Education Week: Texas Battle Looms on Class-Size Limit

“It would give flexibility to superintendents. It strengthens local control and gives them the opportunity to save some dollars,” she said, noting that school officials could decide to keep some classes at 15 students and others at 22 or 25.

Well, she’s got to say something. It was her constituents that were up in arms about UT’s top ten percent rule since their kids couldn’t get into UT while poor minorities or kids from rural schools were. What do you think is going to happen when her constituents find out that their schools are going to be laying off teachers even though they moved into the neighborhood because of the it’s quality schools?

Not that I feel sorry in the least for her constituents. These are the same people who elected Perry and have cheered every time he points out that Texas is doing great because businesses and voters like our low tax rates. In the meantime, the amount of state funding for public schools has been decreasing. And Texas can’t even get help from the federal government because last time Perry used the money to fund other state services instead of education.

Yep, elections have consequences…

Goodman reports that Harvard claims the tuition initiative could cost it $22 million a year. However, if it heads off the Congressional mandate, the school saves $245 million dollars a year for the endowment.

The real story on Harvard’s generosity – The Boston Globe

Quite a trick. Spend at best a tiny fraction of the endowment, while reducing growing political pressure in Washington and around the country that could potentially cost the university more than 10 times the additional amount of financial aid.

When there are plenty of colleges with endowments of less than $50 million, like Goodman, I can’t help but wonder what Harvard plans on doing with it’s endowment. It’s obvious that it doesn’t need it to educate the vast number of struggling and unprepared students it admits every year (that’s sarcasm, it’s 25th% for the SAT was 1390.)

Maybe it could spend some it’s money on initiatives with high schools that don’t send as many students to the selective schools. It could pay for some college test prep classes that many high school students can’t afford. It could give some high school students  stipends that allow them to pursue the all important extracurricular activities instead of working a part time job. Or maybe provide a bridge year of studies for free for students who’s high schools have ill prepared them for college.

Better yet, if money is so important for quality education, Harvard should put the quality of it’s endowment and education to the test. Admit not so spectacular students and see if the Harvard experience can make them even better students. It’s easy to educate someone with a 1400 SAT, how about someone with less than a 1000?

I can’t imagine Harvard going for that one. The entire admissions’ process from the school’s point of view is to admit students that will create the best possible “community” and “education environment” on campus. If that’s the case, then why not provide free undergraduate tuition? I’m sure this would increase the applicant pool and allow Harvard to become even more selective. And as Goodman points, out it just might save its endowment from Congress so that is can be used for…what?

Technorati Tags: Steven Roy Goodman, Harvard, College Endowments, college costs, tuition

I see it as the perfect example of what passes for legislative support for higher education in Texas.

College officials say law capping dropped classes may hurt students | Dallas Morning News | News for Dallas, Texas | Latest News

The author of the law, Rep. Fred Brown, R-College Station, said he doesn’t buy the complaints about logistical nightmares.

Colleges work with transcripts all the time, he said. Plus there’s money at stake. The state pays colleges based on their enrollments. Students who drop classes may forfeit their tuition, but the state doesn’t recoup its dollars.

Mr. Brown said he’s not sure how much money the law will save the state and its colleges, “but the savings has to be huge,” he said.

With unregulated tuition increasing at state schools and overall decreasing financial contributions by the state, the legislature provides the citizens of Texas with a “no drop” law to show it’s support for higher education. Thank you Mr. Brown, for making higher education so much more accessible to the poor and middle class. By the way, do you know exactly how many students had dropped six or more classes before passing this law? Of course not, otherwise you would have been able to tell us how much the state will save.

Just one more example of those responsible for education in Texas being penny wise and pound foolish.

Technorati Tags: Texas Legislature, Higher Education, Funding, Fred Brown, capping dropped classes