China considers banning teachers from sexual relationships with young students

China is considering following Western countries in banning teachers from dating young students, according to a circular released to solicit public opinions.

The draft of School Protection Order for Juveniles was issued by the Ministry of Education on Tuesday and, if passed into law, requires primary and middle schools to prohibit teachers from dating students or having sex with them. The current age of consent in China is 14 years of age.

Other predatory behaviours that “hurt students’ physical and mental health” listed in the document include molesting students by groping or intentionally touching particular parts of their body, flirting, teasing, or making sexually suggestive comments.

Teachers are also banned from displaying or circulating messages, books, magazines, films, videos, or pictures that contain pornographic information to students.

The order also contains specific clauses on sexual harassment, by asking schools to establish safe management of dormitories, camera surveillance, and mechanisms for preventing, reporting, and dealing with sexual harassment incidents.

Among other regulations being proposed is a ban on schools revealing students’ rankings in tests and from publicising previous graduates who were enrolled by prestigious higher-level schools.

Teachers found violating the rules would receive disciplinary punishment and prevented from joining any award competitions for a period of one to three years. If the schools’ principal is responsible for an incident or found to have failed in their duty of care, they could be removed from their job for up to five years, the document said.

The public can send feedback about the order before April 23. It’s unclear if the order will be passed or when it would be put into effect.

Xiong Bingqi, director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the latest order is to make clear to schools their duties as a way to support the country’s revised Law of the Protection of Juveniles that will be implemented in June.

A 2014 regulation governing teachers’ ethics has outlawed 10 specific activities, including sexual harassment or having an “inappropriate relationship” with students.

But regarding the definition of “inappropriate relationship”, different people have different ideas, Xiong told the South China Morning Post.

As a result of the absence of a clear definition of this term, it’s difficult for schools and the education department to deal with the case if the teacher involved is single, he said.

“In some cases, teachers accused of sexual harassment claimed this was an injustice by arguing the relationship had been consensual, Xiong said.

“Normally the teacher will be assigned to other schools, instead of being punished for an ethics error,” said Xiong.

“With the future implementation of the teacher-student dating ban, this kind of thorny issue will be treated smoothly since it’s not right for them to date in the first place,” he said.

Some people objected to the banning of teacher-student dating, arguing that dating is every person’s legal right.

“But they don’t understand that a teacher can use the power from his position to induce or force students to date with him or her. If a teacher is dating a student, he or she would often give privilege to the student. This is unfair for other students,” said Xiong. “So banning teacher-student dating is essentially to avoid interest exchanges.”

He urged the state authority to extend the ban to universities.

Maggie Yang, a Shenzhen mother of a 15-year-old girl, said she agreed with the teacher-student dating ban.

“I think dating is the business of adults. How can we tolerate that a teacher dates a minor student?” she asked. “This rule should have been made earlier.”

-South China Morning Post

Student Debt a ‘Life Sentence’ for Millions of Americans

Haley Walters is five years away from earning her law degree. If everything goes according to plan, she will be under a mountain of $100,000 in student debt by the time she enters the workforce. Like millions of Americans, Walters is paying a steep price for an education that will likely weigh her down financially for much of her adult life.

“I think the student debt crisis is truly a life sentence,” the 19-year-old Californian told AFP.

With 45 million borrowers owing some $1.6 trillion, the debt burden of American college graduates has exploded in recent years.

It has emerged as a key issue in the 2020 presidential campaign, with candidate Bernie Sanders unveiling an ambitious plan Monday to erase all student loan debt.

“Somebody who graduates from a public university this year is expected to have over $35,000 in student loan debt on average,” said Cody Hounanian, program director of Student Debt Crisis, a California non-profit that assists students and fights for reforms.

According to official statistics, 71 percent of US students are burdened by such debt, with minorities the hardest hit.

“Black women particularly are the most impacted group with the highest student debt total per graduate,” Hovnanian said.

Despite scholarships and financial aid available to many, the cost of higher education is such that the majority of students are unable to repay their loans on schedule.

“When borrowers leave school, they’re in a program that’s supposed to take 10 years… but more and more are enrolling in federal programs that are actually 20 or 25 years in length,” Hovnanian said.

In the long term, the loan balance for such people increases, interest accrues, and the debt burden just keeps going upwards, he added.

Hovnanian spoke of his own experience as an example.

“I had $30,000 in student loan debt, I pay over $150 a month, and that’s in one of these affordable repayment programs,” he said. “By doing that, my loan balance is actually increasing. I’m not covering even the entire interest that’s accrued.”

“I’m paying every month,” he added, “just to be more in debt.”

– ‘System isn’t working’ –
Several experts interviewed said it’s not unusual to have two generations in one family burdened with student debt.
That’s the case for Walters, who just graduated with a two-year degree in political science from Pasadena City College, near Los Angeles.

While she managed to go through that school without accumulating debt, come autumn she will be entering the prestigious — and much more expensive — University of California Berkeley, with a law degree the ultimate goal.
Despite being awarded scholarships, Walters said she will still have to take out loans to pay for nearly $20,000 in annual fees.

