tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-199040562024-03-07T00:24:20.237-05:00College Transition InitiativeWelcome to the blog of the Center for Parent/Youth Understanding’s (CPYU) College Transition Initiative (CTI). This site contains commentary on transitional issues, exploring research, trends and college student culture. For more information visit: www.cpyu.org.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.comBlogger79125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-75484711340464664462008-03-20T10:15:00.003-04:002008-03-20T10:17:23.266-04:00FACEBOOK!Okay, I'm turning it up a notch...<br /><br />Please join the College Transition Initiative group on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.facebook.com"><span style="color:#ff0000;">Facebook</span></a>.<br /><br />It is a much easier way to post information about CTI and to dialogue with others about this issue.<br /><br />Sorry to all my blogger friends... but my blogging days appear to be over!Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-22141403084474998122007-12-18T10:44:00.000-05:002007-12-18T10:54:04.124-05:00College Doesn't Turn Kids Secular?<em>The following </em><a href="http://collegetransitioninitiative.blogspot.com/2007/12/campus-ministers-respond-about-todays.html"><span style="color:#333399;"><em>response</em></span></a><em> is from </em><a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/about-us/where-we-serve/staff/timgebhart/"><span style="color:#333399;"><em>Tim Gebhart</em></span></a><em>, Assistant Director of Wilderness Ministry at Ohio Wesleyan University. Before coming to Ohio Wesleyan, Mr. Gebhart reached out to students at Slippery Rock University.</em><br /><br /><strong>Tim Gebhart writes:</strong><br /><br />The message that “College doesn’t turn kids secular” caused me to look at things from a different perspective than I usually do. In the CCO we often focus on Steve Garber’s <em>The Fabric of Faithfulness</em>, that Barna Group survey, and other sources that tell us, correctly, how habits formed in college are likely to remain for life.<br /><br />What about habits formed during high school? In an interview, Mark Regnerus makes the claim that “most of the seeds for ‘secularization’ are planted well before college, but it’s only during college that the diminished participation in organized religion emerges and becomes evident.” A major cause of this “secularization” is the shoddy faith foundations of many teens (and their parents).<br /><br />I have seen numerous examples that support Regnerus’ statement: High school students I have known whose parents forced them to go to church, and who kept them from alcohol and the whole party scene that comes with it but never gave reasons for these rules. The kids graduated from high school and went off to college. While at college they never went to church. In fact, most Sunday mornings they were still drunk from the night before. There was no sudden change in beliefs. These students did not get secularized by the atmosphere in their college town. While in high school (if not before) they decided that they didn’t want to have anything to do with church, and that alcohol and partying looked like a lot of fun. The college experience didn’t change their minds, but it did give them opportunities to do these things.<br /><br />While college students do form long-lasting lifestyle patterns, they do not come to college as empty vessels or unshaped masses. College is a time when patterns are set in stone, but many of these patterns have been established long before. Looked at in this light, our role as campus ministers is to guide students to see the positive and negative patterns in their own lives, to reinforce the positive, and to alter the negative.<br /><br />Too often, as Christian Smith says in his interview, students “can’t explain . . . what’s behind their thinking.” These students don’t know how to practice deep soul-searching or self examination. Their worldviews are made up of assumptions that they don’t even realize they are assuming. This is one place that we as campus ministers need to step in to guide these students in rediscovering the teachings of Jesus.<br /><br />Many students have no solid answers to questions such as ‘Why aren’t you drinking?’ or ‘Why do you go to church?’ When confronted with these questions, students are either going to give in to their friends, the askers of the above questions, or they are going to examine the beliefs they’ve inherited from their parents, and make them truly their own. As Garber and the Barna Group assure us, whichever way students go, they are likely to continue in that direction for their whole lives. As campus ministers, we need to spend time with these students to teach them incarnationally that the gospel of Christ is true and meaningful in their lives. We need to live our lives as examples to our students, realizing that we aren’t perfect, but still we can demonstrate a consistent, faithful lifestyle based on the gospel. Also it’s our role to ask students hard questions in a safe context, a place where they can say “I don’t know,” and we can help them to discover solid answers that will hold up in the classroom and at the frat party – or in the dorm as they are deciding whether to go to the frat party.<br /><br />Students often come to college with thoroughly unexamined beliefs. After they graduate, they will be much less likely to change their beliefs. This makes the college years a crucial time to correct and fine tune beliefs and lifestyle choices.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-2913936843536024382007-12-12T10:35:00.000-05:002007-12-12T10:58:06.238-05:00Campus Ministers Respond to Research on Today's College Students<em>The first </em><a href="http://collegetransitioninitiative.blogspot.com/2007/12/campus-ministers-respond-about-todays.html"><span style="color:#333399;"><em>response to the assignment</em></span></a><em> comes from </em><a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/about-us/where-we-serve/staff/patrickemery/"><span style="color:#333399;"><em>Patrick Emery</em></span></a><em>. Mr. Emery works for Geneva College's Pisgah Program, an adventure-based ministry that seeks to serve both the community and college students.