It’s Not Too Late
Just because your child is about to enter college doesn’t mean you don’t have time to save money.
It’s a common myth that if your child is about to head to college or is already in college, then you’ve reached a point when the only thing left to do is take out a few large loans and get ready to bear the burden of tuition.According to top college funding planners, that is simply not the case.Parents often don’t realize that with the proper financial planning, they can save significant amounts of money even while their child is still in college. The following are a few basic tips to save money in the late-stages of college planning.Financial AidApply for financial aid as early as possible. The standard Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) forms are the first and most important to fill out. Getting into the mix early-on ensures that you have a better chance at being awarded the “first come, first served” financial aid packages. By being prompt, you increase your chances at better awards and loans, which reduces the amount of out of pocket costs passed on to you.Make sure you go over the financial aid forms and regulations with a financialprofessional. Anyone who has tried to navigate through the forms or the variouspages of rules and guidelines can tell you that it’s more than a little complicated.Having someone help you through the process doesn’t just ease the burdenfinancially; it also takes away a lot of stress and anxiety.Your FAFSA forms typically take a few weeks to process, which is one morereason to plan ahead. Once your financial need is determined, the schoolsyou’ve applied to will offer you a financial aid package. The package caninclude various ways to pay for college, including loans, grants and anyscholarships they have awarded your child.A little research can go a long way in saving you money for college. If your childis applying to schools, make sure you study which schools give more gift aidand scholarship money out compared with those who don’t. Also, make sureyour child applies to at least two schools where he or she is in the top 25percent of the applicants. This can be found by doing some basic research onthe grade point averages of previous freshman classes.A common pitfall to filling out financial aid forms is relying heavily on high schoolcounselors. Counselors are often loaded up with numerous students,sometimes even hundreds, and often cannot provide the personal attention thateach individual student needs. That’s why a trusted college planner is best.Gifting and ShiftingShifting or gifting assets to your child makes gains from selling those assetstaxable at the child’s presumably lower tax rate rather than the parents’ rate. In2006, Congress changed the age at which a child moves from the parents’ tohis own tax rate from 14 to 18. Starting in 2008, the kiddie tax will be expandedto include dependents under age 19 and dependent full-time students under age24. Children who provide more than half of their own support are not affected bythe kiddie-tax change. The kiddie tax applies only to investment income, not earned income, so teens with jobs pay income tax at their rate, not their parents’.The change put the future of accounts established under Uniform Gifts to Minors Act (UGMA) and Uniform Transfers to Minors Act (UTMA) in question. Under these acts, individuals can place assets in accounts for the benefit of a child but retain control of the assets as the trustee until the child reached the age of majority, usually 18. The tax benefit of moving assets to a child’s name may now be reduced, as income invested in these accounts over the kiddie tax threshold, equal to double the standard dependent deduction, will be taxed at the parents’ rate anyway.With a capital gains rate of just 5% for kids in the 10% or 15% tax bracket, parents in higher brackets may still want to consider transferring appreciating assets. College students most often fall in a lower tax bracket than their parents, so selling assets after the child turns 18 will most likely mean less capital gains than if the parents had sold those assets.Children who file their taxes independently are in a lower income tax bracket, which can work to your advantage. The money you save in taxes adds up quickly and can be used as one more way to pay for college.EmploymentIf you own a small business or rental property, you can use that property to your advantage by employing your child. Your child will learn the value and responsibility of work, and receive a wage. As a small business, you can offer a specialized Employer Education Assistance program, which allows you to give up to $5,250 a year tax-free to employees who are attending college.No matter what stage in life you’re at, it’s never too late to save for college. With some simple strategy and some help from your financial advisor, you can find ways to reduce college costs and increase the ways to pay for it.
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label education. Show all posts
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
SPOT EDUCATION
Belt-Tightening Puts State Chiefs on Spot Education Departments Squeezed Between Mandates, Districts’ Needs
Austin, Texas
Even as education advocates nationwide fight to hold the line against district-level funding cuts, the state education departments responsible for overseeing K-12 policy are coming under the budget ax.
In state after state, ballooning deficits that already have forced layoffs and other belt-tightening across state governments are hitting an education bureaucracy charged with carrying out a growing list of state and federal mandates.
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex last month had to put his entire staff on a mandatory, five-day furlough in hopes of saving 15 jobs. Colorado education commissioner Dwight D. Jones is coping with a hiring freeze just as his department implements a new mandate: regulating online education in the state.