“That is basically going to turn into a loan after loan after loan… each with individual interest rates and individual payments,” Walters sighed.

She said she grew up listening to her mother, 58, bemoan the student debt that still haunts her.
“I would hear my mom talk about… how it was basically crippling our finances,” she recalled.
“You know, we couldn’t go on vacation, sometimes I didn’t get school supplies for the new school year, sometimes we got fewer birthday presents.”

Walters said she hopes student debt will be a key issue in the 2020 White House race.
For some candidates, it is already front and center.
– ‘The system isn’t working’ –

Sanders’s “revolutionary” bill aims to erase all student loan debt and make public colleges tuition-free — and he wants the financial industry to help pay for it.
“The American people bailed out Wall Street,” Sanders said, referring to lenders deemed “too big to fail” during the late 2000s recession.

“Now it is time for Wall Street to come to the aid of the middle class.”
Democratic candidate Elizabeth Warren also has a debt cancellation and free public college plan.

“My dad grew up in an extremely poor family in southern California,” said Walters. “The only reason he went to university was that it was free.”

Tuition, however, is not the only financial burden of students.

In California, for example, housing and living expenses represent more than half of the $35,000 needed annually on average for public universities.

Hovnanian said it was crucial to address those issues to ensure students don’t end up saddled with heavy debt before starting their professional lives.

“The system isn’t working for students,” he said. “It’s working for profiteers, for big companies and for those who are making money off of students and borrowers.”

source: usa.inquirer.net

Dedicated principal adds over 800 parents on WeChat

CHINA — Zhou Peili, a primary school principal in Ningbo, Zhejiang province has added almost every student’s parents on WeChat, reported chinanews.com last Monday.

Zhou found that WeChat could increase the connection and interaction between him and the children’s parents to help students improve.

Once, he noticed that a student who hardly followed his teacher’s instructions to complete his homework had parents who were not around due to work.

Zhou concluded that the student’s misbehavior was due to a lack of attention from his parents. He soon added the student’s mother on WeChat and informed her of the progress her child made regularly.

He also told the student his mother will know about his progress to encourage him to work harder and better. A few months later, the student showed a big improvement in his academic work and life.

Now, Zhou adds all the parents and shares the students’ progress on his WeChat to all the parents. He also shares updated education theories and school events that help parents to stay informed about their children’s education.

source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

The student’s smartphone

O+ has launched its newest flagship smartphone called O+ Imagine.

The O+ Imagine is the brand’s most gorgeous handset to date. The device, available in limited edition in the Philippines, comes with a micro-SIM card tray opener, micro-USB cable, user manual, free screen protector, a hard plastic case, and charger with foldable prongs.

It also has a free Sennheiser stereo headset exclusively for O+ USA.

Unique features

At only 7.8 mm, the O+ Imagine is one of the thinnest smartphones in the market. It is encased in a back-to-back scratch-resistant glass technology.

The usual capacitive button icons are now replaced with a light bar, which can also be a breathing light notification bar.

Air Shuffle is another of its unique features.

The volume controls are on the left side while the power button is on the right side; below the power button, you’ll see the micro-SIM card slot.

On the top, you’ll find the 3.5-mm audio port along with micro-USB port for charging and wired data transferring.

Its front features a beautiful 5” AMOLED Full HD display with a 5-MP front camera, while its back has a 13-MP camera along with the LED flash and a small O+ logo.

Also in the back are O+ Image’s speakers redesigned with a   refreshing new look and enhanced sound.

Solid
 
The O+ Image’s sleek design is something. Even if it’s probably the slimmest handset I’ve ever encountered, the phone feels very solid in my hand.

The phone is powered by Android 4.2.1 (Jelly Bean), and comes with a 1.5-GHz quad-core processor and 2,000-mAh battery. That gives the phone a smooth and responsive performance.

Multitasking and navigating from games to different apps can be done flawlessly with the help of its 2-GB of RAM.

You also have access to over a million apps and games in the Google Play Store.

Did I experience any lags or glitches? Yes, but not too often; these problems are typical of all phones anyway.

Verdict

A 2,500-mAh battery would have been better for a phone like this, but the device still managed to live through a whole day of moderate use. Best to invest in a power bank if you plan to get this phone.

My verdict: the O+ Imagine is one of the brand’s biggest achievements. Glitches aside, it’s   a creditable device worthy of its “flagship” title.

The O+ Image retails for P8,995.

source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

Dennis Trillo son in school bus collision

MANILA, Philippines — At least six schoolchildren, including the son of actor Dennis Trillo, were taken to the hospital after two school vans collided in Quezon City on Tuesday morning.

The school services of Xavier School and Malayan High School of Science collided at the intersection of Speaker Perez and N. Roxas Streets in Barangay (village) Lourdes at 5:45 a.m., causing slight injuries to some of the student passengers.

The driver of the Malayan school carrier (TXF-527), Jerry Lito Papa, 45, was ferrying two 15-year-old students, who were his son and his niece, along Roxas Street heading to Tuazon Street.

The driver of the Xavier school van (TWT-945), Rasmur Padios, 24, was ferrying four students aged 7 to 12 on Speaker Perez Street heading to Banawe Street.

