Latest news with #SATs
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
How To Help Your Teen Apply To College
Applying for college is hard. There's navigating financial aid, the common app, preparing for the SATs, alumni interviews, and plenty more hoops to jump through. It's no wonder wealthy parents are willing to shell out thousands to help their kids get into the top schools. Unfortunately, most Americans don't have the resources to hire private tutors and consultants. And the high school counselors in charge of helping them are completely overtaxed: On average, for every counselor at a public high school, there are a whopping 376 students. To level the playing field, Jon Carson started the College Guidance Network (CGN). The company partners with higher education pros and leverages AI to help students and parents every step of the way and help them make the best decision — whether that leads to a university, a trade school, or a gap year. 'Our mission is to democratize expertise,' he tells us. We spoke to Carson about what parents can do to support their kids through this important stage of life, why fewer teens are opting to head straight to a four-year university, and more. Carson: I ran the largest college advising company in the country, so I'm familiar with the space. About 6 percent of the U.S. market uses advisors, and they're quite expensive, but aren't often good. What we've built is guidance in a box: I think of it as Masterclass meets AI for college planning. We create a personalized roadmap: You tell us a little about yourself and your goals and interests, and we assemble checklists and detailed project plans tailored specifically to your needs. We also have over 375 nationally recognized experts to help parents navigate the ins and outs of the application process, how to afford paying for college, and thinking about ROI — which is becoming ever more important as AI starts to eat into entry-level jobs. The ROI equation used to be highly skewed toward the investment piece. People were concerned about how much it'd cost and the loans they'd have to take out, but it was kind of a risk-free decision; all escalators went up. Now that's not really the case. It's become a much riskier decision. The percentage of high schoolers considering a four-year college is 45 percent — down 7 percent since the Covid era. A lot are going to community colleges, a bunch are doing gap years, the military's becoming more appealing. The first thing — and it's completely understandable — is that parents get too anxious. They can be overbearing or just not quite their best selves. So, the first thing I'd say is that you have to calm down because it'll help you make the best decision. The second thing is that they need to be more inquisitive about how an institution will help their kid in career placement. I think too often parents place too much importance on prestige. You've got to pull away and think about this like a financial decision — and don't get caught up in the other things. The earlier you get started, the better. We start our roadmaps in the ninth grade, and help kids start thinking about their summer jobs, how it'll reflect on their applications and things like that. I'd also tell parents that they should have monthly meetings to have a space to talk about this. We did ours on the first Saturday of every month at 11 a.m. What that did was deescalate conflict, because it made them feel like I wasn't nagging them all the time, and we had a designated space for those conversations. The other thing is that parents and students should really think of themselves as a team. This is a journey that they're taking together. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. The post How To Help Your Teen Apply To College appeared first on Katie Couric Media.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
School ends the term on a high note with first class results
A school is finishing the academic year on a high note after children achieved excellent results in their SATs. Schools across Bolton have now received the results of the Key Stage Two tests sat by Year Six pupils. And Bowness Primary School in Little Lever is thrilled with their top results. Headteacher Sophie Wright said: "We are absolutely delighted to announce that our Year Six pupils at Bowness Primary School have achieved exceptional results in this year's SATs. "As headteacher, I am beyond proud of our children, staff, and families who have worked so hard to reach this incredible milestone. READ MORE: Bowness Primary School in Little Lever visited by Ofsted "This year, our pupils achieved a phenomenal 100 per cent pass rate in reading, mathematics, and spelling, punctuation and grammar (SPaG)—a truly outstanding accomplishment that reflects the dedication, resilience, and ambition of our school community. "Even more impressively, our overall combined score, including writing, stands at 86 per cent, significantly above the national average. "These results are more than just statistics—they represent the determination, growth, and teamwork of every single child. They show what can be achieved when high expectations are matched with excellent teaching and a supportive environment. "I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our incredible teaching team, who go above and beyond every day to inspire and support our pupils. "To our families—thank you for your unwavering encouragement and partnership. And to our Year Six pupils: you have shown what it means to aim high and believe in yourselves. "We are so proud of you. "This success is a testament to what we can achieve together, and it sets a strong foundation for our pupils as they move on to secondary school. The future is bright, and we can't wait to see what they accomplish next." Ofsted describes Bowness Primary School as a warm and welcoming school. Pupils say that they value being a member of the 'Bowness family'.
