Seven in 10 college seniors (71 percent) who graduated last year, had student loan debt, with an average of $29,400 per borrower, an amount that has been increasing at a rate of about 6 percent every year. The average student debt in California was found to be $20,269, quite a bit lower than that national average. About 52 percent of California students graduate with debt, placing the state in 48th place, one of the times a state should be proud to be at the bottom. You can visit projectstudentdebt.org to check out student debt information at almost every four-year college in the state (and across the country). At Sonoma State for example, 62 percent of the students graduate with debt; 40 percent at UC Berkeley; 55 percent at UC Davis; and 25 percent at Stanford University.
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A recent article in Time Magazine tackles the question of what is “ailing” teenage boys. Only 43 percent of college students today are male, down from 58 percent in 1970. Even more troubling is the fact that 81 percent of suicides in the 10 to 24 age bracket are males. Author Rosalind Wiseman suggests that boys are struggling more with modern adolescence than girls. Her book “Masterminds and Wingmen” is next on my list. Wiseman has also published a book of advice for boys. You can read an excerpt at time.com/boys.
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In the category of good news, according to the nonprofit that tracks this data, only 16 percent of teens have had sex by age 15 and in 2012 the birthrate among teens dropped to its lowest level in 73 years. It is currently half what it was in 1991. Over the past 20 years, among high school students, the percentage who say they have ever had sex dropped from 54.1 percent to 47.4 percent. (Source CDC and Guttmacher Institute)
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The computer game Minecraft is frequently cited as the best example of the potential of learning through games because it encourages critical thinking, collaboration and problem-solving. The PBS website Mindshift suggests six other games that it feels are equally good for the growing brain: Garry’s Mod; Kerbal Space Program, Sound Shapes, DIY, Stencyl and Code Academy. If you go online to read this article, you can access hot links to the game sites. http://tinyurl.com/q9azmgv...
A new Teen Leadership Council is forming at the Sonoma Valley Regional Library. Renee Serota, a freshman at Marin Academy, and Sofia Serbicki, a freshman at Sonoma High School, have just completed a community service project to earn the highest award for their age group in Girl Scouts. Their new Teen Leadership Council will meet monthly and advise the library board on teen activities and projects, and promote teen involvement and volunteer opportunities at the library. Stop by the library for more details.
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CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates for Children) seeks volunteer mentors for neglected children. The next training session begins Thursday, Jan. 16, 2014. Classes are held over a four-day period, allowing you to gain an understanding of the foster care system and the Juvenile Court system. For more information, contact Millie Gilson at 565-6375 or info@sonomacasa.org...
Tynker (Tynker.com) is an education startup that wants to help schools, teachers and parents teach children the basics of computer coding. In honor of the Dec. 9 to 15 “Hour of Code” initiative, Tynker is offering eight free interactive tutorials for students in grades 1 to 3 and grades 4 to 8 (Tynker.com/HourOfCode). The “Hour of Code” asks schools, teachers and parents across the country to take time next week to introduce students of all ages to computer coding. Ten million students are expected to participate.
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I had almost forgotten that comedian Al Franken was elected senator in Minnesota until I saw that he is the co-sponsor of my new favorite bill being introduced in Congress. The bill would create a grant program for universities to “create and expand the use of textbooks that can be made available online” with free access to the public. Students would have access to digital textbooks and not be forced to buy the latest edition from their campus bookstore.
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The Depot Park Museum’s Christmas Train Show runs from noon to 4 p.m. Dec. 6 to 8, and 14 to 15. The intricate replicas range from the Napa Wine Train to passenger and freight trains, all moving through realistic miniature towns and landscapes. The suggested donation is $1 for kids, $2 for adults and $4 for a families.
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The new and improved SAT has been delayed until 2016, one year later than originally announced. That means this year’s freshmen will likely be the first class to take it. The College Board announced the overhaul, after having been surpassed by the ACT for the first time last year. The new test should be better aligned with the Common Core State Standards.
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