HIGHER EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY

With the national unemployment rate ate 9.8 percent and over 15 million Americans out of work, students about to leave high school are wondering if they will be able to get jobs that will allow them to move up the income ladder. For many of these students their best bet is to enter programs at their local community college, says Manhattan Institute fellow Furchgott-Roth

For example, according to a new study from the Pew Charitable Trust:

  • Getting a two-year associate degree or a credential in a health care field such as nursing, medical imaging, or physical therapy is doable for low-performing high school students and offers them high starting salaries alongside excellent advancement opportunities.
  • The 1,200 community colleges in America now enroll 11.5 million students, according to the American Association of Community Colleges, or 46 percent of all undergraduates and 41 percent of first-time freshmen.
  • Community colleges offer a wide range of career-enhancing and academic courses at bargain prices which average $2,400 a year.

Examining 84,000 students in Florida over the period 1996 to 2007, and using other individual data on education and earnings, the researchers found:

  • Students with health-related concentrations earned by far the highest median salaries among all fields: $46,000 initially and $60,000 after seven years
  • Students who earn As and Bs have higher earnings not only because they are more likely to complete their college degrees, but because they choose courses in high-return fields.
  • Only 25 percent of C students gain credentials in these fields, compared to 40 percent of A and B students.

    • This suggests that with better information and support C students could identify high-return programs that they could complete, in fields that would be of interest to them.

What can be done to empower more students — especially those with poor high school records — to enter high-return fields, asked Furchgott-Roth?

  • Improve the academic preparation of entering students, so that they are capable of completing tougher courses of study.
  • Give students more career counseling, so that they know what courses are suitable to their mix of skills, what courses they are likely to complete, and what courses will lead to good incomes when they enter the job market.
  • Make sure that students know what financial assistance is available, and how to get it.
  • Increase incentives for community colleges to provide career counseling and support services.

Source: Diana Furchgott-Roth, “Higher Education and Economic Mobility.”  RealClearMarkets.com, October 22, 2009.

Oct 24, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Please Read!!

This is true – check it out:
> > http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/h/hand-sanitizer.htm
> >
> > Yesterday, my youngest daughter, Halle who is just 4 years old, was rushed
> > to the ER by her father for being severely lethargic and incoherent
> > in her classroom. He was called to her school by the school secretary
> > who said that she was ‘VERY VERY SICK’!
> >
> > He told me that when he arrived at her classroom, Halle was barely sitting
> > in the chair. She couldn’t hold her own head up and when he looked into
> > her eyes, she couldn’t focus them.
> >
> > He immediately scooped her up and rushed her to the closest ER, and then
> > called me. When he got there, they ran blood test after blood test and did
> > x-rays, every test imaginable. Her white blood cell count was normal,
> > nothing was out of the ordinary. When I arrived at the ER, the doctor
> > there told us that he had done everything that he could do so he was
> > transferring her to Saint Francis Hospital for further tests.
> >
> > Right as we were leaving in the ambulance, her teacher arrived at the ER
> > and told us that after questioning Halle’s classmates, she had found out
> > that our little girl had licked liquid hand sanitizer off of her hands !!!
> >
> > Hand sanitizer, of all things. But it makes sense. These days they have
> > all kinds of different scents and flavors and when you have a curious
> > child, they are going to put all kinds of things into their mouths.
> >
> > When we arrived at the Saint Francis’ Hospital ER, we told the ER Doctor
> > there to check her blood alcohol level, and yes we did get weird looks,
> > but they did it.
> >
> > The results showed her blood alcohol level was 85% six hours after we
> > first took her.. There’s no telling what it would have been if we would
> > have requested it at the first ER. Since then, her school and a few
> > surrounding schools have taken the liquid hand sanitizers out of all the
> > lower grade classes, but what’s to stop middle and high schoolers from
> > ingesting this stuff?
> >
> > After doing research on the Internet, we found out that it only takes
> > about 3 squirts of the stuff ingested to be fatal to a toddler.
> >
> > For her blood alcohol level to be so high, it would be like someone her
> > size drinking120 proof liquor. So PLEASE PLEASE don’t disregard this
> > because we don’t ever want another family to go through what ours has gone
> > through.
> >
> > Please send this to everyone you know that have children, grandchildren,
> > nieces, nephews or cousins.
> > It doesn’t matter what age. This could affect anyone of them .
> >
> > This can also be verified on truth or fiction…
> > http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/h/hand-sanitizer.htm
> >
> > This story was verified at:
> > http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/sanitizer.asp
> > This is not a Joke! This is a Warning for all parents/grandparents PLEASE
> > OPEN !!!

