Listen to a successful writer talk about how he got started and what his life as a novelist has been like? Listen.

How often do you have the opportunity to listen to a successful writer talk about how he got started and what his life as a novelist has been like?   Click here to listen:  writer-podcast-9-25-08

Having A College Degree Makes you Richer

The latest Census data shows that people who have a college degree earn 67% more than those with only a high school diploma.  People with Masters Degrees earn 20% more than those who have Bachelors Degrees.

A television camera man / videographer talks about his vocation

A television camera man / videographer talks about his vocation

Click here to listen:  tv-videographer-9-24-08

Everybody wants to be a television news reporter. Listen to the real deal and learn how she became a television celebrity.

Everybody wants to be a television news reporter.  Listen to the real deal and learn how she became a television celebrity.  Click here to listen:  news-reporter-podcast-9-23-08

Financial Aid for College May Become Easier to Receive

Anyone who has applied for federal financial aid knows gathering information and filling out forms is a complicated process. One estimate in 2004 suggested that 1.5 million college students who were eligible for financial aid did not even apply for it. Countless others don’t go to college, believing they cannot afford it.
Federal financial aid has helped millions of Americans attend college in the past 50 years. But Michael McPherson, co-chairman of the study group and president of the Spencer Foundation, which aims to improve education through research and training, said the system was designed for the 20th century and needs to be updated.
“We need to get the message to low- and middle-income people that they are going to be able to afford to go to college,” he said. “We need a student-aid system that is simple and clear and puts the money into the hands of the people that need it.”
THE PROJECT: · The study group, whose sponsors also include the College Board and the Lumina Foundation for Education, was comprised of 22 higher education leaders, economic researchers and public policy experts who worked for two years devising recommendations. It presented its findings Thursday in a national conference call and Web-based seminar.
THE RECOMMENDATIONS: · Eliminate the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, replacing it with a system that would require the Internal Revenue Service to share data with the Department of Education as it determined who should be eligible for Pell Grant funds. Allow the federal education department to share that eligibility data with states, schools and other organizations that also offer need-based aid.
Also, make the Pell Grant the sole grant mechanism for needy students. Tie annual increases in the Pell Grant’s maximum award to the Consumer Price Index.

Do you like to help people with their problems? Listen to a Social Worker talk about her work.

Do you like to help people with their problems?  Listen to a Social Worker talk about her work.

Click here to listen: careerfair072108pmsocialworker

An EMT, Paramedic, Firefighter talks about his career

An EMT, Paramedic, Firefighter talks about his career.  Click here to listen:  careerfair072108pm-emtfirefighter

Listen to a Florida Librarian talk about Her career, education and daily work

Listen to a Florida Librarian talk about Her career, education and daily work

Click here to listen: careerfair072108librarian

College Board Resources

Dear Parent,

You and your child can use the junior year to lay the groundwork for

a successful college application season next year. In this issue,

learn more about standardized testing and college loans. Find out

how your child can explore career options and become a better writer.

WRITING SKILLS PAY LIFELONG DIVIDENDS

You’ve heard it before: writing skills are crucial for success in the

classroom and the work world. That’s why the SAT(R) made a commitment

to writing with the new test in 2005. Now, after 110 colleges completed

independent studies on the new test, we have the results: the new SAT

test works even better than the old test, and the writing section

works best of all in predicting college success across all groups

and ethnicities.

It’s never too late to learn how to write well. In fact, writing

is a skill that improves rapidly with consistent practice. And believe

it or not, teens are writing more than ever. In instant messages and

text messages, they’re rediscovering the pleasure and power of the

written word. The trick is to help them transfer that appreciation

to academic writing.

How can you help? Encourage your child to read widely and often, and

be open to discussions about the reading. Encourage journaling, blogging,

joining book groups, and participating in the school newspaper or

literary magazine.

Keys to effective writing

http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/9806704.1696.0.1069

Timed writing — techniques for success

http://click.collegeboard.com:8080/9806704.1696.0.1070