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AwardAward Volume XVIII, No. 2 • New York City • NOV/DEC 2012 www.EDUCATIONUPDATE.com Winner CUTTING EDGE NEWS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE UPDATE THE EDUCATION THE PAID U.S. POSTAGE U.S. PRESORTED STANDARD PRESORTED 2 EDUCATION UPDATE ■ FPOR ARENTS, Educators & Students ■ NOV/DEC 2012 GUEST EDITORIAL EDUCATION UPDATE MAILING ADDRESS: Achieving Student Success in Community Colleges 695 Park Avenue, Ste. E1509, NY, NY 10065 Email: [email protected] www.EducationUpdate.com By JAY HERSHENSON Programs (ASAP) and 25 students. Tel: 212-650-3552 Fax: 212-410-0591 n today’s highly competitive global the New Community Students in the first cohort were required to PUBLISHERS: economy, community college stu- College at CUNY. overcome any developmental needs in the sum- Pola Rosen, Ed.D., Adam Sugerman, M.A. dents must earn valued degrees We all know how mer before admission, and about a third did so. ADVISORY COUNCIL: as quickly and assuredly as possi- few urban community So when they were ready to start credit-bearing Mary Brabeck, Dean, NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Ed., and Human Dev.; Christine Cea, ble. Through academic advisement and finan- college students earn courses, they were all up to speed. Ph.D., NYS Board of Regents; Shelia Evans- cial aid support, block class and summer bridge a degree within three There was regular contact with faculty and Tranumn, Chair, Board of Trustees, Casey Family programs, and greater emphasis on study skills, years — in some parts advisors. Students who needed jobs, job skills Programs Foundation; Charlotte K. Frank, we can better assist incoming freshmen to of the country 16 per- and career planning were helped. There were Ph.D., Sr. VP, McGraw-Hill; Joan Freilich, achieve course and degree completion. cent, other parts less arts and cultural programs, student leadership Ph.D., Trustee, Barnard College & College of New Rochelle; Andrew Gardner, Sr. Manager, I know something about this, because I started than 25 percent. training and internships. BrainPOP Educators; Cynthia Greenleaf, Ph.D., my own higher education at Queensborough That clearly isn’t acceptable. All of the students at all six participating Sr. Assoc., Heidrick & Struggles; Augusta S. Community College, going to school at night. In 2007, Chancellor Goldstein took on this colleges had access to “SingleStopUSA” on Kappner, Ph.D., President Emerita, Bank St. During the day I operated a conveyor belt in the challenge and asked Mayor Bloomberg to sup- campus to help them obtain benefits, financial College; Harold Koplewicz, M.D., Pres., Child receiving department at a now-defunct depart- port a new initiative to significantly raise gradu- counseling, legal services, tax refunds, and so Mind Institute; Ernest Logan, Pres., CSA; Cecilia McCarton, M.D., Dir., The McCarton Center; ment store called Alexander’s. I had no plans to ation rates. The Chancellor established a goal of on. If you want SingleStopUSA on your cam- Michael Mulgrew, Pres., UFT; Eric Nadelstern, make that particular job my lifetime work. graduating half of ASAP’s students within three pus, check out their website. Our community Prof. of Educational Leadership, Teachers College; My community college experience can be years. CUNY was determined to remove barri- college students overall have accessed over $60 Anthony Polemeni, Ph.D., Dean, Touro College; summed up in one word — solitary. I went to ers to full-time study, build student resiliency million in aid with the help of SingleStop. Alfred S. Posamentier, Ph.D., Dean of Education, my classes alone. I studied alone. I rode the bus and do everything we could to support degree Here’s the bottom line: Three years later, fully Mercy College; Jerrold Ross, Ph.D., Dean, School of Education, St. John’s University; David Steiner, alone. I didn’t know many other students. There completion. We offered financial incentives for 55 percent of the 1,100 initial ASAP students Ph.D., Dean of Education, Hunter College; Ronnie was no orientation program. There was little full-time study. If there was a gap between the had earned an associate degree. That’s more Stewart, Head, York Prep; Adam Sugerman, advisement at night. The only one who said financial aid and the cost of tuition and fees, we than twice the 24.7 percent who graduated in a Publisher, Palmiche Press anything when I missed a couple of nights in a waived it. comparison group. We had exceeded the chan- ASSOCIATE EDITORS: row was the Q27 bus driver. Students received free monthly MetroCards cellor’s ambitious goal! Heather Rosen, Rob Wertheimer Whenever challenges arose, I had to figure for subway and bus fare, along with free books. Not content with that, CUNY considered ASSISTANT EDITOR: out how to deal with them alone. The quality of By requiring students to take 12 credits a whether ASAP would work for students with Jennifer