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College tuition is one of the biggest expenses many families will face. In addition to uncertainty over whether the school will work out for the student, families now have to worry whether economic uncertainty will upset their financing plans.

Tuition insurance is one way to cope with that uncertainty. A college tuition insurance plan can reimburse a family for 75 percent of a tuition payment if a family member is laid off, or if the student faces academic dismissal during a term.

The policies have been offered for many years but not all schools are covered. USA Today has published an indepth report here. It reveals that only 180 private colleges offer insurance through the leading company, A.W.G. Dewar. However, a new company has entered the business and it is able to provide coverage for a large number of colleges where families could not get insurance until now.

The Obama administration has taken a full year to formulate its education strategy and teachers believe it was worth the wait. The cornerstone of the changes will be to remove the focus on test scores that was central to the “No Child Left Behind” policy.

Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association, says the new policy will “focus on the student and not some arbitrary, high-stakes test score. As if you could reduce a student to a test score. You can’t.”

Under the current “No Child Left Behind” law, federal education policy will deny funding to schools that do not meet benchmarks for the number of students passing state-mandated tests, known as the AYP. Educators complained that the policy required a “teaching to the test” mentality. It also penalized school districts that had a disproprionate number of low-scoring students. In some states, the number of schools failing to meet the AYP standard was over 20 percent.

The new policies are not yet established. The Education Department is circulating its ideas and will need to get Congressional approval before the changes become law.

We’ve been slow at posting lately because we’ve been hard at work on a new project.

We’ve just launched the Cloud Computing Data Center. It is a series of web pages that provides learning resources on one of the most promising new areas within technology, cloud computing.

You’ll find educational resources on all of the most important technologies within this new area, including “software as a service” and “cloud computing hosting.”

We look forward to hearing your comments so we can continue to work on this project and improve it.

250,000 educators would be out of work today, if it were not for the federal stimulus bill. At least, that is the conclusion of the White House and the Department of Education.

In a report designed to update taxpayers on where the stimulus is going, one of the claims is that more than $100 billion of the $787 billion in stimulus funds Congress approved will be allocated to education-related fields.

The report acknowledges that not all threatened jobs were saved: “Recovery Act funding has enabled states to restore nearly all of their projected education budget shortfalls for FY09 and FY10.”

For more, see the Department of Education’s press release.

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Home schooling is enjoying great popularity these days, but it is not new. It can point to many very successful people who were home schooled and today, they have another.

One of the winners of the Noble Prize for Physics was a man who was homeschooled in his younger years, Dr. Willard S. Boyle who is a co-winner of the 2009 Noble Prize for Physics was homeschooled by his mother through the 8th grade. He went on to attend Lower Canada College in Montreal and eventually earned a BS, MS, and a PhD in Physics.

For more, see HomeSchool.com’s story…

For decades, the American educational system raised standards across the board, and students responded, going farther and farther with a steady increase in the number of college diplomas earned. But in the late 1970′s, the growth rates slowed. And in the 1990′s, the trend became flat.

Colleges continue to accept students at the highest rate ever. But students are not finishing at the same high rate. The number of diplomas issued by four-year colleges is now on the decline.

In a new book, “Crossing the Finish Line,” authors William G. Bowen, Matthew M. Chingos, and Michael S. McPherson look as far back as 1876 in documenting a century of gains in “educational attainment” they call “steady and spectacular.” But something clearly changed.

In recent years, only 56 percent of the students entering college in America finish with a diploma. That’s a dismal performance. Compared with the rest of the world, the U.S. ranks second from the bottom in its completion rate.

What happened?

The authors argue there are several reasons, some are financial. Students from low to middle income families tend to leave school earlier. In support, they point to statistics that in states with lower public school tuition, the completion rates are higher than in states charging higher tuition for their public universities.

However, many students are simply not aware of their options. They are choosing schools which are “mismatches” because they don’t believe their grades are good enough or they are not aware that they would be eligible for financial aid. Many students simply choose the closest school or a school where their friends are going. The authors build a case that when students are “mismatched” with their college, they are less likely to finish.

The book seems to have hit a chord. It presents research that confirms what many have long suspected. As Crossedtimber.org writes, “The advice is to go to at least one of the most demanding schools for which you are well qualified.”

Until recently, the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) was considered a prerequisite for anyone planning to attend a competitive college. For decades, high school guidance counselors were adamant: if you want to attend a good college, this test is mandatory.

The ACT (from the American College Testing Inc.; pronounced A-C-T) was introduced in 1959, but for decades, it lagged far behind the dominant SAT. Few knew about it and few colleges accepted students who did not share their SAT scores.

