Obama’s Newest Funding Proposition Not Agreed to by All

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People are thinking otherwise as President Obama speaks about introducing the newest academic reform idea which is said to cut it low on educational costs. His idea is to help several families financially so that budding students can achieve academic success through cost-effective educational programmes. While giving his statement, Obama has included that his administration is all set to come up with a system that will rate universities and colleges in order to determine whether a particular institution can be linked with federal student aid or not. He said that the administration’s initiative is all likely to become effective from the year 2018. 

However, questions pertaining to the same are doing rounds everywhere across the United States of America. Like for example the Catholic University’s president, John Garvey has said that when Nick Anderson, his colleague has asked other university presidents about what they feel regarding Obama’s plan he received mixed answers. Furthermore, Anderson has said that Obama’s new plan will hardly make it big since no one is too sure whether the plan will work or not. In fact he has clearly said that the federal government’s intervention into the academic field and that too its attempts to link federal aids with colleges and universities will least likely impress people. 

In fact Anderson personally feels that the entire proposition may turn out disastrous because it is not quite a good idea to have the government involved in intellectual matters. The different points that are most likely to be considered during a rating scheme are discussed below: 

·         The average number of pupils getting Pell grants

·         Transfer rates

·         Graduation rates

·         Average scholarship, tuition and loan debts

·         The amount graduates are deemed to earn after completing education

·         Advanced degrees earned by college graduates 

 Furthermore researches have been conducted on various aspects, after evaluating which, most academicians have come to the conclusion that: 

1.       The huge number of transfer rates is because of the learning environment of the school in which students are enrolling. After studying for some time pupils are discovering that the learning environment is not suitable for them. They are thus transferring to other schools where they think that the academic environment is better.


2.       Despite knowing that public subsidies determine the tutoring facilities offered by a public school, the Government has cut the funding to a great extent; thus letting these schools suffer. The point is whether it is right to evaluate a school through metrics which have been affected by the legislature.  
 

3.        Even determining the graduation rates has become tougher. The real problem lies with the fact that graduation rates are mostly calculated on first-time and full time basis. So, students who have changed schools or those who look for a fresh enrolment are hardly considered in the list.
 

White House’s fact sheet focuses on upcoming ratings. According to this fact sheet colleges are compared to similar institutions. Alongside this, the fact sheet also considers colleges that provide efforts to help students hailing from weak financial status; and also academic institutions that are showing remarkable performances. It is believed that the government’s interference in cutting academic costs by rating colleges is surely not going to help student or institutions. 

source: http://wapo.st/1fwVHkP

GCSE RESULTS REVEAL A DROP

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This year the GCSE results have experienced a massive undulation after a record plunge was marked in the proportion of students receiving C grades and higher than that. The fall has been triggered by the huge rise in the number of pupils aged 15 years or even younger participating in the exams. Some say that the tough science papers are also the cause for the drop. Meanwhile it has also been found that students pursuing multiple courses at a time have made it badly in the exams.

An insight into reports show that this year’s GCSE entries achieving grades between A*-C stood at 68.1%; thus, marking a fall by 1.3% of what was recorded in the year 2012. Last year around 69.4% of students had managed to achieve grades between A*-C. Meanwhile a rise has been noted in the number of pupils achieving grades lying between and A* and C since the year 1988. Furthermore, it has been found that the numbers of A* grade achievers have fallen by .5%.

The Joint Council for Qualification has published results revealing that female candidates have superseded their male counterparts at grades C or above. It was during the year 2003 that people witnessed female students outperforming males ones. The overview of the report has been mentioned below:

         (A*-C achievers)

Girls                                      Boys

72.3%                                  63.7%

         (A* achievers)

Girls                                      Boys

8.3%                                     5.3%

Now, this explains that girls are ahead of boys in terms of the academic grades they have achieved in this year’s GCSE. Michael Turner, JCQ’s director has emphasized on the following factors to indicate why this year’s GCSE has experienced a drop. Take a look at them:

• Considerable increase in the 15 year old entries
• Science specifications encompassing greater challenges for students
•  Early entry into mathematics
•   Multiple entry into mathematics

These factors not only have an impact on the entries but also on the results. It has been learnt that the massive fall can crucially affect schools which are struggling to retain their floor standards considered by the Department of Education. If a school falls below this floor standard it will trigger an inspection to be conducted by the Ofsted, ultimately compelling poorly performing schools to being converted to academies. 

A school will fundamentally be considered below the floor standard if it fails to show the following:

•         40% pupils achieving a standard C grade or higher than that in minimum 5 GCSEs (including mathematics and English)
• 
  
•      An overall progress in both disciplines (Mathematics and English)

One of the biggest causes for the down fall is the huge young enrollments. According to the JCQ the figures have shot up to a massive 39% hike for students aged 15 or below taking up the board examinations, totaling up to around 806,000. Furthermore the JCQ reports showed that the results of the 16 year olds remained stable. Declination was marked in exam results of 15 year old pupils. Overall, the figures have also shown a sharp rise in the number of students who have participated in multiple examinations. 

Source: www.theguardian.com/education/2013/aug/22/gcse-results-2013-record-fall-c-grades-higher