\”Education is the power to think clearly, the power to act well in the world\’s work, and the power to appreciate life.\” – Brigham Young

I know, I know, I previously stated earlier that I was interested in mostly researching topics about ESL and Adult Literacy but when looking through my Google Reader this afternoon, I found an article I just couldn’t pass up ..

With tuition rates being as high as they are this day, I can almost guarantee that you have had a friend or loved one, maybe even yourself, have had seriously financial worries about finding money for college and/or keeping up with the increasing tuition rates.  Maybe you considered not even attending school because of ’off the charts’ tuition rates? Ring a bell?  ‘Almost 10,000 Signed Up For Scholarships’ by The Associate Press sheds light, and maybe even proposes ideas that will save future college students stress about paying for school. 

Recently, almost 10,000 Wisconsin 9th graders signed a pledge that will guarantee them a spot in aWisconsin college, if they can successfully meet certain requirements during their high-school career. So far, 10,000 out of 75,000 have singed the pledge while promising to do the following: earn a b average, take courses to prepare for college, stay out of trouble and perform community service work. Not sounding shabby so far, yeah?

However, this plan to get more students into Wisconsin colleges has propsed some financial challenges and has drawn much criticism from Republicans who agree that just because students sign the pledge, doesn’t guarantee a college education for every student…

‘This is like sending in two box tops and you’ll get a paper that makes you feel good,” said Senate Minority Leader Scot Fitzgerald, R-Junearu. “It’s snake oil, that’s what this is.”

As of now, this proposal has not received legislative approvalAnother point is that even if this bill is passed it won’t promise students seats at the U of W Madison, but it will guarantee that students will be accepted in a Wisconsin college. The other twist: won’t provide any more financial aide than a student who has not signed the petition.

“The problem is the expectations that are being raised right now are incredible” -
 The Associate Press

So far, with the deadline approaching in less than week again, you can find 10,000 out of 75,000 9th grade names on this pledge …

When I think back on my high-school career, all the times when I was discouraged about college, and graduate along with all the other emotions that tag along with those momentous times come to mind. How awesome it would have been to have that extra motivation when school seemed like a never ending rough patch! What a brilliant sense of accountability for students entering High-School.  Raising standards for high-schools seems to be another bonus of having students sign the petition.  If passed at the legislative level, I think this could be a good solution to keep students on the one-way track to college!

http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/09/14/04apwisc_web.h27.html