Chief Insp. Diogenes Amor, head of the Balintawak traffic sector covering the area, said when the two vans collided bumper to bumper at the intersection, the impact was so strong it pushed both vehicles off-course.

The Malayan school carrier veered to the right and ended up slamming into a concrete wall, and the Xavier school van went crashing into an electric post to the left.

Amor said in an interview the students sustained only slight injuries such as grazes, but were taken to the hospital just the same as a precaution. Some of the children were taken to the Chinese General Hospital and the others to the Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center.

Amor quoted Padios as saying that one of the seven-year-old passengers on the Xavier van was the son of actor Dennis Trillo with beauty queen Carlene Aguilar. The boy sustained no injuries but was taken to the hospital anyway, Amor said.

As both drivers refused to admit they were to blame for the accident, and only pointed to each other as the one at fault, Amor said the police will file complaints against both for reckless imprudence resulting in damage to property and multiple injuries.

“We will file a case against both for the parents of the victims. It will be up to the prosecutor to determine who to file charges against,” Amor said.

Investigators surmised that based from the impact of the collision, both vehicles were speeding, Amor said. But Amor also quoted residents as saying that the intersection was accident-prone.

source: entertainment.inquirer.net

$5,730 Grants Help Qualified Students Go Back to School

If you make less than $80,000 a year, college grants and financial aid may be available for up to $5,730 if you qualify.

If you’re like a lot of people you probably didn’t know grants like these were available. If you didn’t know, no worries, here are the three really important things you should consider when deciding which school you want to go to.

1) Grants, Scholarships, and Financial Aid Can Help

The big money part of this is pretty obvious to most students. Grants are an incredible way for qualified students to go back to school. Grants provide students up to $5,730 to help pay for school. The problem is that most students don’t think they’ll qualify. If you make less than $80,000/year you could apply for grants, a shocking number of students qualify every year for grants and it helps them save huge.

Other tips you need to consider are:

Scholarships from Schools: Ask schools you’re interested in if they offer scholarships. Schools have huge amounts of scholarships to help students pay for school. Schools you are interested in should have a massive list of scholarships you may qualify for, you just have to ask, and now you know too.

General Scholarships: There are literally hundreds of scholarships that are available to prospective students. These range from need based scholarships to super obscure scholarships for writing essays. If you’re willing to look, you may be shocked at what’s out there.

Employer Aid: See if you can get aid from your employer. Your employer wants you to increase your skill set. Many employers will not only help pay for you to go back to school but they’ll also give you time off of work to achieve your degree.

2) College Graduates Make More Money

This shouldn’t come as a shock. If you have a college degree it’s expected that you’ll have a higher paying job. What is a shock is how much more money college graduates make. A college graduate will make on average $2.3 million over their working life whereas someone with a high school diploma will only make $1.3 million. That’s a $1 million dollar difference. Think of how crazy that is. By getting your college degree, you will make on average $1 million more.

3) Online Options Are Great

Before higher education was made available on the internet students were stuck having to fit their lives into the schedule of whatever local school they wanted to attend. With great online options now, this is no longer the case. Online classes allow students to fit school into their schedules. For parents, they can take classes after their day’s activities with their kids. For people who are working, they can take classes at lunch or after work. The options are endless because you shape them… not to mention if you get your degree online you get to go to class and never get out of your pajamas.

If you’re interested in going back to school, partners like ClassesUSA may help you find the right school for you. See degrees that are available now.

source: smarterlifestyles.com

The Many Benefits of Online Education

Numerous individuals are going to schools, colleges and universities than ever before.
You can take a school course online from anyplace that has an Internet connection. Nowadays, with many wireless notebooks you can connect to the internet from almost anywhere which makes taking an online course considerably more accessible.

Online education programs empower you to go to educational institutions of your choice, without leaving your home. Most of business schools offer business course degree online. Online education allows you to take courses anywhere in the World, from best schools and at your own convenience. You can choose your class hours and area, can be at your home or office. Worries about transportation, the weather, even if you feel sick, it  is not an issue in online education.You can also save more on food expenses, you don't have to order food if it's meal time. A lot of advantages like flexibility, convenience, and freedom. You just pay the educational cost charges for the degree you enlist for.

People can get work experience and a business degree together from online schools. At the time you finish your course, you will likewise have work experience to give you an edge over others.

With many schools offering online courses,  it is helpful and simpler to achieve degrees these days, and it surely adds depth and confidence to career as well.

Studying online means you can go at your own pace. Whether your busy schedule leaves you little time for learning or you require more time to study a specific thought and you have the convenience to study and take tests at home.


Studying online means your classroom is in your own particular home that is convenient and relaxed. Online education is surely a choice in terms of getting a higher level of education.

5 Things College Grads Need to Know about Credit

With many students graduating from college, there are thousands of individuals venturing out into the “real” world for the first time.

Graduation often marks the first time that young adults begin to make their own money decisions, and begin to understand the consequences of their financial choices.

As graduates begin the next phase of their lives, here are 5 things they need to know about credit:

1. Good Credit is Vital

 

Many students underestimate the importance of good credit. However, building a good credit history is more important than many people realize. Good credit can mean that you save money on insurance premiums, and that you avoid paying a security deposit when you purchase cell phone service. Good credit can save you money, and even help you avoid being passed over for a job.

