Tufts University

 Tufts University

Tufts University is a private institution that was founded in 1852. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 5,180, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 150 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Tufts University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 27. Its tuition and fees are $48,643 (2014-15).

Tufts University is located in the Medford/Somerville area of Massachusetts, not far from downtown Boston. Tufts has additional campuses in Boston’s Chinatown neighborhood, where its health sciences program is located, and in the suburb of Grafton, home to the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. All freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus in dorms, suites or university-owned houses or apartments. Some student groups are the Cycling Club; the Beelzebubs, an all-male a cappella group; and the Freethought Society. About half of the student body participates in study abroad programs, and approximately 15 percent of students are affiliated with Greek life. Tufts’ official mascot, Jumbo the elephant, is the only school mascot listed in Webster’s Dictionary.

Tufts is comprised of the School of Arts and Sciences; the School of Engineering, which serves both undergraduate and graduate students; and a number of graduate and professional schools. Included in its graduate programs are the highly ranked School of Medicine and Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. The School of Dental Medicine and Fletcher School for international affairs are other notable graduate schools. Tufts’ permanent art collection features works by Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and John Singer Sargent. Notable alumni include eBay founder Pierre Omidyar, Golden Globe-winning actor Peter Gallagher and Guster guitarist and vocalist Adam Gardner. Both Gallagher and Gardner sang in the Beelzebubs.

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest University is a private institution that was founded in 1834. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 4,823, its setting is suburban, and the campus size is 340 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Wake Forest University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 27. Its tuition and fees are $46,200 (2014-15).

Wake Forest University is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, just a few hours by car from skiing in the Blue Ridge Mountains or relaxing on the beaches of South Carolina. Campus Recreation offers intramural sports and outdoor trips such as kayaking on the New River, hang-gliding and sky-diving. The Demon Deacons, Wake’s athletic teams, are members of the NCAA Division I Atlantic Coast Conference. When Wake Forest played rival Duke University in 1922 and won, a local reporter described the Wake players as "Demon Deacons," and thus, the mascot was born. Students must live on campus for six semesters in one of the residence halls. Greek organizations play a big role at Wake Forest, with a membership consisting of almost half of the student body.

Wake Forest is made up of six schools. Its graduate programs include those in the highly ranked School of Law, School of Business and School of Medicine. Undergraduates are enrolled in either Wake Forest College or the business school. About 60 percent of students take advantage of Wake’s study abroad programs offered in more than 70 countries around the world. Notable alumni include the shortest NBA player of all-time, Muggsy Bogues; legendary golfer Arnold Palmer; and journalist and talk show host Al Hunt.

Georgetown University

Georgetown University 

Georgetown University is a private institution that was founded in 1789. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 7,636, its setting is urban, and the campus size is 104 acres. It utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. Georgetown University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 21. Its tuition and fees are $46,744 (2014-15).

Georgetown University is situated overlooking the Potomac River just a few minutes from downtown Washington. There are numerous traditional residence halls, and freshmen and sophomores are required to live on campus. Other students choose to live in the townhouses and apartments surrounding campus. Student organizations on campus include religious groups, media outlets and student government. The Georgetown Hoyas are part of the NCAA’s Division I and are well known for their dominant men’s basketball team, which maintains a fierce rivalry with Syracuse University and plays most home games at the Verizon Center, also home to the Washington Wizards. The popular chant "hoya saxa," a mix of ancient Greek and Latin that means "what rocks," gained prominence in 1920 and – contrary to popular belief – has nothing to do with Georgetown’s mascot, Jack the Bulldog.

Georgetown comprises several undergraduate, graduate and professional schools, including the highly ranked Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business, Law Center, School of Medicine, School of Nursing and Health Studies and McCourt School of Public Policy. Georgetown’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service also offers well-regarded graduate programs. The neighborhood of Georgetown surrounding the university’s campus houses high-end shopping, restaurants and bars. Notable alumni include former U.S. President Bill Clinton, actor Bradley Cooper, journalist Maria Shriver and Hall of Fame basketball player Patrick Ewing. The famous "Exorcist steps" used in the 1973 horror film "The Exorcist" are located just below Georgetown’s campus.

Brown University

Brown University

Brown University is a private institution that was founded in 1764. It has a total undergraduate enrollment of 6,455 and the campus size is 146 acres. Brown University's ranking in the 2015 edition of Best Colleges is National Universities, 16. Its tuition and fees are $47,434 (2014-15).

