Rank your college by price!

The U.S. Department of Education recently released a new website that ranks colleges in the U.S. based on highest tuition, highest total cost of attendance, and the highest/lowest percent increase in tuition in recent years. This story in the New York Times describes the pros and cons of the new service, which is available for anyone with internet; no log-in information is required for access.

The site, whose creation is a result of the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, allows students and parents to compare prices of educational institutions across the line before choosing where to study for the next two to four years. The highest-priced four-year private institutions thus far have been ranked as Bates College in Maine and Wells College in New York. This information, now made public in such a clear manner, should facilitate the decision-making process for rising high school seniors as they debate in which college to invest their next four years of study. Now we can go into this whole taking-out-loans thing with eyes open wide, as the big picture is in full view.

Go viral this summer!

...And win a FREE iPod Touch!

That's right, Tutorpedia's Viral Video Contest is in full swing. The deadline is July 15th and the contest is open to all 6th-12th graders in the Bay Area. The process is fun and easy: create a 30-60 sec. video answering the question, "What have you ever wanted to learn?" and submit said video to YouTube with "Tutorpedia" and "www.tutorpedia.com" in the description. Also remember to e-mail the video to our Director, Seth Linden, at seth@tutorpedia.com with VIRAL VIDEO in the subject line. Not too hard, right? Get to it because...

The winner of this creative contest will receive a - that's right! - free iPod Touch. The second-place winner will receive two hours of 1-1 tutoring from Tutorpedia, to be used in any area of focus. We will pick the winner by recording the number of YouTube views each submitted video receives.

Do you have what it takes to wow us with your media-centered creativity and passion for learning? Get in the game and win! Details on our website here.

Achievement gap grows to a gulf

This report from NPR details the extent to which the achievement gap still separates students in the United States. The story focuses on Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey. The school has a a tradition of "tracking," or separating students into classes based on their levels of academic performance. In this district of New Jersey, white suburban parents have long opposed mixed-level classes, fearing that their kids will get pulled down by the supposedly inferior abilities of under-achieving students. As a result, remedial or "catch-up" classes are filled with primarily black students, while the honors courses are predominantly white (the school itself is 40% white and 60% black and NPR reports that while kids "mix easily" during recess, they file into separate classes on command when the bell rings). When a high-level class does admit some black students, officials say that they usually stick together while teachers seem to shift their attention toward the larger group of white students.

What have we here? Racial segregation playing out on legally approved school grounds, that's what. Administrators and educators should reconsider what leveled classes are doing to students' expectations and what kinds of racial stereotypes are being perpetrated. Columbia has already made a few efforts to institute mixed-ability classes and has found that the results are surprisingly positive; a lower-ability student usually catches up to the rest of the class rather than "dragging it down." Check out the audio file for the story here and give equal opportunity for education some thought; what can we do to change perceptions of how race and education intersect?

Graduation rates fall in California

A shocking statistics report from a recent article in the LA Times reveals that a whopping 70% of students who enroll in community college in L.A. never complete their education, dropping out half-way through college. This stark number - 70% of community college students in ALL of L.A. county, mind you, are drop-outs - should raise awareness and encourage government officials and educators to take a look at the state of education in our country at this very moment.

The study takes note of 60,000 college students who enrolled in community college in L.A. county in 2003-2004, charting their paths through higher education for six years. The findings are disappointing, to say the least. Budget cuts have definitely affected college resources at community college over the past few years - now, students who choose community college because of financial concerns are being offered even less. California needs to take these drop-out rates under serious consideration. After all, whom are we educating? Where are the kids who drop out going to go? And what consequences will falling graduation rates at these colleges have for the rest of us? The prognosis can't be good; let's act before it's too late.

All the cool kids are doing it...

Check this out! Tutorpedia student Adrian tells us why one-on-one tutoring is important, and why he's chosen to work with Tutorpedia tutors.



Thanks, Adrian! To learn more, visit our website here or e-mail us at info@tutorpedia.com to set up some one-on-one tutoring. What's more, you can now sign up for our summer 2011 workshops, held at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton this July and August! Space is limited, so act quickly to get your smarts on during these hot summer months.

Why pay to learn?