MacGregor my Queensborough Community College educa- semester, they were eligible for full finan- developmental problems during the program, GUEST COLUMNISTS: tion was superb particularly because of the high cial aid and positioned for graduation within as opposed to the summer before. In 2009, Dr. Mark Alter, Christopher Chin, Maxine Dovere, quality of the faculty. three years. CUNY recruited a second cohort comprised Dr. Jay Gottlieb, Dr. Carole G. Hankin, Jay I transferred to Queens College and earned ASAP grouped students in cohorts based on a primarily of low-income students who needed Hershenson, Merryl Kafka, Ed.D., Arthur Katz, two degrees as an undergraduate and gradu- limited number of majors — at most six at any some remedial coursework in reading, writing Esq., Karen Kraskow, Joshua Rabinowitz, Dr. Rose Reissman, Dr. John Russell, Starr Sackstein, Carol ate student. But the lessons I learned about campus. They took most classes in consolidated and math. Sterling, Jayme Stewart, Rachel Tannenbaum the minuses of a solitary sense of experience blocks, allowing them to balance school, work Their three-year graduation rate projected SENIOR REPORTERS: remained with me. and domestic responsibilities. through August 2012 is the same — 55 percent Dr. Jacob Appel, M.D., J.D.; Jan Aaron; Joan That is why I am so excited, and very Some classes were conducted with only other — compared to 22.3 percent in a comparison Baum, Ph.D.; Vicki Cobb; Sybil Maimin; Lisa impressed by two CUNY programs inextri- ASAP students, others were with the gen- group. So ASAP worked for students, regard- Winkler cably linked: Accelerated Study in Associate eral college population, but none had more than less of academic proficiency at time of entry. STAFF WRITERS: Overall, 63 percent of ASAP students gradu- Gillian Granoff, Richard Kagan, Rich Monetti, ate, transfer to a baccalaureate program or both Giovanny Pinto, Yurida Peña, Nick Stone LETTERS TO THE EDITOR within three years, compared to 44 percent of a BOOK REVIEWS: comparison group. Merri Rosenberg A TLANTA, GEORGIA I was not happy to hear again that although so CUNY sought an independent examination MEDICAL EDITOR: Marymount Students on the many LD children are trained to be self-advo- from noted researcher Henry Levin, a profes- Herman Rosen, M.D. Cutting Edge of STEM cating, in the public school with even the best sor of economics and education at Columbia MODERN LANGUAGE EDITOR: To the Editor: intentioned teachers, they are misunderstood. continued on page 4 Adam Sugerman, M.A. Wow!!! It is up to us as educators to place our There is a clear need for all educators to be more MOVIE & THEATER REVIEWS: children in positions to cultivate their minds. aware of language-based learning disorders, no Jan Aaron We know from all the research out there that sci- matter how smart their students may be. Thank IN THIS ISSUE MUSIC EDITOR: ence and math are areas that our children need you for sharing this with us! Irving M. Spitz to continue to improve in. Thank you for what Susan Titone, MSEd Editorial . .2 Letters to the Editor . 2 SPORTS EDITORS: you are doing and I want to be on board with Richard Kagan, MC Cohen offering opportunities to our students here at NAIROBI, KENYA Spotlight on Schools . 3-9, 14, 15, 29 Law and Education . 4 ART DIRECTOR: Greater Atlanta Adventist Academy. Thank you. Young Ambassador Student Exchange Neil Schuldiner Johnny Holliday, Principal Program Special Education . 10-13, 23, 31 INTERNS: To the Editor: International Education . .15, 25, 27 Erica Anderson; Dominique Carson, Brooklyn College; Valentina Cordero; Mohammad Ibrar, CCNY; Lydia Liebman, NEW YORK, NEW YORK This is a well anticipated work and its very Cover Stories . 16-17 Emerson College; Ethan Arberman, Johnson and Wales Leaders of The Windward School inspirational. I live in Kenya and I am a fourth Colleges & Grad Schools . .18, 20, 21, 26, 28 University To the Editor: year student in high school. I would love to Books . .19 Education Update is an independent newspaper, I am thoroughly impressed by the knowledge, be a member of this organization so that I can Medical Update . 21 which is published bimonthly by Education Update, Inc. All material is copyrighted and may not be printed the commitment, the comprehensiveness, the inspire many young achievers in Africa. I want Movies . .22, 28 without express consent of the publisher. sensitivity and warmth that these two display to explore my talent of writing inspirational Music, Art & Dance . .22 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: concerning the whole learning disabled child stories and motivating young people in Africa, Young Writers . .24 Education Update; 695 Park Avenue, Ste. E1509; and training of teachers. As a mom and teacher especially the vulnerable ones from distant Sports . .28 New York, NY 10065-5024. Subscription: Annual of special ed children, I am delighted to see rural areas. Camps . 30 $30.