News from ASCA
ASCA Weekly Wrapup
A roundup of the week's education-related headlines
Friday, Oct. 23, 2009
Study Finds Growing Work for School Counselors  
The New York Times  
The struggling economy has taken a toll on those directly responsible for advising students about the college admission process. Nearly half of public schools have raised the caseloads of high school counselors this year, compared with last year, with the average increase exceeding 53 students, according to a study by the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. Read more.
Public College Costs Rising Faster Than Private
The Washington Post
Tuition and fees for public four-year colleges are now $7,020 on average and for private colleges $26,273, the College Board reported, with prices rising faster in the public sector. Colleges and universities have not slashed sticker prices in response to the economic downturn. On the contrary, tuition and fees rose 6.5 percent at public four-year colleges compared with the 2008-2009 school year and 4.4 percent at private, nonprofit, four-year institutions. Read more.
Schools Adopt Healthier Meals Despite Costs
USA Today
A new report calls for dramatic changes in the meals served to school children, including offering kids a greater variety of fruits and vegetables, serving 1 percent and skim milk instead of whole and 2 percent milk, and limiting sodium and calories. These changes could cost more, but the investment could help improve kids' eating habits and overall health. Read more.
Texas Board Seeks to Close Gap in Latinos Attending College
Dallas Morning News
Texas higher education officials are developing a plan to address the lagging college attendance of Latinos and to close the gap within that group - where men are behind. "Latino males are vanishing from our higher education ranks," said Victor Saenz, an assistant professor of education administration at the University of Texas. Read more.
Educators Walk a Fine Line Online
FloridaToday.com
Five years ago, social networking sites weren't on the list of items that Lori Migliore, Palm Bay (Fla.) Elementary School principal, talked to her staff about. But they are now."What I say is, 'Don't put anything on Facebook or MySpace that you wouldn't want on the front page of Florida Today.' When you take this job, whether you agree with it or not, teachers are held to a higher standard. Read more.
Blackboards 2.0
The Baltimore Sun
The eighth-graders in Tina Kidd's English class at Catonsville Middle School, Md., were discussing the role of the traditional paper book and its future in the age of Kindle.
But instead of the usual raised hands, their conversation was taking place online, amid keyboard strokes and mouse clicks in a school computer lab. Read more.
White House Says Stimulus Saving Education Jobs
Reuters
The Obama administration said its economic stimulus had saved or created 250,000 education jobs, as it sought to push back against Republicans who contend the package was wasteful and had not worked. Faced with pressure to help spur job growth with the U.S. unemployment rate at 9.8 percent, President Obama is considering new steps to help the economy, on top of the $787 billion stimulus package passed earlier this year. Read more.
$6.7 Million Grant Will Help ASU Train Native American Teachers
Arizona Republic
Arizona State University received a $6.7 million grant to enable more students in the Arizona Native American communities to earn teacher certification. The grant is part of a five-year teacher quality partnership that will be used to reform traditional university teacher preparation and teacher residency programs. The total amount for the five-year grant is $33.8 million. Read more.
This weekly e-bulletin is brought to you by the American School Counselor Association.

1101 King St., Suite625
Alexandria, VA 22314
(703) 683-ASCA
www.schoolcounselor.org