Spring 2000 Newsletter
Vol. 6 No. 2

University of Akron P-16 Council Steering Committee to Focus on College Access and Retention

That there is a need to align high school student outcomes and college expectations is without question.  Some have suggested that the way to do this is to increase admission standards.  This situation presents somewhat of a problem for The University of Akron as an open access institution.  However, if we hope to maintain or increase our own standards, it is vital that we continue to have an open dialogue on this topic, which remains an issue of debate on the local, state and national levels.

Honor Students Making an Impact

• UA Honor Student K-3 Reading Initiative trained 30 volunteers recently for participation in spring semester.  Assessment results for spring and fall 1999 consistently demonstrated improvement in comprehension scores of the children involved.
• OhioReads Grants awarded to P-16 Council in conjunction with The College of Education.
• Summer Honors Institute for Gifted and Talented Students scheduled for June 16- July 7, 2000.

Relationship for Family Involvement in Education Focuses on College

Building on the success of Read,Write and Now, the Partnership for Family Involvement in Education recently incorporated another substantive focus: helping parents and their children even before high school understand what it takes to go to college and the financial resources available that can make college possible.

Fannie Brown Joins P-16 Council Steering Committee as Community Representative

Fannie Brown is the Executive Director of the Coming Together Project and a Board Member for the Summit Education Initiative.  She is a graduate of The University of Akron with a masters in Technical Education and a doctorate in Secondary Education.  Dr. Brown was recently one of six in the nation to receive the Gimbel Child and Family Award.

OhioReads Grants Secured

$40,000 in OhioReads grant funds have been secured under the auspices of the P-16 Council.  These funds will provide for extra reading help for grades K-3.  University honor students will serve as reading volunteers in the current six sites (Crosby, Crouse, Portage Path, and Hotchkiss Elementary Schools, The Akron Community Center and Urban League, and The UA Center for Child Development).  Interest and enthusiasm from honor students across campus has been outstanding.  Majors include students from Education, Engineering, Pre-Med, etc. A parental involvement component is also included, consisting of education and training.  Pre- and post assessment data is also being collected. The current grant period goes through March 2001.  In an effort to continue program funding beyond 2001, federal funding is now being sought.

Upcoming Events

3/1-3/3
Speaker: Richard Miller, Ph.D. Rutgers University
Topic: “As if Learning Mattered: Reforming Higher Education”

3/1
Speaker: Diane Ebert-May
“The Inquiry Nature of Learning Science and Mathematics. The School University Continuum”
4-6 p.m., 235 Zook Hall

3/15-3/16
Summit Education Initiative/ University of Akron Joint Statewide Conference,
“The Role Of Academic Standards: Scaling Up and Closing the Achievement Gap”
U of A Gardner Student Center

3/29-3/30
Speaker: Joseph Kincheloe, Ed.D.
Penn State University
Topic: “American Standards”

4/9
Summit Education Initiative’s
"Celebrate the Stars: Partners in Education”
Fairlawn Hilton West
R.S.V.P. by Thursday, 4/2  

4/20
Akron-Summit P-16 Council Steering Committee Meeting

6/16-7/7
Summer Honors Institute for Gifted Students

9/2000
P-16 School-University Campus

5/2000
Dialogue Sessions

The Book Shelf

Gaither, G. H. (1999). Promising practices in recruitment, remediation, and retention. New Directions in Higher Education, 108. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Inc.

Miller, R. (1998). As if learning mattered: reforming higher education.

Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press.

Timpane, P.M. & White, L.S. (1998).  Higher education and school reform.  San Francisco, CA: Jossey Bass, Inc.

Huba, M.E. & Freed, J.E. (2000). Learning centered assessment on college campuses: shifting the focus from teaching to learning. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.