College readiness is connected to what’s called Minimum Learning Level. That is the academic comfort level while in high school. A certain ability to read, understand and write in English. Do Math theorems and riders with ease if not expertise. Grasp of concepts in Science. You should have gone through tests in the last two years in high-school with confidence. Let me put it in the form of questions: [1] Whe

It’s June, 5, Earth Day. We are at the crossroads from where the future of the only habitable planet we know looks bleak. The oil spill is about to engulf our beaches. Forests and other habitats are being destroyed much faster than they can grow. The heat this year is unbearable and soon the storms will be upon us. Where are we going? Today, I walked down to watch this movie in which a bird of paradise waits

New research into the adolescent brain shows that it does not fully mature until the age of 25. The one to happen last is the decision-making process. So, till the age of 25 or thereabouts our kids need some mature advice and guidance. But this cannot include telling them: “Don’t go to college. You will fall into debt, boozing and spendthrifting.” That is blasphemous. Colleges must be “student-friendly

We have gone through this before, but preparation tips for SAT are never dated. You swot and slog, your parents help out with love and care and the school coaches you in reading, writing and Math. Teachers know in which subjects you need more work and get you to repeat tasks. You stay back for coaching if you need it, or take online help from websites like this one. A New York School, PS 172, discovered something

Butler did it, and so did Duke. After 2004, Mike Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils reached the Final Four and will be in Monday’s finals. MK’s job as coach of USA basketball team did not come in the way of steering this college team to the top. This was a comprehensive victory over West Virginia. You expected Duke to win, but not with such a margin (78-57). The strategy looked simple – WV is a “tough�

I am on Pacific time, so the momentous ed news is closer to here than the east. The student loan re-do was just signed by Prez Obama, a move that will make the government the primary lender of ed loans. The banks are practically out of this process. The President brought this news into the limelight when he spoke at the Virginia community college last week. What does this law mean to students? Now, federal student

News comes from all the three places – Syracuse, Salt Lake City and Houston. When I say “News” I mean the latest and the unexpected. Or why is it news? At Syracuse, West Virginia sent top-seeded Kentucky the Kansas way. With a 73-66 win in the East Regional final, WVU have advanced into the Final Four for the first time since 1959. For the second-seeded Mountaineers this is the 10th straight win. Highlights:

In 2003, even their ardent well-wishers would not have given Baylor basketball a ghost of a chance. This was the time of the murder of player Patrick Dennehy; former coach Dave Bliss’s unrelated, cover-up violations; the pay-for-play scandal. Baylor needed a leader for their program. And they found Scott Drew quickly. It was August 2003. There was no question of Drew rebuilding the team, though he talked of g

No.1 seed Kansas is out. The mighty have fallen. As the match progressed, the warning signs became clear. University of Northern Iowa (UNI) played a calm game, didn’t look overawed by the fancied opponents. Even when they went 12 points ahead, we were sure of a Kansas win. Kansas is athletic, they would rebound. And they did. They brought down the deficit to 63-62. Then it happened. Ali Farokhmanesh of UNI wh

Have you filled out your brackets? It shouldn’t be far from what everyone has bet on – Kansas, Kentucky, Syracuse (will Arinze Onuaku be there?) and ha, here comes the nub, what will the fourth one be? Is it Duke or any other? A dark horse from Arkansas? Moving on, Prez Obama has completed his “Baracket” A basketball fan, he’s playing it safe in his picks for the NCAA men’s basketball tournament