Not only that, but if you want to be able to complete certain transactions, such as buying a home, you need good credit — especially if you want to avoid paying thousands of dollars due to higher interest rates.

 2. Credit Cards are Loans

It’s easy to mistake credit cards for a source of money. However, they represent loans. While credit cards can be a fast way to build credit, they also require some restraint. One of the most important things to recognize is that the money isn’t yours. You’re borrowing it from the credit card issuer, and if you carry a balance, you will be charged a high rate of interest. Rather than treating credit cards as another source of available money, they should be treated as loans — since that is what they are.

 

3. On-Time Payment is the Most Important Thing You Can Do

 

The biggest factor influencing your credit score is your payment history. This means that you need to make sure that your payments are on time and in full. If you mail in a payment, make it a point to send it at least 10 days in advance (two weeks is better). If you pay online, schedule your payment so that it “arrives” in plenty of time.



Missed payments can quickly drag down a credit score. Create a schedule so that you know when your payments are due and pay them on time. Realize, too, that non-credit payments can also affect your score. Missed medical bill payments and missed rent payments can be reported to the credit bureaus and pull down your credit score.

4. You Don’t Have to Get Into Debt to Have Good Credit

 

Many people think that building a good credit profile means that you have to get into debt. While it’s true that you often have to use credit in order to build a credit profile, this doesn’t mean that you need to be in debt.

You can build your credit history with the help of a credit card, but you don’t need to carry a balance and pay a high rate of interest. Pay off your credit card each month, using your card as part of your budget. As long as you are careful to only buy what you already have the money for, it’s possible to avoid getting into debt.

Carefully plan your purchases, and you can build a good credit profile without becoming overwhelmed by debt.

5. Alternative Credit Scoring Models will Cost You

 

There has been a move toward using alternative scoring models that don’t rely on credit. These models claim to use items like rent payment, utility payments, and other payment histories to help build a history that shows that you are responsible with your money.

While these alternative scoring models can, indeed, help you establish some financial credibility, you will pay for these services. Often, you have to pay a fee to set up a situation by which an alternative reporting agency will gather information about your payment activities. Additionally, you have to convince your services providers or landlord to agree to report to these agencies.

Some agencies, like eCredable, will get the information for you just as you apply for loans from partners. However, you have to pay for this service, and the information is no longer “current” after 60 days or so.

While you can use alternative scoring, it’s a long process, and there’s no guarantee that it will work.

source: financialhighway.com

UNLV finance students win competition for restaurant study

Four students from UNLV’s Lee Business School took first place in a competition that tested their ability to gauge the profitability of a restaurant.

The students won the top honor in the first round of the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge, an international competition that tests finance students on their ability to do financial analyses.

The UNLV team included Sean Skinner, Elias Shliyan, Warren Stender and Jeffery Zemp. It was the second consecutive year that UNLV took first place.

“This shows that students at UNLV can compete with anyone in the world,” said Paul Thistle, chairman of UNLV's finance department.

The team analyzed the profitability of Kona Grill, a restaurant in Summerlin. They first submitted a written report examining the economic prospects of the business, then defended their findings to a panel of judges.

Based on state and national economy data and the restaurant’s market share, the students determined that Kona Grill is undervalued and shares of the restaurant should be bought.

The team’s entry impressed the judges enough that they were given a pass to the next round — a regional competition March 20-21 in Toronto.

“It feels good,” Shliyan said. “I’m not really surprised. I was very confident in our work, and we worked really hard.”

If the team finishes in the top four at the Americas Regional, they will advance to be one of 16 squads to compete in the Global Final against teams from New York, Asia and Europe.

“We’re confident about our product,” Skinner said. “We just need to practice more, and we’ll have a good chance.”

source: vegasinc.com

At more colleges, classes on genetics get personal

University of Iowa student Bakir Hajdarevic (BOCK-heer hye-dar-vich) didn't have to study for the most important test in his genetics class. He just had to spit.

The 19-year-old took an honors seminar in which students could choose to send saliva samples for testing to learn about personal health secrets such as whether they are at risk for cancer or carriers for genetic disease.

Taught at Iowa for the first time, the class is part of a growing movement in higher education to tackle the field of personal genetics, which is revolutionizing medicine. Several other universities have recently added similar classes.

They're forcing students to decide whether it is better to be ignorant or informed about possible health problems _ a decision more Americans will confront as genetic testing becomes cheaper.

source: lasvegassun.com

Insurance for College Students

College kids show up at school with a lot more than a big bag full of T-shirts and jeans. They also bring a slew of electronics—computers, printers, smart phones, iPads—that can be expensive to replace. Your homeowners insurance will generally cover students’ possessions if they live in a dorm, and it may provide coverage if they’re in an off-campus apartment, as long as their primary residence is still your home. The rules vary a lot by insurer; most require your child to be a full-time student and under age 24. 