Business Insider
4 days ago
- Lifestyle
- Business Insider
I'm letting my kids sleep in, look at screens, and do absolutely nothing all summer. I want them to enjoy lazy days while they can.
Growing up in South Florida, summer breaks were a blur of pool days, sleepovers, mall trips, and a lot of sleeping in. My days fell into an easy rhythm: I'd roll out of bed around noon, toss on a swimsuit, grab a Diet Pepsi and a granola bar, then flop into a lounge chair by the pool. Afternoons were spent reading and swimming laps, and in the evening, I could be found on the phone or hanging out with friends until curfew. I got my first part-time job the year I turned 16, and my schedule shifted around work hours. But I still slept in whenever I could and spent a ridiculous amount of time on the phone when I wasn't working or practicing my driving. I remember those summers as relaxed, carefree, and fun — three months of doing whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted. My parents rolled their eyes when I was still in bed at lunchtime, but it was the 1980s — helicopter parenting wasn't a thing. As long as I did my chores, I was golden. And so were my summers. My kids are having a 1980s summer We're four weeks into summer break, and I'm happy to report my kids have settled into their own version of a 1980s summer. Some people call it " kid rot" — lounging around on screens, staying up until midnight, and generally doing a whole lot of nothing. But as an older mom, it feels just about perfect to me. My kids aren't attending camps or academic programs, and I have (almost) no guilt about letting them sleep in as late as they want. In fact, I want them to enjoy these long, lazy days with no agenda. Soon enough, they'll be headed back to school, to SATs and geometry class, to clubs, part-time jobs, and volunteer hours. After that, they'll be off to college, jobs, and a busy life that leaves no room for weeks and weeks of downtime. I know this time can't last forever Knowing these lazy days of summer can't last is one reason they're so special. As we get closer to the start of school, I'll start nudging my sons to go to bed earlier and crack open the summer reading they've ignored since May. I'll begin tugging gently on the loose boundaries that this season has allowed. They'll push back — of course they will — and there will be late nights come September when they think they can stay up past midnight and still function at 7 a.m. My kids will learn, like I did, that summer's easy, breezy flow doesn't carry over into the structure of a jam-packed school year. They'll wistfully say, "I miss summer," and I will silently agree as I send them off to school — backpacks full of books, folders, goals, dreams, and the first hints of their future just coming into view. I'm trying to enjoy summer, too My kids' summers have always looked like this — relaxed days and mostly empty schedules, aside from the occasional beach or lake trip. I've spent years feeling vaguely guilty that I haven't packed their break with classes and camps and educational field trips. But then I remind myself that we live in a culture that glorifies being busy, where self-worth is often tied to paychecks and accomplishments. Even being truly at rest takes effort — rearranging personal and professional schedules and front-loading or back-loading work just to steal a few days of true downtime. I think back to my younger self — happily sleeping in, reading for hours, or lounging by the pool with no goal beyond a Coppertone tan — and I wonder what changed. When did a four-day weekend start to feel decadent and undeserved? When did I start calling it a "vacation week" if I only put in 20 hours of freelance work and checked off a couple of big chores? I'm trying to relearn how to relax while letting my kids do what still comes naturally to them. I'm less focused on preparing them for the "real world" than I am on giving them memories of a carefree summer spent resetting and refueling. This isn't "rot" to me — it's the kind of downtime that gives them space to think, dream, and even get bored. They need it — and I'm reminding myself, so do I.
