The median income of a high school graduate in 2013 was about two-thirds that of a college graduates the same year. In 1979, the median income of a high school graduate was about three-quarters that of a college grad.
The good news is that students are earning college degrees at a higher rate than at other points in the past 50 years. One-third of students in the Millennial Generation (born after 1980) have earned a college degree. That’s up form about one-quarter of the three previous generational cohorts, Gen Xers, Late Boomers and Early Boomers.
The bad news? Inflation-adjusted median annual income has remained flat across the four generations. That’s because as college graduates have earned more, those without a college degree have earned less.
There’s an enormous push in Florida right now to grab more of the innovation economy, but we’re not the only state making a play for this sector. The competition nationally is fierce. Cities like St. Louis, Charlotte, and Phoenix have made bigger strides when it comes to growing as tech hubs.
courtesy Girls Who Code
There are fewer women in computer science.
So local business leaders and policy makers are tackling issues to bring and keep startups here. One is growing the local talent pool for the future. Theories about Silicon Valley’s success always include the presence of Stanford University and its ecosystem. An educated workforce matters.
Now, a national nonprofit called Girls Who Code is working to grow the next generation of STEM–science, technology, engineering and math–stars in South Florida. The organization is rolling out its computer science immersion program for the first time in Miami this summer. Seven weeks, seven-hour days in the classroom (that doesn’t include homework). Continue Reading →
Education Commissioner Pam Stewart has recommended changes to the school grading formula.
Florida’s school grades would focus on student performance on state tests, graduation rates and earning college credit or industry certifications, according to a proposal posted at the Florida Department of Education website.
Florida’s school grades were intended to be an easy-to-understand way for parents to know how their child’s school is performing. But educators have complained the formula has gotten too complicated as state officials added more and more components to the formula.
School grades are important because good grades determine which schools and teachers are paid bonuses, while low-performing schools must come up with a plan to improve their grade or even be closed. High-performing schools can even raise nearby property values.
With Florida moving to new K-12 math and language arts standards and a new statewide test next year, Education Commissioner Pam Stewart wants to simplify things a little.
The proposal trims the number of components that make up the school grade score.
Sen. Marco Rubio wants to change higher education.
When Sen. Marco Rubio was growing up, his parents gave him an edict:
“From a very early age they used to tell us, ‘tu tienes que estudiar,’ which means, ‘you have to study.’ So growing up I don’t ever recall not considering going to college,” Rubio told an audience at Miami-Dade College on Monday.
Rubio talked at length about his education with a crowd of students, advocates and press at a summit presented by The National Journal on Monday. He used his speech to outline what he calls the “growing opportunity gap” and explain what he would do to change higher education.
Rubio described how, once he graduated from the University of Miami’s law school, he was surprised he couldn’t afford the repayments on his $100,000 student loan.
“One of the central problems of our outdated higher education system is that it has become increasingly unaffordable for those who stand to benefit the most,” he said.
And even if students can afford it, Rubio thinks traditional college isn’t a good investment for everyone. Continue Reading →
Experts say they've seen a positive effect in school using Common Core standards. But critics believe the standards are a distraction from the real issues with schools.
Thomas said Common Core is a distraction from real problems with schools.
“If you’re an African-American male student,” he said, “you are disproportionately likely to be excluded from advanced classes and you’re also likely to sit in classrooms with teachers that have no experience and possibly no certification. There’s absolutely nothing in Common Core that addresses any of those inequities.”
Nancy Gavrish has taught for 36 years, most of them teaching art to students at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne.
But, lessons that worked for Gavrish at the beginning of her career weren’t as effective later.
“I realized for years that I was not able to keep students’ attention like I used to,” she said, “that demonstrations just weren’t doing it anymore.”
StateImpact Florida / Flickr
The staff at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. From left: Nancy Gavrish, Cathy Koos, Brad Meyer and Teresa Schultz.
So Gavrish turned to technology to lure students in. First she dabbled with YouTube — with limited results — before turning to online museum collections, virtual tours and an electronic whiteboard. Eventually, she had her students create art based on a historical figure and use iMovie to compile video portfolios.
Gavrish said students now dive into their assignments, but admits she had a tough time making the initial plunge into technology.
“I was scared at first,” she said, “because I realized that even my own children and the children I was teaching knew more than I did. They were OK with just sitting down and going for it, where I was very hesitant.
“I realized that if I wanted to continue to really connect with those children, I had to do it.”
The bill would require state colleges to accept two years of computer programming if the courses applied to a student’s major. State universities would have the option of accepting those courses instead of a foreign language.
Senate education chairman John Legg, who is sponsoring the bill, said it would prepare students to fill high-tech jobs. Advocates argue Florida won’t produce enough computer programmers over the next decade to fill available jobs.
Staff from CPALMS, a Florida site created to help teachers with standards and curriculum, show off a 3-D printer. CPALMS is creating a pilot program with some Florida districts to let schools and students try out the high-tech printers.
Some items that were created with a 3-D printer. The staff at CPALMS, which provides standards and curriculum help for Florida teachers, were demonstrating the printer.
Educators check out a demonstration by Amplify, an education technology firm owned by News Corp. and run by former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein.
Educators check out the products from Lenovo, a Chinese company which makes computers, tablets and other electronics.
Lincoln High School history teacher Stephen Veliz had his first breakthrough using technology in the classroom when he had his sixth grade students blog.
Susan Bearden, director of information technology at Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy in Melbourne.
Some cubes created with a 3-D printer. The cubes may be the same size, but the printer can created them with different densities. Staff at CPALMS, a Florida site which helps teachers with curriculum and standards, were demonstrating the printer at FETC.
Last week Orlando hosted one of the oldest and largest education technology conferences in the country.
We spoke to a few teachers presenting at and attending FETC to ask them when they first made the connection about using technology in the classroom.
Here’s what they told us — with some sights and sounds from FETC.
About StateImpact
StateImpact seeks to inform and engage local communities with broadcast and online news focused on how state government decisions affect your lives. Learn More »