<br /></em><br /><strong>What I Learned and Why It Matters</strong><br /><br /><strong>Point #1: <em>Most teens cannot articulate their faith and how it intersects with the rest of their lives.</em></strong><br /><br />No wonder teenagers are leaving the faith at an alarming rate. If we fail to teach them how to do this, why on earth should they continue to follow Christ of their own volition? Over and over in the Old Testament Law, God commands the Israelites to raise their kids in the fear of the Lord. The heart of the book of Proverbs is this very point: to learn wisdom and help train children to integrate faith into every part of life.<br /><br />We have to start teaching our students how to connect their faith into every aspect of life, not only because faith has to work in order to keep believing, but mainly because integration of faith and life is crucial to what Christianity actually is.<br /><br /><strong>Point #2: <em>The majority of American teens hold to “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism”.</em></strong><br /><em><br /></em>I whole-heartedly agree with this assessment. This is being both taught and modeled in our churches all over America, whether it’s on purpose or not. When I graduated from high school, nearly everyone in my circle of influence (which was nearly all professing-Christian) told me they just wanted me to be happy and/or go to college so that I could get a good job (a.k.a. make lots of money). This mind-set is found nowhere in Scripture. What we find there is the exact opposite. Christ calls us to follow Him and take up the cross daily, and according to Him, difficulty is inherent in the cross.<br /><br />This matters because we as campus ministers have the power to help change this thinking. The students we minister to every day will very soon be the body of the Church. Changing the way they think will in turn allow us to impact the churches that they begin attending after they graduate.<br /><br /><strong>Point #3: </strong><em><strong>Teens reflect the world more than they rebel against it.</strong><br /></em><br />I was a bit surprised by this point, though it certainly makes sense. After hearing so many people say that teens are rebellious, you sort of just start accepting it without checking to see if it’s actually true or not.<br /><br />We need to change our assumptions about who teens are and where they are coming from. If we believe they are rebellious as opposed to reflective, that will have a big impact on the way we interact with and minister to them.<br /><br /><strong>What I will do differently</strong><br /><br />First, I need to realize that college freshmen are coming from a different place than I came from. Teen culture has changed quite a bit in 10 years. I also need to do my part in learning more about what they believe and how that impacts their worldview. Second, I need to meet them where they’re at. They can’t change until their wrong thinking is exposed. Finally, I need to embrace my calling as a campus minister and rise up to the challenge of being God’s mouthpiece. I want to be open and available for God to use me to draw them to true faith in Christ.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-36037362030937938972007-12-05T14:25:00.000-05:002007-12-05T14:46:45.062-05:00College Students in America: Campus Ministers Respond to NEW Research<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEs5qn5pNjV3s6-y4u7O1bqxDjoN-Kub_CHMfsnZtUL-YavjmoUaTd-l2n6k-vNETJV1Yl7Ox8W5uT8q7D_tCIczKZq8BFzwntUToGnE8drDD6CaE1sJ39uUbZjbmaIsA4hNMWw/s1600-h/ccologo.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5140574785035668210" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsEs5qn5pNjV3s6-y4u7O1bqxDjoN-Kub_CHMfsnZtUL-YavjmoUaTd-l2n6k-vNETJV1Yl7Ox8W5uT8q7D_tCIczKZq8BFzwntUToGnE8drDD6CaE1sJ39uUbZjbmaIsA4hNMWw/s200/ccologo.gif" border="0" /></a>I am currently teaching a year long learning module called “Working with First Year Students” for campus ministers and youth workers who work for the <a href="http://www.ccojubilee.org/"><span style="color:#333399;">CCO</span></a>. We are “painting a portrait” of college students in America to determine how we can best minister to them. The first assignment was to read a collection of articles and write a brief response. Here are the articles:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/133-42.0.html"><span style="color:#333399;">Why College Doesn’t Turn Kids Secular</span></a> (an interview with Mark D. Regnerus based on his research <a href="http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Regnerus_Uecker.pdf"><span style="color:#333399;">How Corrosive Is College to Religious Faith and Practice?</span></a>)<br /><br /><em>What American Teenagers Believe</em> (an interview with Christian Smith based on his book <a href="http://www.youthandreligion.org/news/2005-0929.html"><span style="color:#333399;">Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers</span></a>)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-08-06-church-dropouts_N.htm"><span style="color:#333399;">Young Adults Aren’t Sticking with Church</span></a> (a USAToday report on LifeWay Research)<br /><br />For the next several posts, I am going to be posting some of the reflections from the learning module. Many of the participants are working with college students on a regular basis. Their reflections should help us to (1) determine how accurate these studies have been and (2) think more deeply about developing better youth/campus ministry practices that will connect with today’s young college students.<br /><br /><strong>SPREAD THE WORD:</strong><br /><br />If you know of youth workers or campus ministers who might be interested in learning what others have to say about the state of today’s college students, please let them know that they can subscribe to this blog on the left (Keep it Fresh).Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-41900827153805309622007-11-20T16:36:00.000-05:002007-11-20T16:51:19.032-05:00Fuller Research: College Transition Project<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwKssnpLdCcvg-KkleocY5r0y46bU804_3q0xZAU_2Hh8t8etjX5MFCO19LvDmN46DxYQQ4-Yj6OVZSUY5RaU25EJ0ZhFeujQdruLYSIEmszuVjJBt4yHCrMxhjkfeF9XFPBw_Q/s1600-h/FCYM_dkbltrans.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5135040577757084594" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWwKssnpLdCcvg-KkleocY5r0y46bU804_3q0xZAU_2Hh8t8etjX5MFCO19LvDmN46DxYQQ4-Yj6OVZSUY5RaU25EJ0ZhFeujQdruLYSIEmszuVjJBt4yHCrMxhjkfeF9XFPBw_Q/s200/FCYM_dkbltrans.gif" border="0" /></a>The Center for Youth & Family Ministry (<a href="http://www.cyfm.net/"><span style="color:#333399;">CYFM</span></a>) at Fuller Theological Seminary is trying to better understand the characteristics of youth groups that are associated with a healthy transition to college life and help youth workers develop those qualities in their youth groups. Currently, CYFM is engaged in two 3-year longitudinal studies with over 350 students from around the U.S. with the goals of understanding the dynamics involved in the transition to college life and discovering what components of students' youth group experiences helped them make that transition. Eventually, this research will be translated into resources that youth ministries can use to help students and families better navigate the transition to college. Periodically, CYFM reports on their research and offers reflections on some of the implications for youth workers. The latest article is very helpful. <a href="http://www.cyfm.net/article.php?article=you_make_the_call.html"><span style="color:#333399;">You Make the Call: What College Freshmen Need to Hear from their Youth Pastors</span></a>, explains how making a simple phone call to college students can go a long way. The article also reports on some of the other findings from the study. This article is well worth the read and will hopefully make the rounds in youth ministry circles. In my humble opinion, CYFM's <a href="http://www.cyfm.net/College_Transition_Project_Intro.php"><span style="color:#333399;">College Transition Project</span></a> is the most important study being conducted on transitional issues. I can't wait to see the end result of this study in the next three years!Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-61982074525050442762007-11-08T09:53:00.000-05:002007-11-08T10:09:40.455-05:00Death by Blog BoredomI have been tagged by my good friend Bob Robinson on his blog <a href="http://vanguardchurch.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">Vanguard Church</span></a>. He had been tagged by people who are trying to discover "five little-known treasures of the blogosphere in order to put to death our blog boredom." It was a nice surprise to be recognized on Mr. Robinson's blog. Thank you, thank you.<br /><br />Now I am supposed to list five more "little-known treasures." Here's my problem: I don't really know what blogs are "little known." So, I will simply list the five blogs I read most often.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.heartsandmindsbooks.com/booknotes/"><span style="color:#000099;">Hearts & Minds Booknotes</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.cpyu.org/page.aspx?id=76960"><span style="color:#333399;">Walt Mueller's Blog</span></a> (I think I would be fired if I didn't mention this one.)<br /><a href="http://www.gideonstrauss.com/blog/"><span style="color:#333399;">Gideon Strauss</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.groshlink.net/"><span style="color:#333399;">GroshLink</span></a><br /><a href="http://vanguardchurch.blogspot.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">Vanguard Church</span></a> (does that count?)Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-53564602018905861022007-10-22T09:37:00.000-04:002007-10-22T09:46:26.793-04:00What Does God Want for Our Kids?This past weekend, the Intelligencer Journal, a Lancaster paper, featured an article about the <a href="http://www.cpyu.org/"><span style="color:#333399;">Center for Parent/Youth Understanding</span></a>. Written by Elizabeth Eisenstadt-Evan, the article describes the work of CPYU and why, as a mother, she appreciates the ministry.<br /><br /><a href="http://local.lancasteronline.com/4/211170"><span style="color:#333399;">You can read the article here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-30131228122530985322007-10-18T14:55:00.001-04:002007-10-18T14:55:32.061-04:00College Video<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/G06GX1TfRGs' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/G06GX1TfRGs'/></object></p><p>Video connected to new website that seeks to help students get connected to campus ministries before heading to college. </p></div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-75726154094603826712007-10-15T14:41:00.001-04:002007-10-15T14:41:19.114-04:00A Vision of Students Today<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/dGCJ46vyR9o'/></object></p></div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-66270374995007541462007-10-09T15:21:00.000-04:002007-10-09T15:59:17.585-04:00Inside Higher EducationMany of the readers of this blog work in higher education or care about it for one reason or another. I was just told about this site and thought it would interest you. Check out: <a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">insidehighered.com</span></a><br /><br /><em>"<a href="http://www.insidehighered.com/about_us"><span style="color:#333399;">Inside Higher Ed</span></a></em> was founded in 2004 by three executives with decades of expertise in higher education journalism and recruitment. We believed that higher education was evolving quickly and radically, and that the time was right for new models of providing information and career services for professionals in academe."<br /><br />And here is an article that should interest you, regardless of your current employment or level of concern for higher education:<br /><br /><a href="http://adage.com/article?article_id=120919"><span style="color:#333399;">Apple, Target, Facebook Tops for College Students: Annual Survey Shows Social-Networking Split Between Sexes</span></a>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-19077194505182777552007-10-02T09:59:00.000-04:002007-10-02T12:22:58.308-04:00Keeping the Faith: Roundtable Discussion<a href="http://www.youthworker.