February 2007

a newsletter for middle and high school counselors and principals

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you may subscribe here to receive your own future newsletters.

Privacy Guarantee: Please be assured that we will never give your email address to anyone.

 

In this issue:

Graduation Information and Statistics

Careers, College Majors and College Courses

Signs of Depression

Helpful Web Sites

Favorite Quotes

 

Graduation Information and Statistics  (Source: Education Week)

For every 100 students in the 9th grade, approximately 70 will make it to graduation four years later.  About 35 percent of the students who fail to graduate nationwide fall off track during the 9th grade year.  

On average, students nationwide are expected to earn 20.5 total credits to obtain a high school diploma.  State requirements range from a low of 13 credits to a high of 24.

Nearly half of all states required students in the class of 2006 to pass an examination in order to graduate.  Students typically got multiple chances to pass, starting in the 9th grade.

The GED (General Educational Development certificate) is a battery of 5 tests designed to certify the mastery of high-school-level knowledge and skills.  The exam was developed in 1942 to help returning WWII veterans complete their studies and re-enter civilian life.  In 2004, some 662,000 people nationwide took the GED tests.

 

Careers, College Majors, and College Courses

According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook, the careers that are expected to have the largest numerical increases between now and 2014 are retail salespersons and registered nurses.   The careers with the largest projected numerical decreases are farmers and ranchers, stock clerks and order fillers. 

According to the Princeton Review, the 10 most popular college majors are business administration and management, psychology, elementary education, biology, nursing, education, English, communications, computer science, and political science.

You can find some new and unusual courses on college campuses these days.  For example, at Georgetown University they offer "Philosophy and Star Trek," at Duke, students can take "Cannibal Cultures," and at the University of Wisconsin they offer "Daytime Serials: Family and Social Roles."

 

Signs of Depression

· A persistent sad, anxious, or blank look
· Pessimism or hopelessness that last for several days or weeks
· Helplessness or feelings of worthlessness
· Loss of interest in school work, regular activities, hobbies, or social gatherings
· Falling asleep in class
· Drop in grades, or not completing assignments and not seeming to care
· Weight loss or gain
· Irritability - which may trigger anger, violent outbursts, or bullying
· Complaining of physical pain (headaches, stomach aches, etc.) or asking to go to the clinic often
· Crying
· Fatigue, slow thinking and low energy
· Difficulty concentrating in class
· Themes in their writing or art work of death or suicide

 

Helpful Web Sites

Career Information - www.bls.gov/oco (Occupational Outlook Handbook) and www.mapping-your-future.org

College Information - www.nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cool and www.studentaid.ed.gov

Military Information - www.todaysmilitary.com and www.military.com

Favorite Quotes

Life isn't about the breaths we take, it's about the moments that take our breath away.  Author Unknown

We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.  Winston Churchill

Education is not filling a pail but the lighting of a fire.  William Butler Yeats

What's New at Woodburn Press...
www.woodburnpress.com

A New Look for 2007
By now you should have received a free sample copy of our 2007 edition of How to Get Good Grades.  If you did not receive a copy, signup here to be added to our mailing list.  Look for samples of our other books in your mail this spring.

New 2007-2008 Student Planners
Look for your free sample Student Planner in the mail mid-to-late February.  Ours is the most practical, most affordable Student Planner available!