I wonder if it is possible to consolidate these efforts in a single city and examine the effects. Then, perhaps we can develop policies that reach all cities. -Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-----------------------------------------------------------
Cisneros: Nation's future linked to Latino success
2 hours ago
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Housing Secretary Henry Cisneros said Monday he plans to create a nonprofit that will help integrate newcomers to U.S. society by improving their English and expanding their participation in military service and civic activities.
Cisneros, who served in the Clinton administration, said he hopes to launch the group this year to "proselytize" the significance of immigrants and "the absolutely invaluable role they'll play in the American future."
The group would team up with churches, schools and other nonprofits to offer a "life plan" on how people integrate into American society, he said. The plan would include showing parents how U.S. schools work and how they can help their children advance as well as promoting their responsibility in building the nation's future.
"We've got to get beyond just the basics of legalization and citizenship," Cisneros said.
Leaving 12 million people in the shadows and undocumented "is not what civilized country wants to do when it needs workers," he said.
Latinos make up 15 percent of the U.S. population and will make up a quarter of the population by 2050. Even if the nation's borders were closed, the Latino population in the U.S. is expected to grow because the population's families are younger and larger.
Cisneros said his effort dovetails with President Barack Obama's message of multicultural inclusion. He said he and Obama talked last year about the "aspirational" themes of the Hispanic population — better wages, educational achievement, health care and legalization.
Cisneros and several other high-profile Latinos argue in a new book, "Latinos and the Nation's Future," that the large numbers mean the advancement and global competitiveness of the country depends on the progress of the Latino population.
"Is America going to be populated by a population that is large but poor, undereducated, underproductive, alienated in due course for lack of opportunity?" he asked. "Or is it a going to be populated by a community that is large but has infused with the education and skills so that it is one of the contributors to the energy, the creativity the productivity of this country going forward?"
On the Net:
Arte Publico Press: http://www.arte.uh.edu/
Monday, January 26, 2009
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Lawmakers' plan cuts education and borrows from kids' health care fund (from 10Connects.com--Tampa)
Once again, the people on the bottom are the first to absorb the pains associated with the budget cuts. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
Lawmakers' plan cuts education and borrows from kids' health care fund
Posted By: Grayson Kamm Date last updated: 1/12/2009 7:24:34 AM
Tallahassee, Florida -- State cuts will hit kids. Leaders in the legislature have decided to cut education and borrow from a kids' and seniors' health care fund as part of a plan to balance Florida's budget.
After a week of back-and-forth during a special session, lawmakers have put together a budget plan aimed at getting the state out of a $2.4 billion hole.
The budget plan is being delivered to lawmakers today. In it, school funding gets hit. Schools will lose $500 million statewide. That works out to $140 per student. Hospital funding will lose $100 million. The plan also increases speeding fines by $25 and other traffic fines by $10 across the board.
All those cuts and fines will cover about a billion dollars of the $2.4 billion hole. The rest will come from the state's savings accounts -- and it will drain them dramatically.
The plan borrows $700 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund. That fund was formed with money from a settlement with tobacco companies. It's supposed to be used to pay for health care for poor children and seniors.
Another $400 million will come from the Budget Stabilization Fund -- the state's last-resort savings account. That fund will only have $250 million left in it. $190 million will be taken from a state housing trust fund and more than $300 million will come from other trust funds that haven't been named yet.
This plan was created by Republicans, then hammered out with Democrats. It does not include some big options Democrats had been pushing for, including a dollar-a-pack increase on cigarette taxes.
Along with some other smaller tax increases, the Democrats say their proposal could have meant the cuts to schools would have been smaller. But Governor Charlie Crist and Republicans the Legislature said they weren't willing to raise any taxes.
At least part of this budget battle could go to court. The budget plan raids the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, which is supposed to be set aside for health care. The family of the late Governor Chiles says they will sue to stop the state from borrowing money from the fund.
A vote on the budget plan is expected on Wednesday.
Lawmakers' plan cuts education and borrows from kids' health care fund
Posted By: Grayson Kamm Date last updated: 1/12/2009 7:24:34 AM
Tallahassee, Florida -- State cuts will hit kids. Leaders in the legislature have decided to cut education and borrow from a kids' and seniors' health care fund as part of a plan to balance Florida's budget.
After a week of back-and-forth during a special session, lawmakers have put together a budget plan aimed at getting the state out of a $2.4 billion hole.
The budget plan is being delivered to lawmakers today. In it, school funding gets hit. Schools will lose $500 million statewide. That works out to $140 per student. Hospital funding will lose $100 million. The plan also increases speeding fines by $25 and other traffic fines by $10 across the board.
All those cuts and fines will cover about a billion dollars of the $2.4 billion hole. The rest will come from the state's savings accounts -- and it will drain them dramatically.
The plan borrows $700 million from the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund. That fund was formed with money from a settlement with tobacco companies. It's supposed to be used to pay for health care for poor children and seniors.
Another $400 million will come from the Budget Stabilization Fund -- the state's last-resort savings account. That fund will only have $250 million left in it. $190 million will be taken from a state housing trust fund and more than $300 million will come from other trust funds that haven't been named yet.
This plan was created by Republicans, then hammered out with Democrats. It does not include some big options Democrats had been pushing for, including a dollar-a-pack increase on cigarette taxes.
Along with some other smaller tax increases, the Democrats say their proposal could have meant the cuts to schools would have been smaller. But Governor Charlie Crist and Republicans the Legislature said they weren't willing to raise any taxes.
At least part of this budget battle could go to court. The budget plan raids the Lawton Chiles Endowment Fund, which is supposed to be set aside for health care. The family of the late Governor Chiles says they will sue to stop the state from borrowing money from the fund.
