College Prep Starts Early - A new initiative, Michigan GEAR UP, Gaining Early Awareness Readiness for Undergraduate Programs, will help educate 13,627 students in 38 districts and 77 schools throughout the state about paying for, getting into and staying in college. Over a six-year period, organizers hope students will learn enough about test preparation, financial aid and potential careers to boost the number of students from low-income neighborhoods who are prepared to succeed in post-secondary education.

College: 25 New Ivies - The nation's elite colleges these days include more than Harvard, Yale and Princeton. Why? It's the tough competition for all the top students. That means a range of schools are getting fresh bragging rights.
 

College and the Disabled Student - Students with disabilities, over all, are less than half as likely as their peers to have attended college in the two years after high school, but the college-going rate varies greatly by type of disability.

U.S. Department of Education Pamphlet: Students with Disabilities Preparing for Postsecondary Education: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities - This document provides information on the rights and responsibilities of students with disabilities who plan to attend a postsecondary institution. This pamphlet also explains the obligations of postsecondary schools to provide academic adjustments to ensure that they do not discriminate on the basis of disability. Copies can be ordered by calling (877) 4-EDPUBS or on-line ordering at http://www.edpubs.org/webstore/Content/search.asp.

More College Opportunities Available to Students with Disabilities - By anyone's measure, Bridget Brown has had a successful high school career. At Hinsdale South, she was on the speech team, snagged roles in two plays and never missed a dance. Now, like so many of her peers, she is focused on continuing her education. But unlike them, she was born with Down syndrome.

MN School Fitness Center Targets Tech-savvy Students - Minnesota State University officials have hit upon a creative way to get students to exercise: They've outfitted the exercise equipment on their Mankato campus with computers and internet access. Now, students can check their eMail, surf the web, watch TV, or even do their homework while they work out.

Landmark College Gets Grant to Help Disabled - Landmark College, which focuses on students with learning disabilities, has received a $1 million grant to develop a curriculum for those students that can be used at colleges around the country. The U.S. Department of Education grant will enable Landmark to join with five community colleges across the country, including the Community College of Vermont, to work on the three-year project.

Exam Results Question Readiness for College - Test scores from the nation's two college admissions tests, the ACT and SAT, show that high school students entering the Class of 2009 are not academically prepared for college. Three education experts discuss the results and the future of higher education.

College Launches Nation's First Degree Program for Students With a Developmental Disability - Bellevue Community College (BCC) in Washington State has launched the nation's first higher education degree program for developmentally disabled students. With an expanded curriculum of 52 separate courses, the college's Venture program now offers a 90-credit Associate in Essential Studies degree through which high-functioning individuals with learning, cognitive and intellectual disabilities can demonstrate mastery of an established body of knowledge and gain the skills for lifetime success. Potential students and their families wishing more information may visit the program's website at http://www.bcc.ctc.edu/venture.

Autism Spectrum Disorders and Choosing College Courses - Are you helping a student with an Autism Spectrum Disorder prepare for their freshman year of college?

TestMasters offers comprehensive 76-hour SAT courses taught by expert instructors who have scored in the 99th percentile on the actual SAT. Additional information, including class locations, schedules and course enrollment forms, is available at http://www.TestMasters.net/SAT.

ThinkCollege.net: Youth with intellectual disabilities have not had many chances to go to college. This is changing as individuals across the country begin to create opportunities for these youth to reap the benefits of postsecondary education. This website will provide information and links to anyone interested in finding out more about the possibilities. [New site under development to list available college programs for youth with disabilities transitioning to college. At this point, while colleges are listed, explanations of the programs offered are brief or non-existent so you will have to do some research on your own.]

Juvenile Law Center Leads Amicus Effort for Foster Youth in College - The Juvenile Law Center has taken the lead in advocating for state support for foster care youth enrolled in college by drafting an amicus brief to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. The brief is on behalf of S.J., a college student petitioning for the legal right to remain in the foster care system while she earns her degree. KidsVoice, a child advocacy organization based in Pittsburgh, represents S.J.

  

Financial Aid Resources   FinAid - A comprehensive annotated collection of information about student financial aid on the web.   Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities - This annual resource paper is a comprehensive guide to financial aid in the form of grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.   Florida's McKay Scholarship Program - Seeks to seeks to provide financial aid to families who are seeking either public or private school placements for a child with a disability.   National Cristina Foundation - Provides computer technology and solutions to give people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons the opportunity, through training, to lead more independent and productive lives.

No Word Yet From Yale? Web Site May Know Why - At the Web site www.ThickEnvelope.com, anxious students and parents can gauge their likelihood of getting admission into 80 of the nation's most competitive universities. (You must register (free) with New York Times online to read this article.)

New List of Over 700 Colleges that Deemphasize the SAT and ACT in Admissions: A list of more than 700 accredited, bachelor degree-granting institutions which do not use the SAT I or ACT to make admissions decisions about substantial numbers of freshman applicants is posted on the web at http://www.fairtest.org/optinit.htm in both state-by-state and alphabetical order. Printed copies may be obtained by sending a stamped, self-addressed, business-size envelope to FairTest, 342 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02139. For further information contact Bob Schaeffer (239) 395-6773 or bobschaeffer@earthlink.net.