Sep 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

I Am responsible

"I am responsible. Although I may not be able to prevent the worst from happening, I am responsible for my attitude toward the inevitable misfortunes that darken life. Bad things do happen; how I respond to them defines my character and the quality of my life. I can choose to sit in perpetual sadness, immobilized by the gravity of my loss, or I can choose to rise from the pain and treasure the most precious gift I have – life itself."

Walter Anderson
Author of The Confidence Course: Seven Steps to Self-Fulfillment

Sep 15, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Who Are We to Trust?

I think in these times, the anniversary of 9/11, with all the lying going on in Congress about spending all of our money we don’t have and such, I thought this really hits home:

The politicians keep saying, "trust me, trust me". Most of the time you know darn well they’re lying. Well who are we to trust? There’s only One:
 
"Trust in Him at all times, O people; Pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us." Psalm 62:8 (NAS)

George

Sep 11, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

A little Religious Levity

The Superior Bible Salesman

A pastor concluded that his church was getting into very serious financial troubles. While checking the church storeroom, he discovered several boxes of new Bibles that had never been opened and distributed.
At his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church.
Jack, Paul, and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task. The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned their living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some Bibles, but he had serious doubts about Louie, a local farmer who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment.
Poor Louis stuttered badly, but not wanting to discourage Louis, the minister decided to let him try anyway. He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with Bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, "Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our Bibles last week?"
Proudly handing the reverend an envelope, Jack replied, "Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here’s the $200 I collected on behalf of the church."
"Fine job, Jack!" The minister said, shaking his hand. "You are indeed a fine salesman and the church is indebted to you."
Turning to Paul the pastor said, "Paul, how many Bibles did you sell for the church last week?"
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, "I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 Bibles on behalf of the church and $280 I collected."
The minister responded, "That’s absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is indebted to you."
Apprehensively, the minister said to Louie, "Louie, did you manage to sell any Bibles this week?"
Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The minister opened it and counted the contents.
"What is this?" the minister exclaimed. "Louie, there’s $3200 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold 320 bibles for the church, door-to-door, in just one week?"
Louie just nodded.
"That’s impossible!" both Jack and Paul said in unison. "We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could."
"Yes, this does seem unlikely," the minister agreed. "I think you’d better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie."
Louie shrugged. "I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don’t kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure," he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted "For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!"
"A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was," Louis replied, "W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible F-f-for t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks —o-o-o-or— wo-wo-would yo-you
j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you??"

Sep 01, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

God’s Chisel

This is one of the best, insightful videos I have seen in quite a while. Enjoy, and pass it on if you have a mind to.

George

Aug 31, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Find Your Way Back to Jesus

"My people have been lost sheep; their shepherds have led them astray and caused them to roam on the mountains. They wandered over mountain and hill and forgot their own resting place." Jeremiah 50:6 (NIV)

I don’t know about you, but to me, this sounds like what’s happening in our country.  Our shepherds are leading us astray.  We are told to believe this or that and hardly any of the rhetoric sounds like what our Father teaches us.  When will we find our way back?  When we start living like the good people Jesus knows us to be.  We know the way – we just have to stop following the trails to Hell and start looking for it again.  Help someone else who might not know the way.

George

Aug 12, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

My Daughter

Here’s my Daughter singing.

http://www.screencast.com/t/nF3H5nvor

George

Aug 10, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Who Loves Us, Each and Every One of Us?

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
Luke 12:6-7
New International Version

We don’t have to be afraid; God knows each one of us personally. We are known and loved by the One who is and was and is to come!

George

Aug 10, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post

Learning to Give

Encouragement for Today
Welcome to Encouragement for Today, a free devotional from Crosswalk

"Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NIV)

Learning to Give

Curt and Marybeth Whalen (a shortened version)

Giving God our tithe is an expression of love. We give God the first of what shows up in our checking account to acknowledge that He loved us first. We worship Him with our gift because God gave us the ultimate gift: His life, dying a brutal death on a cross to save us from the horrors and consequences of sin.   We, like God who sacrificed His Son, give to demonstrate love. 

When we began consistently giving it was hard, painful, and even scary to develop the habit. But year after year, month after month, we stayed committed. And now, I can tell you that nothing is more meaningful to us than to write God that tithe check.   
My encouragement to you if you don’t currently give is to simply begin. Don’t be overwhelmed with what you don’t do, should do, or have to do.  Just start small. Take something to church this Sunday and experience the joy of worshiping God with your money. Challenge yourself to be consistent and to increase what you give. Ask God for help and share the joy of giving with your children. Pray over your gift before you leave for church, sharing with your kids your "thanks" for the many blessings that God has filled your life with — the roof over your head, the clothes on your back, the food on your table, and His love in your hearts.

Aug 07, 2009 | 0 comments | View Post
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