A vote on the budget plan is expected on Wednesday.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Broward schools move to balance homework load (from Miami Herald)
Broward schools move to balance homework load
BY HANNAH SAMPSON
Danielle Jensen has had days when she couldn't go to dance class because she had so much homework. She wanted to join the volleyball team, but decided she couldn't juggle the practice with her studies. Sometimes she even brings her books to the dinner table.
Danielle, 11, is in sixth grade.
''It's sad to watch your 11-year-old kind of start acting like an 18-year-old,'' said Danielle's mom, Rosemarie Jensen of Parkland, a former elementary teacher who believes her daughter's workload is far too heavy.
When the Broward School Board opened up the district's website for feedback on the issue, dozens of parents responded with complaints. Parents say forcing a student to toil for hours a night takes away meaningful family time and opportunities for other educational and healthy activities including sports and music lessons.
But school districts say homework is important because it helps kids learn independence and responsibility, serves as a link between school and home and reinforces skills that students have learned in class.
''You introduce new materials, you want to make sure that you give students an opportunity to demonstrate that they understand the materials that have been taught,'' said Earlean Smiley, Broward's deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
But she acknowledged that teachers need to have greater coordination and consideration of how much homework they assign so students are not overwhelmed.
To that end, the Broward School Board took a first vote Tuesday on an updated homework policy. For the first time, Broward is giving parents an idea of guidelines for how much homework their students should get. The policy also urges teachers to better collaborate so that students aren't loaded up with projects at the same time.
Broward's guidelines say kids should have 10 minutes times their grade level. In other words, a third-grader should have about 30 minutes of homework, while a high school senior should have about two hours.
Recommendations vary somewhat, but experts say levels of daily homework for elementary schoolchildren should be no more than 30 minutes; for middle-schoolers, a maximum of an hour; and 1 ½-2 hours for high school students.
Karen Rivo, PTSA president at Miami Beach Senior High and chairwoman of an advisory committee on family involvement in Miami-Dade, said too much homework putspressure on families.
''What we see today is parents are so stressed in their lives,'' she said. ``Our schools need to be sensitive to the kind of homework they give and make sure it's not needless busywork.''
Education professor Dorene Ross, who teaches at the University of Florida, said excessive amounts of homework hurt student achievement.
''Too much homework is counter-productive,'' Ross said.
Miami-Dade's homework policy includes guidelines that recommend 30 minutes for kids in kindergarten and first grade; 45 for second- and third-graders; 60 for fourth- and fifth-graders; 75 for middle schoolers and two hours for high school students. All students are also supposed to spend 30 additional minutes reading.
Sara Bennett, an attorney who runs the website stophomework.com and co-author of The Case Against Homework, said Broward's changes sound like ``a start.''
``The question that I think every school should ask and every teacher should really be asking themselves is: What is the goal of their homework and why is it important and why is it more important than what a child might be doing that evening?''
Amy Phillips, a professor at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, is not philosophically opposed to homework. But said she has seen her kids, a senior and a freshman at Coral Glades High, spend hours on their assignments.
''There just are not enough hours -- especially for these high school students that need a lot of sleep and have to have part-time jobs and want to do extra-curricular work -- to accomplish it in the amount of time that they need to,'' she said.
Darla March, of Miami, said her three sons' homework helps keep her in touch with what they are learning. The boys, who are 7, 10 and 13, attend Cypress Elementary and Palmetto Middle and spend between 20 minutes for the youngest and 2 ½ hours a day for the oldest on homework.
''I find it helpful as a parent to see my kids review whatever concept they learned in school, to do some of the test preparation work at home so it doesn't take instructional time,'' March said, but added: ``There has to be a balance to allow them to have fun and go outside.''
Rosemarie Jensen, the Parkland mom whose Westglades Middle sixth-grader is often overwhelmed by homework, said regular doses of an hour and a half of homework would be acceptable. And much of the work, she said, would be better done in class.
''I don't care if you work her to the bone in there,'' Jensen said. ``But give me my kid back at night.''
BY HANNAH SAMPSON
Danielle Jensen has had days when she couldn't go to dance class because she had so much homework. She wanted to join the volleyball team, but decided she couldn't juggle the practice with her studies. Sometimes she even brings her books to the dinner table.
Danielle, 11, is in sixth grade.
''It's sad to watch your 11-year-old kind of start acting like an 18-year-old,'' said Danielle's mom, Rosemarie Jensen of Parkland, a former elementary teacher who believes her daughter's workload is far too heavy.
When the Broward School Board opened up the district's website for feedback on the issue, dozens of parents responded with complaints. Parents say forcing a student to toil for hours a night takes away meaningful family time and opportunities for other educational and healthy activities including sports and music lessons.
But school districts say homework is important because it helps kids learn independence and responsibility, serves as a link between school and home and reinforces skills that students have learned in class.
''You introduce new materials, you want to make sure that you give students an opportunity to demonstrate that they understand the materials that have been taught,'' said Earlean Smiley, Broward's deputy superintendent for curriculum and instruction.
But she acknowledged that teachers need to have greater coordination and consideration of how much homework they assign so students are not overwhelmed.
To that end, the Broward School Board took a first vote Tuesday on an updated homework policy. For the first time, Broward is giving parents an idea of guidelines for how much homework their students should get. The policy also urges teachers to better collaborate so that students aren't loaded up with projects at the same time.
Broward's guidelines say kids should have 10 minutes times their grade level. In other words, a third-grader should have about 30 minutes of homework, while a high school senior should have about two hours.
Recommendations vary somewhat, but experts say levels of daily homework for elementary schoolchildren should be no more than 30 minutes; for middle-schoolers, a maximum of an hour; and 1 ½-2 hours for high school students.
