Key Strategies for Academic Success by Dr. Boyce Watkins, PhD

Check out this informative talk provided by Dr. Watkins providing key strategies for succeeding academically. This by a former below average strudent who went on to become the only African American to receive a PhD in Finance in 2002.

For more of this speech by Dr. Watkins and his other talks and media appearances, visit him on his YouTube Channel.

The Educational Excellence Contract

SAT Scores Hold Steady as Minority Participation Rises

SAT scores held steady for 2008 high school graduates even as participation rose among minority students and those who are part of the first generation in their families to go to college, the College Board reported today.

Nationwide, the number of students taking the college entrance exam surpassed 1.5 million for the first time, up 8 percent from five years ago and up nearly 30 percent over the past decade. Forty percent of the test-takers were minority students, up from 39 percent last year, and 36 percent were among a group described as first-generation college-goers, up from 35 percent.

College Board officials greeted the boost in participation as a sign that an increasingly ethnically and economically diverse group of high school students aspire to earn a college degree.

Gaston Caperton, president of the College Board, said the pool of test-takers "more than ever . . . reflects the face of education in this country."

"It's essential that all students strive to attend college -- and then succeed in their classes and, ultimately, graduate," Caperton said. "We're gratified to see that our country is moving increasingly toward being a nation of college graduates."

Critics say the SAT is losing influence as some colleges are making the test optional for admissions.

Still, some educators, policymakers and others concerned about high school quality viewed it as a bright spot that the SAT scores were unchanged from last year even as the test-taking pool expanded and diversified. In recent years, several efforts have been targeted at improving the quality of high school courses and expanding academic options to ensure students are ready for the rigors of college.

Scores initially dipped after the exam was revised and expanded three years ago. But that downward trend leveled off with the Class of 2008.

Average scores among this year's graduating class were: critical reading, 502 (out of 800); math, 515; and writing, 494. The combined average score was 1511, on a 2400-point scale.

Story comes courtesy of Maria Glod of the Washington Post.

Increase Your Chances for College Acceptance: Go Overseas

If you are a regular at my other blog, Diary of a Content Black Woman, you know I recently sent my child off to World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia.

I saw this opportunity as a tremendous milestone in the educational experience in the life of my daughter as she prepares to enter the 11th grade and prepares for the final two year push in her efforts to gain acceptance to the college of her choice.

My personal goal was for her to go out of the country each year throughout her high school years. It is an opportunity I did not have as a youth, but very much wanted her to experience. If we pursue our goal of going to Africa next summer, she would have been to 4 of the world's 7 continents before she even enters college.

I find such experiences significant because I believe it will expand her educational horizons far beyond what books could ever teach her and she will have a level of compassion and sensitivity that Americans too often lack when not having traveled outside of the United States.

Over the last 12 months, we have attended several college fairs and presentations and one of the extracurricular experiences that are encouraged is giving the prospective student the opportunity to travel outside of the country. Such experiences will make their personal essays and perspectives far more rich as well as life more interesting.

Of course, the financial means can be a challenge, particularly in times such as these. However, don't be shy about asking for support from your circle of family, friends and community. My daughter was fortunate enough to get a sponsor for her trip for which I am so grateful.

I have been sending my daughter away on travel without me since she was eight. The first time, I was scared to death. However, I never ever wanted my daughter to be afraid of knowing the world and trying new things. I support her growth and development as a citizen of the world as well as a student in search of a career.

As a parent, I am well aware I cannot control every aspect of my child's life, however, I want her to want more for her life and be confident she can have whatever it is she sets her mind to. As a result, I believe such a strategy has minimized potential distractions such as an obsession with boys and illegal recreational activity while significantly enhancing her personal interests and self-confidence.

I heard a statistic once that only 11% of Americans have passports and less than 6% of those use them on a regular basis. We owe it ourselves and our relationship with the rest of the world to move beyond the creature comforts of America if we are to continue to know those comforts as we always have.

Don't believe me? Look over your shoulder. India and China are increasingly showing us the face of advancement of a whole new world.

More Evidence that Standardized College Entrance Exams May Be on Life Support

Smith College, a women’s college in Northampton, Mass., and Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., will no longer require prospective students to submit SAT or ACT scores as part of their applications.
At both institutions, the policies will take effect with the class entering in fall 2009.

The number of colleges and universities where such tests are now optional — mostly small liberal-arts colleges — has been growing steadily as more institutions have become concerned about the validity of standardized tests in predicting academic success, and the degree to which test performance correlates with household income, parental education and race.

Some schools that have made standardized tests optional have found that they have attracted a more diverse student body, with no decline in academic ability.

“By making the SAT and ACT optional, we hope to broaden the applicant pool and increase access at Wake Forest for groups of students who are currently underrepresented at selective universities,” said Martha Allman, Wake Forest’s director of admissions. Wake Forest will announce its change on Tuesday; Smith announced it on May 16.

While students will still have the option of submitting standardized test scores — and in fact, the majority of applicants still do so at many test-optional colleges — the most important criteria for admission will be high school curriculum and classroom performance, writing ability, extracurricular activities and evidence of character and talent.

For more on this post, visit Tamar Lewin's article in the New York Times.

In the meantime, to add my two cents, I have never been a big fan of standardize tests. They often void of real life logic. Have you ever seen the section that tests for reading comprehension? It can be very difficult to read because most adults don't read the way that test is written. Did you know that most periodicals, including posts on the internet are written to be read at a sixth grade level?