College Freshmen and the Meningitis Threat - Candie Benn was entertaining guests for Christmas Eve dinner. But her older daughter Melanie, then 18 and a college freshman home for the holidays, wasn't feeling well. So Melanie headed up to her room to rest and recover from her flu-like symptoms. Every year, about 3,000 cases of meningococcal disease occur in the United States, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The overall fatality rate is about 10 percent, but it's sometimes higher in young people.

MO Kansas City, Missouri Colleges Call for Vaccinations - Health officials are hoping college students will add one more thing to their back-to-school list: a meningitis vaccination.

MI Newsmaker Friday: DeGrow on Higher Ed Commission - Sitting in the first meeting of the Commission on Higher Education and Economic Growth, Dan DeGrow might have been wondering what side he should be on, that is to say if there are any sides to be drawn in the battle to double the number of college graduates in the next decade and keep them in the state.

University Tailors a Program for Autistic Students - Andrew Reinhardt is an 18-year-old college freshman who aspires to study math and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, yet his mother is afraid to let him cross a busy street by himself. Her fear is justified. Although Reinhardt is academically ready for college - he scored a 27 on the ACT and had a combined SAT score of 1140 - Asperger's Syndrome makes it difficult for him to cope with daily life.

Craving a Taste of Their Heritage - Black students attending historically white institutions are finding a sense of belonging through an exchange program at Howard University.

Inclusive Post-secondary Education: Is It a Reality? - People with developmental disabilities and higher education just don't mix. At least that's what most people have assumed-until recently. Now the word is out about several programs that make post-secondary education a reality for people with developmental disabilities.
 

TX Special University Helps Students With Disabilities - As a high school student and college freshman in Houston, Raemi Brajenovich struggled with academics, hampered by lifelong learning disabilities that impair her reading and, even more, her writing.

MI Student Takes Different Path to University - Social worker Janice Fialka warns that a child's high school graduation can be bittersweet, but especially so for the parents of developmentally disabled children. Fialka should know: Her son, 19-year-old Micah Fialka-Feldman, is a special education student. As his graduation drew near last year, it felt more like a dead end than an open road.

The Internet: A Free, Public Education? - There's a lot you can learn free on the Internet–if you know where to look. [Source]

U.S. Kiplinger 100: Best Values in Public Colleges - Between registering for classes, making new friends, navigating an unfamiliar campus and, oh, yes, studying, new college students have plenty of worries. The prospect of graduating with a crushing debt shouldn't be one of them. View the list of public institutions that give students the most bang for your buck, according to Kiplinger. Plus, expand your search for college values online. [Source]

IL Beckwith Hall Brings Security to University of Illinois Students - Beckwith Hall might seem like any other residence hall on campus from the outside — some students type away in the computer lab while others hang out in each other's rooms laughing and talking.

Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities, 2003 Edition - HEATH's annual revision of this popular resource guide is now available. The 2003 edition contains completely updated and revised information to help individuals with disabilities to seek and obtain financial assistance for postsecondary education. The guide describes federal financial aid programs, state vocational rehabilitation services, and regional and local sources. A listing of nationally awarded grants and a pre-college checklist to organize the search for funds complete the guide.

Online Learning a Virtual Revolution - Taking classes on the Internet is the fastest-growing segment of higher education.

A Smart and Inexpensive Way to Earn College Credit - Program Is Popular with Adult Learners Returning to the Classroom.
   

Understanding University Success contains the results of a two-year study to determine the knowledge and skills necessary for university success. The 80-page booklet addresses each discipline (English, mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, second languages and the arts) in a separate chapter that describes the skills, behaviors and attitudes expected of incoming students and lists the content knowledge that helps maximize the probability of success in entry-level university courses.

Big market for tutoring - Popularity of learning centers climbs with test scores.

Read the article from UPWD "College Students with Disabilities Graduate at the Same Rate as Their Non-Disabled Peers"

CA Don't take it out on the students - A community college teacher writes the governor.

MI Gongwer 12-05-02 Education Trust Announces New Enrollment Period

MI Gongwer 11-18-02 P.A.S.S. Scholarship Program Wanes - A program created in 2000 to help low-income students earn two-year associate degrees from community colleges is going largely unused because its qualification requirements have made far fewer students eligible than supporters anticipated.

U.S. Department of Education Releases Publication for Students with Disabilities

Virtual Degrees Virtually Tough - Roberto Lee's typical weekday starts at 3 a.m., when he fires up his computer in Wytheville, Virginia, and logs on to a law school in Los Angeles, 2,400 miles away.
 

Read the article "More parents pay for college guidance" - Educational consultants assist families in the application process.

The Presidential Freedom Scholarship Program - An opportunity for high schools to highlight and promote service and citizenship by students and to recognize students for their leadership in those areas. 7,800 scholarships are available to be awarded this year across the nation. Each high school is able to have up to two award recipients. Qualified applicants will be awarded in the order their applications are received.