Karen Rivo, PTSA president at Miami Beach Senior High and chairwoman of an advisory committee on family involvement in Miami-Dade, said too much homework putspressure on families.
''What we see today is parents are so stressed in their lives,'' she said. ``Our schools need to be sensitive to the kind of homework they give and make sure it's not needless busywork.''
Education professor Dorene Ross, who teaches at the University of Florida, said excessive amounts of homework hurt student achievement.
''Too much homework is counter-productive,'' Ross said.
Miami-Dade's homework policy includes guidelines that recommend 30 minutes for kids in kindergarten and first grade; 45 for second- and third-graders; 60 for fourth- and fifth-graders; 75 for middle schoolers and two hours for high school students. All students are also supposed to spend 30 additional minutes reading.
Sara Bennett, an attorney who runs the website stophomework.com and co-author of The Case Against Homework, said Broward's changes sound like ``a start.''
``The question that I think every school should ask and every teacher should really be asking themselves is: What is the goal of their homework and why is it important and why is it more important than what a child might be doing that evening?''
Amy Phillips, a professor at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale, is not philosophically opposed to homework. But said she has seen her kids, a senior and a freshman at Coral Glades High, spend hours on their assignments.
''There just are not enough hours -- especially for these high school students that need a lot of sleep and have to have part-time jobs and want to do extra-curricular work -- to accomplish it in the amount of time that they need to,'' she said.
Darla March, of Miami, said her three sons' homework helps keep her in touch with what they are learning. The boys, who are 7, 10 and 13, attend Cypress Elementary and Palmetto Middle and spend between 20 minutes for the youngest and 2 ½ hours a day for the oldest on homework.
''I find it helpful as a parent to see my kids review whatever concept they learned in school, to do some of the test preparation work at home so it doesn't take instructional time,'' March said, but added: ``There has to be a balance to allow them to have fun and go outside.''
Rosemarie Jensen, the Parkland mom whose Westglades Middle sixth-grader is often overwhelmed by homework, said regular doses of an hour and a half of homework would be acceptable. And much of the work, she said, would be better done in class.
''I don't care if you work her to the bone in there,'' Jensen said. ``But give me my kid back at night.''
Monday, December 15, 2008
Study Details Educational Challenges Facing U.S. Latino Community (from Hispanic Business)
I'm looking forward to reading this book.--Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study Details Educational Challenges Facing U.S. Latino Community
Dec 15 2008 1:50PM
Lydia Gil--EFE
In their forthcoming book, "The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies," two U.S. professors detail the educational challenges confronting this country's Latino community.
UCLA's Patricia Gandara and Frances Contreras of the University of Washington examine not only the causes but also the social and economic consequences of this worrying educational gap.
According to the study, Latinos, the country's biggest and fastest-growing minority, academically are being left behind at a dangerous rate.
One of the more worrying figures cited in the study is that while other ethnic minorities have managed to increase the percentage of their members who complete university studies, about half of Latino students don't even finish high school, a level that is similar to what it was three decades ago.
Upon consideration of the rapid widening of the income gap between those who have a university diploma and those who do not, one can appreciate why the researchers have called this crisis alarming and potentially devastating for the Latino community.
However, although the study is quantitatively rigorous, it does not limit itself to simply forecasting the crisis, but rather calls for action to change the trend in the figures.
The book indicates that, in contrast to other immigrant groups in the past, Latinos nowadays will not be able to easily exceed the social and economic status of their parents and grandparents.
According to the authors, U.S. society imposes conditions that exceed the ability of immigrants to overcome educational and socio-economic barriers.
They say, however, that the educational gap between Latinos and other groups is not completely related, nor even in large measure, to conditions linked to immigration, given that several recent studies concluded that bilingual or recently arrived students tend to come out better academically than Latinos born and raised in the United States.
The study says that nowadays, just one in every 10 Latinos obtains a university degree compared to one in four non-Hispanic whites and one in three Asian Americans.
These figures show that the graduation rate among Latinos has not increased in recent decades, which, added to the population increase among the Latino community, translates into a serious prognosis for the country's economy.
The authors provide as an example the state of California, where by 2020 it is expected there will be a 11 percent decline in per capita income if there is no intervention in favor of students poorly represented in the university system.
The call to action is urgent not only for California, but also for other states including Arizona and Texas, where Latinos comprise a high percentage of the population and where the inequalities in access to university education are mirrored.
According to the study, the statistics reflect a problem that goes beyond the faults in the educational system or the lack of resources there into the "American mythology" that with enough effort, everyone can achieve success in this country without regard to the circumstances they confront.
By not focusing exclusively on immigration, language, the lack of systemic resources or administration policy, Gandara and Contreras provide a comprehensive vision of the causes of educational disparity between the different ethnic groups in the United States and the challenges confronting the Latino community, in particular.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Study Details Educational Challenges Facing U.S. Latino Community
Dec 15 2008 1:50PM
Lydia Gil--EFE
In their forthcoming book, "The Latino Education Crisis: The Consequences of Failed Social Policies," two U.S. professors detail the educational challenges confronting this country's Latino community.
UCLA's Patricia Gandara and Frances Contreras of the University of Washington examine not only the causes but also the social and economic consequences of this worrying educational gap.
According to the study, Latinos, the country's biggest and fastest-growing minority, academically are being left behind at a dangerous rate.
One of the more worrying figures cited in the study is that while other ethnic minorities have managed to increase the percentage of their members who complete university studies, about half of Latino students don't even finish high school, a level that is similar to what it was three decades ago.
Upon consideration of the rapid widening of the income gap between those who have a university diploma and those who do not, one can appreciate why the researchers have called this crisis alarming and potentially devastating for the Latino community.
