Latest news with #EducationReformNow
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
Stanford preserves legacy admissions by pulling out of Cal Grant aid program
With three weeks to go before California's ban on legacy admissions takes effect at private universities that receive state funding, Stanford has made a stunning decision: To preserve that perk, it's pulling out of the Cal Grant program that benefits hundreds of low-income students at the pricey campus. By declining Cal Grants, Stanford can continue giving admissions preference to hundreds of students who are related to alumni or whose relatives have given money to the university. The statewide ban on such legacy and donor-driven admissions takes effect Sept. 1 under Assembly Bill 1780, which was signed into law last year. Stanford officials say they will cover the canceled aid with university money, and that it will cost just $4 million a year. 'The university will continue to study the consideration of legacy status in admissions and opt out of state financial aid funding in order to comply with recent California legislation,' university officials said in a statement posted on their website over the summer. The statement noted that such admits need to be academically qualified to be considered. 'I was genuinely shocked to see Stanford make this decision. I was surprised that Stanford decided that they would rather put the thumb on the scale for the richest students than take Cal Grant money,' said James Murphy, director of postsecondary policy at Education Reform Now, a think tank that opposes legacy admissions. Stanford is one of six California private schools that last year reported giving preferential admissions to the children of alumni or wealthy donors. Stanford said it admitted 295 students this way in fall 2023, or 13.6% of all undergraduates admitted that year. The other private schools that relied on the practice were Santa Clara University, the University of Southern California, Northeastern University Oakland (formerly Mills College), Claremont McKenna College and Harvey Mudd College. None has said it was pulling out of the Cal Grant program. A wave of opposition to legacy and donor admissions emerged after the 2019 nationwide admissions bribery scandal known as Varsity Blues, in which it was revealed that wealthy parents, including celebrities, had cheated to get their children into Stanford, the University of Southern California, UCLA, UC Berkeley and other prestigious schools across the country. Opposition to legacy admissions strengthened in 2023, after the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed affirmative action in higher education. That ruling made it illegal for universities across the country to consider the race of applicants in admissions decisions. Then-Assemblymember Phil Ting, D-S.F., who last year authored California's ban on legacy admissions, called the practice 'affirmative action for the wealthiest Americans.' Another critic, Stanford alumnus Ryan Cieslikowski, who has pushed for similar bans across the country, said Tuesday that 'by clinging to legacy preferences,' the university is sending the message that 'the children of wealthy alumni and donors come first.' Stanford says that no one who would have received state aid will be able to tell the difference, and they need to take no action. 'Stanford will substitute university scholarship funding for California student financial assistance programs, including the Cal Grant program,' the university told the Chronicle in an email Tuesday. Stanford already pays $486 million a year to fully cover the $67,731 tuition plus room and board for students from families with annual income of less than $100,000. Pulling out of the state aid program will cost the university about $4 million a year to make up the difference, campus officials said Tuesday, noting that about 440 Stanford undergraduates and 60 graduate students received Cal Grants or Golden State Teacher Grants last year. This year's maximum Cal Grant for private school attendance is $9,708. Yet the decision to spend more to preserve legacy and donor admissions comes as Stanford is preparing to permanently lay off or eliminate 363 staff jobs in October to reduce its budget by an unspecified amount in the face or rising costs driven in part by federal policy changes. This includes a new 8% tax on its endowment — up from 1.4% — that is expected to cost Stanford $200 million this year.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
NJ governor election polls: What early surveys say about Sherrill-Ciattarelli
Early polling suggests that the general election for New Jersey governor has kicked off with Democrat Mikie Sherrill holding a slight — or possibly a not-so-slight — lead over Republican Jack Ciattarelli. Two privately contracted voter surveys, both now made public, came to different results. Sherrill, a congresswoman, and Ciattarelli, the 2021 GOP gubernatorial candidate, both faced multiple opponents before winning their respective primaries June 10. One of the recent polls was carried out with 785 adults from May 28-30 by Survey USA. This poll was commissioned by members of a Democratic-leaning organization called Education Reform Now Advocacy. More: NJ governor election: Sherrill, Ciattarelli share their visions on South Jersey issues This poll had Sherrill with a 51% to 38% lead over Ciattarelli, with 12% of the sample group undecided. Respondents who expected to vote in the election numbered at 576 people. Approximately 65% told Survey USA that they believe young people will be a little worse off or a lot worse off financially than previous generations. Other questions were on what two issues elected officials should focus on to improve the future of young people: 64% answered reducing inflation and the cost of everyday expenses such as groceries. 32% chose reducing health care costs. 31% chose improving public schools. 25% chose making college more affordable. 