Orlando Schools… Magnets, Mufflers And More

Every school district must strive for excellence. Orlando Schools are no exception. From Magnet Schools to new bus mufflers, from backpacks to free or reduced lunches, the Orlando Schools system is working to continuously improve itself.

BACKPACKS: The S.T.A.R.S. program (Supplies To Assist Our Students) is the only program that provides backpacks and basic school supplies to elementary, middle and high school students in Orlando Public Schools in West Orange County. Students will have the tools they need the first day of school. The goal of S.T.A.R.S. is to coordinate community based and individual efforts to efficiently and effectively assist Orlando Schools students in need so every child who needs a backpack gets one.

FREE/REDUCED LUNCHES: The Orlando Schools district is accepting applications from families who want to qualify for free or reduced-price meals for their children.

Applications are available at all schools. Orlando Schools families must complete the application and return it to the school their child will attend. For more than one child, one application may be used for all, and it may be returned to any school one of the children will attend. To qualify, families must be at 200% below the poverty level.

MAGNET SCHOOLS: Magnet programs have been established at Orlando Schools elementary, middle and high schools to provide an opportunity for students to engage in intensive study in specific areas. Orlando Schools magnet programs offer the opportunity for students to discover their talents and explore their interests while focusing on strong academic excellence. The programs are designated to attract students from across the district with transportation provided for elementary and middle school students, who reside in specified areas.

Orlando Schools grades 9-12 magnet programs provide unique personalized learning communities. These programs of study are aimed at increasing student achievement and permit a student to focus on interest, talents or career goals. Middle and elementary magnet programs in Orlando Schools provide students with the opportunity to participate in challenging experiences that engage them in learning.

MUFFLERS: An ambitious attempt across the nation to remove nasty and lethal ingredients from diesel exhaust has taken aim at the tailpipes of Orlando Schools buses. The original mufflers on 90 buses have been replaced in recent weeks with a type that incinerates a portion of pollutants. That's good for students, motorists and pedestrians who breathe fumes from those buses. Dirty diesel exhaust has been linked to illnesses such as bronchitis, asthma and cancer. Environmental improvements for other school buses will come gradually because of cost and the long lives of diesel engines.

Nearly 1,300 school buses serving Orlando Schools still don't have the devices, called "diesel-oxidation catalysts," which cost about $1,000 each.

"I wish we could get more," said Steve Huckeba, senior administrator of Orlando Schools system operations. "[but] We can't take education dollars to do that."

Orlando Schools are able to count on enough funding to replace about 10 percent of its fleet each year. Even at that rate, a lot of relatively dirty buses will remain on the road for a long time.

Patricia Hawke is a staff writer for Schools K-12, providing free, in-depth reports on all U.S. public and private K-12 schools. For more information please visit Orlando Public Schools

The Master of Business Administration: Is the MBA Worth the Time, Effort, and Cost?

MBA Enrollment Trends
The number of MBA degrees conferred annually has seen explosive growth over the last few decades, going from under 5,000 MBAs in 1960 to more than 100,000 MBAs in 2000. Enrollment is also influenced by the economy, and as the economy turns toward a downturn, both recent grads and displaced workers head back to earn their MBAs.

Because of the growing number of graduate business programs that confer more and more MBA degrees, the degree itself is not as special or highly-valued as in the past. An MBA alone will not be the magic key to the door of career and job-hunting success.

Ideal Time to Get MBA
When is the best time to enroll in an MBA program? The obvious answer is to enroll at a point in your career when the MBA is necessary to take your career to the next level, but the choice is never that simple.

For the college undergrad, the biggest question you need to ask yourself is why -- why are you interested in going straight through and getting your MBA right after your bachelor's degree? The top-ranked programs will not even admit you if you don’t have at least several years of experience, and a freshly minted MBA with little or no job experience is often in a much tougher job hunt than a recent college grad with little or no job experience.

For the job-seeker, the question about getting your MBA involves how as much as when. Will you keep working while earning your MBA in a part-time program or do you have the financial resources to quit your job and return to school full-time? Will your current employer help finance your MBA? Do you need the MBA as part of a career change -- and if so, how are you going to do it?

Finally, there is the question of the economy. Some people think it's a good hedge to get an MBA during an economic slowdown -- a safe haven -- rather than face the tough job market; however, when the economy is bad, even having an MBA is no guarantee of obtaining a lucrative job offer. The best advice? Talk to recruiters and MBA career placement counselors -- and read the current trends in magazines such as Business Week, Success, U.S. News and World Report.

Types of MBA
One of the questions you'll need to answer is whether you are interested in a general MBA, which is often shorter in duration, or a specialized MBA, which may take longer but make you more marketable.

Regardless of the type of MBA, the core topics you'll encounter include:

Accounting

Quantitative analysis

Economics

Marketing

Organizational behavior

Specialized MBAs offer more advanced study in a particular area of business (such as marketing) or a particular industry (such as higher education).

Finally, you'll need to determine the value of the "name" of the program you are considering. If you are searching for a big push that fast tracks your career, snagging an MBA from one of the top schools in the country may be the ticket. But, if you're looking to simply get ahead and move your careers along, don't discount the many MBA programs that are unranked but that offer you the degree and value you need. (See the link for Business Week, below, which is one of several organizations that rank MBA programs.)

MBA Costs -- and Returns
According to one salary guide, an MBA is worth about $10-30,000 a year over a bachelor’s degree, but the salary increase you could see may be much less -- or much more. Factors that can affect your salary include:

• whether you stay with your current employer or seek a job with a new employer.
• the amount of relevant experience you have for the job you are seeking.
• the reputation of the graduate school you attended.
• the type of job you are seeking -- and the level of supply/demand for workers.
• the industries where you are seeking a job.
• the location of the jobs you are seeking.

But don't forget to factor in the costs as well, with the average cost of graduate study leading to an MBA at about $30,000. Tuition is about $50,000 at Wake Forest University, one of the premier MBA programs, while closer to $12,000 at my school, Stetson University.

What an MBA Can Do for Your Career
If you're looking for the MBA to help you get into the executive suite, it may be just the ticket you need. According to a study by Accountemps, a global temporary staffing service for accounting and finance professionals, 80 percent of executives responding to the survey said that a graduate degree in business is still important to reach senior management ranks within most companies.

And there is growing evidence that having an MBA not only gives you more leverage in dictating new job titles and salary, but also gives you leverage in achieving a better balance between work (read: fewer hours working) and life outside work.

by
quintcareers.com