This intriguing perspective from The New Yorker highlights the importance of learning beyond high school at a higher educational institution. While college is often deemed important for building careers and climbing the social ladder, it is useful to consider other reasons to continue learning beyond 12th grade. After all, a bachelor's degree is a hefty financial investment with lasting consequences for those of us who still carry loans.

So why shell out for four years of tuition, books, and rent instead of holding down a steady full-time job? And, more so, why choose an elite private college instead of a much more reasonably priced public university? Louis Menand argues here that there are two positives to higher learning at a high cost: one, college exposes students to material they otherwise wouldn't have absorbed, thereby making them into more informed, empowered citizens, regardless of their career field; and two, college socializes us to be on the same page when it comes to certain established norms and ways of thinking. And from that base spring independent thought and innovation, both of which move us further as a society.

Hopefully Menand's arguments will help us justify spending thousands of dollars on a degree. After all, life's about making ends meet, but it's also about a lot more than that. Why not learn how to think, critique, and challenge yourself as a creative individual while you're at it?

Girls, let's get a head start!

Presenting...Go Girl Go! Setting Girls Up for Success, a female empowerment workshop designed to boost self-esteem in girls everywhere and to better prepare them for a lifetime of learning and exploring as independent-minded individuals.

Moms: Are you worried that your teen girl is confused, has low self-esteem, or is uncomfortable with herself? Go Girl Go! is a spectacular opportunity for your daughter to build her self-esteem, raise awareness of herself, and become an empowered young woman! Sign up today, but hurry, space is limited and running out fast. Give your daughter the jumpstart/ she deserves to set her up for a lifetime of success!

Tutorpedia Video Contest - Win an iPod Touch!

Create a video, make it go viral, win an iPod Touch!




Who: Students in 6th-12th grade in SF Bay Area

What: Make a 30-60 second video answering the question: What have you ever wanted to learn? Email to seth@tutorpedia.com and download to www.youtube.com. Tag "Tutorpedia" and www.tutorpedia.com in the YouTube video description. Email to friends, post to facebook, twitter, and blogs. Make it go viral!

When: Upload video to www.youtube.com anytime after 12pm PST June 15th. Contest ends 12pm PST July 15th.

Why: Show off your creative side. Think about learning. Win a free iPod Touch!

*Winner of the Tutorpedia Viral Video Contest will be the video that has the most YouTube views. If same number of YouTube views, then winner will be decided by number of Facebook “likes.” First place video wins an iPod Touch, second place video wins 2 free hours of 1-1 tutoring from Tutorpedia. Send all videos to seth@tutorpedia.com with VIRAL VIDEO in subject.

By entering this Contest, you give Tutorpedia the right to use your video in all promotional materials, including but not limited to website, blog, and social media sites. Be creative! Think about learning! Spread the word!

Test don't lead to success, reports say

Check out this article from The Washington Post about how test-based incentives don't increase student performance.

The National Research Council recently conducted a report, which concludes that tests such as the High School Exit Exam, STAR testing, and others administered by the No Child Left Behind act do not in any way provide an accurate measure of student achievement. Policymakers and school administrators should heed this warning in designing programs meant to measure their students' success. Often students' test results will be used to evaulate teachers and principals in terms of their effectiveness in education - these methods are faulty, the report conducted by the NRC indicates.

Clearly, as the Obama adminisration has indicated and as this article also argues, standardized testing should be on its way out as a tool for measuring teacher and student success. Using standardized tests as the basis for school funding is a dangerous trap, one in which United States education policy has been caught for far too long.

Become a language whiz!

Tutorpedia is offering two workshops this summer to help you brush up on your knowledge of languages and effective communication. That's right, it's time to sign up for the innovative Spanish Immersion workshop and Public Speaking workshop!

Enter a different universe where only Spanish is spoken without even leaving the country with our special Spanish Immersion course, offered this summer at Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Atherton. You'll be ready for that trip abroad and rock your Spanish classes in high school before you know it with the help of this workshop. And, while you're mastering a foreign language, why not become an effective public speaker in your mother tongue? Our Public Speaking workshop is here to help. Say good-bye to stage fright and wow audiences with your eloquent, witty phrasework! It's all here at Sacred Heart Prep from July 11 to August 19. Sign up for one of three two-week sessions; or sign up for them all! E-mail info@tutorpedia.com for further questions.

