Category Archives: Education

Sep 24 2012
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Education

Paying (a little something extra) for an Education

As long as there has been graded education, there has been cheating. It’s part of human nature. And as long as there has been the internet, cheating has gotten a whole lot easier. But the old days of paying for an essay or a paper? Forget about those. How about paying for an entire class grade?

Many sites across the internet offer many similar options. But how much do they cost? One site quotes prices ranging from $95 for a simple paper up to $695 for graduate level courses. Most other sites don’t list prices, but provide quotes (which have been reported at almost $1,000). The people running these sites justify their actions in a number of ways, but most say its to save time or help students with classes they just can’t grasp (such as accounting and other number-related courses).

While the internet has brought us many wonderful things, including online classes and the ability to study on your own time at your own pace, it has also brought a much darker side. And with reviews of these sites mixed at best and some people are calling them an outright scam, an important question is raised for perspective clients. Would you rather do the work yourself or pay for the class AND the service, wind up failing anyway and having to do it all over again?

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Sep 17 2012
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Education

A Promise for a Better Future

At a time of economic crisis where many children in low-income families are worrying about whether they’ll have food on their table, there’s one thing they don’t have to worry about: paying for a college education. At least that’s how things work for students in the Kalamazoo school district in Kalamazoo, Mich. Anonymous donors started a program called the Kalamazoo Promise in 2006, promising to pay for college for students who grew up in the Kalamazoo school system.

Kalamazoo, like many parts of Michigan, has suffered greatly over the past few decades. Numerous industries have left the area, and things were getting worse with no signs of hope in the near future. Then the “Promise” was made. Parents cried, Children rejoiced. It was a breath of life into a dying city. As expected, there are rules. Full tuition requires being in the Kalamazoo school system from kindergarten, but a sliding scale adjusts as long as a student is enrolled in a Kalamazoo school by their freshman year of high school, 65% of their tuition will be covered.

Of the class of 2006 (the first covered by the Promise), 92% have attended college and about 35% have received their degrees (compared to 63% & 23% nationally). College students aren’t the only ones who benefit, however. The Promise led to an influx of new students into the school system, when led 92 new teachers, upgraded facilities and bonds for new schools. Surrounding areas are even upgrading their education systems just to compete with Kalamazoo.

The New York Times story on the Promise has received a wide variety of reactions and comments, ranging from Promise success stories and similar stories of the benefits of free secondary education to people wondering what the nation would be like if everyone had the same opportunity. In an election year where education budgets are one again being threatened, the Promise is a ray of hope. The real question though, is will other cities follow suit?

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