However, although the study is quantitatively rigorous, it does not limit itself to simply forecasting the crisis, but rather calls for action to change the trend in the figures.
The book indicates that, in contrast to other immigrant groups in the past, Latinos nowadays will not be able to easily exceed the social and economic status of their parents and grandparents.
According to the authors, U.S. society imposes conditions that exceed the ability of immigrants to overcome educational and socio-economic barriers.
They say, however, that the educational gap between Latinos and other groups is not completely related, nor even in large measure, to conditions linked to immigration, given that several recent studies concluded that bilingual or recently arrived students tend to come out better academically than Latinos born and raised in the United States.
The study says that nowadays, just one in every 10 Latinos obtains a university degree compared to one in four non-Hispanic whites and one in three Asian Americans.
These figures show that the graduation rate among Latinos has not increased in recent decades, which, added to the population increase among the Latino community, translates into a serious prognosis for the country's economy.
The authors provide as an example the state of California, where by 2020 it is expected there will be a 11 percent decline in per capita income if there is no intervention in favor of students poorly represented in the university system.
The call to action is urgent not only for California, but also for other states including Arizona and Texas, where Latinos comprise a high percentage of the population and where the inequalities in access to university education are mirrored.
According to the study, the statistics reflect a problem that goes beyond the faults in the educational system or the lack of resources there into the "American mythology" that with enough effort, everyone can achieve success in this country without regard to the circumstances they confront.
By not focusing exclusively on immigration, language, the lack of systemic resources or administration policy, Gandara and Contreras provide a comprehensive vision of the causes of educational disparity between the different ethnic groups in the United States and the challenges confronting the Latino community, in particular.
Thursday, November 20, 2008
Gov. Crist proposes universities raise own tuitions (from Miami Herald)
The Governor was quoted as saying that Florida has the lowest tuition in the country. I would add that Florida also has amongst the lowest wages, higher gas prices (on average .20 cents more than the country average), and outrageous services such as medical, home utilities, etc. When you consider one of the largest public universities in the state, FIU, many of its students are first-generation college students without much financial capital to rely on. For those who thought that a few thousand was already an impossible cost for a college education, these increases just push those already on the margins further away from the possibility of attending college. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Miami Herald
Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2008
Gov. Crist proposes universities raise own tuitions
BY JENNIFER LIBERTO, STEVE BOUSQUET AND MARC CAPUTO
Bowing to the pleas of Florida's cash-starved state universities, Gov. Charlie Crist Thursday announced a plan that would give all 11 schools the power to raise tuition by as much as 15 percent yearly.
The proposal could raise about $1.5 billion over the next seven years for the universities. It also could affect a lawsuit over whether the Board of Governors or the state Legislature sets tuition rates.
The Legislature needs to sign off on Crist's package. Its leaders issued statements of support but said they needed to see more details. Crist, who had once opposed raising tuition rates in tough economic times, explained he simply ``changed my mind.''
''Things evolve,'' Crist said. ``You produce good jobs by having great education.''
Crist also stressed that, even if tuition rates increase by 15 percent annually, ``we'll still have the cheapest tuition in the country.''
To cushion the blow of higher tuition, Crist wants to boost financial aid to the state's poorest students because 30 percent of the new money raised would be used to lower tuition and fees for low-income students. Crist projects $200 million in new financial aid will be available by 2015.
The aid package, though, wouldn't help cover tuition increases for students who receive the state's Bright Futures scholarship program, one of Florida's biggest middle-class entitlements.
Asked how he could explain the need for higher tuition to struggling middle-class families, Crist said he would tell them students will now ``have a great opportunity to get an even better education.''
The state's five largest research universities -- including the University of South Florida in Tampa and Florida International University in Miami -- were given the authority this year to raise tuition by 15 percent annually.
Crist's proposal was developed quietly in conversations between his education advisor Dean Colson, the Board of Governors that oversees the state university system, university presidents and the Council of 100, an influential group of business leaders.
Crist likely wouldn't have announced the legislative package without some indication of support from state legislative leaders. Both House Speaker Ray Sansom and Senate President Jeff Atwater were noncommittal Wednesday and said they looked forward to seeing the details.
''We thank Gov. Crist for his proposal, and we look forward to working with him to accomplish our common goal of creating a great higher education system for the people of Florida,'' Sansom, a Destin Republican, said in a brief written statement Thursday.
Atwater also applauded Crist ``for his leadership.''
By contrast, Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee blasted Crist for the proposal and urged the governor to rethink his decision.
''This move puts higher education even further out of reach,'' Lawson said. ``Florida ranks among the highest for foreclosures, job loss and bankruptcies. Dumping tuition hikes into the laps of students and their families is the wrong move at the wrong time. It's the latest in a long line of bad moves shifting the state's funding obligations down to the people, and the people are suffering enough.''
FIU President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique said that because his university got a head start this year and was allowed to raise tuition, the change will have little immediate effect. The long-term advantage of the plan, he said, is that it will allow more students to attend universities. Cash-strapped institutions have had to turn students away and the small tuition increases -- coupled with the increases in financial aid -- will help the entire state, he said.
Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan said the proposal was ''long overdue'' and welcomes the opportunity for the university's board to determine what to do. He said FAU is unlikely to take advantage of the full 15 percent tuition hike because of the number of ''economically fragile'' students on its rolls. He said 47 percent of the FAU student body is made up of minorities and most of them receive some form of financial assistance.
''If given this ability, the Board of Trustees will very carefully weigh what the tipping point will be economically for our students,'' Brogan said.
Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, works at the University of South Florida and acknowledges the need for more funding for universities. ''We're making it harder for Florida families to afford colleges,'' he said. ``Everyone knows when the economy turns south more and more people head to colleges. This is something we really need to talk about before we pass.''
