Education News

The report finds "equal parts meritocracy and mediocrity" in a national educational system that has become "increasingly risk-averse, frequently self-satisfied, and unduly expensive."

American children, the United States’ economy and our society can greatly
benefit from improved and expanded early childhood education programs.

"Students can get a valuable head start on college by taking more
challenging high school courses. Helping these students cover the
costs of college will pay off big in the future," pointed out State
Superintendent Linda McCulloch.

“This award allows us to help ensure that students, no matter what their economic background, get the education they need to get them on the road to successful careers in health care with less loan debt that needs to be repaid,”

Although Montana students graduate high school at a high percentage, the majority do not move on to higher education. On average, of a group of 100 Montana ninth graders, 36 will be immediately lost in the transition from high school to college, 58 will never go to college and 26 who enroll in college will not finish. Only 16 of 100 Montana ninth graders will go on to graduate from college, one of the lowest rates nationally.

"There are many organizations and hundreds of people working to help Montana students succeed in higher education," Chapman said. "The support and information is out there, and we’re working to help students and parents navigate the road to success in higher education."

Montana Higher Education Student Assistance Corporation (MHESAC) recently announced that it will offer a zero-fee, federal Stafford loan product for Montana students for the upcoming 2006-2007 academic year beginning July 1, 2006.

Maine’s laptop program dates back six years to when former Gov. Angus King announced plans to put a laptop in the hands of every public middle school teacher and student in the state. A year later the Legislature committed $37 million for a four-year program that has become an international model and enjoys broad support in Maine.

They want the program to help young people to discover the natural wonders of Montana in a hands-on way. "We want to encourage kids to take science and math at younger ages and keep them interested," she said. "If they’re interested when they’re younger, they’ll usually keep on going, and that perks their interest and they want to study more."

The program is for use by teachers in middle and high schools statewide.