Tennessee education chief Timothy K. Webb saw 59 members of his staff of about 1,000 take a voluntary buyout, and more staff cuts are likely. And if Delaware education secretary Valerie A. Woodruff wants to replace someone who’s irreplaceable—like the department’s front office secretary, who’s leaving this year—“I have to go beg,” she said.
Tumultuous Time
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen works between sessions of a special budget hearing. Fifty-nine education department staffers took a voluntary buyout in a statewide effort led by Gov. Bredesen.
—Mark Humphrey/AP
The budget pressure comes at a time of unusually high turnover among the country’s education chiefs, who gathered here in Austin Nov. 14-16 for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ annual policy forum.
At least 11 chiefs will be leaving in 2009, either because of election losses, retirements, or term limits. At the same time, the chiefs are guiding their departments through a fiscal crisis that has forced states to make current-year budget cuts of $5.5 billion, according to the Washington-based National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers. More than a dozen states have cut general aid to K-12 schools. ("Hard Times Hit Schools," Aug. 27, 2008.)
Departments also are seeing their to-do lists grow. One example: Departments are working to build and fine-tune their data systems, so that they can, for instance, accurately count the number of graduates to meet new federal requirements that seek to require comparable graduation-rate data across all states.
Meanwhile, the number of schools failing to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act is climbing as states get closer to the 2014 deadline for all students to be proficient in mathematics and reading. This will inevitably place more demands on states that must monitor tutoring programs, school choice options, and school restructuring penalties prescribed by the law.
Colorado Commissioner Dwight Jones said his agency is under a hiring freeze.
Since 2001, when NCLB was passed and states had to turn to annual testing in grades 3-8, departments’ assessment budgets have grown exponentially while funding has not, said T. Kenneth James, Arkansas’ education commissioner. His state’s testing budget has quadrupled, from $5 million eight to 10 years ago to about $22 million now.
“The capacity issue is a serious one for every one of us,” Mr. James said.
The burdens aren’t just being added by the federal government; states also are piling on the responsibilities.
In Colorado, for example, the legislature last year gave the department of education new responsibility for regulating online education. The Maryland legislature earlier this year passed a law requiring the state education department and state board to come up with new rules to fight cyber-bullying in schools.
Illinois chief Christopher A. Koch has seen his agency whittled away, from 900 workers last decade to 477 now.
The list of state mandates has gotten so long that Mr. Rex, of South Carolina, said he plans to ask the legislature next year for more flexibility from mandates, such as some testing requirements beyond what nclb requires. Already this year, he had to cut 16 percent, or $9 million, out of his administrative budget. He accomplished these cuts by requiring all employees to take five days off without pay, eliminating some purchases, such as new school buses, and scaling back grants to at-risk schools.
Bigger Workloads
As with any state agency, the biggest chunk of an education department’s administrative budget is tied up in personnel, so when cuts are leveled, staffing suffers.
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex had to put all his employees on a five-day furlough (leave without pay) in an effort to save 15 workers from layoffs.
In Tennessee earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen ordered agencies to offer voluntary buyouts to workers. At the Department of Education, 59 people took them, said Mr. Webb, the education commissioner. That’s out of a staff of 1,250. At the same time, the department is forging ahead with key initiatives, such as trying to help high schools with at-risk populations redesign their schools.
Mr. Webb said he’s bracing for another 3 percent cut from his budget.
“That just means the workload gets bigger for those left,” said Mr. Webb.
And it’s not as if the departments will see their budgets—or staffs—plumped back up again either, chiefs say.
Tennessee education chief Timothy K. Webb saw 59 members of his staff of about 1,000 take a voluntary buyout, and more staff cuts are likely.
“Once it’s cut, you don’t get it back,” said Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen K. Reed, who is leaving office in January after deciding not to seek a fifth term. She and other agency heads were ordered to cut their budgets by 5 percent this year.
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott said his agency was downsized by about 30 percent in 2003 and has stayed at that level since.
Illinois chief Christopher A. Koch, who has served in a variety of roles since coming to the department in 1994, has seen his agency whittled away, from 900 workers last decade to 477 now. No one in the agency is a content specialist, and the agency is criticized frequently for not having enough staff to monitor local districts.
Still down by several employees since the recession of the early 2000s, Delaware Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff said she’s now under a hiring freeze: “If I want to hire somebody, I have to go beg.”
“We have a lot more responsibility and we struggle to get things done,” said Mr. Koch. In the 2006-07 school year, for example, the state became the last to compile and release its student test scores under NCLB, delaying the identification of struggling schools.
He said he has trouble recruiting data specialists to Springfield, when they have more options—and more earnings potential—in the private sector in Chicago.