21% chose stopping job outsourcing and automation of 'good paying" jobs. More: New Jersey farmers want to see these concerns tackled by a new governor The second poll was carried out with 600 adults June 11-12 by National Research Inc., which was hired by members of the Ciattarelli campaign. This poll, which was limited to likely November voters, found Sherrill ahead 45% to 42%. In an email to supporters, the Sherrill campaign noted that this lead falls within the poll's estimated margin of error of plus or minus 4% and can be seen as a statistical tie. As with the Survey USA poll, 12% of respondents said they were undecided. The National Research poll listed what it tagged as 'instructive signals' in the results while concluding that 'change' is a dominant theme: Ciattarelli led by 8 points among unaffiliated likely voters. Ciattarelli and Sherrill were in a tie for support from respondents who described themselves as working class or middle class. Sherrill led among upper middle-class and upper-class voters. Sherrill had a 1-point advantage among those respondents who had voted in the 2021 gubernatorial race. Ciattarelli led 72% to 14% among those who think the state is moving in the wrong direction, and by even a wider margin among those who agreed they wanted to 'shake up' state government. A question about Sherrill's personal wealth and its growth since her election to the U.S. House of Representatives reportedly drew 'incredibly' negative responses. Other Democratic primary candidates had erred in not emphasizing that topic, the company concluded. Joe Smith is a N.E. Philly native transplanted to South Jersey 36 years ago, keeping an eye now on government in South Jersey. He is a former editor and current senior staff writer for The Daily Journal in Vineland, Courier-Post in Cherry Hill, and the Burlington County Times. Have a tip?. Support local journalism with a subscription. This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Polls give Sherrill lead over Ciattarelli, but margins not the same
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Opinion: Five Ways High-Performing Schools Use Data to Help Students Succeed
Across the country, most teachers do not have the resources or the training to make informed decisions driven by data. In a 2020 poll from the Data Quality Campaign, only 31% of educators strongly agreed that they had access to the student data they needed, and 46% said they did not receive training or resources about how to assess student learning and progress. And yet, systematic and regular use of data is at the heart of successful schools. In a recent series from Education Reform Now, we surveyed 53 principals, assistant principals and superintendents across Colorado, Massachusetts, Texas and Georgia to understand the strategies central to the success of their high-performing, high-poverty spotlight schools. Despite a wide range of geographies and school models, all of them agreed: Data is key. Get stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for The 74 Newsletter While DQC's polling indicates that most teachers struggle to access and mobilize the data they need, 100% of the leaders from the 'spotlight schools' we surveyed agreed that data and assessments are very important for professional development. This highlights how these schools have invested in building data literacy so that all their educators understand what the data means and how to use it to help students succeed. During follow-up interviews, 'data' was the most frequently mentioned word, with administrators describing extensive use of both academic and non-academic data to shape a wide range of decision-making. But what does effective data use actually look like in practice? Here are five ways schools are leveraging data: Quick quizzes and assignments can be used to briefly assess students at the end of lessons to gauge their understanding of the material covered. This serves as live data to help teachers adjust instruction in real-time. At IDEA Carver Academy in San Antonio, Texas, administrators design end-of-lesson quizzes — exit tickets — to monitor content mastery consistently across classes. Teachers discuss the data with one another during daily 'exit ticket huddles' to determine appropriate instructional adjustments. Implementing tests to evaluate student learning throughout the year allows educators to identify which children need extra help, inform how they are grouped, shape instructional priorities during intervention blocks and monitor progress. Several spotlight schools in Massachusetts leverage data cycles to shape WIN ('What I Need') time — a type of small-group instruction. Nicole Mack, executive director of Conservatory Lab Charter School in Boston, uses 'June data to start the first round of interventions during the second week of school. …Then we do five intervention cycles across the course of the year, where our administrative team does the review of our data to identify the kids that should go into the different interventions,' such as tutoring or extended learning time. Related In Texas, administrators are guided by Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS), which serve as specific, detailed standards that are aligned with the state's standardized exams. At Ortiz Elementary in Brownsville, Principal Julie Peña says, 'We monitor data on a regular basis to help identify the TEKS that have not yet been mastered and plan targeted instruction. … If students are missing a TEKS, then we regroup the students and we make sure that we're giving them lessons that are geared toward learning those skills. So if a student is falling behind, they are asked to participate in tutorials, they are asked to come on Saturdays and they're given the reviews targeted to what it is that they're missing.' Both academic and non-academic data can be leveraged to pinpoint professional development sessions that address key shortcomings, evaluate the effectiveness of these sessions and identify educators who may benefit from further coaching or support. For example, at IDEA Carver Academy, administrators collect data through 'cultural and instructional observations' each week using the GET Rubric — a benchmarked tool designed to objectively evaluate what teachers are doing well and how they can improve, Principal Laura Flack says. These rubrics, alongside classroom climate, exit ticket and disciplinary data, are then 'reviewed, and professional development is created to address areas of need across the campus.' As schools navigate unprecedented levels of chronic absenteeism, it is vital to collect detailed data to properly identify, diagnose and monitor the issue. For example, Rocky Mountain Prep charter schools in Denver have teams that collect attendance data each morning and call the families of each student who is absent. Teachers are notified of the total absences for the day, how many students came to school after their parents were called and who teachers should follow up with. Data isn't just a tool for educators — it also empowers students to take an active role in their learning and helps parents better support their children's academic growth. At Eastside Elementary School in Grady County, Georgia, Principal Chiquila Wright reports that students have one-on-one 'data talks' with their teachers to discuss their interim test scores. Families are engaged through trainings that teach parents how to 'understand their child's assessment scores and how to support growth at home.' Data is not a new concept. However, it is one that is too often underutilized in education. Children cannot learn and schools cannot thrive based on subjective observations and good intentions alone. The data revolution is already here, and it's time students reaped the benefits. Click here to learn more about 'spotlight schools' and dive into our latest Georgia report