Some insurers cap the coverage at college at 10% of the possessions limit on your homeowners policy. So if you have a $200,000 policy on your home with 50% of that amount, or $100,000, for contents, your kid’s coverage at college may be limited to $10,000. The liability limits are usually the same as for you (see Check Up on Your Home Insurance).

If your insurer doesn’t cover your child’s off-campus apartment, or if you’d like higher coverage limits, consider a renters insurance policy. That generally costs just $150 to $200 per year, says Melanie Loiselle-Mongeon, an independent agent in Pawtucket, R.I. If your kid has roommates (who aren’t related), each person needs to get a separate renters policy.

Car insurance. Contact your insurer if your kid goes to a college more than 100 miles away and doesn’t take a car. Your premiums can drop significantly (20% on average at Safeco, for example), but he or she will still have coverage when home for the summer or vacations. If your child takes a car to school, your insurance costs will rise or fall depending on the location.

Health coverage. Student health plans, which often cost hundreds of dollars each semester, may have exclusions and low coverage caps, or they may require you to get most health care through the student medical center. Children can usually be covered under their parents’ health insurance policy until age 26, so most families can rely on that insurance when their kid goes to college. (You may have to decline the college’s student coverage to avoid being charged.)

However, if you have insurance through a regional HMO with a small network of doctors and hospitals, coverage may be limited to emergency services if your student goes to college in another state. And even if your plan allows for out-of-network care, you’ll probably have to make much larger co-payments if the network doesn’t extend to the area where the college is located. Insurers with national plans, such as Cigna, typically have plenty of doctors and hospitals in-network around the country. “The best course of action is to request a summary of benefits for the new location,” says Kelly Brooke, of Cigna.

If no in-network providers are nearby, consider an individual health insurance policy. In most states, a healthy person in his or her early twenties can get coverage for $150 or less per month. You can get price quotes at eHealthInsurance.com or find out about local policies at HealthCare.gov.

By buying a high-deductible policy, you can keep premiums low and still have coverage for major emergencies (most plans must also provide some preventive-care benefits without co-payments or deductibles). If your child has a policy with a deductible of at least $1,200 and isn’t claimed as a dependent on your tax return, then he or she can make tax-deductible contributions to a health savings account that can grow tax-free for future medical expenses.

source: kiplinger.com

How to Find the Best Private Student Loan Terms

To keep up with rising education costs in the midst of shrinking savings and scholarship funds, many students are turning to private student loans to fill in the financial gaps to pay for college.

According to FinAid.org, private student loan volume is expected to return to the 25% annual growth rate unless there is another increase in federal loan limits or increased availability of federal student loans. The organization also expects private student loan volume to grow at double-digit rates and yearly private education loan volume will exceed federal student loan volume by around 2030 if federal loan limits do not increase every year.

Students can get private loans from banks, credit unions or other lending institutions to help cover remaining college expenses after scholarships, grants, federal loans and other types of financial assistance fall short.

“When federal student loan resources are exhausted, parents and students face tough decisions on how to pay for college,” says Ameriprise Financial private wealth advisor Rocco Carriero. “Most private loans are made directly to students, meaning that it becomes their financial and legal responsibility to repay the loan.”

Experts say taking out private loans to cover tuition should be students’ last resort—but if it’s required, here’s how to do it without bringing on life-time debt.

Know Your Rate and What it Means

Private student loan interest rates are variable and are pegged to an index such as the LIBOR or PRIME index plus a margin. The LIBOR index is the London Interbank Offered Rate and signifies what it costs a lender to borrow money, while the Prime Lending Rate is the interest rate lenders offer to customers with the best credit.

According to FinAid.org, a loan with interest rates based on LIBOR will be less expensive than a loan based on the Prime Lending Rate over the long term because a variable rate loan pegged to the LIBOR index will grow more slowly than a loan pegged to the Prime Lending Rate.

“The best private loan terms have the interest rates of the LIBOR at 2% or PRIME at 0.50% with no fees,” says Orlando Espinosa, former national spokesperson for The Sallie Mae Fund and current vice president of marketing for ScholarshipProz. “These are the standard competitive rates with the Federal Plus loan.They pretty much have to provide students with competitive rates because they want the students to actually take out the loans with them.”

Maintain Good Credit

For students who have established a credit history, the interest rate and fees paid on a private student loan are based on their credit score. If a credit score is less than 650, students are unlikely to be approved and a score increase of 30 to 50 points may be enough to get better terms on a loan, according to FinAid.

The experts point out that if a student has limited or no credit history, their greatest chance at qualifying for a loan with better terms (lower interest rates and fees) is to have a financially- responsible co-signer.

“Applying with a creditworthy co-signer should bring you the best pricing,” says Patrick Kandianis, co-founder of SimpleTuition.

Shop Around for the Lowest Rate

While some financial institutions have relationships with certain schools, it’s important that students do their homework to find lenders with the best options, says Espinosa.

It may be worthwhile to approach a financial institution where the student or the co-signer already has an established relationship, but it’s always a good idea to shop around and compare different lenders.

Espinosa cautions that some websites and brochures may have out-of-date material and that it’s the student’s responsibility to directly contact lenders to get updated information.