Located atop College Hill in Providence, R.I., Brown University has a college-town feel with Thayer Street serving as a center of activity for shopping and dining. The Brown Bears have about 35 NCAA Division I athletic teams and compete in the Ivy League. The Bears are well known for their men’s soccer team, which consistently ranks among the top 25 teams in the nation. All students at Brown are required to live on campus for their first six semesters, and housing options include traditional singles, doubles and suites. With around 400 student organizations on campus ranging from The Brown Jug comedy magazine to Brown Ballroom Dance, students can find a way to pursue their interests. Brown also has a small but vibrant Greek community with approximately 10 chapters, including a few co-ed Greek organizations.

Brown offers a number of a graduate studies through its Graduate School, which offers well-regarded programs in English and history, and the highly ranked Warren Alpert Medical School. The center section of the Van Wickle Gates on Brown’s campus opens only twice a year: once to let incoming students onto campus and once to let recent graduates exit after commencement. Brown hosts an annual celebratory "Spring Weekend" with athletic events, concerts and free food. Notable alumni include John D. Rockefeller Jr., John F. Kennedy Jr. and CNN founder and media mogul Ted Turner.

Brown is the only major research university in the nation where undergraduates are the architects of their own course of study. The University's signature academic program for undergraduates encourages intellectual exploration and risk taking and fosters rigorous multidisciplinary study in more than 70 concentrations, ranging from Egyptology to Cognitive Neuroscience. Its unique, highly competitive program in Liberal Medical Education provides the opportunity to receive an undergraduate degree and a medical degree in an eight-year continuum. Its School of Engineering prepares students for careers that will make a difference by seeking solutions to current problems that challenge our society. Brown is frequently recognized for its global reach, many cultural events, numerous campus groups and activities, active community service programs, highly competitive athletics, and beautiful facilities located in a richly historic urban setting. Brown students are distinguished by their academic excellence, creativity, self-direction, leadership, and collaborative style of learning, while Brown's outstanding faculty is known for its singular dedication to teaching and research.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Invests $21 Million in Chicago Schools

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Invests $21 Million in Chicago Schools

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made an investment of $21 million in Chicago Schools to strengthen the students’ preparation for college.  The gift funds the Chicago High School Redesign Initiative, which will provide for major improvements in high school curriculum and instruction to ensure the students are prepared to succeed in college and career.

Under this initiative, the coursework structure and teaching methods of 50 high schools will be transformed. The goal is to give all students access to a high quality education, while keeping them motivated throughout their high school years. Courses will be offered to capture student interest, while providing them with the knowledge needed to graduate and go on to college or another form of post-high school education.  The initiative also will provide teachers who are well prepared and able to inspire these young people with a love of learning and desire to excel.

Like many other large urban districts, traditional high schools in the Chicago schools struggle to provide challenging and relevant coursework with the personalized instruction necessary for all students.  Currently in the Chicago schools, only 47 percent of graduates go on to college, while 46 percent of 9th graders dropout before graduation. Many of those who continue on to college find they need remedial classes to cover content they should have mastered in high school.

The Gates Foundation chose Chicago schools to be one of the first big cities to meet this challenge for today’s youth.  The Chicago schools were eager to partner in this endeavor.

Initially, Chicago schools will implement the transformation plan with 14 high schools, starting with the 9th grade. The redesign initiative then expands to other grades and to 36 additional high schools over the next three years.  The initial 14 schools are:

• Bowen Environmental Studies Team (BEST)
• Carver Military Academy
• Chicago Military Academy at Bronzeville
• Clark Academic Prep High School
• Crane High School
• Dunbar Vocational High School
• Dyett High School
• Fenger Academy High School
• John Hope College Preparatory High School
• Kenwood Academy
• Wendell Phillips High School
• School of the Arts, South Shore Campus
• Mose Vines Preparatory Academy at Orr Campus
• George Washington High School

The goals of the broad redesign initiative are to improve classroom instruction, provide more options and opportunities for students and their parents, and to make Chicago schools performance more accountable to parents and the community.  The five most significant challenges to be addressed by the Chicago schools are strengthening the curriculum, increasing rigor and relevance of coursework, adding depth to course content, improving professional development, and providing better school-based support.

The curriculum areas of focus are English, mathematics and science with teachers providing more instructional support in these subjects. A new school accountability tool for parents is the scorecard. The card tracks a school’s performance in areas, such as graduation rate, school climate, teacher information, and student achievement.  One area of improvement of benefit to teachers, students and parents, alike, is the recruitment of and professional support for high quality principals for the Chicago schools.