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5116774828038936994" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCXloHzy3amcK7ARlIQsuiWDbzRKH9Og_1ZDqUCqbqEoAwn23nGrEIHu3s8p5HIUKtsms0cLt9tMj0HivgyZCIOhe5e6HLQQc9CIQIHmpUw4TtCRwKS8Jku-aqIKA-bKGLguycOw/s200/girl_bible_250w_tn.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#333399;">YouthWorker Journal</span></a> has a new-look website. It seems to be updated pretty regularly. I recently noticed that you can read the interview I did about transitional issues. The interview included Steven Garber, Alec Hill and Kelly Monroe Kullberg. Here's the central question:<br /><br /><em>Do youth ministry programs prepare young people for life after high school? We asked three college ministry experts to share how they see teenagers spiritual­ly, theologically and intellectually pre­pared for college and beyond.</em><br /><br />You can <a href="http://www.youthworker.com/resources/ministry/11552641/"><span style="color:#333399;">read the interview here</span></a>.<br /><br />A <a href="http://www.youthworker.com/printerfriendly/11552641/"><span style="color:#333399;">printable version is available here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-26778271766558862152007-09-24T10:48:00.000-04:002007-09-24T11:00:27.749-04:00Choosing a Major<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp-NzFipigbUQBnoX_SpBDbtwZ_HUo_Tm7Fjk7ww5Qou_lrqHJYPO-oDcOKIh3QZizDZ9vOQRzZYoErB8ALiH1g1vhP7eEtC-P5UW0zHSugoZavQv_9ne9jJrfegX5ORc0A1hJg/s1600-h/main-header-roll_07.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5113784276478722098" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTp-NzFipigbUQBnoX_SpBDbtwZ_HUo_Tm7Fjk7ww5Qou_lrqHJYPO-oDcOKIh3QZizDZ9vOQRzZYoErB8ALiH1g1vhP7eEtC-P5UW0zHSugoZavQv_9ne9jJrfegX5ORc0A1hJg/s320/main-header-roll_07.gif" border="0" /></a>Comment, a magazine of the Canada based <a href="http://www.wrf.ca/index.cfm"><span style="color:#333399;">Work Research Foundation</span></a>, has started a new series on "Great Work." They asked me to write an article about how to choose a major and they published it on their website on Friday. From the abstract:<br /><div></div><br /><div><em>Choosing a major in college or university can be a paralyzing exercise of too many choices. But Christian students, as today's Comment author points out, really can envision college, and this choice, differently. Through prayer and conversation, remain open to God's call and leading—because picking a major may be one of the first times you truly put your faith in action.</em></div><div></div><div><em></em></div><div></div><div><em><sp></em></div><div></div><div></div><div><br /><br />Read the article <a href="http://www.wrf.ca/comment/article.cfm?ID=273"><span style="color:#333399;">Finding Our Way to Great Work: Choosing a Major... and a Vocation here</span></a>.</div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-35869301089689259052007-09-17T13:08:00.001-04:002007-09-17T13:19:17.890-04:00College Students Don't Get Enough Sleep<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlPVXwGnyPDVdp8aMHCYA890IakyBdZRS_s_MhqTR_NlO2bcGOG-6tR87KaFt8ejmkj08BEMrwfI6toWXBkCwmsNSEvEG2Ks5zaIUW7xgXJegVVaX92V9sX0fvthyphenhyphenrcpmXT8m3A/s1600-h/sleep.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5111221905997758882" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmlPVXwGnyPDVdp8aMHCYA890IakyBdZRS_s_MhqTR_NlO2bcGOG-6tR87KaFt8ejmkj08BEMrwfI6toWXBkCwmsNSEvEG2Ks5zaIUW7xgXJegVVaX92V9sX0fvthyphenhyphenrcpmXT8m3A/s200/sleep.jpg" border="0" /></a>USA Today reports on new studies that reveal that college students don't sleep enough:<br /><div></div><br /><div>"Colleges are starting to wake up to how sleep deprivation cuts into the academic and athletic performance of their students. All-nighters have become a habit in higher education, but a handful of small new studies help document the consequences."</div><br /><div></div><div>The study also shows what Duke, UCLA, Rice and Maryland are doing to help students develop better sleeping habits. Read the article, <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2007-09-16-sleep-deprivation_N.htm"><span style="color:#333399;">College students' performance suffers from lack of sleep here</span></a>.</div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-25209778222654512772007-09-07T09:26:00.000-04:002007-09-07T09:43:06.502-04:00John Piper on the Importance of Teaching Doctrine to TeenagersIn my last post, I mentioned new research by Mark Regnerus that seems to indicate that college doesn't really change students. I've had some good conversations with friends about the <a href="http://collegetransitioninitiative.blogspot.com/2007/08/does-college-turn-kids-secular.html"><span style="color:#333399;">article and interview below</span></a>. I hope it is sparking conversations for you as well.<br /><br />A good friend of mine passed along a recent post by John Piper. Piper offers a helpful reminder and challenge when faced with "new research." In this particular piece, Piper refers to another study by Regnerus. In <a href="http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2007/2312_Good_Doctrine_Makes_Better_Teenage_Saints/"><span style="color:#333399;">Good Doctrine Makes Better (Teenage) Saints</span></a>, Piper compares Regnerus and Ron Sider:<br /><br />"Here it is again. More evidence from surveys what the Bible makes so plain: superficial, non-doctrinal, non-serious Christians sin pretty much like the world; but more serious, more doctrinally oriented Christians lead lives that are morally distinct. Two years ago Ron Sider flagged this in his book <em>The Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience: Why Are Christians Living Just Like the Rest of the World?