“The students actually have to do the leg work for themselves and look and see what’s out there, what’s available and not just rely on information that’s being handed to them,” he says. “It’s their education and they’re definitely going to want to pay a lower rate but they need to definitely do their research.”

Find the Best Private Loan Package

Students should understand that private loans come in various shapes and sizes (fixed rates, variable rates, no origination fees, some with origination fees, some 10 years, some 15 years, some 20 years).

 “In many cases they are currently cheaper or the same in price to federal options,” Kandianis says. “The Federal PLUS loan, for instance, has a 4% origination fee and costs 7.9% annually vs. some private loans with no fees and lower fixed and variable rates.”

Lenders may advertise a lower rate for the in-school and grace period only to have a higher rate when the loan enters repayment, so it’s important that students ask questions to make sure they understand the terms, says Espinosa.

Students should also find out about the lender’s repayment rules, especially when payments are expected.

“Some loans allow for a much lower cost by having repayment start right away and a shorter repayment time,” says Kandianis. “Some allow for deferment which helps with cash flow but might add cost.”

Understanding that the APR on the loan factors in fees, interest rate and time is essential, as it is the one determining factor that can allow for comparison between loans that have different structures, says Kandianis.

“Just because there is a fee, or is not a fee, or a higher rate, all of that gets measured in terms of APR and will come out in the wash,” he says. “Looking at APR and total cost should give a good idea on the costs over time.”

source: foxbusiness.com

Parents give Clark County schools high ratings in survey

Parents, students and staff don’t always see eye to eye on school issues, according to a Clark County School District survey released this week.

For example, while 96 percent of parents surveyed said they agreed or strongly agreed that their school was clean, only 67 percent of students and 86 percent of staff said the same.

Each year, the School District conducts parent, staff and student surveys to determine how well the district is performing outside of test scores and graduation rates. This year, a record number responded.

Parents rated the School District the highest among the three surveyed groups. Nearly 19,000 parents took the survey, given online from March 1 to April 27.

In most categories — from how well the district teaches reading, writing and math to academic expectations — parents gave the School District above a 90 percent approval rating.

The only two categories where parents rated the district lower than 90 percent was in bus transportation communication and shared decision-making.

Parents also submitted fewer public complaint forms: just 91, down from a high of 178 from a decade ago.

Students were the most critical of the School District, according to the survey. Nearly 129,000 students out of about 309,000 students in the School District responded to the survey.

Students were critical of the district when it came to healthy, good-tasting cafeteria food, giving the district a 48 percent approval rating. Students also said they didn’t think they received fair treatment from the district, giving the district a 67 percent rating.

About three-quarters of students said they would recommend their school to a friend. About 81 percent and 93 percent of staff and parents, respectively, said they would recommend their school to a friend.

Although 93 percent of parents said their children were enthusiastic about learning, only 78 percent of students and 64 percent of staff agreed.

Staff members were critical of how well students were learning skills such as creativity, leadership and organizational skills, rating the district in the 70th percentile. Staff also rated the district low on professional development opportunities and accessibility to school zone managers.

About 9,900 staff members — teachers, support staff and administrators — responded to the survey.

The staff disagreed with parents and students when it came to whether their school was teaching students about becoming a responsible citizen. Although parents and students rated the district 95 percent and 87 percent, respectively, the staff rated the district a 77 percent.

Staff members were the most critical of the district when it came to shared decision-making. Just 71 percent of staff said they felt they were included in the district’s decision-making process when it came to school changes.

“We need to be more collaborative so that we can work on the things that are important to kids,” said Vikki Courtney, vice president of the local teachers union.

“This will be a focus area for us,” Clark County Schools Superintendent Dwight Jones said. “We want to ensure that teachers’ voices are heard.”

Ensuring collaboration will be key as the district rolls out new reforms, such as a growth model to measure student achievement as well as a more rigorous curriculum. Some grants — such as such as the district’s $40 million Race to the Top application — require support from the teachers union.

Courtney said the report was indicative of what she saw as low teacher morale across the district. The School District is demanding more of teachers while trying to negotiate contract concessions, she said.

“I think what this indicates is we need more resources, time and support from the district to help teachers do their jobs,” Courtney said.

School Board member Erin Cranor said she was concerned about how the district was supporting its teachers through all the reforms that have been instituted. It’s a difficult time across the nation to be a teacher, Cranor said.

“Teachers feel like they’re just being barraged (by the changes),” she said.

source: lasvegassun.com

Southern Metro Manila cops seek local execs' help in securing 278 schools

The police in southern Metro Manila are tapping the help of local officials in securing some 278 public and private schools in the district when classes start on June 4.

The Southern Police District (SPD) has tapped at least 468 force multipliers down to the village level to help in its security work, radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen reported.

These additional forces are different from those who will help secure the Senate compound especially on Tuesday when the senator-judges are expected to deliver their verdict on impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, the report said.

The SPD covers six cities - Pasay, Makati, Parañaque, Las Piñas, Muntinlupa, and Taguig - and the municipality of Pateros.

SPD head Chief Superintendent Benito Estipona said they have prepared security and safety plans for students.

Estipona said their priorities include countering street crimes such as snatching, robbery, drug trafficking, and swindling.