Wake up, California! Dream Act gains headway

This morning's story on NPR highlights recent headway made by proponents of the Dream Act, which is slowly making its way through the state legislature this summer. Currently, legislators are trying to make financial aid for college-enrolled illegal immigrants a possibility. Those without papers who have been enrolled in college for three semesters will qualify for state-sponsored scholarships.



The story profiles the efforts of several students at UCLA who, while maintaining high GPAs, are barely making ends meet while in school; tuition amounts to $4000 per quarter, and the students don't qualify for state-sponsored financial aid because of their illegal status. Having been brought to the states at the ages of 3, 4, and 6, the students say themselves that they are "American in every sense of the word." Yet, though they excel in school, financial aid has never been an option for these three, whose parents are barely making enough to get by and cannot support them.

Now, perhaps California is finally taking its first steps toward ensuring quality education for its hard-working students, regardless of their place of birth.

Do you have a green thumb? Let things grow this summer!

Join Tutorpedia's Summer 2011 Workshops this July and August at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton, CA. We will be presenting a special Sustainable Agriculture workshop, where you will learn all about sustainable farming and gardening in a personalized, project-based setting. This fun and rigorous course will spark your interest in responsible, sustainable gardening. So get ready to take charge of your own food production and get with the green! Details on the workshop can also be found here.

And remember - those who register before July 1st receive a discount! Tutorpedia is offering three sessions of two-week-long courses from July 11 to August 19. For further questions regarding the workshops, scheduling, and curriculums, feel free to e-mail us at info@tutorpedia.com.

Media-crazy? We have just the thing for you...

Sign up for Tutorpedia's Final Cut Pro (video editing) workshop this summer! Space is running out quickly but we wanted to extend the invite to all of our faithful blog readers and friends. Check out further details on our site and remember to reserve a spot for yourself here; prices go up after July 1st so don't lose any time!

Now is the time to brush up on your media editing skills and move forward with the 21st century. There's no knowing what you can do once you become more tech-savvy! Our summer 2011 workshops are here to help...Personalized, rigorous, and fun, these project-based courses are a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for all you summer-crazy folk. Hollywood awaits!

How equitable is education? Amherst College carries the lead

Is a top-tier college education in the US for everyone or is it mostly a portal for the elite to climb even higher? This story in the New York Times profiles the efforts of Anthony Marx, the president of Amherst College, in diversifying the pool of students from various economic backgrounds who are admitted and have the opportunity to enroll at the college.

An overwhelming percentage of students at top colleges such as Georgetown and the University of Michigan (whose statistics are cited in the article) still come from high income backgrounds. Anthony Marx is trying to change all that with Amherst's new policy on financial aid. The college is distributing most of its resources to aid in the form of direct grants rather than loans. There's even a scholarship for low-income foreign students, and Amherst representatives are making an effort to reach out to more and more high schools in low-income areas of the U.S. The transfer program at Amherst also links directly to community colleges; in fact, most transfer students at Amherst now hail from community colleges, havens for students who are eager to learn but cannot afford an expensive education.

These steps offer hope as the US government cracks down on the education budget. It's nice too know that, though we are now mostly losing money for America's students, there are still educators out there working toward making opportunities at top colleges available to all.

Go girl, go!

Last call about sign-ups for our very special women's empowerment workshop this summer at Sacred Heart Prep in Atherton! Ever wanted to get more in touch with your feminine side and/or be aware of women's issues in the world today? Take part in "Go Girl Go! Setting Girls Up for Success," a personalized, project-based workshop designed to raise awareness about female empowerment and to encourage girls to take charge of their future.

This workshop is offered during the second session of our Summer 2011 Workshops, which will run from July 25th to August 5th. Check out more details on our website and remember to sign up here. Space is limited so don't waste any more time; make this summer the time that you become an empowered, socially aware individual with the help of Tutorpedia's fun and rigorous workshop curriculum!

Getting paid for the grade

This op-ed in the New York Times questions the value of the New York City Department of Education's recent decision to award student academic performance and attendance records with cash rewards. That's right. These students don't have jobs, they just go to school. A good grade? A perfect attendance record? Bring on the money.