</em><br /><br />Now a new book by Mark Regnerus called <em>Forbidden Fruit: Sex and Religion in the Lives of American Teenagers</em> gives the same bleak picture of so-called 'evangelical teenagers' who sleep around as much as unbelievers. But again the book points out that 'the 16% of American teenagers who say that their faith is ‘extremely important to their lives’ are living chastely' (Gene Veith, “Sex and the Evangelical Teen,” World, August 11, 2007, p. 9)."<br /><br />Piper's conclusion:<br /><br />"Yes. Pray for sure. And work our heinies off teaching and preaching and modeling the Truth. And resist an entertainment model for youth ministry. And cultivate a joyfully blood-earnest atmosphere for worship. And call for our youth and our retirees to go risk their lives somewhere for the risen King Jesus. This is where serious truth-driven ministry takes us."<br /><br />Three questions: (1) Is that how you spell "heinies"? (2) Do you think Piper is on to something? (3) Do you have any good examples of solid, "serious truth-driven ministries"?Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-37245144003414016782007-08-28T10:41:00.000-04:002007-08-28T11:36:26.307-04:00Does College Turn Kids Secular?The main focus of this blog is to bring to your attention research and trends in regards to college transition. I occasionally offer commentary if I find it appropriate, but I'm more concerned that people are connected to helpful information. I once read that there are two types of blogs: thinking and linking. This would <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">definitely</span> be the latter. My goal is to link you with good things to read and cut down on your navigation time. I find that the blogs I read the most often are ones the point me in the direction of helpful resources.<br /><br />I do offer extending commentary on transitional issues, however. Q<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">uarterly</span> for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">CPYU's</span> <a href="https://www.cpyu.org/Store.aspx?id=76885&productid=3278"><span style="color:#333399;">Engage Journal</span></a>, and occasionally I'm asked to write for other publications. I'm telling you this, because where I'm going to point you next does require further commentary, and I hope to write something about it soon.<br /><br />Sociologists Mark <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Regnerus</span> and Jeremy <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Uecker</span> have written an intriguing article basically saying that college does not turn kids secular (<a href="http://religion.ssrc.org/reforum/Regnerus_Uecker.pdf"><span style="color:#333399;">READ IT HERE</span></a>). You can read a short interview with Mark Regnerus at Christianity Today <a href="http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/133-42.0.html"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>. <br /><br />Their main point is that the trajectory of students' lives are "set" long before college, and nothing really happens in college to change <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">fundamental</span> beliefs. Today, college is about getting a degree to get a job and rarely are students asked to wrestle deeply with ideas that change a person's worldview.<br /><br />This is interesting, of course, because it is the exact opposite conclusion that <a href="http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D165949%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html?"><span style="color:#333399;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">LifeWay</span> Research</span> </a>released last week. How can this be? Feel free to offer your thoughts.<br /><br />I think I'm going to read some more and, perhaps, an article will come out of it!Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-92191483210432090932007-08-21T09:56:00.000-04:002007-08-21T10:08:41.795-04:00Students Head Back to Campus... and Spend Lots of Money<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrv4pJA8lFN0lDwCz4iIEAMIPK5rXLEhV6Znc7Sp8qbSeMgfswsx4GILyhQZUj3mYtN91v22FLZixhEHY79jVxOK1YejKMcj9su2Ec5VpCK-S0nj86gdeccWvRYt7LjJhPSgpeA/s1600-h/mall.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5101155055747526274" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxrv4pJA8lFN0lDwCz4iIEAMIPK5rXLEhV6Znc7Sp8qbSeMgfswsx4GILyhQZUj3mYtN91v22FLZixhEHY79jVxOK1YejKMcj9su2Ec5VpCK-S0nj86gdeccWvRYt7LjJhPSgpeA/s200/mall.jpg" border="0" /></a>What happens when the current class of college students represents $198 billion in consumer spending power and significantly increases discretionary spending to $48 billion annually? They get surveyed by marketing experts!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.harrisinteractive.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">Harris Interactive</span></a>, the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world teamed up with <a href="http://www.alloymarketing.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">Alloy Media + Marketing</span></a>, one of the country’s largest providers of nontraditional media programs reaching targeted consumer segments, to survey the class of 2011. From the press release:<br /><br />“The largest college class in history (students ages 18-30) has evolved in three key areas: communication modality, purchase behavior, and concern over world issues. First and most operative distinction, technology has taken students out of the dorm room and morphed communication into mobile rapid fire exchanges fraught with ‘pokes’ and alerts. Four short years ago, being ‘wired’ referred to an over-caffeinated all-nighter, and friends met up on the quad without the option of today’s ‘online’ student union. ‘Friending’ your professor may not seem the proper student-teacher etiquette to the old brigade but for today’s class, it’s the most efficient way to get the grade.<br /><br />‘The distinct comparisons we’ve seen from the 2003 study will have considerable impact on how groups eager to attract the attention of this ever-growing and powerful consumer group should be reaching them,’ stated Dana Markow, VP Research, Harris Interactive. ‘Perpetual advancements in technology have had notable impact on students’ daily conduct and as we head into an election year, we’re seeing a class that’s assuming more control over their future.’