The Legislature and the newly approved Board of Governors have been at a standstill over who controls tuition due to a lawsuit filed by former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. Graham says a 2002 voter-approved constitutional amendment removed the Legislature from major university decisions by setting up the Board of Governors. State legislators say the amendment wasn't intended to give the board such autonomy.
Graham said he has ''concerns'' about Crist's proposal because it rests on the Legislature, which has a poor track record of funding education. He said there needs to be a guarantee that the Legislature won't just cut higher-ed money while raising tuition rates.
''I'm just concerned that the increase isn't part of a larger strategy to reverse this decline we've seen in the last 20 years in higher education,'' Graham said, ``and it could become almost a narcotic to cover up the real problems by shifting more of the total cost of education to students while the state does not keep up its end of the bargain.''
Crist's plan calls for the Board of Governors to delegate the power to each university board of trustees to figure out how much of the tuition hike they plan to charge, the draft memo said. They could raise tuition 15 percent a year, as long as the increase doesn't exceed 40 percent in three years.
Bright Futures could be another sticking point in Crist's plan. The wildly popular program for students with good grades isn't based on financial need -- and it's growing faster than the state's ability to pay for it. Bright Futures is supported with state money from the lottery that has seen a drop-off in ticket sales as Florida residents have less discretionary money.
The proposed tuition changes would shift the burden of paying for the state's higher education system away from general taxpayers and more toward students. Not only would Bright Futures recipients pay more, but so would those who bought prepaid tuition plans after July 1, 2007.
Tuition at Florida's 11 universities ranges from about $3,400 to about $4,000 a year for in-state students.
Universities are facing unprecedented financial pressures. With tuition rates capped and costs rising, schools have been slashing undergraduate enrollment, cutting academic programs and wiping out degree programs. They've also begun laying off faculty and staff statewide.
Facing another year without salary increases, many top professors are being lured out-of-state.
''Tuition for a full year of college education in Florida is cheaper than sending a 4-year-old to day care for a few hours a day -- it's just too cheap,'' said University of North Florida President John A. Delaney.
Delaney and other university presidents who attended Crist's news conference praised the governor for his ''bold'' leadership.
The group that lobbies the Legislature on behalf of students, the Florida Student Association, knew about the governor's tuition plan and said students are in a bind. They're concerned about tuition hikes, but they're also worried about the condition of the higher education system.
''The general sentiment is that tuition can go up. They understand it needs to go up,'' said Chris Krampert, FSA executive director. ``But, it's a Hail Mary giant leap forward, instead of taking a step forward.''
Higher education advocates who have been hearing about such plans on the sidelines say they approve of the move, especially imposing the tuition increases on state-funded Bright Futures scholarships as well.
''I applaud the governor for dealing with this, especially in a tight budget year,'' said Steve Uhlfedler, a former Florida State University board trustee.
Herald/Times Bureau reporters Alex Leary and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Miami Herald
Posted on Thu, Nov. 20, 2008
Gov. Crist proposes universities raise own tuitions
BY JENNIFER LIBERTO, STEVE BOUSQUET AND MARC CAPUTO
Bowing to the pleas of Florida's cash-starved state universities, Gov. Charlie Crist Thursday announced a plan that would give all 11 schools the power to raise tuition by as much as 15 percent yearly.
The proposal could raise about $1.5 billion over the next seven years for the universities. It also could affect a lawsuit over whether the Board of Governors or the state Legislature sets tuition rates.
The Legislature needs to sign off on Crist's package. Its leaders issued statements of support but said they needed to see more details. Crist, who had once opposed raising tuition rates in tough economic times, explained he simply ``changed my mind.''
''Things evolve,'' Crist said. ``You produce good jobs by having great education.''
Crist also stressed that, even if tuition rates increase by 15 percent annually, ``we'll still have the cheapest tuition in the country.''
To cushion the blow of higher tuition, Crist wants to boost financial aid to the state's poorest students because 30 percent of the new money raised would be used to lower tuition and fees for low-income students. Crist projects $200 million in new financial aid will be available by 2015.
The aid package, though, wouldn't help cover tuition increases for students who receive the state's Bright Futures scholarship program, one of Florida's biggest middle-class entitlements.
Asked how he could explain the need for higher tuition to struggling middle-class families, Crist said he would tell them students will now ``have a great opportunity to get an even better education.''
The state's five largest research universities -- including the University of South Florida in Tampa and Florida International University in Miami -- were given the authority this year to raise tuition by 15 percent annually.
Crist's proposal was developed quietly in conversations between his education advisor Dean Colson, the Board of Governors that oversees the state university system, university presidents and the Council of 100, an influential group of business leaders.
Crist likely wouldn't have announced the legislative package without some indication of support from state legislative leaders. Both House Speaker Ray Sansom and Senate President Jeff Atwater were noncommittal Wednesday and said they looked forward to seeing the details.
''We thank Gov. Crist for his proposal, and we look forward to working with him to accomplish our common goal of creating a great higher education system for the people of Florida,'' Sansom, a Destin Republican, said in a brief written statement Thursday.
Atwater also applauded Crist ``for his leadership.''
By contrast, Senate Democratic Leader Al Lawson of Tallahassee blasted Crist for the proposal and urged the governor to rethink his decision.
''This move puts higher education even further out of reach,'' Lawson said. ``Florida ranks among the highest for foreclosures, job loss and bankruptcies. Dumping tuition hikes into the laps of students and their families is the wrong move at the wrong time. It's the latest in a long line of bad moves shifting the state's funding obligations down to the people, and the people are suffering enough.''
