Get Wall Street Out of the Education Business

Posted on August 15, 2011 by c2educate

McGraw-Hill, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, and Pearson are the three largest K-12 textbook manufacturers in the country. The K-12 textbook industry rakes in upwards of $4.5 billion per year, and this rather large pie is split among just three players.

Early this month, Standard & Poor’s downgraded the U.S. debt, wreaking havoc on international markets. Unbeknownst to the average citizen, S&P’s reach has gone far beyond the financial markets and extended into the American classroom.

S&P, a name commonly associated with finances and markets, is in fact owned by a company called McGraw-Hill, a name you’ve probably seen printed on the spines of your child’s textbooks. McGraw-Hill is one of a small handful of large corporations and organizations which form an oligarchy controlling nearly every facet of your child’s education. Continue reading →

"Not in My Backyard": The Hypocrisy of Education Reform

Posted on August 8, 2011 by c2educate

In the realm of education reform, even the most vocal proponents exercise a “not in my backyard” mentality.

America has been shaped by reform: From the Suffrage Movement to the Labor Movement to the Civil Rights Movement, our daily lives have been impacted by constant change. Today, reform movements center on issues such as environmental reform, energy reform, and – most important of all – education reform. And yet, for a country built on the idea of change, our modern reform movements are amazingly hypocritical. Continue reading →

Skepticism and Education: Why Grade Inflation Places Your Child at Risk

Posted on July 26, 2011 by c2educate

At first, grade inflation was positively received by critics. But now the truth is coming out...

The rich always strive to get richer, and the NFL lockout is another perfect example of this: The super-wealthy team owners have opted to end their agreement with the players, citing “unfair” financial burdens as their reason. The disagreement essentially stems from the fact that the owners claim that their financial risks ought to be rewarded by a greater share of the league’s $9 billion annual profits; the players have expressed skepticism regarding these financial burdens, doubts which have only been solidified by the fact that the owners have repeatedly refused to open their books for inspection. Though the players’ doubts may well cost them the 2011 season, the owners are relatively unconcerned – after all, they stand to make a $4 billion profit even if there isn’t a single game played.

We should all take a lesson from the football players of the NFL because a healthy dose of skepticism can be excellent armor against the unfair maneuvering of those in power. And no one has a greater right to skepticism than the modern American parent. Continue reading →

The Amazing Power of Cheese

Posted on July 12, 2011 by c2educate

Find the "Cheese" that interests you!

This week we would like to take you along on a trip across the internet. We have all experienced “wiki-wandering” of one form or another: When what was supposed to have been a quick fact-check on Wikipedia becomes an hour-long journey through history and science. We experienced a rather prolonged and highly illuminating bout of “wiki-wandering” this week – and it all began with some cheese.

While wandering the local organic grocery store, I couldn’t help but be amazed by their enormous selection of cheeses. I am generally more accustomed to the Kraft singles and shredded taco cheese offered by most supermarkets, so the sight of table after table of carefully wrapped and artistically displayed artisanal cheeses was a bit overwhelming. And then there was the smell – the earthy and somewhat nutty aromas wafting over an underlying scent of, well, mold. Continue reading →

The C2 Education Program WORKS!

Posted on July 11, 2011 by c2educate

The C2 Program WORKS!

Scores from the June 2011 SAT:

Perfect Score
Avinash S. (Edison, NJ): Chem 800, Math IIC 800
Devansh G. (Edison, NJ): Chem 800, Math IIC 800
Nikta D. (Edison, NJ): Chem 800
Ria S. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 800
Varun G. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 800
Max G. (Coppell, TX): Math IIC 800, Chem 750, 34 on ACT
Harrison C. (Plainview, NY): Biology 800, U.S. History 800
Brian K. (Northridge, CA): Biology 800

Above 750
Aakash A. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 790. Chem 790
Annie K. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 780
Eric K. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 760
Maalin D. (Edison, NJ): Chem 780
Saurin S. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 760
Sissharth N. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 750
Vinvent S. (Edison, NJ): Math IIC 760
Gilbert G. (Northridge, CA): SAT 2370
Nicole K. (Northridge, CA): Biology 750
Megan P.(Northridge, CA): U.S. History 780

College Admissions: Creating Your Own Bieber Fever

Posted on June 28, 2011 by c2educate

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3FmQ3_aZYk]

As any American teenage girl could tell you, Justin Bieber was discovered on YouTube. When his mother first began posting internet videos of her young, talented son, she probably didn’t envision hordes of screaming females shouting his name just a few years later. Read on to discover how your child can recreate Bieber fever by utilizing the power of the internet as a tool for college admissions. Continue reading →

The College Admissions Finish Line: Senioritis and Last Minute Decisions

Posted on June 6, 2011 by c2educate

Is your child suffering from "Senioritis"?

As summer begins the college admissions season winds to a close – but not for everyone. Many students have yet to reach a final decision regarding their college destination – whether because of wait lists, rejection letters, or last minute planning. For those who are still uncertain about where they will be come September, C2 has some advice! Continue reading →

The Upgrade: An Impressive Degree for Half the Price

Posted on June 6, 2011 by c2educate

Is the price of college worth it?

It has long been accepted that a college degree results in higher earnings, better job prospects, and higher rates of success. But with unemployment rates hovering around 9% and a painfully slow economic recovery, even as college tuitions reach record high rates, is college still worth the price? A recent Pew study shows that Americans are beginning to question the value of a college degree:

75% believe that a college education has become too expensive for most people to afford
48% of college graduates say that paying back student loans makes it more difficult to pay their bills
Among adults aged 18 to 34 who are not in school and do not hold a college degree, 2/3 say that their main reason for not going to college was financial Continue reading →

Obfuscation: Deciphering Your Child’s Report Card.

Posted on May 31, 2011 by c2educate

Is your child's report card a true academic assessment?

The media offers an expert opinion for everything, from how to balance the budget to how to reform our schools. But what, if anything, do these experts really offer? They speak on hollow talking points while failing to add any useful insight to our national debates. To make matters worse, these so-called experts offer so-called solutions which require that we experiment with the well-being of future generations.

In the field of education, the favorite expert solution seems to be standardized testing. At this point, our students can probably fill in multiple choice bubbles in their sleep, yet our education system has failed to improve significantly – even after years of standardized tests. Clearly, test scores are not the answer to education reform – nor are they a good way of measuring the quality of your child’s education. Continue reading →

Great Teachers: Confucious, Ghandi, Buddha, Jesus Christ, Einstein…You

Posted on May 9, 2011 by c2educate

Who will fill this empty chair?

“I don’t think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday.” ~Abraham Lincoln

Life is a learning experience – or at least it should be. Each and every day we meet new people, share new experiences, and learn new things about ourselves and the world around us. Those who are inquisitive and curious are constantly seeking new knowledge and, we can hope, sharing their knowledge with the people around them. Continue reading →

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