<br /><br />Read the entire press release <a href="http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20070815005268&newsLang=en"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-10760892700467001832007-08-16T10:35:00.000-04:002007-08-16T10:44:39.111-04:00Why College Students Have Sex<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/07/31/reasons.4.sex.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText"><span style="color:#333399;">CNN reports</span></a>:<br /><br />"After exhaustively compiling a list of the 237 reasons why people have sex, researchers found that young men and women get intimate for mostly the same motivations.<br /><br /><strong><em>It's more about lust in the body than a love connection in the heart</em></strong>.<br /><br />College-aged men and women agree on their top reasons for having sex -- they were attracted to the person, they wanted to experience physical pleasure and 'it feels good,' according to a peer-reviewed study in the August edition of Archives of Sexual Behavior."<br /><br /><strong>Women's Top Ten</strong><br />1. I was attracted to the person<br />2. I wanted to experience physical pleasure<br />3. It feels good<br />4. I wanted to show my affection to the person<br />5. I wanted to express my love for the person<br />6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release<br />7. I was "horny"<br />8. It's fun<br />9. I realized I was in love<br />10. I was "in the heat of the moment"<br /><br /><strong>Men's Top Ten</strong><br />1. I was attracted to the person<br />2. It feels good<br />3. I wanted to experience physical pleasure<br />4. It's fun<br />5. I wanted to show my affection to the person<br />6. I was sexually aroused and wanted the release<br />7. I was "horny"<br />8. I wanted to express my love for the person<br />9. I wanted to achieve an orgasm<br />10. I wanted to please my partner<br /><br />You can watch a video about the report <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/07/31/reasons.4.sex.ap/index.html#cnnSTCVideo"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-43829614880271367772007-08-10T10:13:00.000-04:002007-08-10T11:05:45.870-04:00LifeWay Researches Church Drop Outs<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAkEcYyZFJmlpUxR59RPxmHrH_xh5SX_tJQZUv9KbQFz43oIAM4F2kJQTKIbFqmiNFmvMnGOJ1mnDsruogj3zqaseRxJ9xux8DKgidpW1WrgvM5uW-CnGnGThI7DlNVg80Dha0Q/s1600-h/header_logo_blue.gif"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5097086127870896242" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgAkEcYyZFJmlpUxR59RPxmHrH_xh5SX_tJQZUv9KbQFz43oIAM4F2kJQTKIbFqmiNFmvMnGOJ1mnDsruogj3zqaseRxJ9xux8DKgidpW1WrgvM5uW-CnGnGThI7DlNVg80Dha0Q/s200/header_logo_blue.gif" border="0" /></a>I was in Canada on Tuesday morning and stumbled across an interesting article in <em>The Globe</em> about Denver Broncos’ kicker Jason Elam. The article, <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20070808.ELAM08/TPStory/?query=Elam+brushes+up+on+religious+studies"><span style="color:#333399;">Elam brushes up on religious studies</span></a>, explains why the 37-year-old NFL star is pursuing a master of divinity degree. Elam said that it all started in college: “I was just this Atlanta, Southern, country guy and went off to college and I had friends from all over the world and with that diversity came a big diversity in faith. And I had never met a Mormon or a Jehovah's Witness or a Muslim or an atheist or a Baha'i. I had never met those people before.”<br /><br />Surrounded by the diversity, Elam began to think more thoroughly about why he believed the things he believed. College, for Elam, was about settling in on deepest convictions, dealing honestly with his own doubts and coming out the other side stronger in his Christian faith. He continues to grow and learn, with an “off-season” schedule of mission’s trips and graduate classes, even taking courses at Oxford.<br /><br />But Elam’s story is not like many teenage Christians who head off to college. For reasons given in LifeWay’s new research, a large percentage of students drop out of church after high school. From the website:<br /><br />“A new study from LifeWay Research reveals that more than two-thirds of young adults who attend a Protestant church for at least a year in high school will stop attending church regularly for at least a year between the ages of 18 and 22.<br /><br />As young people transition from high school into the workforce or college life, they are faced with many choices – including whether to continue attending church. Although this decision is a source of concern for parents and church leaders, discussion of the reasons young adults choose the direction they do has largely been speculative.<br /><br />‘Lots of alarming numbers have been tossed around regarding church dropouts,’ said Ed Stetzer, director of LifeWay Research, the research arm of LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. ‘We wanted to get at the real situation with clear research – and there is some bad news here, no question. But, there are also some important solutions to be found in the research. When we know why people drop out, we can address how to help better connect them.’"<br /><br />You can learn more about the research <a href="http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D165949%252526M%25253D200906%2C00.html?"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>.<br /><br />USAToday provides a nice summary of the findings <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2007-08-06-church-dropouts_N.htm"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>.<br /><br />On a similar note, John Seel has written a very important article which gets at the heart of this issue. Seel contends that most students don’t attend church because they don’t understand why church attendance is vital to life and faith. You can read his insightful <strong><em>Making the most of college: Recovering the Lost Logic of Church</em></strong> <a href="http://www.wrf.ca/comment/article.cfm?ID=260"><span style="color:#333399;">here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-61489275270660796202007-07-25T12:10:00.000-04:002007-07-25T12:19:23.057-04:00Need Help Finding a College?