FIU President Modesto ''Mitch'' Maidique said that because his university got a head start this year and was allowed to raise tuition, the change will have little immediate effect. The long-term advantage of the plan, he said, is that it will allow more students to attend universities. Cash-strapped institutions have had to turn students away and the small tuition increases -- coupled with the increases in financial aid -- will help the entire state, he said.
Florida Atlantic University President Frank Brogan said the proposal was ''long overdue'' and welcomes the opportunity for the university's board to determine what to do. He said FAU is unlikely to take advantage of the full 15 percent tuition hike because of the number of ''economically fragile'' students on its rolls. He said 47 percent of the FAU student body is made up of minorities and most of them receive some form of financial assistance.
''If given this ability, the Board of Trustees will very carefully weigh what the tipping point will be economically for our students,'' Brogan said.
Sen. Charlie Justice, D-St. Petersburg, works at the University of South Florida and acknowledges the need for more funding for universities. ''We're making it harder for Florida families to afford colleges,'' he said. ``Everyone knows when the economy turns south more and more people head to colleges. This is something we really need to talk about before we pass.''
The Legislature and the newly approved Board of Governors have been at a standstill over who controls tuition due to a lawsuit filed by former Gov. and U.S. Sen. Bob Graham. Graham says a 2002 voter-approved constitutional amendment removed the Legislature from major university decisions by setting up the Board of Governors. State legislators say the amendment wasn't intended to give the board such autonomy.
Graham said he has ''concerns'' about Crist's proposal because it rests on the Legislature, which has a poor track record of funding education. He said there needs to be a guarantee that the Legislature won't just cut higher-ed money while raising tuition rates.
''I'm just concerned that the increase isn't part of a larger strategy to reverse this decline we've seen in the last 20 years in higher education,'' Graham said, ``and it could become almost a narcotic to cover up the real problems by shifting more of the total cost of education to students while the state does not keep up its end of the bargain.''
Crist's plan calls for the Board of Governors to delegate the power to each university board of trustees to figure out how much of the tuition hike they plan to charge, the draft memo said. They could raise tuition 15 percent a year, as long as the increase doesn't exceed 40 percent in three years.
Bright Futures could be another sticking point in Crist's plan. The wildly popular program for students with good grades isn't based on financial need -- and it's growing faster than the state's ability to pay for it. Bright Futures is supported with state money from the lottery that has seen a drop-off in ticket sales as Florida residents have less discretionary money.
The proposed tuition changes would shift the burden of paying for the state's higher education system away from general taxpayers and more toward students. Not only would Bright Futures recipients pay more, but so would those who bought prepaid tuition plans after July 1, 2007.
Tuition at Florida's 11 universities ranges from about $3,400 to about $4,000 a year for in-state students.
Universities are facing unprecedented financial pressures. With tuition rates capped and costs rising, schools have been slashing undergraduate enrollment, cutting academic programs and wiping out degree programs. They've also begun laying off faculty and staff statewide.
Facing another year without salary increases, many top professors are being lured out-of-state.
''Tuition for a full year of college education in Florida is cheaper than sending a 4-year-old to day care for a few hours a day -- it's just too cheap,'' said University of North Florida President John A. Delaney.
Delaney and other university presidents who attended Crist's news conference praised the governor for his ''bold'' leadership.
The group that lobbies the Legislature on behalf of students, the Florida Student Association, knew about the governor's tuition plan and said students are in a bind. They're concerned about tuition hikes, but they're also worried about the condition of the higher education system.
''The general sentiment is that tuition can go up. They understand it needs to go up,'' said Chris Krampert, FSA executive director. ``But, it's a Hail Mary giant leap forward, instead of taking a step forward.''
Higher education advocates who have been hearing about such plans on the sidelines say they approve of the move, especially imposing the tuition increases on state-funded Bright Futures scholarships as well.
''I applaud the governor for dealing with this, especially in a tight budget year,'' said Steve Uhlfedler, a former Florida State University board trustee.
Herald/Times Bureau reporters Alex Leary and Mary Ellen Klas contributed to this report.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Hispanic Workers Hardest Hit by Economy (from the Providence Journal)
Much of the dropout research demonstrates that students who leave school before graduation tend to do so because they have to help support their families. We should expect a rise in dropout rates given the challenges with the economy. -Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Hispanic workers hardest hit by economy
Hispanic Workers Seen As Hard Hit By Downturn
Providence Journal By Andy Smith November 16, 2008
Hispanic family income fell between 2000 and 2007 and the recession is expected to further erode their purchasing power.
A report recently issued by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on low- and middle-income workers, found that Hispanic workers across the country experienced little economic progress between 2000 and 2007. According to the authors of the report, that spells disheartening news for Hispanic workers in the current economic crisis.
"I expect that Hispanics will be hurt very badly," said Algernon Austin, director of the program on race, ethnicity and the economy for the institute, and co-author of the report.
Austin and co-author Marie T. Mora found that median Hispanic family income fell by 2.2 percent between 2000 and 2007, compared with a 9.5 percent growth rate among Hispanic families in the 1990s.
Median weekly earnings for Hispanic workers grew by 4.7 percent from 2000 to 2007, from $480 a week to $503 a week. Median income for all U.S. workers experienced very little growth in the same period, but at $695 per week it was significantly higher than that of Hispanic families.
"In sum, the Hispanic population began the 2000s business cycle significantly worse off economically than the nation as a whole, and they are ending the cycle in virtually the same place," the report concluded. "Unfortunately, as we face what looks like a severe economic downturn, Hispanics run the risk of falling further behind."
