engrossed

When women are the objects of sexual gazes, they perform worse on math tests–according to a study The Chronicle of Higher Education just reported on. Read about the study here.

Exciting times home and abroad! Besides being inundated with the start of classes, I’m preparing to travel to the Middle Eastern island country of Bahrain this week, where I will be writing about an international education conference run by a group called The Education Project. I’m terribly excited. Education leaders from all over the world will be coming, including 16 national ministers of education and Queen Rania of Jordan (an interview with the beautiful humanitarian queen), a long-time supporter of education innovation and women’s empowerment. Also, the only royalty to utilize Twitter.

I’ll be staying for about five days, covering the conference for three of them. The idea is for everyone to be on the same page about what’s going on with education in other parts of the world—for instance, there will be a section on the strides China and India has made in higher education. Bahrain also hopes to continue to be innovative and on the ball when it comes to its own education system—it was the first Middle Eastern country to offer universal education to boys and girls, in 1928.

Bahrain, which is connected by land to Saudi Arabia and is soon to be linked to Qatar, has a deep tradition of pearl diving, which was mostly disbanded after it began to focus on the oil trade. There is also a ritualistic appreciation for coffee, which stands for harmony and trust. I am eager to participate in this ritual.

There’s a lot on the horizon for the University of California, including a pilot program for online courses and reforms in the admissions process. Also, did you know UCLA is the single most popular college in the US? I didn’t.

Anyways, I tried to hone in on recent admissions trends for a piece for The Choice:

7/15 In California, a University Tries to Enroll Students That Reflect a Diverse State

But I’ll be taking a look at the future of online learning shortly. Didn’t want to overload the NY Times with too much California…

Dear Print,

I miss you. Holding you in the morning fresh and warm off the press, the way you rubbed off on my hands, the thrill of filling up your inch count. How I could pin you crisp and crinkled to my wall, point to you and see myself reflected in your inky gaze. You catered to my desires; you stroked my ego; you made me feel real.

But I know this will be better for both of us in the long run. Sometimes we need to reach a little farther in order to find out who we truly are, you know? The world is a shifting sea of ink and pixels, and I can’t just sink in the timeless folds of your pages. I have to get out there, I have to link and scroll and and type weird acronyms and smiley faces with the best of them.

Don’t you see? It has to be me, my voice, whether I’m on a webpage or a front page. I have to know that I can be myself with someone else. That I can feel a connection again…even if it’s just an internet connection.

Don’t cry, baby. You’re getting ink all over the tablecloth. It’s not the medium, it’s what you say with it, right? And I’m saying I love you. I always will.

Someday, my love. Someday maybe it will work out.

Goodbye,
Rachel

One of my Berkeleyside stories, an interview with the principal of Berkeley’s controversial first two charter schools, was picked up by the Bay Citizen last week.

Some nasty comments. Not the first time I’ve had “puff piece” thrown at me. In my defense: I believe 10-inch daily news stories have their place. But sometimes the formulaic proponents-opposition-neutral voice structure isn’t the best form for the function. In this case, we have the creation of a very specific type of school (the charter schools will revolve around technology and game design to help kids learn critical thinking skills and get at deeper social issues) championed by one man. Wouldn’t it do a greater service to curious or skeptical onlookers to give them the background and explanation behind these schools from the source himself?

I’ll stop ranting, but I also believe that the function of the news is not always to rehash the daily grind. It can also serve as a form of ongoing historical record, a documentation of voices and events that can provide a reference point for those looking back.

Here’s the story (or just an ending remark I’m throwing out):

7/2 A Matter of Principal

Blogosphere, it’s been too long. I could blame the fact that I’ve been briefly incapacitated by eye surgery, or by travelling, or by the throes of sudden stomach flu. But I never believed in excuses.

This summer, along with contributing to The Choice, The New York Times’ college admissions blog, I’ve signed up to write for Berkeleyside, a local Berkeley-oriented news and features blog. And so my career goes from ink to pixels.

For my first piece on The Choice, I took a bit of a leap and examined the possibility that for some, college is not always in the cards immediately after high school. I visited an extraordinary high school in Oakland that revolves around professional internships and college prep, with the idea that students should be prepared for anything life throws at them. So theoretically, they’ll have an edge in both the college admissions world and the world of careers. Here it is, entitled:

6/23 A California High School That Values College, and the Real World

But perhaps ‘The Real World’ should be in quotes, as I’d like to think I never have to leave college…

Take a look at how admissions at the UC have changed in the past five years with my last post on the NY Times blog…the Bay Area blog, that is. Tune in for more education extravaganza after my Southern California retreat/eye surgery/general slothfulnesss at home…real time 2 weeks.

“The Changing Admissions Landscape at the University of California”

So tomorrow marks my final post for the New York Times Bay Area blog and the final day for the blog itself. It’s been a great ride, and I’ve enjoyed every mushroom kit, plastic bottle boat and pastry tome I’ve covered. If you’re looking for engaging local news in the Bay, I recommend you look at www.baycitizen.org, which will take over Bay Area coverage for the NY Times and has its own gorgeous blog, Pulse of the Bay. The site looks fabulous and enterprising, as are the staff.

Next year’s freshies at Berkeley are getting free, personalized DNA tests as their welcome gift from the university. So jealous. For the deets, check out my article:

A Few Wrinkles in U.C. Berkeley’s Plan to Test Freshmen’s Genes

I really wanted to title it “U.C. Berkeley Tries to Get into Freshmen’s Genes,” but restrained myself.

Also, funny story—you might notice the correction at the bottom of the post; I accidentally gave the president of the Council for Responsible Genetics a gender reversal. Castration by carelessness. If you ever read this, Jeremy (and not Jenny), please accept my sicerest apologies. Even though in your letter to my editor, you called me Sara.

When education and budget cuts intersect, I am there. When Regents meet at ungodly hours in the morning at locations I have difficulty navigating myself to, I am there (eventually). When UC President Mark Yudof is in the buffet line attempting to snag his sandwich in peace, I AM SO THERE.

LINKZ to NY Times blog posts! Click ‘em!

5/20 University of California Tries to Trim Down

5/18 Last Day of School, but Cutback Assignment Incomplete