If there are more budget cuts, Mr. Koch said, he’s going to have to resort to layoffs.
Ms. Woodruff of Delaware—who plans to leave next year when Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, a Democrat, steps down because of term limits—believes departments will be in a difficult position. Her office has lost five or fewer positions, but is under a hiring freeze ordered by the governor, and more cuts could be coming.
She said, “My belief is that departments across the country are going to have to say ‘We just can’t do more'.”
Austin, Texas
Even as education advocates nationwide fight to hold the line against district-level funding cuts, the state education departments responsible for overseeing K-12 policy are coming under the budget ax.
In state after state, ballooning deficits that already have forced layoffs and other belt-tightening across state governments are hitting an education bureaucracy charged with carrying out a growing list of state and federal mandates.
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex last month had to put his entire staff on a mandatory, five-day furlough in hopes of saving 15 jobs. Colorado education commissioner Dwight D. Jones is coping with a hiring freeze just as his department implements a new mandate: regulating online education in the state.
Tennessee education chief Timothy K. Webb saw 59 members of his staff of about 1,000 take a voluntary buyout, and more staff cuts are likely. And if Delaware education secretary Valerie A. Woodruff wants to replace someone who’s irreplaceable—like the department’s front office secretary, who’s leaving this year—“I have to go beg,” she said.
Tumultuous Time
Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen works between sessions of a special budget hearing. Fifty-nine education department staffers took a voluntary buyout in a statewide effort led by Gov. Bredesen.
—Mark Humphrey/AP
The budget pressure comes at a time of unusually high turnover among the country’s education chiefs, who gathered here in Austin Nov. 14-16 for the Council of Chief State School Officers’ annual policy forum.
At least 11 chiefs will be leaving in 2009, either because of election losses, retirements, or term limits. At the same time, the chiefs are guiding their departments through a fiscal crisis that has forced states to make current-year budget cuts of $5.5 billion, according to the Washington-based National Governors Association and the National Association of State Budget Officers. More than a dozen states have cut general aid to K-12 schools. ("Hard Times Hit Schools," Aug. 27, 2008.)
Departments also are seeing their to-do lists grow. One example: Departments are working to build and fine-tune their data systems, so that they can, for instance, accurately count the number of graduates to meet new federal requirements that seek to require comparable graduation-rate data across all states.
Meanwhile, the number of schools failing to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act is climbing as states get closer to the 2014 deadline for all students to be proficient in mathematics and reading. This will inevitably place more demands on states that must monitor tutoring programs, school choice options, and school restructuring penalties prescribed by the law.
Colorado Commissioner Dwight Jones said his agency is under a hiring freeze.
Since 2001, when NCLB was passed and states had to turn to annual testing in grades 3-8, departments’ assessment budgets have grown exponentially while funding has not, said T. Kenneth James, Arkansas’ education commissioner. His state’s testing budget has quadrupled, from $5 million eight to 10 years ago to about $22 million now.
“The capacity issue is a serious one for every one of us,” Mr. James said.
The burdens aren’t just being added by the federal government; states also are piling on the responsibilities.
In Colorado, for example, the legislature last year gave the department of education new responsibility for regulating online education. The Maryland legislature earlier this year passed a law requiring the state education department and state board to come up with new rules to fight cyber-bullying in schools.
Illinois chief Christopher A. Koch has seen his agency whittled away, from 900 workers last decade to 477 now.
The list of state mandates has gotten so long that Mr. Rex, of South Carolina, said he plans to ask the legislature next year for more flexibility from mandates, such as some testing requirements beyond what nclb requires. Already this year, he had to cut 16 percent, or $9 million, out of his administrative budget. He accomplished these cuts by requiring all employees to take five days off without pay, eliminating some purchases, such as new school buses, and scaling back grants to at-risk schools.
Bigger Workloads
As with any state agency, the biggest chunk of an education department’s administrative budget is tied up in personnel, so when cuts are leveled, staffing suffers.
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Jim Rex had to put all his employees on a five-day furlough (leave without pay) in an effort to save 15 workers from layoffs.
In Tennessee earlier this year, Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen ordered agencies to offer voluntary buyouts to workers. At the Department of Education, 59 people took them, said Mr. Webb, the education commissioner. That’s out of a staff of 1,250. At the same time, the department is forging ahead with key initiatives, such as trying to help high schools with at-risk populations redesign their schools.
Mr. Webb said he’s bracing for another 3 percent cut from his budget.
“That just means the workload gets bigger for those left,” said Mr. Webb.
And it’s not as if the departments will see their budgets—or staffs—plumped back up again either, chiefs say.
