Webinar: Persistence Vs. Retention: Legislation And The Changing Paradigm Of Student Success

Wednesday, May 7, 2014  1:00-2:30 EDT
Venue: online webinar

Overview:  
Improving the retention and success rates of undergraduate students continues to be a major topic of discussion for higher education administrators and other stakeholders. Retention refers to an institution's ability to retain students from one performance period to the next. Persistence is the student's ability to continue enrollment from one term to subsequent terms. While postsecondary institutions have emphasized retention, the push for greater accountability by tying student completion outcomes to eligibility for federal student aid programs (Partnerships for Affordability and Student Success Act, S. 1874), requires postsecondary institutions to focus on strategies to increase student persistence to degree completion.

This interactive webinar will discuss the higher prioritization of persistence as a driver of student success to bolster retention. Participants will learn the importance of shifting priorities from a retention-based approach to a persistence-driven student success model.

Objectives:
*Examine the impact of proposed legislative changes on how student success is measured
*Explore student perspectives on the correlation between persistence, retention, graduation, and ultimately, successful student outcomes
*Infuse persistence into student success programming as part of the strategic plan
*Review cost-benefit analysis (return on investment or ROI) for persistence

Web address: http://www.innovativeeducators.org/product_p/2159.htm

Kenpo: Strking Asp and Striking Snake Modifications

Striking Asp is a Kenpo move designed to pin the opponent’s arms while using your right arm to strike. It is quick and reversed momentum of the opponent while knocking them into a level of confusion making further attacks difficult. The defensive move doesn’t require a lot of skill and this is one of the reasons why it can be so effective during difficult situations. 

Keeping all actions within the right arm helps beginners to remember the sequence and maintain action throughout the process. As one gains skills they can use that arm in different ways when the opponent does unexpected movements or successfully blocks thereby breaking the sequence. This is an inherent benefit of learning both the traditional and modified moves.

At times the modified methods can be used with greater effectiveness. The names to do not always match up but they do resemble similarities in movements. We will call the two different, but similar moves, Striking Asp and Striking Snake. 

Striking Asp A (Opponent Grabs Both Lapels):

-Reach over the top of your opponent’s arms with your left hand and pin opponent’s left wrist with your left hand while stepping back with your left foot (Pin should be a cupping of the hand and not a grab). 

-Rotate hips to the right as you bring your right arm back and around to deliver a raking punch to opponent’s head. (Keep momentum after hit to bring fist close to left ear.)

-Deliver a back knuckle punch to opponent’s right temple. 

Striking Snake Modification (Opponent Grabs Both Lapels):

-Reach over the top of your opponent’s arms with your left hand and pin opponent’s left wrist with your left hand while stepping forward with your right foot (Pin should be a cupping of the hand and not a grab).

-Deliver right middle finger fist to opponent’s solar plexus.

-Bring right arm up and complete full inward block to clear opponent’s arms away from body.

-Deliver right handed chop to neck. 

-Right elbow to the left side of opponent’s head.

Zesty Cod-Kale Salad Recipe Offers High Protein and Low Calories

Healthy food full of vitamins and minerals doesn’t need to be difficult to find or hard to prepare. Consider a charbroiled cod-kale salad to fulfill your appetite while not adding to your waistline. It is full of protein and helps in fostering muscle growth to support your fitness goals. Best of all it is under 500 calories for a large serving and won't leave you hungry.

Kale is also considered a wonder salad. It is has no fat, lots of vitamins, full of anti-oxidants, low calories, lowers cholesterol, full of fiber, and is anti-inflammatory (1).  It means that it is one of the hottest types of health food on the market. According to Medical News Today kale supports hair and skin while fighting against major diseases (2).

A healthy serving of fish will not do you harm. Cod is often cooked with butter and this adds to bad fats even though it improves taste. It is possible to reduce these bad fats by using more spices and lemon to augment the flavor. The olive oil (or alternative) provides an opportunity to charbroil the sides to a crispy conclusion while not adding to bad fats.

Directions: 

-Squeeze lemon sauce, salt and pepper (other spices), and light olive (or alternative oil) on cod and place on grill. Grill and charbroil until cooked and slightly blackened. (Calories 190-230/41 g protein).

-Wash and place kale in bowl (40-60 calories).

-Add walnuts, onions, salt, mushrooms, and dried raspberries (140 calories).

-Mix salad with honey-mustard yogurt dressing 2 tablespoons (45 calories).

-When cod is finished grilling place on salad and serve (Calories 400-475 total meal).

You May Want to Check Out Other Health Benefits in Top 12 Health & Nutritional Benefits of Kale (And 3 Awesome Recipes That Make use Of It)

Positive Economic Indicators Point to a Brighter 2014

The economy looks bright for much of the next year according to the Conference Board, Bloomberg’s poll of leading economists, and the International Monetary Fund. After a prolonged decade of slow down any positive market news is welcomed. However, with increases in multiple measurements one can get a better feeling for growing trends and how those trends will impact national investment opportunities. At present, the market appears to be increasing in growth and opportunity for both the U.S. as well as other nations which could encourage further growth.

The Conference Board used broad based measures that included the labor market, interest rates, factory orders, stocks price, and construction. The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index for the U.S. rose .8% in March to 100.9 indicating a substantial increase in the U.S. economy (1). The economy has put away its winder mitts and gloves and significant improvements in the market are possible.

The Conference Board was not the only one to make optimistic predictions. Bloomberg polled 42 leading economists and came to the conclusion that an advance of .7 (estimates ranged from .3 to 1) in the leading index could be realized (2).  Six of the ten leading index estimates are higher and it is projected that there will be an economic increase of 2.7 % this year when compared with 1.9 percent in 2013.

Acceleration in the global economy is also expected. According to the IMF, global growth is expected to realize an increase of 3.7% in 2014 and 3.9% in 2015 (3). It is believed that there are still some risks due to poor economic management and shaky internal structures. Emerging economies will receive a push from demands in the advanced economies that will help with stabilization.

The outlook is bright over the next two years. Assessment of the economy requires reviewing indicators from different vantage points and perspectives. Generally, the more measurements that can be incorporated into an assessment the better the overall assessment assuming these measurements are not just “noise”. A single increase in one sector of the economy doesn’t have broad implications or validity in the same way that multiple measures across different sectors of the economy have.

The multiple indicators may also raise optimism on a number of different fronts. Optimism is important for business investment and consumer spending that support growth. When people feel that the economy will grow, and their personal financial well-being is positive, they are more likely to invest and spend the nest eggs they have been putting away. This means they believe that there will be more opportunities in the future as well as more opportunities and respond by rewarding the market with investments and purchases.