<a href="http://www.campusexplorer.com/"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5091169557017585762" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid6GXQh38j42lQO8rSONMdFrZGteqYf4GVfzoamcde_8JeTbpM1gC3Sit1Grg4liqkQvdEuSOdrk3JOTZnY8BUUZ3my0rPw_18TFLE7jGjaE9LQIrqsr-t1sEl3fzAN8csUtYhsw/s200/logo_head.jpg" border="0" /><span style="color:#333399;">CampusExlporer.com</span></a> "is dedicated to helping students, parents and counselors find the information and support needed while researching and applying to post secondary schools. Choosing the right school is an important life decision and <a href="http://www.campusexplorer.com/"><span style="color:#333399;">CampusExplorer.com</span></a> is here to offer guidance throughout this decision making process by providing free, easy-to-use tools, expert advice and objective information. Consider us your personal college and career counselors available 24/7, to help match you with the right program at the right school, organize and track your applications and determine your ideal tuition options."<br /><div></div><br /><div>You can search for colleges by major, location and degree. It's easy and quite interesting. When you do get a list of schools based on your search, one of the first details to pop up is tuition. It was fun just to see how much schools cost! Well, "fun" might not be the right word!</div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-26105152751742334912007-07-19T09:41:00.000-04:002007-07-19T10:03:25.617-04:00Affirming Doubt<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r1r4sJZSgJ0dMLQSoe_k7EktpPGtOX5Bog72ewbRed03A7GUwKhxg75SmlhZ1JUSKakLF48O_xKd34bulI0VBnTXBIS3JP6D0ziG1BFuTfgj0G-Ku2Bt9VhgPfhXOpfXKihEMA/s1600-h/Heidi's+Thai+Pictures+509.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5088908073211078338" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8r1r4sJZSgJ0dMLQSoe_k7EktpPGtOX5Bog72ewbRed03A7GUwKhxg75SmlhZ1JUSKakLF48O_xKd34bulI0VBnTXBIS3JP6D0ziG1BFuTfgj0G-Ku2Bt9VhgPfhXOpfXKihEMA/s200/Heidi's+Thai+Pictures+509.jpg" border="0" /></a>For the Spring edition of CPYU's <a href="http://www.cpyu.org/page.aspx?id=193080"><span style="color:#000099;">Engage</span></a>, I wrote an article entitled "<a href="http://www.cpyu.org/Page.aspx?id=261013"><span style="color:#000099;">Affirming Doubt: Helping Students Ask and Answer Tough Questions</span></a>." Drawing from my own experience of doubt during my time in Thailand shortly after the Tsunami, I explained that asking tough questions and being honest about our doubts about God and faith can be a needed, but painful aspect of discipleship.<br /><br />I thought the article needed to be written because of students I have known over the years that have struggled with doubt. Many of the students were told that there was no room for doubt in the Christian faith. In the article I record "gripes" I often hear from students:<br /><br /><div><strong>“In youth group, I wasn’t supposed to ask questions, but to have faith.”</strong> </div><br /><div><strong>“No one ever told me there were so many intellectual challenges to the Christian faith.”</strong></div><br /><div><strong>“If I have doubts, I must not have faith, so I can do whatever I want.”</strong> </div><br /><div>I then offer three responses for parents and youthworkers:</div><br /><div><strong>"Model a life of life-long learning."</strong></div><br /><div><strong>"Create a safe space for students to ask questions and articulate their faith in their own words."</strong><br /></div><br /><div><strong>"Be patient with students who are wrestling with faith, affirm them in the struggle, but get them to see what good and honest doubting looks like."</strong></div><br /><div>You can read the entire article <a href="http://www.cpyu.org/Page.aspx?id=261013"><span style="color:#000099;">here</span></a>. </div>Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-7208929957407997232007-07-16T16:42:00.001-04:002007-07-16T16:48:17.040-04:00The Yearnings of Young Collegians<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqoSB2XcQ1kdjc3WVCaUaz21rDg15AerI-ixpJjNaG1IckiR32wpODN1TbY8wsQhjPzTikiSLIDY9SZCt4Omj4z8D6BT44ywRDKAiKG8uFkE_n2fN2azMFvUtYkKj30kQMcg7p5A/s1600-h/ydrysn.gif"></a>In yesterday's Sunday News of the York Daily Record, my good friend, Byron Borger, wrote an insightful article on preparing students for college. He writes about the difficulties of the transition but also highlights "reports that indicate a cultural, intellectual and spiritual renaissance among college students." You can read the article <a href="http://www.ydr.com/op-ed/ci_6379062"><span style="color:#000099;">here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-18331762852231063382007-07-10T13:26:00.001-04:002007-07-10T13:31:16.820-04:00New ABC TV Show About College: Nothing New<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDjbHTEN8pu_J07z0qxSpv4eZoVL1MPkYKz327-elj59JMDD6n75IX-NC9ym5x0ypg0dNe3OKhhCOqCA6wxcDKXFwlNJ2LU-Ki0e7FvhLKGYc0YKhjvjKjy9DGWoPZT-STOT1Cw/s1600-h/GREEK.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5085621022247219170" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHDjbHTEN8pu_J07z0qxSpv4eZoVL1MPkYKz327-elj59JMDD6n75IX-NC9ym5x0ypg0dNe3OKhhCOqCA6wxcDKXFwlNJ2LU-Ki0e7FvhLKGYc0YKhjvjKjy9DGWoPZT-STOT1Cw/s200/GREEK.jpg" border="0" /></a>What a busy last few weeks. Three weeks ago, Heidi and I spent two wonderful days at <a href="http://www.wvbc.org/pages.asp?pageid=18742"><span style="color:#000099;">Camp Cowen</span></a> in West Virginia. I presented the college transition seminar to about 40 college bound campers. It was my second year in a row doing a presentation there and I hope this becomes an annual tradition (no pressure Camp Cowen!). It is a fun place with an energized staff. Thank you Tim and Crystal for your hospitality and great music (be sure to check out their new CD from their band <a href="http://www.treehandsworship.com/"><span style="color:#000099;">Treehands</span></a>).