Tennessee education chief Timothy K. Webb saw 59 members of his staff of about 1,000 take a voluntary buyout, and more staff cuts are likely.
“Once it’s cut, you don’t get it back,” said Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Suellen K. Reed, who is leaving office in January after deciding not to seek a fifth term. She and other agency heads were ordered to cut their budgets by 5 percent this year.
Texas Education Agency Commissioner Robert Scott said his agency was downsized by about 30 percent in 2003 and has stayed at that level since.
Illinois chief Christopher A. Koch, who has served in a variety of roles since coming to the department in 1994, has seen his agency whittled away, from 900 workers last decade to 477 now. No one in the agency is a content specialist, and the agency is criticized frequently for not having enough staff to monitor local districts.
Still down by several employees since the recession of the early 2000s, Delaware Secretary of Education Valerie Woodruff said she’s now under a hiring freeze: “If I want to hire somebody, I have to go beg.”
“We have a lot more responsibility and we struggle to get things done,” said Mr. Koch. In the 2006-07 school year, for example, the state became the last to compile and release its student test scores under NCLB, delaying the identification of struggling schools.
He said he has trouble recruiting data specialists to Springfield, when they have more options—and more earnings potential—in the private sector in Chicago.
If there are more budget cuts, Mr. Koch said, he’s going to have to resort to layoffs.
Ms. Woodruff of Delaware—who plans to leave next year when Gov. Ruth Ann Minner, a Democrat, steps down because of term limits—believes departments will be in a difficult position. Her office has lost five or fewer positions, but is under a hiring freeze ordered by the governor, and more cuts could be coming.
She said, “My belief is that departments across the country are going to have to say ‘We just can’t do more'.”
MAGAZINES FOR EDUCATION
Magazines On Academics And Information
Magazines on Academics and information are by and large types of academic journals. These magazines have peer reviewed content. The content of the Magazines on Academics and related information is scholarship related and targets the needs of a particular group that may need to step back in time to access curriculum based information. These magazines publish matter relating to a particular discipline in academics and a particular grade or level of accomplishment.Magazines on Academics and related information serve as forums that enable the introduction and review of presentations related to a particular segment of academics. These presentations are available for scrutiny that could involve the latest research, and the critique of existing research. The content of these magazines typically appear as dedicated articles that present:Original research pertaining to a particular segment of academics.Review articles that focus on the scope for deliberation and acceptance of certain content.Book reviews that make it possible for readers to better understand the choice available in content and authorship.The Magazines on Academics and related information and professional publications that are not peer-reviewed are usually referred to as professional magazines. These are random collections and the authenticity of the content published is highly questionable.These magazines are academic journals that cater to all scholarly requirements and in all the various fields of academics, both compulsory and voluntary. There are magazines available in science, math, social sciences and even the various languages and the applicable rules for each. While magazines focusing on science have content relating to a particular syllabus, those focusing on math upgrade to accountancy and book keeping, banking and finance.These magazines vary in form and function and the identified 'reader' base. The specific aspects of each subject are separately discussed and deliberated upon for a better understanding of the content. They are primarily focused on practices and differ in different regions of the world.The content of the Magazines on Academics and related information is put together, i.e. edited and compiled and primarily written with a segment based approach. These are upgraded and updated and the timeframe of availability for each one differs. While some are offered fortnightly, some are monthly editions and yet others are quarterly and semi annual editions.Magazines on Academics and related information are a blessing for graduates and under graduates because of the off-campus accessibility of the content for comparison and study. They enable even post graduates and working people the opportunity to stay abreast with the very latest on a subject area and these magazines can be compiled editionwise to form a great 'make shift' library. Nowadays, the Magazines on Academics and related information on Environment Education is very popular with school and university students from all over the world.
