Cooperative education programs allow students to alternate between working full time and studying full time. This type of employment program is not based upon financial need, and students can earn as much as $7,000 per year.

A few schools that have this program include: Georgia Institute of Technology, Kettering University, Rochester Institute of Technology, and LaGuardia Community College

Some colleges and universities offer discounts to enrolled students if they recruit another student.

Student Referral programs are a fantastic way to save money on your own tuition while also encouraging your friends to get the education they deserve. Finishing college is bound to be easier with some support!

Some schools offer combined degree programs or 3-year programs that allow students to take all of the courses needed for graduation in 3 years, instead of 4, thereby eliminating 1 year’s educational expenses.

Also, look into the ways in which you can double up on course credits. For those who plan to double-major or minor in a subject area, see if you can pick classes that will satisfy two requirements. Sometimes, certain mandatory general-ed courses will also count towards your major. These tricks can shorten your college career–and cut tuition costs–while still allowing you to earn a degree.

Most colleges and universities sponsor resident advisor programs that offer financial assistance to students in the form of reduced tuition or reduced room and board costs in exchange for work in resident halls.

If you choose to attend college far enough from home as to make commuting impossible, look into becoming an R.A. at an on-campus dorm. Not only will making friends be easy, but you’ll save the cost of rent, which is often a huge chunk of money that could instead be put towards your tuition or social life.

Some colleges give credit for life experiences, thereby reducing the number of credits needed for graduation. Students should check with the college for further information. You can also write to Distance Education and Training Council at 1601 18th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20009, or call (202) 234-5100.

Additionally, if you have a special skill, hobby, or life experience, don’t overlook scholarships! There are thousands of them out there that cater to every niche. Do your research and take advantage of what makes you unique!

The lead story in this past weekend’s New York Times Magazine, “Building a Better Teacher,” explores what makes a good teacher and how to improve those that don’t measure up.

The government is well aware of the significance a good teacher can have on a student, and it’s working on ways to make sure all teachers in America are qualified. Currently, there’s a federal Teacher Incentive Fund in place that utilizes a merit pay system to reward effective teaching. But Doug Lemov, a former teacher, principal and charter school founder, determined that monetary incentives weren’t enough to get teachers to boost their effectiveness–they needed to be taught how.

“Building a Better Teacher” highlights Lemov’s efforts in investigating the teaching methods employed by great teachers so that he can apply those techniques to helping all teachers become great ones.

Lemov has collected his findings into a book, “Teach Like a Champion: The 49 Techniques That Put Students on the Path to College,” due out in April.

Read the New York Times Magazine story here, and watch a clip featured on Doug Lemov’s Uncommon Schools website above.

Related: Last month’s issue of The Atlantic also featured a prominent piece on teacher quality. Click here to read “What Makes a Great Teacher?”

• This weekend’s big New York Times Magazine story investigates how to build a better teacher. (via The New York Times)

• Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation unveiled the results of a national survey of 40,000 public school teachers.

• Central Falls High School in Rhode Island is close to reaching compromise with its Teachers’ Union after the superintendent threatened to fire the entire staff. (via The Washington Post)

• In California, student protestors marched against budget cuts and rising tuition at the state’s public colleges and universities. (via AP)

• 16 finalists were announced for the government’s Race to the Top competition: Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington D.C., South Carolina and Tennessee. (via CNN)

Missed Wednesday’s live broadcast of Primary Sources?

Click here to watch a replay or download the full report.

Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools, is a project of Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The findings represent the opinions of 40,000 public school teachers on education reform and the status of current American education.

This Friday and Saturday (March 5-6), over 8,000 educators will come together at the Hilton New York to participate in Thirteen and WLIW21’s fifth annual Celebration of Teaching and Learning.