Ramon Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Progreso Latino in Rhode Island, said he's in general agreement with the report. "Rhode Island is a microcosm of the country ... I think the recessionary impact on Hispanics will be severe." Martinez said Progreso Latino's mission is to empower the Hispanic community through education, training and advocacy.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, national unemployment rates for Hispanics jumped from 7.8 percent in September to 8.8 percent last month. The national unemployment rate for all workers is 6.5 percent. The unemployment rate in Rhode Island for all workers is 8.8 percent, the highest in the country. (The state Department of Labor and Training does not categorize monthly unemployment rates by ethnicity.)
A key factor in rising unemployment among Hispanic workers has been the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent implosion of the construction industry. According to federal statistics, since its peak in September 2006, the construction industry has lost 663,000 jobs.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Hispanic workers hardest hit by economy
Hispanic Workers Seen As Hard Hit By Downturn
Providence Journal By Andy Smith November 16, 2008
Hispanic family income fell between 2000 and 2007 and the recession is expected to further erode their purchasing power.
A report recently issued by the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on low- and middle-income workers, found that Hispanic workers across the country experienced little economic progress between 2000 and 2007. According to the authors of the report, that spells disheartening news for Hispanic workers in the current economic crisis.
"I expect that Hispanics will be hurt very badly," said Algernon Austin, director of the program on race, ethnicity and the economy for the institute, and co-author of the report.
Austin and co-author Marie T. Mora found that median Hispanic family income fell by 2.2 percent between 2000 and 2007, compared with a 9.5 percent growth rate among Hispanic families in the 1990s.
Median weekly earnings for Hispanic workers grew by 4.7 percent from 2000 to 2007, from $480 a week to $503 a week. Median income for all U.S. workers experienced very little growth in the same period, but at $695 per week it was significantly higher than that of Hispanic families.
"In sum, the Hispanic population began the 2000s business cycle significantly worse off economically than the nation as a whole, and they are ending the cycle in virtually the same place," the report concluded. "Unfortunately, as we face what looks like a severe economic downturn, Hispanics run the risk of falling further behind."
Ramon Martinez, president and chief executive officer of Progreso Latino in Rhode Island, said he's in general agreement with the report. "Rhode Island is a microcosm of the country ... I think the recessionary impact on Hispanics will be severe." Martinez said Progreso Latino's mission is to empower the Hispanic community through education, training and advocacy.
According to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, national unemployment rates for Hispanics jumped from 7.8 percent in September to 8.8 percent last month. The national unemployment rate for all workers is 6.5 percent. The unemployment rate in Rhode Island for all workers is 8.8 percent, the highest in the country. (The state Department of Labor and Training does not categorize monthly unemployment rates by ethnicity.)
A key factor in rising unemployment among Hispanic workers has been the collapse of the U.S. housing market and the subsequent implosion of the construction industry. According to federal statistics, since its peak in September 2006, the construction industry has lost 663,000 jobs.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
UC Berkeley Students Call on Obama to Enact the Dream Act (From the Berkeley Daily Planet)
A direct challenge to the next President and Congress. --Dr. Louie F. Rodriguez
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News Updates:
UC Berkeley Students Call On Obama to Enact the Dream Act
by Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 14, 2008
UC Berkeley students joined the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) Thursday to launch a national campaign urging President-elect Barack Obama to enact the federal Dream Act, which would legalize federal financial aid and open a path of citizenship for undocumented immigrant college students across the nation, who are otherwise entrapped in complicated paperwork.
Held at the MLK Student Union on campus, the event—which was organized by BAMN and co-sponsored by Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education, the Latino Business Students Association, the gender and women’s studies and Spanish and Portuguese studies departments at the university and the Chancellor’s Student Opportunity Fund—started with a group of undocumented students from around the Bay Area testifying about their struggles in the absence of federal financial aid.
Calls to Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s office for comment were not returned by press time, but a campus spokesperson confirmed that the chancellor supports the Dream Act. Birgeneau wrote an op-ed piece in support of the act for the UC Berkeley student newspaper The Daily Californian, Nov. 5.
In California, undocumented students have the right to attend a public university but are not allowed to apply for financial aid, something Thursday’s participants said they would aggressively push for once the new president is sworn in.
BAMN activists also called upon UC Berkeley to become a sanctuary campus and welcome African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other minority and immigrant communities.
“We want to make the era of change and hope real,” said BAMN organizer Yuvette Felarca, who also teaches at Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley. “When we see the nation elect the first black president and yet we see that the percentage of blacks and Latinos on campuses like UC Berkeley and UCLA is so low, we need to make a change.”
Shanta Driver, national chairperson for BAMN, asked students to seize this important moment in history to start a new kind of civil rights movement which would oppose racism and bring equal opportunities to all.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen a real change in America and it has presented us with an opportunity to leave our mark on our nation,” she said to applause from the audience. “If it’s possible for America, with such a strong and deep history of racism to do this, then anything is possible. We need to resolve deep social problems and engage in a real debate and discussion on racism. “
She said that Obama should enact the Dream Act within his first 100 days in office.
“If the people who worked for Obama’s victory decide after inauguration day that their work is over it won’t happen,” Driver said. “We have to continue to be leaders of the movement that put him in power.”
Driver added that if the Dream Act failed under Obama, then generations of young people would ask, “If a black president couldn’t do it, then who can?”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1301, which incorporates the California Dream Act, on Sept. 30, citing a staggering state economy. Thousands of students who had mobilized in support of the bill were disappointed by his decision.
“The governor said that although he shared the author’s goal of making affordable education available to all California students, given the precarious fiscal condition the state is facing right now, it would not be prudent to place additional demands on our limited financial aid resources as specified in this bill,” said Francisco Castillo, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger.
Castillo added that the governor supported a local bill which allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.
