News Links | September 4, 2014

SYSTEM NEWS | OPINIONS

Renton Tech, Olympic College make top-10 list Two Washington community colleges — Renton Technical College and Olympic College in Bremerton — have been named among the top 10 two-year colleges in the nation, and will compete for $1 million in prize money. ... Two years ago, Walla Walla Community College shared Aspen’s top prize with Santa Barbara City College. Washington’s community college network is considered by many researchers to be one of the top-achieving systems in the country. The Seattle Times, September 4, 2014 Clark College Foundation honored Clark College Foundation has been chosen as the sole finalist for the Excellence in Collaboration Award from the Nonprofit Network Southwest Washington. NNSW usually names more than one organization per award category, but Clark's project stood above the other entries. The Columbian, September 4, 2014 CPTC: Nursing students receive their pins Clover Park Technical College’s Nursing Program celebrated the completion of 25 Registered Nurses and 42 Licensed Practical Nurses at formal pinning ceremonies at the end of Summer Quarter. Twenty-three RN graduates were present to receive their pins at the McGavick Student Center Aug. 29. The Suburban Times, September 3, 2014 CPTC: Teaching excellence by a nationally recognized instructor Maureen Sparks’ career as a pharmacy technician started at Clover Park Technical College. Soon after completing the Pharmacy Technician Program Sparks returned to CPTC as an instructor, where she has been for nearly 19 years. Sparks is also a certified sterile compounding technician. The Suburban Times, September 3, 2014

TRENDS| HORIZONS | EDUCATION

Higher GPA for Freshmen Who Frequent Campus Gym First-year college students who regularly visit the campus gym are likely to have higher grade point averages than those who don't. Inside Higher Ed, September 4, 2014 How Much Student-Loan Debt Is Too Much? The Chronicle asked students, recent graduates, parents, and experts a simple question: What is the most you should borrow for a bachelor's degree? The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 3, 2014 U.S. Approval for Wisconsin Competency-Based Program The U.S. Department of Education last week granted approval to a self-paced, competency-based program from two institutions in the University of Wisconsin System, the system announced Tuesday. The associate of arts and science degree track is a form of competency-based education called direct assessment, which does not rely on the credit-hour standard. The University of Wisconsin Colleges and Extension programs are offering the degree. It's part of the system's broader competency-based offerings, which are dubbed the UW Flexible Option. Inside Higher Ed, September 3, 2014 4,000 apply at ASU for Starbucks plan Arizona State University President Michael Crow told faculty this week that "just under" 4,000 Starbucks employees have applied to begin an online program aimed at getting them to finish their college degrees. University officials are still reviewing academic transcripts and applications for the online program that begins Oct. 15. Starbucks spokeswoman Lauren Harper said the company will have a better idea in mid-September of how many will be admitted for the first semester. Arizona Republic, September 3, 2014 Your 3 Worst Classroom Distractions (and How to Deal With Them) Last week we asked you to name your most-hated classroom distraction—the nuisance that mars your lecture or class discussion beyond recognition. You did not disappoint. The following list—taken from more than 100 comments on the article and on Facebook, and sorted by the frequency with which you mentioned each nuisance—is not scientific. But it might put your madhouse of a classroom in perspective and give you some new solutions for these recurring problems. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 3, 2014

POLITICS | LOCAL, STATE, NATIONAL

Court hears arguments in McCleary school-funding case Justices from the state’s top court sharply questioned an attorney representing the Legislature on Wednesday over why lawmakers shouldn’t be held in contempt for not providing a plan to adequately fund Washington’s public schools. In a 50-minute session inside the Temple of Justice in Olympia, the nine justices of the state Supreme Court repeatedly asked why they should believe the Legislature’s promise that it will make more progress in the 2015 budget session than it has in all other sessions since the court’s 2012 landmark school-funding decision. The Seattle Times, September 3, 2014 Blaming the Victims? Since President Obama announced his college ratings plan more than a year ago, many higher education groups here have mounted the political equivalent of a full-court press against the proposal: They’ve lobbied the administration directly, publicly criticized it, and won allies in Congress from both parties, some of whom are now plotting ways to legislatively block the ratings. But on Tuesday it was another part of higher education pushing back against the ratings proposal on Capitol Hill: academic researchers who study minority students. Inside Higher Ed, September 3, 2014 Education Dept. Seeks Input on Income-Based Repayment The U.S. Department of Education will gather a panel of higher education stakeholders early next year to write the regulations needed to carry out President Obama’s orders to expand his federal income-based repayment program for student loans. Inside Higher Ed, September 3, 2014 Lawmakers expect heat from Supreme Court over school funding Washington lawmakers didn't give the Supreme Court what it asked for this year — a detailed plan for how they intend to fully fund public schools. Now, on Wednesday, their lawyers will be in front of the justices urging them to be patient with the politicians and not punish them. Everett Herald, September 2, 2014 Education Dept. Tells Ratings Skeptics Their Concerns Are Valid A key Education Department official said on Tuesday that she shared education researchers’ concerns about the potential unintended consequences of a federal college-ratings system. Responding to several studies presented at a Congressional briefing she attended, the official, Deputy Under Secretary Jamienne S. Studley, said the researchers had raised "very appropriate" questions about the risk that college ratings could inadvertently harm minority students and the institutions that serve them. The Chronicle of Higher Education, September 2, 2014