AT scores hit four-decade low
SAT reading scores hit their lowest point in close to four decades, reported the Washington Post.

The average reading score for graduating high school seniors in the U.S. was 497, a three-point drop from last year and 33 points down from 1972’s scores, the earliest year nation-wide scores were available.

The U.S. College Board pointed to the expanding diversity of those taking the test as reasoning for the low scores, saying that some may be less prepared for university work or for whom English is a second language.

“The good news is we have more students thinking about college than ever before,” James Montoya, a College Board vice-president, told the Post.
“Anytime you expand the number of students taking the SAT and expand it the way that we have — into communities that have not necessarily been part of the college-going culture — it’s not surprising to see a decline of a few points.

Chilean students consider government proposal to end 3-month protest
Students in Chile agreed to meet with government leaders Sept. 8 in a bid to end protests calling for reforms to the education system, reported Bloomberg.com.

Students have organized a series of protests, including a demonstration at the University of Chile campus in Santiago, to demand the government ban for-profit schools and expand access to education.

President Sebastian Pinera has proposed creating a $4 billion education fund in response to the students’ demands.

“The time is over for strikes and violence, burning of schools and causing damage, pain and destruction,” Pinera said in a televised speech. “Our government is absolutely committed to do a deep and structural reform of our educational system.