The main question here is whether these financial bonuses will actually increase student performance overall, which is what Ronald G. Fryer, the economist behind the whole project, seems to think. Student motivation will now be driven by external rewards, not a thirst for knowledge or excellence. Can we keep kids intrinsically engaged while supplying them with money for their academic performance? What will win, the cash or the simple psychological drive to know more? And will we be able to tell the difference? When you alter the incentive, you're changing the whole game, and the fun in learning might disappear when you equate an "A" in biology or art class with dollar signs in kids' eyes.

College debt in the U.S.: how much are you willing to gamble?

The collective debt for higher education in the U.S. is steadily rising, and educators are taking a step back to evaluate whether the growing piles of money and interest that students owe are truly worth the hassle. This recent story on NPR takes a look at student loan debt all over the nation and discusses the choices that students make when borrowing for college:



The key, researchers say, is to get enough bang for your buck. When borrowing, it's important to realize what kind of degree you are getting, what the job prospects will be, and how long it will take to pay off college loans for the degree. Majors in ethnomusicology and theater, for example, who go heavily into debt must do so with their eyes open. Jobs in these fields are difficult to find and do not always pay well the first few years, unless one chooses to be in academia (for which a Master's or Ph.D is usually needed, not just a B.A.). So, follow your dreams but have a Plan B, experts agree...five or six figures in loans are only worth it if you've got the patience, drive, and stamina to handle the debt.

Race to success starts in kindergarten

Take a look at this story about how early children are getting a head start to learning these days. Apparently, age 3 is the up-and-coming time for kids to get a move on, to avoid getting left behind in kindergarten. Junior Kumon, a Japanese learning company, is opening offices in New York City where parents shell out $200 to $300 a month so that their toddler can get two hours of weekly tutoring in reading and math. The little ones get twenty minutes of homework each night, and instructors often rely on worksheets to teach the kids basic reading, writing, and math skills. Kumon's reach is anticipated to spread to the west coast some time from now, as this "accelerated learning" for toddlers trend is catching on fast.

Is this the continuation of the never-ending push for prestige, which affluent suburban parents inflict on their children from the time they're in diapers? Or is it simply a nice way for kids to learn their multiplication tables by age 6, thereby giving them a boost upon entering school? According to the article, many parents come to rely on programs such as Kumon to help develop their children academically. When the neighbor's kid is adding by age 4, you want yours to do the same. Then again, the spread of these programs tears kids away from blocks, toys, and from exploring the outdoors, all of which are equally powerful learning tools for their future. We all have at least twelve, if not sixteen or eighteen, years of education ahead of us; why cut childhood short by three more years?

Time's a-ticking away! Get your smarts on this summer

Ladies and gents, parents and students, tutors and teachers...watch out! The deadline to register for Tutorpedia's very own Summer 2011 Workshops is approaching, so get to our registration website here and sign up for two to six weeks of invigorating learning and stellar enjoyment.

Again, here's the course line-up: SAT Prep, Headstart to Chemistry, Spanish Immersion, Graphic Arts and Web Design, Public Speaking, Final Cut Pro, and Google Apps Design are all at your educational disposal. For the more creatively inclined minds out there, try our Improv Comedy, Sustainable Agriculture, You Can Love Your Life Now (women's empowerment), and Creative Writing workshops to challenge your innovative spirit. There are three sessions, and you can sign up for one or all three! Classes run from July 11 to August 19 and are divided into three slots of two weeks each. The workshops will be held at Sacred Heart Preparatory School in Atherton, CA.

So don't hold out; do something with your life and your brain this summer. We're excited to keep learning with you! For further question or info, visit our website or e-mail us with any concerns at info@tutorpedia.com.

Is your teacher prepared? Training programs undergo scrutiny

This story, aired by NPR, considers the value of teacher training programs across the country. Some U.S. schools are declining to participate in a study that will be published by the U.S. News and World Report later this year. The study will compile success rates and curriculums of different training programs for prospective teachers.

Some school officials, however, don't see the merit in compiling this data. While one school may give a biology teacher his credentials upon completion of nine biology courses, another institution may issue a similar degree with just one biology course required. Therefore, training programs for teachers vary across the board to such an extent that standards for teacher preparation have become impossible to set. Private prep programs are usually off-limits to public scrutiny and don't even apply to the data in the survey. This is all fine and good, but one can't help but wonder: who's educating our educators, and how effective is this path to education?