<br /><br />After that we spent two weeks at the <a href="http://ocbp.ccojubilee.org/ocbp/"><span style="color:#000099;">Ocean City Beach Project</span></a> in Ocean City, New Jersey. I taught a course on worldview and the students were a blast. Once again, could this be an annual tradition, please?!<br /><br />Finally, last night, ABC Family had the premiere episode of the new show <a href="http://abcfamily.go.com/shows/greek/"><span style="color:#000099;">Greek</span></a>. Well, um, hmmm… not sure it will last very long. It seems to be written for a high school audience, but I’m not sure high schoolers could take it seriously. If nothing else, it does help us to better understand what our culture thinks college is all about. The show will probably serve to shape the imaginations of many incoming freshman. That’s sad.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-76459202493390953842007-06-25T12:14:00.000-04:002007-06-25T12:16:51.625-04:00Parenting for College Success<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfT2Lag73VTlZ2vkShO8-oBD99RK-qrozBcdGLtshu6XnfSkBxL5QMSrVQ3D0NnMaOKQi2TztvgJs6sm_ZCFsmXdd3-Op6NM-5cy1SijpGvJBJ2UHtYPyMBqvsT20ycX53JWPtyA/s1600-h/CTG.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5080036630010037714" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfT2Lag73VTlZ2vkShO8-oBD99RK-qrozBcdGLtshu6XnfSkBxL5QMSrVQ3D0NnMaOKQi2TztvgJs6sm_ZCFsmXdd3-Op6NM-5cy1SijpGvJBJ2UHtYPyMBqvsT20ycX53JWPtyA/s200/CTG.jpg" border="0" /></a>My good friend, Eric Bierker, owner of the <a href="http://www.collegetransitiongroup.com/index.html"><span style="color:#000099;">College Transition Group</span></a>, is offering a free resource for parents of college bound students. If you send him an e-mail you can receive a free copy of <strong><em>Parenting For College Success 101</em></strong> a seven page resource for parents to help guide their children to college success (it will be sent to you as a Word document). Please note in your email that you want this resource. All the information you need is available <a href="http://www.collegetransitiongroup.com/index.html"><span style="color:#000099;">here</span></a>.<br /><br />Thank you Eric!Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-41697544218437815552007-06-20T12:00:00.000-04:002007-06-20T12:07:27.208-04:00What Does Ready Mean?<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75hIY_pe_7FqSnPU9_ezEtwhZQR6mL9FfjZEgAEhHA3ZZIIucQBW1WpryGhgKUPIC8qZna_v984SfCm1uue_slLPtszGqtb2C9vtlvwa_f96H5Non6ONjt_8Q6B0aDldU3aO5gg/s1600-h/graduation.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078178764596741570" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj75hIY_pe_7FqSnPU9_ezEtwhZQR6mL9FfjZEgAEhHA3ZZIIucQBW1WpryGhgKUPIC8qZna_v984SfCm1uue_slLPtszGqtb2C9vtlvwa_f96H5Non6ONjt_8Q6B0aDldU3aO5gg/s200/graduation.jpg" border="0" /></a>This article, <a href="http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2007/06/12/40overview.h26.html"><span style="color:#000099;">What Does Ready Mean? There is plenty of confusion about what it means to fully prepare students for life after high school</span></a>, is very interesting. The article focuses on job readiness and makes the case that most students, even those that graduate college, do not have the job skills needed for most occupations. There seems to be a breakdown between the educational system that supposedly trains students for work, and the training required by most employers. What’s needed is “people skills.” Employers desperately need people who show up on time, work hard and are teachable. According to the article, most colleges and universities are having trouble graduating those kinds of students.<br /><br />Most intriguing was a quote by Harvard professor Howard Gardner. He writes, “No one knows precisely how to fashion an education that will yield individuals who are disciplined, synthesizing, creative, respectful, and ethical.” Hmmm… If an education is not doing that, what exactly is it doing?Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19904056.post-455099707226889662007-06-11T11:22:00.000-04:002007-06-11T11:30:05.884-04:00Middle School to High School Transition<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGjNd_Fkmgr_eKLX0-yFbj45d166jt0bDcL5YCS15vhHlLoQe-RKhJbfJ-obhyphenhyphenkBPBbQ8o6sjUaSzN1SUoOoxOgavXED0yiI3-vsgXIvgMDm2K82r3JW-b4p4tZYJomrgkWnr3A/s1600-h/talking.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5074829364415727026" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnGjNd_Fkmgr_eKLX0-yFbj45d166jt0bDcL5YCS15vhHlLoQe-RKhJbfJ-obhyphenhyphenkBPBbQ8o6sjUaSzN1SUoOoxOgavXED0yiI3-vsgXIvgMDm2K82r3JW-b4p4tZYJomrgkWnr3A/s200/talking.jpg" border="0" /></a>A new study reveals that the transition from middle school to high school is crucial in determining the likely hood of a smooth transition from high school to college. Meaning, we need to be thinking about this transition much sooner. <em>Teenagers Overconfident, Underprepared for College: Survey finds alarming gap between college expectations and readiness in middle school students</em>, an article reporting on the study, begins:<br /><br />"Although a vast majority of American middle school students say they plan on attending college after high school, only one-third of them are aware of what it will take to get there, according to a recent nationwide survey. The National Association of Secondary School Principals and educational association Phi Delta Kappa International collaborated to interview more than 1,800 seventh- and eighth-grade students about their college plans, discovering that an overwhelming 92 percent said they planned on pursuing a college degree. However, 83 percent of those same students knew close to nothing about the classes it would take to graduate - a number that teachers and school administrators nationwide are calling alarming."<br /><br />You can read the rest of the article <a href="http://ucsdguardian.org/viewarticle.php?story=news03&year=2007&amp;month=06&day=07"><span style="color:#000099;">here</span></a>.Derek Mellebyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15369173158701084786noreply@blogger.com0