The initiative is one of the most thoughtful and comprehensive approaches to high school reform in the nation with its aim of raising expectations and preparing every student for success after high school.

The initiative gives Chicago schools the potential to significantly impact the quality of education students receive in high school and put them on the right track to succeed after graduation.

Baltimore Schools Enrollment Down, Schools to Close

Baltimore Schools Enrollment Down, Schools to Close

With declining enrollment and building space for tens of thousands more students than they have enrolled, the Baltimore schools announced last December their restructuring plans to close several elementary, middle and high schools with others becoming combined K-8 schools.

The Baltimore schools held a series of community meetings, where they released a list of possible options they were considering. The options included schools to close, some to renovate, and where to build new ones. The options also were listed at their web site, where parents and community voted on which options they thought were best.

All options would close several Baltimore schools middle schools with consistently low test scores and high rates of violence. Some of these targeted schools are on the state’s “persistently dangerous” schools list, while others are being watched closely for inclusion to the list. The troubled Thurgood Marshall High School, site of a shooting in the 2004-2005 school year, also is included in all options. A new building will replace the current middle school, located at the same site, and be a K-8 school.

The Baltimore schools are dealing with deteriorating buildings, declining enrollment, and state demands that they operate the school system more efficiently. The Baltimore schools’ chief executive officer Bonnie S. Copeland stated that community committees, which used public input gathered earlier last fall, developed the options.

Copeland believed that much of the community shared her vision to expand the K-8 schools, which have been outperforming the traditional middle schools. Many parents, as well as community activist groups, were outraged and vehemently opposed several proposed options and school closings.

Many do not wish to see K-8 schools, unhappy with older children who set bad examples being mixed in with younger children. They believe the low test scores of several middle schools is more complex than just integrating the students with the elementary schools. Additionally, some high-performing schools could be closed, due to building conditions and capacity.

Many parents and activists believe it would be cheaper to renovate existing schools, rather than build new ones. David Lever, executive director of Maryland’s Public School Construction Program, backs this belief.

In March 2006, the Baltimore schools reacted to public pressure and released a substantially revised plan, stating that they took to heart the public’s concerns. The changes did little to appease the opponents of the plan, leaving the Baltimore schools caught between the state demanding a school closings plan and the parents and community activists.

After 85 public meetings on the topic and more than 10,000 participants, the Baltimore schools board voted at the end of March to close 16 Baltimore schools over the next two years. They also approved a 10-year, $2.7 billion plan to build 27 new Baltimore schools, moving thousands of children from middle schools to pre kindergarten through eighth grade.

Back to School Responsibilities Again

  Back to School Responsibilities Again

It’s that time of year when mom and dad look for ways to improve their child’s academic standing during the upcoming scholastic year or, at least, they should be.  

There are many options to weigh in such as: new school clothes, school supplies, peer pressure, after school care, homework, league sports, and transportation.

This is time of year for great changes, but here are two changes that will impact your child for life and require a bit of work and commitment on your part.

Expose your child or children to some kind of faith: The faith of your parents, your faith, your spouse’s faith, or the faith that you left behind.  Set an example and start attending a temple, mosque, shrine, or church right now.

If your children have nothing to believe in, will they have a happy, productive, and successful life?  You already know the answer to the question, and it requires work to teach children.  Anybody can let years go by, and teach their children nothing.

Find a hobby that suits your child and have them stick to it.  Oh no, more work!  Yes, it is, but your child will benefit immensely from this decision.

It could be dance, Yoga, martial arts, music, gymnastics, boy scouts, girl scouts, or something else, but whatever it is, your child should initially like it.  At that point have them make a commitment and don’t allow them to quit unless there is a solid reason.

If a coach, teacher, or tutor is abusive, that’s an understandable reason to leave, but you can always find another coach.  In truth, if you allow laziness, in your child, you will receive it.  Children will usually follow the path of least resistance, but they crave structure. 

My experience has been: Children constantly turn their attitudes around, for the better, in martial arts and Yoga classes.  Due to the fact, that there is a formal set of existing rules and a code of conduct. 

Don’t allow them to sit in a corner with a video game and a television, except for rare occasions.  There are too many good things going on in the “real world” that need their attention.

These two changes will instill fortitude, perseverance, and goal-setting skills that last a lifetime.  The rewards can be endless, for your whole family.