He also ordered his men to be on the lookout for street gangs. - VVP, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

School Is Not Always About Grades

MANILA, Philippines — Thirty-one year old Zamboanga del Sur high school teacher Shateen Seraña had a dream — to educate her students beyond the classroom, hone their skills in Information and Communications Technology (ICT), and eventually encourage them to use what they have learned to give back to the community.

Armed with the desire to make a difference, Serana came up with a mangrove tree-planting project for her fourth year high school students.

“I did some research on what the students could do to help the community and I thought mangrove planting could be feasible because it would protect our coastal area from erosion. Since none of the students has ever experienced tree-planting before or used the Internet for school projects, this could be an interesting experiential project for them,” shared Seraña.

Taking a page from what she learned from the Global Filipino Teacher (GFT) program of Globe Telecom, Seraña adapted the project-based learning (PBL) approach in teaching both Filipino and ICT skills via the mangrove tree-planting project. Seraña was selected by Globe Telecom and the Coalition for Better Education (CBE) to take part in GFT last year in Zamboanga City. GFT is an intensive 54-hour, six-day teacher training program that promotes the use of ICT via online collaboration and PBL approaches across different subject matters and teachers.

STUDENTS DISCOVER

WONDERS OF TECHNOLOGY

For the project, Seraña asked her students to write proposal letters to their local Sangguniang Kabataan (SK), Parent-Teacher Association (PTA), and even to their local community leaders. “The best-written letter was translated to English and was used as a template for the letter we sent to the barangay, urging them to donate for the project and to join the students.”

Seraña also taught the students the best way to utilize the Internet for the project.

“We created Facebook groups where they updated each other on the progress of the tree-planting project and the tasks they had to do. One group was assigned to document the project online using Multiply. My students became more excited, less passive. Since resources were limited, the team who learned how to use the Internet taught their other classmates what they know. They also asked for donations to purchase a modem and they borrowed laptops from the school to work on the project,” she said.

The mangrove tree-planting project was recently hailed by Microsoft Philippines as the best project which used IT innovation for 2011 in their 7th Innovation in Teaching Leadership Awards (ITLA). Seraña is representing the Philippines in the regional Microsoft ITLA competition in New Zealand.

“I am glad my project was recognized. My students also became more confident because of their newly acquired skills. School is not always about grades but of new experiences and memories,” she said.

Seraña, who has been with Taluksangay National High School in Zamboanga del Sur for only two years, is not the only GFT graduate who was recognized by Microsoft Philippines ITLA. Eight out of the 10 finalists of Microsoft Philippines ITLA are products of GFT.

“This speaks a lot about the impact of the GFT program and the training they receive on project-based learning and ICT integration. It demonstrates how ICT can provide teachers and students with more accurate and quicker access to information, tools for easier and faster learning, and a chance to collaborate with the rest of the world. It was proven that by using ICT, there is increased teacher motivation and improved student memory retention and comprehension of various subjects,” said Rob I. Nazal, head of Globe corporate social responsibility.

source: mb.com.ph

Facebooking, texting may lead to lower grades —study

The new school year is still three months away, but students may want to heed this advice: Facebooking or texting during study time will likely lead to lower grades.

A study by Reynol Junco and Shelia Cotten suggested the human brain may not be able to simultaneously combine studying and information and communication technologies (ICTs).

"Engaging in Facebook use or texting while trying to complete schoolwork may tax students’ capacity for cognitive processing and preclude deeper learning. Our research indicates that the type and purpose of ICT use matters in terms of the educational impacts of multitasking," they said.

ICTs include social networking like Facebook, text messaging, and instant messaging.

They noted advances in technology had resulted in ICT users - including students - being presented with more real-time data streams.

However, they said this has also resulted in individuals increasingly engaging in multitasking as an information management strategy.

In their web survey from 1,839 college students at one university, they found students reported spending a large amount of time using ICTs on a daily basis.

"Students reported frequently searching for content not related to courses, using Facebook, emailing, talking on their cell phones, and texting while doing schoolwork. Hierarchical (blocked) linear regression analyses revealed that using Facebook and texting while doing schoolwork were negatively associated with overall college GPA," they said.

A separate article on Mashable said the study included questions about how often students IM, email, search and talk during study time, but only Facebook and texting ultimately correlated with a lower GPA.

It added there was no relationship between grades and using other technologies while studying.

“Human information processing is insufficient for attending to multiple input streams and for performing simultaneous tasks,” Mashable quoted Junco and Cotten as saying.

Junco also told Mashable suggests the difference might have something to do with how students are using different technologies.

Students may be more likely to email professors and search out of academic curiosity than to socialize through email or search, while they’re unlikely to text message their teaching assistants for homework help.

“It could be that students with lower grades just happen to do more Facebook and texting. But I think this study in the context of other research does seem to show that it is about what they’re doing while they study and not the other way around,” Junco told Mashable.

Study findings

The study showed that, on average, students in the study sent 97 text messages and spent 101 minutes on Facebook every day.

Mashable said that while Junco does not think students will leave either technology behind, in his own classes at Lock Haven University he encourages students to think about how they use them.