Gabriella, a UC Berkeley undocumented student from El Salvador who has been in U.S. since October 2005, said that even with in-state tuition, it is difficult to make ends meet
“The reason my dad brought me here is because he wanted me to have a better life,” she said. “But my transition to UC Berkeley has been very different than that of the other students. My dad earns less than $10,000 a year. I couldn’t get enough scholarship to live on campus so I am living with my best friend’s sister in Davis. I have to commute three to four hours every day. “
Gabriella—who wants to go to law school—said that when she started out as a sophomore at her high school in California, she didn’t speak English and never imagined going to community college, let alone UC Berkeley.
“Right now I can’t get a job because I don’t have a Social Security number and residence,” she said. “Sometimes I have to skip meals in order to pay for the shuttle. I had to sacrifice many things to be at UC Berkeley. Usually people have gym, clubs or homework sessions after class, but I can’t go to any of those. My future is pretty uncertain and if the situation doesn’t change I might have to drop out. I have hope that the Dream Act might get passed one day.”
Zaira, another undocumented student at the university, echoed her thoughts.
“It’s hard to describe the life of an undocumented student on campus,” she said. “We act the same as the other students but our efforts are not reciprocated by the education system. All undocumented students are equal and deserve the same rights. There’s no reason why we should get the leftovers of education. I want to ask those opposing the Dream Act to give me one reason why it shouldn’t be made a reality.”
---------------------------------------------------------------------
News Updates:
UC Berkeley Students Call On Obama to Enact the Dream Act
by Riya Bhattacharjee
Friday November 14, 2008
UC Berkeley students joined the Coalition to Defend Affirmative Action, Integration & Immigrant Rights, and Fight for Equality By Any Means Necessary (BAMN) Thursday to launch a national campaign urging President-elect Barack Obama to enact the federal Dream Act, which would legalize federal financial aid and open a path of citizenship for undocumented immigrant college students across the nation, who are otherwise entrapped in complicated paperwork.
Held at the MLK Student Union on campus, the event—which was organized by BAMN and co-sponsored by Rising Immigrant Scholars through Education, the Latino Business Students Association, the gender and women’s studies and Spanish and Portuguese studies departments at the university and the Chancellor’s Student Opportunity Fund—started with a group of undocumented students from around the Bay Area testifying about their struggles in the absence of federal financial aid.
Calls to Chancellor Robert Birgeneau’s office for comment were not returned by press time, but a campus spokesperson confirmed that the chancellor supports the Dream Act. Birgeneau wrote an op-ed piece in support of the act for the UC Berkeley student newspaper The Daily Californian, Nov. 5.
In California, undocumented students have the right to attend a public university but are not allowed to apply for financial aid, something Thursday’s participants said they would aggressively push for once the new president is sworn in.
BAMN activists also called upon UC Berkeley to become a sanctuary campus and welcome African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other minority and immigrant communities.
“We want to make the era of change and hope real,” said BAMN organizer Yuvette Felarca, who also teaches at Malcolm X Elementary School in Berkeley. “When we see the nation elect the first black president and yet we see that the percentage of blacks and Latinos on campuses like UC Berkeley and UCLA is so low, we need to make a change.”
Shanta Driver, national chairperson for BAMN, asked students to seize this important moment in history to start a new kind of civil rights movement which would oppose racism and bring equal opportunities to all.
“Over the last few weeks we have seen a real change in America and it has presented us with an opportunity to leave our mark on our nation,” she said to applause from the audience. “If it’s possible for America, with such a strong and deep history of racism to do this, then anything is possible. We need to resolve deep social problems and engage in a real debate and discussion on racism. “
She said that Obama should enact the Dream Act within his first 100 days in office.
“If the people who worked for Obama’s victory decide after inauguration day that their work is over it won’t happen,” Driver said. “We have to continue to be leaders of the movement that put him in power.”
Driver added that if the Dream Act failed under Obama, then generations of young people would ask, “If a black president couldn’t do it, then who can?”
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1301, which incorporates the California Dream Act, on Sept. 30, citing a staggering state economy. Thousands of students who had mobilized in support of the bill were disappointed by his decision.
“The governor said that although he shared the author’s goal of making affordable education available to all California students, given the precarious fiscal condition the state is facing right now, it would not be prudent to place additional demands on our limited financial aid resources as specified in this bill,” said Francisco Castillo, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger.
Castillo added that the governor supported a local bill which allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition.
Gabriella, a UC Berkeley undocumented student from El Salvador who has been in U.S. since October 2005, said that even with in-state tuition, it is difficult to make ends meet
“The reason my dad brought me here is because he wanted me to have a better life,” she said. “But my transition to UC Berkeley has been very different than that of the other students. My dad earns less than $10,000 a year. I couldn’t get enough scholarship to live on campus so I am living with my best friend’s sister in Davis. I have to commute three to four hours every day. “
Gabriella—who wants to go to law school—said that when she started out as a sophomore at her high school in California, she didn’t speak English and never imagined going to community college, let alone UC Berkeley.
“Right now I can’t get a job because I don’t have a Social Security number and residence,” she said. “Sometimes I have to skip meals in order to pay for the shuttle. I had to sacrifice many things to be at UC Berkeley. Usually people have gym, clubs or homework sessions after class, but I can’t go to any of those. My future is pretty uncertain and if the situation doesn’t change I might have to drop out. I have hope that the Dream Act might get passed one day.”
Zaira, another undocumented student at the university, echoed her thoughts.
“It’s hard to describe the life of an undocumented student on campus,” she said. “We act the same as the other students but our efforts are not reciprocated by the education system. All undocumented students are equal and deserve the same rights. There’s no reason why we should get the leftovers of education. I want to ask those opposing the Dream Act to give me one reason why it shouldn’t be made a reality.”
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