I know too many high test scorers who grew up to be soarly dissappointed because the bottom line is that such tests are not true indicators of success.

In an article in an UC Berkeley's newspaper The Daily Californian, the following was sited:

An earlier paper from Gregg Thomson, UC Berkeley's Director of the Office of Student Research found that there was "zero correlation" between SAT scores and graduation rates for African Americans at Berkeley. The same report found that after separating out recruited athletes, Berkeley students with SAT scores in the 800s had six-year graduation rates of 75 percent, and those with scores in the 900s graduated 79 percent. This is nearly the same as the 82 percent graduation rate among Berkeley students with SATs in the 1500s, who on average are from far more affluent backgrounds.

I had heard that back in 2001 that the then UC Berkeley president was recommending that University of California schools stop requiring the SAT. As a result, it was widely circulated that this is what prompted the College Board to change its SAT in 2006. It was reported that he observed a classroom full of 12 -years being drilled in analogies which - in his opinion could - have a great negative impact on educating our children in this country.

Now, as recently reported in the L.A. Times, the eight UC campuses are considering at least getting rid of the mandatory 2-SAT II subject test requirement.

The real controversy is the cash cow some see the College Board as being with a virtual monopoly on standardize college entrance exams. To eliminate the requirement could very well put the College Board out of business.

The outcome of this most recent decision remains to be seen.

HARVARD PROFESSOR DISCUSSES THE BENEFITS OF DIVERSITY

By Samantha Schaefer

Harvard law professor Lani Guinier was invited to speak about the problem of diversity in higher education to conclude the symposium for the College Access Project for African Americans at the UCLA Hammer Museum on Friday evening.

The College Access Project, a six-year research project conducted by the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies, focuses on black students’ access to and equality in colleges.

“People think there’s a trade-off between diversity and excellence,” said Darnell Hunt, director of the Bunche Center. “There is a lot of evidence to show it’s a myth, but it hasn’t circulated in the media or the community, and we’re working on showing it’s a myth and better communicating the findings of our research.”

The symposium on Friday brought together members of the research team and media. Hunt said the goal of the day was to find an effective way to communicate the research to both the media and the community.

The project has included a number of studies in areas such as affirmative action, disparities in access to resources in high schools and alternative curricula in the K-12 school system.

Researchers examined how diversity in high schools positively impacts a student’s choice about employment later in life and how the assessment of a student’s potential with grade point averages and SAT scores impacts admission to higher education, as well.

During the symposium, researchers also discussed the system of meritocracy, defined in a Bunche Center report as “a system in which opportunity and progress rest on rewarding ability and talent.”

The remainder of this story can be found at UCLA's The Daily Bruin.

GET YOUR COLLEGE ON!

Welcome to my newest blog Great Adventures in Searching for College. This blog is designed to provide the perspective of one woman's journey in her efforts to work with her daughter to get into the college that is best suited for her life and career goals and aspirations.

Allow me this opportunity to brag on my daughter just a bit. I love my baby! What good parent doesn't? However, the love I have is unlike any love I could ever know - yes, even with her being a teenager.

What I love about my Jessica most is her spirit for life. As my grandmother use to say, "That chile has been here before." I have to go with that.

Her level of maturity is uncanny. While she is not "perfect" in the conventional sense, she is a perfect her. This is all I've ever wanted; for her to love herself enough to have the proper respect and love for others including me. She exceeds all expectations for that and then some.

As I have gone through my own very adventurous spiritual journey, anything good I've become since the age of 26, I owe to my daughter. She makes me a better me for both her as well as myself.

I recall when Jessica was about to turn two years old. It seemed like everyone was telling me to watch out for the "terrible 2s." While I was no where as spiritually enlightened as I am now, even then I had a notion of the power of words. I recall saying to myself, "Not my kid. There will be no terrible 2s." And guess what? There wasn't.

As a single parent, I didn't have time for any unnecessary foolishness like disrespect or temper tantrums. The Bible gets it right: "Train up a child the way he should go, and he shall not stray from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

The same goes for the teen years. Again, seemingly, everyone managed to warn me about the infamous teen years. Again, I chose not to claim it. I tell my child that I am here to guide her, not harshly judge her. My love for her is unconditional and together, there is nothing we can't come through.

This approach has helped instill a sense of self-confidence I am so grateful for her having. The teen years can be very difficult and awkward. I have witnessed the challenges of some of her friends. With close guidance and a delicate balance between knowing the difference between what our children need and want, we really can empower our children with a healthy head start for life and college outside of academics.

While this is not really what I intended to talk about, it is, what it is. I guess in a nutshell, this post can be considered the dedication post to my darling Jessica.

I also want parents to be encouraged and not too overwhelmed by this whole college search thing. It is a truly a big transition process for ourselves and our children. Know that we are not alone in wanting the best for our kids.

I look forward to providing several links to resources for parents and their kids, as well as advice and as much encouragement as I can possibly muster as I travel through my own journey with my kid in the quest in our great search for college. Letting go - as you well know - will not be easy. However, guided by spirit, and an unadulterated love for our offspring - who knows - maybe, just maybe, we'll be able to do our own part in contributing to making the world a better place.

Peace & Blessings & Welcome!