But the reputation of the SAT was damaged in 2006, when a scoring error affected 4,000 students, who received results about 200 points lower than they earned. The SAT had been criticized for years because results the results showed minority groups consistently scored lower.

College admissions officers realized they had a choice and they began to accept both tests.

The number of students taking the ACT has grown rapidly in recent years; up 25 percent in just four years. They are now on equal footing. For the Spring 2009 tests, an equal number of students took the SAT and ACT, about 1.5 million for each test.

Still, many parents are not comfortable with the ACT. They think of the SAT as superior because they grew up with it. Many ambitious students take both, in an effort to cover all the bases.

However, that’s an exhausting exercise. Students will be better off if they decide which test is likely to be best for them, and then put all of their energy into preparing for it.

By taking the test that is best suited to your abilities, you may give yourself an advantage.

Before you make the decision, first learn if the colleges on your list prefer one test over the other. Most colleges make this information easy to obtain. Look for it on the school’s web site (in the admissions section); if you can’t find an answer, don’t be shy. Write or call. Most admissions offices will be happy to answer the questions of a prospective student, and these days, this is a common question.

If you can take either test, decide which test matches your own abilities.

The SAT is heavy on math problem-solving and critical-reading skills. The ACT is broader. The reading section covers natural sciences and the social sciences. For example, on the ACT, you will be exposed to scientific charts; on the SAT, you will not. According to a comparison made by College View, the ACT covers high school math up to trigonometry; the SAT is more limited, covering geometry and algebra II.

How do you decide? Try them for yourself. Practice tests are readily available for both exams. The following books from Princeton Review are virtually identical in their treatment of each test. They allow you to take a practice test and score yourself.

Don’t let the advice of friends relatives make your decision for you. Until you experience each test firsthand, you will not know which test is going to be the best choice for you.

A college education lasts four years. It’s worth spending a couple of hours to determine whether the SAT or ACT is your best choice.

The PSAT (Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test) is coming up in October. Around the country, thousands of juniors are starting to focus on the formal college admissions process. The PSAT can be a daunting experience for many, but it is important. If you can master the PSAT’s, you’ll be in good shape for either SAT or ACT when the time comes.

Princeton Review is offering something that can help students who are looking for help in getting ready. Free PSAT practice tests will be offered at locations around the U.S. from Saturday, Sept. 26 to Saturday to Oct. 3.

According to Princeton Review: “The Getting In workshops will reveal the secrets of the admissions process and provide answers to college-bound teens’ questions about finding, getting into and paying for college. Students will also learn about admissions myths, how to crack the SAT and ACT, and how to maximize their admissions potential.”

Space is limited and reservations are required. To register for either event or learn more, visit PrincetonReview.com/GettingIn or call (800-273-8439).

Most schools are having a difficult time weathering the recession. Public schools are seeing their budgets cut since local governments are collecting less in taxes. And private schools are having a harder time raising money from donors and are losing students who can’t afford tuition.

But a new type of school is finding that money is easy to raise.

Grand Canyon University has been a private Christian college in Phoenix, Arizona since 1942. With the growth of online learning, however, it has been able to expand. Today, about 90 percent of its 27,600 students study online.

Last November, the school sold shares on the stock market and raised $120 million. Now, the school is offering more of its stock and expects to raise another $78 million.

The university is regionally accredited and offers master’s degree programs in business, education, nursing, health sciences and liberal arts.

The number of colleges and universities that are run for profit is growing. American Public Education Inc. also went public last year; it recently reported that it’s profits increased by 52 percent during the recession.

Kaplan is well-known for its tutoring classes and books that are designed to help high school students score higher on standardized tests. Now, Kaplan is taking over the actual teaching of courses at three Florida school districts.

The courses will be offered over the Internet and are being made available to sixth through 12th grade students in Glades and Miami-Dade counties. The Polk county school district will also offer Kaplan classes but only for high schoolers.

The courses are produced by a division of Kaplan called Kaplan Virtual Education and they will include video and audio downloads. Software that displays interactive whiteboards will also be part of the lessons. Teachers are to make themselves available to students via email, instant message or telephone. Kaplan says that the teachers will be certified by the Florida department of education to teach at the appropriate grade level. The courses will count toward standard school course requirements, and it is expected that students who follow the program will be able to graduate with a properly accredited diploma.

The state of Florida is requiring its schools to begin offering online courses, and it is assumed that the schools will treat this as an experiment.

Kaplan, which is owned by the same company that publishes the Washington Post, offers high-school courses through its website at KU High School but students must pay for courses. Prices are $3,295 for diploma program and $395 for a single course. It’s not clear whether any accredited colleges will accept the “diploma” as part of its admissions process.

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