“What I tell them is, ‘look, you’re going to sit down to study anyway,” he says. “You might as well make it the most efficient use of your time.’” — TJD, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

NBA stars, celebs help fans learn English on website

Rising New York Knicks star Jeremy Lin has not only sparked NBA basketball interest in Taiwan, he may also inspire fans to learn English, according to people at the website "English, baby!"

With 1.6 million registered members and about a million hits a month, the educational website (www.englishbaby.com) has been using National Basketball Association players and celebrities to draw visitors to their English lessons, taught by guest stars who explain idioms associated with their work.

"We're really excited about that," Jason Simms, of English, baby!, said in a telephone interview from his Portland, Oregon office about the emergence of Lin on the NBA stage.

"There are lots of businesses out there that are tied to the enthusiasm for the NBA in Asia. We, like many people, were very disappointed when Yao [Ming] retired. It seemed like that might put a damper on that trajectory," he said about the Chinese star who played for the Houston Rockets.

But thanks to Lin, the 23-year-old Taiwanese-American sports sensation and media darling who propelled the struggling Knicks to several victories and sparked a craze dubbed "Linsanity," the trajectory may continue.

"We're really excited that Jeremy Lin is back to connecting the conversation between Taiwan and China and the United States about basketball."

China makes up the biggest audience for the service, comprising about 25 percent of the site's members, followed by Turkey at 7.1 percent and India, Brazil, Egypt and the United States. Taiwan is No.7 on the list at 2.2 percent.

John Hayden, who taught English in Japan and decided students advanced faster armed with cultural, as well as language fluency, started the company 10 years ago.

At first actors were used to stage conversations. But about three years ago he got the idea to tap into the Asian interest in basketball by inviting players to participate in an impromptu lesson, explaining a basketball term and engaging in a chat, which is accompanied by sub-titles on the screen.

NBA players including All-Stars Dwight Howard, of the Orlando Magic, and the New York Nicks' Carmelo Anthony, and Shane Battier, of the Miami Heat, and Al Horford of the Atlanta Hawks have participated along with singer Sheryl Crow, DJ Girl Talk, and rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

"A lot of players just perk up at the mention of China because they do interviews every day at media sessions during the season, but they don't get a lot of chances to speak directly to the fans in China," said Simms, who catches players at practice when their teams are in Portland to play the Trail Blazers.

"A lot of these players do tours and promotional events in China in the summer, but during the season they are mostly speaking to the American audience. This gives them a chance to reach out internationally."

The strategy seems to be a hit with teachers and students. The website receives lots of emails and comments, according to Simms.

"People say, 'Thank you for teaching us the real English. This is awesome. To know what this stuff means, I feel more confident I can talk like a real basketball fan,'" he explained.

"Sometimes we get stuff from teachers saying, 'I brought this video into the class and they really liked it.' As an educational outlet, our goal is to be complementary to a classroom experience." - Reuters

source: gmanetwork.com

1st same-sex couples wed at Empire State Building

NEW YORK (AP) — Two women who met as college students and two men who met at a nightclub 18 years ago became the first same-sex couples Tuesday to be married at the Empire State Building after winning a contest for Valentine's Day weddings at the New York City landmark.

"I cannot wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Stephanie Figarelle told Lela McArthur as they exchanged rings in a ceremony at the iconic skyscraper.

"I will always love you forever, with every beat of my heart," said McArthur, who is taking her partner's name.

Figarelle and McArthur, of Alaska, were among four couples who won an online contest for a Valentine's Day wedding at the Empire State Building designed by event planner Colin Cowie.

After the ceremonies in a 61st-floor area that is rented out for parties, the couples posed for photos on the 86th-floor observation deck.

Figarelle, 29, and McArthur, 24, met in an anatomy class at the University of Alaska Anchorage. Celia Milton, the interfaith minister who married them, said that Figarelle invited McArthur out to see a drag show and McArthur thought she meant a drag race.

"Needless to say she was quite surprised," Milton said.

The two work as personal trainers in Anchorage and are finishing their degrees.

Figarelle was married in a black tuxedo while McArthur wore a strapless white gown with a train.

Figarelle said she hopes the couple's home state of Alaska will legalize same-sex marriage, which became legal in New York last year.

"Equality's a beautiful thing," she said. "Love is a beautiful thing. We don't have enough of it in this world."

New Yorkers Phil Fung and Shawn Klein walked up the aisle to the strains of the Michael Bolton song "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." The men wore matching brown suits and checkered ties.

They met 18 years ago at the Roxy, a popular Manhattan nightclub that has since closed.

"You can find true love on the dance floor. It can happen," said Klein, 51, who works in procurement at New York Presbyterian Hospital while Fung, 49, works in the technology department of a financial firm.

The decor for the women's nuptials was "winter wonderland," said Cowie, the host of a wedding planning show on Lifetime TV. The flowers were white, and crystals dripped from a white tree.

The men were married under a jungle-inspired arbor draped with banana leaves and tangerine-colored flowers.

The other two couples were heterosexual: Angela Vega and Lubin Masibay of San Francisco and Paula Cubero and Enrique Catter of Greenwich, Connecticut.

source: philstar.com