Better Believe It......Because They Actually Happen(ed) Collection 2 |
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 Study examines achievement gap between Asian American, white students By Monte Morin A growing achievement gap between Asian American students and their white classmates is due largely to greater work effort and cultural attitudes, not innate cognitive ability, researchers say. In a study published Monday in the journal PNAS, two sociology professors found that Asian Americans enter school with no clear academic edge over whites, but that an advantage grows over time. Even if they come from poorer, less educated families, Asian Americans significantly outperform white students by fifth grade, authors wrote. Full story at The Los Angeles Times (May 2014) |
Schools seek changes to healthier lunch rules
 ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — Becky Domokos-Bays of Alexandria City Public Schools has served her students whole-grain pasta 20 times. Each time, she said, they rejected it. Starting next school year, pasta and other grain products in schools will have to be whole-grain rich, or more than half whole grain. That includes rolls, biscuits, pizza crust, tortillas and even grits. The requirement is part of a government effort to make school lunches and breakfasts healthier. Championed by first lady Michelle Obama, the new standards have been phased in over the last two school years, with more changes coming in 2014. Some schools say the changes have been expensive and difficult to put in place, and school officials are asking Congress and the Agriculture Department to roll back some of the requirements. Their main concerns: finding enough whole grain-rich foods that kids like, lowering sodium levels and keeping fruits and vegetables from ending up in the trash. Full story at The Associated Press (May 2014) |
Cambridge student seeks tutor to pay £48,000 for just 16 weeks work
 A wealthy foreign student at Cambridge is offering a private tutor £48,000 for just 16 weeks work. The successful candidate will not only have to help the Swiss national pass his exams, they will also be expected socialise with him and accompany him on all-expenses paid trips to Zurich, and can move in with him if they wish. The 20-year-old failed his first year and must now pass resits to carry on studying Natural Sciences at the university, so has advertised for a Cambridge graduate to coach him. He is willing to pay the right candidate £100-an-hour for the one-off fixed-term contract. Applicants must have an "excellent degree" from Cambridge and possess "superb" scientific knowledge, his job advert states. Full story at The Telegraph (November 2013) |
Florida whiz kid, 16, graduates college before high school
 It's a true Hollywood story. A 16-year-old Florida whiz kid graduated from high school and college in the same week — completing college first. “It’s kind of weird that I graduated college before high school,” Grace Bush told CBS in Miami. Grace, who lives in Hollywood, Fla., received her degree from Florida Atlantic University on Friday with a sparkling 3.8 grade-point average. She will receive her "other" diploma on Friday from Florida Atlantic University high school. The teen was participating in FAU's special dual-enrollment program, which gives more talented students college credit for selected high school courses. “I started when I was 13 at Broward College, and I also took my classes throughout the summer, so I was able to finish it before four years,” she told CBS. Grace is just following a family tradition. She is the third oldest of nine children, and her parents would like all their kids to do what Grace did to save tuition. The kids are home schooled as well. Full story at NY Daily News (May 2014) |