Described as the “world’s fair” of Pre-K-12 education, the goal of this two-day expo is to inspire educators and celebrate the joys of teaching and learning. The list of leading experts, activists, academics, and thinkers who will be in attendance reads like a who’s who of the world of education and beyond.
Here are just a few of the notable speakers:

Arne Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education
David Steiner, President of the University of the State of New York and Commissioner of Education
Richard Riley, Former U.S. Secretary of Education
Lisa Henson, Chief Executive Officer of The Jim Henson Company
David Gregory, Moderator of “Meet the Press”
Queen Noor of Jordan, International peace advocate
Bobby McFerrin, Grammy Award winning composer, vocalist and conductor
Queen Latifah, musician, actress, author and entrepreneur

The Celebration is organized into five “content strands,” which each make up the focus of the various presentations and workshops:

English Language Arts
Instructional Technology
Social Studies
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics)
Whole School Issues

Above, check out a video from the 2009 conference, “Spark of Learning.” The Celebration of Teaching and Learning 2010 will focus on the theme of Creativity and give educators from all 50 states, D.C. and Canada an opportunity to network, share ideas and learn from one another.

Head over to the the official website for registration info and more!

Congratulations to the 10 finalists for the Take American to College contest! Now it’s your turn to help select a winner to join four others to round out a team of five students who will be sharing their stories of challenge and hope with America and its leaders.

Get your votes in by 11:59 p.m (PST) Wednesday, March 3.

Click here to view all ten videos and vote for your favorite!

]]>

Central Falls High School, one of the lowest-achieving schools in the state of Rhode Island, has cleaned house. The entire staff of 93, including 74 teachers, has been fired following a 5-2 vote by the Central Falls School Board.

The verdict was reached after the Teachers’ Union refused to accept a reform plan that aims to turn around the chronically failing school.

Recently, advocates of education reform have begun targeting teachers’ unions. As mounting evidence suggests that teachers play a larger role in a child’s education than previously thought, politicians and leading educators have pushed to hold teachers accountable. In the upcoming feature documentary Waiting For Superman, teacher effectiveness is found to be an undeniably huge factor in determining a student’s success.

The mass firing at Central Falls is unlikely to be the last in the country this year. It is merely the first school to act on a federal mandate to overhaul the nation’s many “dropout factories.”

Washington D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee is known for her firings and school closings. Though her aggressive tactics have generated considerable controversy, many argue that D.C.’s long-troubled schools have benefited from them.

At the New York Times’ Room For Debate Blog, contributers discuss the draws and drawbacks of getting rid of incompetent teachers in New York City.

Above, a video clip of the speech given by Central Falls Superintendent Frances Gallo at the Winter meeting of the Rhode Island Statewide Coalition. (Video credit: Anchor Rising)

On Wednesday morning, Scholastic and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will team up for a live webcast to present the findings of Primary Sources: America’s Teachers on America’s Schools, the largest-ever national survey of America’s public school teachers.

Moderated by Harry Smith, co-anchor of the CBS Early Show, the findings will be presented and discussed by Vicki Phillips (Director of Education, College Ready, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), Margery Mayer (President, Scholastic Education), and a panel of teachers from American public schools.

The live webcast will be streamed on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3, 2010 at 10:00 a.m. EST

To gain viewing access to the webcast event, you’ll need to register (it’s free!) at www.scholastic.com/primarysources

• One Rhode Island school has planned to fire all of its teachers by year’s end. (via WaPo)

• And it looks like teacher quality assessment has officially become the hottest topic in education reform. The issue is front-and-center on the New York Times’ Room For Debate blog. (via The New York Times)

• Industry groups, corporate executives, government officials and education advocates met this week in Washington D.C. to brainstorm ways to encourage college completion for young adults in America. (via Gates Foundation)

• The White House’s Race to the Top High School Commencement Challenge is underway! Get your applications in by Monday, March 15.

• To boost their chances, college applicants are turning to the internet–specifically, YouTube–to set themselves apart in the eyes of admissions officers. (via The New York Times)