The Notebook

Stories tagged: college prep

Report reveals dismal graduation rates for Black male college athletes

Submitted by thenotebook on Tue, 12/11/2012 - 16:02 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

by Kofi Biney

For many Black male student-athletes in Philadelphia, intercollegiate sports are perceived as a ticket to post-secondary success, especially when looking at area colleges like Penn State and Villanova, where the graduation rates for Black male athletes is 78 percent. But many colleges and universities are actually failing at the game of graduating these students, according to a report released by the Penn Graduate School of Education’s Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education.

Going beyond the multiple-choice test

by Connie Langland Posted in December 2012 Edition | Permalink

While high-stakes testing continues unabated, educators skeptical of the annual assessments are not just experimenting, but making headway in finding better ways to evaluate – and improve – student learning and whole-school performance.

Latest edition of 'Step Up to College' guide now available, also on Facebook, Twitter

Submitted by thenotebook on Wed, 10/10/2012 - 14:31 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

The latest edition of the annual Philadelphia college admissions guide Step Up to College has been released. The guide is free and published by Philadelphia Futures, an organization that helps prepare underrepresented youth for college.

New to this year’s guide is an added emphasis on what the demands of career, workplace, and today’s difficult job market mean for today’s college-bound student.

Making college prep a priority

Posted in October 2012 Edition | Permalink

I hope the issue on college access and success (Focus on a Broken Pipeline to College, Summer 2012) motivates high school and college staff to ramp up efforts to prepare high school students for college and ensure that colleges provide needed support to earn a degree.

College Board guide for undocumented students released

Submitted by Katie McCabe on Mon, 06/18/2012 - 15:13 Posted in Latest news | Permalink

Undocumented immigrant students face a number of significant obstacles on the path to college. The College Board is seeking to make that process a little easier with its recently released resource guide for undocumented students planning for college.

The resource guide was released just weeks before President Obama issued an executive order that will enable undocumented youth to delay deportation and apply for work permits.

Questioning the real worth of college

Submitted by Samantha Byles on Fri, 06/15/2012 - 17:03 | Permalink

I haven’t graduated from college just yet, but the stories told in the Inquirer’s series “Struggling for Work: The Broken Dreams of a New Generation” have overwhelmed me.

According to the series, students in Pennsylvania carry an average debt of more than $28,000 by graduation.

I am now facing outstanding student loans of $17,000 to $22,000, and counting. I have six classes remaining – a total of 19 credits -- to complete a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism from Temple University’s School of Communications.

Paying for college: Questions and answers

by Connie Langland, with Samantha Byles Posted in Summer 2012 Edition | Permalink

One of the biggest concerns for college students is how to pay for it. The Notebook asked Karen Campbell and Thomas Butler, two college placement experts, to explain how students can finance their post-secondary education without breaking the bank.

What do you suggest in terms of researching the money issue?

Reflections of a CCP grad, part IV

Submitted by Peak Johnson on Fri, 05/18/2012 - 16:16 | Permalink

So, how’s Temple?

Funny, last year at this time, I graduated from the Community College of Philadelphia and asked the same exact question of students I knew at Temple University. Now, when I visit CCP, I get asked the question.

So far, Temple has been great. It is challenging at times, but I wouldn’t change it. CCP prepared me to know what to expect of college-level work and how to best tackle it. CCP taught me those skills I was lacking a few years prior.

College for a few

by Benjamin Herold for the Notebook and WHYY/NewsWorks Posted in Summer 2012 Edition | Permalink

Strolling across Lehigh University's picturesque campus, Jamel Haggins is a striking example of the best that Philadelphia's neighborhood high schools have to offer.

Now a 20-year-old college junior, Haggins is on track to earn his architecture degree next spring. A chiseled 6'3" tall and 255 pounds, he's also an all-conference tight end for Lehigh's football team. Sporting an easy smile and a bright red fraternity sweatshirt – he's the president of the campus chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi – the proud North Philly native is a magnet for attention from students and staff alike.

"He's my everything," gushes Haggins' girlfriend, Allison Morrow, the president of Lehigh's Black Student Union.

Haggins was the crown jewel of the class of 2009 at North Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin High: class valedictorian, a three-time all-Public League football star, and a commanding officer in the school's Navy Junior ROTC.

Listen to Benjamin Herold's report for NewsWorks Tonight

Para los jóvenes inmigrantes, el camino a la universidad raramente es fácil

por Paul Jablow Posted in Verano 2012 Edition | Permalink

Sentado en una mesa de la cafetería en el Community College of Philadelphia, Cheick Kante no hace ningún esfuerzo por ocultar su frustración.

"A veces quisiera no haberme mudado acá nunca", dice Kante, un alto joven de 22 años que está estudiando una carrera en sistemas de información en el CCP. "Nunca pensé que sería así".