BBC News
6 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Braunstone head teacher who 'transformed' school steps down
A head teacher who "lives and breathes" a primary school in Braunstone has stepped down after the school achieved its "best ever" SATs said Halil Tamgumus, also known as Mr T, had transformed Braunstone Community Primary School in Leicestershire after taking on the role in head teacher Rebecca Mukiza said Mr Tamgumus had introduced many initiatives including new school values, along with a new pastoral and behavioural team, and also regular Friday afternoon dance sessions with the T said standing up in assembly to announce he was the new head teacher was the "best feeling ever" but that leaving was "bittersweet". He said he was "incredibly proud" to see the school achieve its "best ever" SATs results in his final year at the school. "We work hard to make sure that we develop the whole child at Braunstone, but this has been the culmination of six and a half years of hard work and it's all come together," he school, which is rated Good by Ofsted, surpassed the national average for the first time ever with 82% of pupils achieving an expected grade or above in maths, 80% in reading and 79% in writing. Ms Mukiza said: "The results are amazing and that is his (Mr T's) cohort."You can see the improvements and positivity he has brought to the school in those results."She said Mr T was a huge character who "you would often hear before you see him as he was always singing"."He also started our Friday dance sessions in Covid, which have carried on," she added. "You would often see him dance on the tables. "Mr T's style is inspirational but also fun with clear boundaries for the pupils - he gave every child a voice." 'Transformed' school Lauren Charlton, chair of the advisory board at Braunstone Community Primary School, said the position the school is now in is in "stark contrast" to where it was when Mr T joined."We were not a school of choice, parent-teacher relationships in the community had completely broken down and he's basically made it his life mission to change that," she Charlton added Mr T had created a "really inclusive environment" and "absolutely transformed" the school."He really is about making sure that where you're from really doesn't define your future - you can overcome anything," she Charlton described Mr T as "hardworking and determined" and added working with him can be "crazy" at added: "You're sitting there in a meeting and before you know it there's a boom box going down the corridor and he's up dancing."
Engadget
7 days ago
- Business
- Engadget
Elon Must spent almost an hour talking about Grok without mentioning its Nazi problem
xAI has officially lunched Grok 4 during a livestream with Elon Musk, who called it the "smartest AI in the world." He said that if you make the Grok 4 take the SATs and the GREs, it would get near perfect results every time and can answer questions it's never seen before. "Grok 4 is smarter than almost all graduate students in all disciplines simultaneously" and can reason at superhuman levels, he claimed. Musk and the xAI team showed benchmarks they used for Grok 4, including something called "Humanity's Last Exam" that contained 2,500 problems curated by subject matter experts in mathematics, engineering, physics, chemistry, biology, humanities and other topics. When it was first released earlier this year, most models could only reportedly get single digit accuracy. Grok 4, which is the single agent version of the model, was able to solve around 40 percent of the benchmark's problems. Grok 4 Heavy, the multi-agent version, was able to solve over 50 percent. xAI is now selling a $300-per-month SuperGrok subscription plan with access to Grok 4 Heavy and new features, as well as higher limits for Grok 4. The new model is better than PhD level in every subject, Musk said. Sometimes it may lack common sense, he admitted, and it has not yet invented or discovered new tech and physics. But Musk believes it's just a matter of time. Grok is going to invent new tech maybe later this year, he said, and he would be shocked if it doesn't happen next year. At the moment, though, xAI is training the AI to be much better at image and video understanding and image generation, because it's still "partially blind." During the event, Musk talked about combining Grok with Tesla's Optimus robot so that it can interact with the real world. The most important safety thing for AI is for it to be truth-seeking, Musk also said. He likened AI to a "super genius child" who will eventually outsmart you, but which you can shape to be truthful and honorable if you instill it with the right values. What Musk didn't talk about, however, is Grok's recent turn towards antisemitism. In some recent responses to users on X, Grok spewed out antisemitic tropes, praised Hitler and posted what seems to be the text version of the "roman salute." Musk did respond to a post on X about the issue blaming the problem on rogue users. "Grok was too compliant to user prompts," he wrote. "Too eager to please and be manipulated, essentially. That is being addressed."