Magazines on Academics and information are by and large types of academic journals. These magazines have peer reviewed content. The content of the Magazines on Academics and related information is scholarship related and targets the needs of a particular group that may need to step back in time to access curriculum based information. These magazines publish matter relating to a particular discipline in academics and a particular grade or level of accomplishment.Magazines on Academics and related information serve as forums that enable the introduction and review of presentations related to a particular segment of academics. These presentations are available for scrutiny that could involve the latest research, and the critique of existing research. The content of these magazines typically appear as dedicated articles that present:Original research pertaining to a particular segment of academics.Review articles that focus on the scope for deliberation and acceptance of certain content.Book reviews that make it possible for readers to better understand the choice available in content and authorship.The Magazines on Academics and related information and professional publications that are not peer-reviewed are usually referred to as professional magazines. These are random collections and the authenticity of the content published is highly questionable.These magazines are academic journals that cater to all scholarly requirements and in all the various fields of academics, both compulsory and voluntary. There are magazines available in science, math, social sciences and even the various languages and the applicable rules for each. While magazines focusing on science have content relating to a particular syllabus, those focusing on math upgrade to accountancy and book keeping, banking and finance.These magazines vary in form and function and the identified 'reader' base. The specific aspects of each subject are separately discussed and deliberated upon for a better understanding of the content. They are primarily focused on practices and differ in different regions of the world.The content of the Magazines on Academics and related information is put together, i.e. edited and compiled and primarily written with a segment based approach. These are upgraded and updated and the timeframe of availability for each one differs. While some are offered fortnightly, some are monthly editions and yet others are quarterly and semi annual editions.Magazines on Academics and related information are a blessing for graduates and under graduates because of the off-campus accessibility of the content for comparison and study. They enable even post graduates and working people the opportunity to stay abreast with the very latest on a subject area and these magazines can be compiled editionwise to form a great 'make shift' library. Nowadays, the Magazines on Academics and related information on Environment Education is very popular with school and university students from all over the world.
CELL PHONES AND SCHOOL
How Cell Phones Affect the School Environment
When mobile cell phones were first released, they were only really used by the wealthy business man; the phones were so large that it was near impossible to carry them around. But then something amazing happened, pay as you go mobile phones were released, and could be purchased by any one of any age. The design of handsets got smaller and sleeker, and the technology that was being loaded in to them was mind-blowing.Then the inevitable happened and students all around the world started buying the latest phones, but how has this affected the current education sector? Let's have a closer look.Most schools have already signalled the cell phone as disruptive and distractive, and have set aside policies that forbid the use of them on school grounds. A major downside of these phones in class is that students can text there friends throughout lessons and miss out on hearing the teacher's thoughts and opinions. Students can also cheat in exams by texting the answer to one another.The modern day phone also comes equipt with cameras, these also add to the privacy pressure that schools around the world are facing. To eliminate this problem cell phones should be banned from being brought into school premises, or must be switched off throughout the day. There is no need to have phones switched on during the day, students should be at school to learn, not have fun. If there is a case of emergency, then parents know how to contact the school immediately.Another use of the growing technology in these phones are games, with graphics getting more and more advanced, students would rather turn the volume low on there handsets and play games rather then listen to the teachers. Further advancements will see students connecting with there handsets online and playing with there friends throughout the classroom.Distractions such as mobile cell phones do not belong in a school; there was no need for them in the past. So why have things changed? If you are concerned about your child's education being affected at school, then you are 100% right to be. Kids having a cell phone throughout class will only end up causing bad activities. A way for schools to get around this would be to implement a block feature, so that while on the premises, mobile phones could not pick up any signal. Although this will not stop the use of playing games on the phone, it will effectively stop texting and cheating in class.
When mobile cell phones were first released, they were only really used by the wealthy business man; the phones were so large that it was near impossible to carry them around. But then something amazing happened, pay as you go mobile phones were released, and could be purchased by any one of any age. The design of handsets got smaller and sleeker, and the technology that was being loaded in to them was mind-blowing.Then the inevitable happened and students all around the world started buying the latest phones, but how has this affected the current education sector? Let's have a closer look.Most schools have already signalled the cell phone as disruptive and distractive, and have set aside policies that forbid the use of them on school grounds. A major downside of these phones in class is that students can text there friends throughout lessons and miss out on hearing the teacher's thoughts and opinions. Students can also cheat in exams by texting the answer to one another.The modern day phone also comes equipt with cameras, these also add to the privacy pressure that schools around the world are facing. To eliminate this problem cell phones should be banned from being brought into school premises, or must be switched off throughout the day. There is no need to have phones switched on during the day, students should be at school to learn, not have fun. If there is a case of emergency, then parents know how to contact the school immediately.Another use of the growing technology in these phones are games, with graphics getting more and more advanced, students would rather turn the volume low on there handsets and play games rather then listen to the teachers. Further advancements will see students connecting with there handsets online and playing with there friends throughout the classroom.Distractions such as mobile cell phones do not belong in a school; there was no need for them in the past. So why have things changed? If you are concerned about your child's education being affected at school, then you are 100% right to be. Kids having a cell phone throughout class will only end up causing bad activities. A way for schools to get around this would be to implement a block feature, so that while on the premises, mobile phones could not pick up any signal. Although this will not stop the use of playing games on the phone, it will effectively stop texting and cheating in class.
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