration, one of NASA's strategic goals and missions is to inspire and motivate students to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). The STSP is a competitive scholarship program intended to guide students toward those careers. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are eligible. Following graduation, students successfully completing the program will be appointed to full-time positions with NASA.

The program will be open to diverse geographic and demographic individuals enrolled in accredited university, college or community college degree programs specializing in STEM fields. The STSP was specifically created to attract the best and brightest students in STEM areas of study. In exchange for scholarships and research stipend support, STSP students must agree to fulfill a service obligation following graduation.

Organizations interested in partnering with NASA to develop and coordinate the STSP are invited to submit proposals. Participation is open to domestic organizations that include, universities and colleges, professional societies, industry, nonprofit, and academic institutions. Proposals from entities outside the U.S. will not be considered.

Deadline for proposals is October 28, 2004."

ROCHELLE RILEY: Save that shame for the loser: "I listened as my young friend described being picked on for answering questions in class, being mocked for 'talking white'and being shunned when she wears sensible clothes instead of Britney tops and pajama bottoms, as if being covered is the new leprosy.
She sounded like kids I meet every year in my visits to high schools, kids who hide their intelligence, shred their A tests and pretend to be something that they are not - stupid. These kids, the ones who will become our lawyers and doctors and dentists and judges and politicians, who will become our police chiefs and principals and accountants, the ones whose hands will be holding the purse strings to our Social Security, Medicare, defense and education programs, are being pushed to fail."

AP Wire | 09/27/2004 | Alabama ending with education surplus; more teachers wanted: "MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Alabama will end the fiscal year Thursday with a surplus of as much as $150 million in education tax revenue, which is prompting school officials to talk about hiring more staff next year.
The leader of the Alabama Education Association is talking about something else - a teacher pay raise." Now here's a switch. - Barry

US News Article | Reuters.com: "'Access to health professions remains largely separate and unequal,' said Dr. Louis Sullivan, a former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, who chaired the privately funded commission that includes health, business and education officials.
'We know that minority physicians, dentists and nurses are more likely to serve minority and medically underserved populations, yet there is a severe shortage of minorities in the health professions. Without much more diversity in the health workforce, minorities will continue to suffer,' Sullivan added in a statement. "

Worcester Telegram & Gazette Online - APN: "'We found that class rank wasn't helping students, and in fact, some students it was hurting,' McCann said.

Officials at Stevenson, where 98 percent of the graduating class goes on to college, say rank can give university admissions staff the wrong impression. Stevenson has 1,035 students in its senior class, so the difference in rank sometimes is measured in hundredths of a percentage point."

USATODAY.com - Higher education, Delta style: "That the campus sits atop a former cotton field says a lot. Valley's mandate when it opened 54 years ago was to educate the predominantly black population in the Mississippi Delta, where catfish farming has replaced cotton as a key industry.

Today, it's trying to increase its non-black enrollment. But in a state with a history of racial segregation, income, race and education remain inextricably linked.

So, while some of the nation's most elite universities grapple with how to entice more low-income students to their campuses, places like Valley can hardly escape the poverty that envelops them.

Some 95% of students here are eligible for Pell Grants, a federal program for low-income students. More than half, including Phillips, qualify for the maximum amount. Many, if not most, are the first in their families to go to college. Some are heads of households; some, single parents. Each of those factors, studies show, increases the chances a student will get derailed."

Ford Announces New Business Plan Competition for Black Colleges and Universities: "The HBCU Business Classic will allow all HBCU students to put their classroom knowledge to test in a real world business plan competition. Winners will receive a total of $100,000 in scholarships for their prospective teams and schools. The competition is a continuation of Ford's support in the first ever-academic program to focus on black entrepreneurship with Babson College and various HBCU schools."

PRESS RELEASE: Free Website Helps Athletes Win Scholarships: "The creators of a new website, The College Athletic Scholarships Page, say the site offers student-athletes 'all the information they need' to maximize their opportunities to compete in college athletics and or be offered an athletic scholarship. Until now, they say, 'Many student-athletes and their families have paid substantial fees to companies to 'market' them to college coaches. With our new site, http://www.college-athletic-scholarships.com, students will have all the information they need to select appropriate colleges and 'market' themselves without cost'."

U.S. slips in global education survey: "''They're catching up with you in the proportion that finish school [and] the proportion that go to college,'' said Barry McGaw, director of education for the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which develops the yearly rankings.
''The one area you remain ahead is how much you spend,'' McGaw told U.S. reporters Monday. ''They don't need to catch up with you on quality, because many of them are already ahead.''"

(ISC)2 Offering Scholarships to Post-Grads: "The International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium (ISC)2 announced that it is offering four $12,500 scholarships 'to provide financial assistance to those who are actively pursuing full-time post-graduate studies and research in the field of Information Security.'"

Miami conference focuses on minority businesses: South Florida Sun-Sentinel: "A few scholarships are available for the conference, Gill said. For more information, call 877-532-2662. Register by phone or online at www.medweekfl.org. Business owners also can register at the door, but conference meals will not be available."

El Paso Times Online: "The All-Ink.com College Scholarship Program is available to students who are enrolled or planning to enroll in an accredited college or university with a minimum 2.5 GPA. To be considered for this award, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. To apply for this scholarship, you must submit a 50- to 200-word essay on who has had the greatest impact on your life and a 50- to 200-word essay on what you hope to achieve in your personal and professional life after college.
Information: www.all-ink.com/scholarship.html "

ONN. Ohio News Now: Head of NAACP to apologize to education secretary over withdrawn invitation: "Kweisi Mfume, the president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he was 'appalled' when he found out about the snub on Friday. He called the decision by the Ohio State Conference of the NAACP to invite and then uninvite Paige 'wrong.'"

USATODAY.com - Legal industry still lacking in minorities: "Nearly a half-century after the civil-rights movement began, the legal industry still is suffering from a dearth of minority attorneys, according to a forthcoming report by the American Bar Association's Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession."