The main discussion of the article is the need for remedial courses for students before they enroll in college. The need for these remedial courses stems from the lacking abilities in math, writing, and reading when students graduate high school.
Most of the data in this story is statistics about students. One piece of data found that over half of Florida high school graduates who took a college placement test in the 2010-2011 school year found out that they had to take a remedial course to gain basic skills before enrolling in college, 54 percent to be exact.
Research also showed that students who take remedial classes are less likely to graduate college than those who arrive ready for college course work.
One of the sources of data for this report was the 2011 Florida College System Readiness report using 2009-2010 data.
Another data source was the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability. This research office found that Florida's attempts to improve K-12 education had not improved college readiness.
The computer skills that the reporter of this article might need include understanding statistics and being able to implement into a story so that they make sense with the words.
The reporter might also want to have the ability to find statistics in the event that they are only given raw numbers.
There were no interactive graphics used in this story, which may have helped the reader understand the statistics and information.
]]>The ceremony was hosted by TV star Neil Patrick Harris. Other performers included Jason Mraz, James Taylor, and The Fray.
Michelle Obama and actor Rico Rodriguez read from 'Twas the Night Before Christmas.
The tree is located on the ellipse, according to USA Today , a park adjacent to the White House and National Mall.
]]>Sgt. Jesse Lund of New Ulm will receive the award Saturday at the Brooklyn Part Community Activity Center, according to Pioneer Press
Lund, a member of the 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment of New Ulm, was wounded in June 2006 due to cause of a bomb explosion in Iraq.
Lund applied three times for a Purple Heart and was approved on his third try, according to a Minnesota National Guard spokesman.
]]>Eric W. Forcier, of Farmington, was charged in federal court along with his ex-girlfriend, Julie Ann Campana, 23, of Apple Valley, according to Star Tribune . The charges included interfering with commerce and use of a firearm during a violent crime, the robbery of the hotel.
Forcier and Campana robbed the hotel of about $100, coins, and three cordless phones, according to the indictment. Campana faces charges for aiding and albeiting in the crime, according to Northfield News
Forcier has been convicted of crimes before, including drug possession and possession of stolen property in 2008.
The nonprofit, which offers free online higher education, was launched in May by Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Wellesley is the first liberal arts college to join its rankings.
Wellesley will begin offering courses on edX in fall 2013. Most likely the courses will cover liberal arts education topics.
Anant Agarwal, president of edX, is hoping preserve the small-group setting of liberal arts courses by breaking students into small discussion groups, according to The Boston Globe
Kim Bottomly, Wellesley College's president, is very excited at the prospect of being able to offer courses to women in different countries where education for women is sparse.
"The idea that we can reach beyond our campus to women everywhere is very compelling," Bottomly told The Boston Globe.
Many universities, including Wellesley, are completely sure what the future has to hold for the growth of free online education.
"Education will never be the same again," said Agarwal. "Few of us have any idea where things may go."
The unexpected violence left Turkish civilians panicked and fleeing across the border. At least one person was killed, and 20 more were wounded, according to Associated Press
NATO will be meeting Tuesday to discuss whether Syria or Turkey will receive Patriot missile systems.
Lebanon also experienced a spilling over of the conflict in their area when Lebanese troops exchanged fire with rebels across the border on Sunday.
Some are fearful that if the violence continues to cross borders, a regional war larger than just Syria could be in effect.
]]>The author writes about what Norquist said and includes the most important quotes that would best explain what Norquist was trying to say.
The article doesn't really go deeper into what Norquist was saying and what the significance of it is, it only highlights his opinions of the "fiscal cliff".
In another report about a speech in Fox News , the author uses a similar format but goes more into depth about what the speech giver, Ted Cruz, had to say by using more quotes.
I think using quotes is extremely important when reporting on a speech because we want to give the reader the experience of having actually heard what the person had to say rather than how the journalist paraphrased what the person said.
]]>The controversy surronds public statements made by Rice after a Sept. 11 attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.
Rice has stressed that her original comments about the attack being a protest triggered by an anti-Muslim video were incorrect, according to the Los Angeles Times
Rice has been accuse by Republicans for using these misleading statements to help the president stay in good favor during the event of the attack.
According to the Associated Press, some of Rice's talking points may have been started by the intelligence community and only repeated by her.
]]>The space, which is technically a used light bulb factory, could be used for offices, businesses, or even residences. The city is discussing with the neighborhood what the best use of the space would be.
Just a few weeks ago, the Minneapolis Public Schools headquarters was denied a proposed rezoning of a city block they own at a City Planning Commission meeting, according to Twin Cities Daily Planet
Whether this denial played a role in the headquarters being sold is unclear.
The city will accept purchase offers for the 807 broadway area through Feb. 22.
]]>Babu, who has been taking Metro Transit buses since 1996, told Star Tribune she loves the camaraderie she encounters on the bus as well as not having to pay for parking.
A story about Babu's Green Bay Packers jersey being worn on a bus full of purple on a Vikings-Bears game day charmed the judges, a group of transit employees, of the contest, according to HometownSource
Babu was named Woman of the Year by the Minnesota Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and had her face on advertisements for the society placed on the sides of Metro Transit buses.
It was a funny coincidence that she won the 3 billionth passenger contest as well.
Metro Transit broke the 1 billion ridership mark in 1984, and the 2 billion mark in 1999.
]]>The American Psychiatric Association will publish the revised manual next week, according to Associated Press , which plays an important role in deciding which psychiatric disorders are covered by insurance, and where schools allot funds for special education.
Psychiatry professor David Kupfer said the goal of the revised manual is not to expand the number of mental illness diagnosis but rather create a more accurate diagnosis and therefore create better treatments.
Dropping the "Asperger's disorder" diagnosis was one of the biggest changes since a lot of young children receive treatment and special services for it during elementary and middle school.
The new term added to the manual was "autism spectrum disorder" which covers every degree of autism from basic social ineptitude to severe issues with human interaction.
The new umbrella terms for all types of autism will not affect anyone already receiving treatment and special educational services for their disorder.
Catherine Lord, an autism expert at Weill Cornell Medical College, is happy to see the change hoping that those previously diagnosed with Asperger's disorder and not receiving treatment for it will now get the attention they need and deserve.
]]>World AIDS Day holds the purpose to create positive and empowering media messages for those with AIDS and HIV, but a news story in China had sympathy for a different group of people, according to The Washington Post
The article was about a local HIV clinic and commented on the bravery of the nurses instead of the infected patients.
Chinese Media watcher Danwei said the article treated HIV patients like a leprous group to "be avoided like the plague".
A large number of HIV cases in China are hidden because patients fear discrimination when seeking out testing, according to Global Times
Although China's government is working to fight this discrimination, Chinese citizens can still be fired from their jobs or evicted from their homes due to their HIV status.
China may have discrimination issues against AIDS and HIV, but it is not to the same severe degree as other countries.
The article takes the approach of presenting the man, Steve Ly, as a Hmong immigrant who came to America at a young age not knowing anything about the culture or language.
Ly's history is presented, saying that his father fought in the Vietnam War against the communists taking over Laos. Somehow the author was trying to create a connection between Ly's father's fierce fighting in the war and Ly's fighting in the election. I'm not sure if it works because if felt as though the Hmong were being presented in a savage manner.
The author also says that Ly had an "army" of 250 volunteers on his campaign which only reinforced the notion of savagery and brings back more images of the Vietnam War. I understand the segue between talking about the war and then using the word "army", I just think it could be misconstrued.
After this, the author doesn't seems to make anymore missteps and emphasizes the importance of Ly's win for the Hmong community. We also find out that Ly wants there to be more education about the Vietnam War in school which makes the previous references to the war more understandable.
Ly also mentions that his inspiration to run for office came from his father's fighting during the Vietnam war which, once again, makes the reference to his father's army days less random.
The article then goes into Ly's history of his life in Thailand and his first experiences as an immigrant in America. These details really make Ly seem more human and add more human interest to the story overall.
]]>Republicans have regained control of the state senate with a 21 seat majority, according to The Capital Times
The Democratic assembly candidates won 193,000 more votes across the state than the GOP, but the districting of voters may have tilted the scale towards Republican.
Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign said that redistricting lines were "drawn in a way that squeezes most Democratic voters into a few districts and widely disperses their voting power across the rest of the districts."
The redistricting of Wisconsin, based on the 2010 census, was believed to have been done mostly in secret by Republicans who controlled the legislature at that time, according to Isthmus
In March, three federal judges did not contest the validity of the redistricting when Democrats accused the GOP of gaining an electoral advantage, which is technically not illegal.
This redistricting of Wisconsin may foresee a mostly Republican future for the state. The Democrats targeting certain Republican incumbents will also rely on the outcome of Scott Walker's actions in the next year to determine which direction they will be heading.
The message was in the form of a concerned e-mail sent to parents encouraging them to have a conversation with their daughters about wearing spandex pants that may be see through.
The main concern of high school students was that there was a differentiation between wearing yoga pants to be comfortable, or wearing them to be inappropriate.
According to MinnetonkaPatch, some students tweeted about the e-mail claiming it was a ban on yoga pants, although it officially was only a call for modesty.
Changing clothing trends have always been an issue for high schools as they try to adjust to what the kids are wearing with each passing generation. Some trends that have been an issue in the past include saggy jeans and low-cut tops.
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