Skip to Content

education

What Oprah & Obama Will Be Watching This Weekend

Filed under: Events, Charity, Children, Big Givers

No, not the latest bloated-budget Hollywood thriller, but something much closer to home: The Providence Effect, an award-winning documentary about Providence-St. Mel, a small school in Chicago's gritty East Garfield Park that has achieved an incredible 100% college acceptance rate against all odds.

Oprah deserves at least some of the credit; she gave the school $1 million to help fund the educational juggernaut that has been called the future of education. Obama meanwhile visited the school in 1998 and gave an incredible inspirational speech that showed he was destined for the highest office in the land.

The movie centers on the equally inspiring journey of the school's principal Paul J. Adams III, who has challenged the Chicago school system for 30 years with his revolutionary approaches to teaching, and also founded the Providence Englewood Charter School. Of course the Obamas and Oprah have been sent copies to view in their personal screening rooms, but the film opens in select theaters nationwide this Friday.

Gates Foundation to Focus on College Education

Filed under: Big Givers


The Gates Foundation has announced it will spend several hundred million dollars over the next five years in an effort to double the current number of low-income students who graduate from college, according to The Chronicle of Philanthropy.

On Tuesday at A Forum for Education in America, Bill Gates told guests, "According to our data, the number of low income and minority students graduating college ready today is 22 percent, and that figure is increasing far too slowly. It's unacceptable. We need to do better."

The Foundation will spend approximately $3 billion across all its education initiatives this year alone, including plans to reduce the dropout rate at the high school level and provide more teacher support. Experts suggest that with the failing economy, federal and state agencies with less and less to spend could start collaborating with the Foundation to improve education in America.

The Global Campaign For Education, Charity Of The Day

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day, Big Givers

The Global Campaign For Education (GCE) is a movement of people worldwide who share the common belief that education should be a basic human right. Quality public education is key in ending the cycle of poverty and in reducing inequality. Sadly all over the globe millions of children don't attend school. GCE brings public awareness to this problem and pressures government to make changes. Latin singing sensation Shakira recently went before congress on behalf of GCE, seeking US aid for education programs in poor nations. I love when celebrities help raise awareness for important issues and I can't think of a better one than this. Education shouldn't be a privilege, it's a basic human need and should be available free of charge to ALL. Join the millions who support GCE!


Year Up, Charity of the Day

Filed under: Charity, Charity of the Day


Although opportunities abound in this country, many of them depend on having a decent education and a basic skill set that isn't always available to many of young people -- especially those living in urban areas. Year Up is a year long program for urban young adults age 18-24 aimed at filling in the educational cracks and giving them the tools and skills they need to move on to higher education and full-time jobs. Originally founded in Boston 5 years ago, Year Up now also has locations in New York, Providence, and Washington D.C.

The Price of Education: What is the World's Most Expensive University?

Filed under: Services


The cost of a good education is notoriously expensive, and whether you're after the best possible edge in your career of choice or simply the prestige of having graduated from a big name school there's no doubt that the sky's the limit when it comes to how much you may end up paying. So how much do the richest of the rich pay? The most expensive 4 year university in the world appears to be George Washington University in Washington D.C. -- tuition per year runs just under $40,000 (which doesn't even include extras like room & board and books).

Get Your MBA In Wine

Filed under: Wine

For those with dreams of owning a winery or just working in the wine business you can now study for an M.B.A. in wine. Sonoma State University says their new program is the first M.B.A program in the country for the wine business. The program is 100 percent funded by the wine industry. The program, which starts in the Fall, is no cakewalk. The M.B.A. in Wine Business includes required foundation courses, and a culminating project on a wine-related topic. Also all candidates for the MBA program in Wine Business will either have to complete 24 units of wine related coursework or 24 months of wine industry work experience before being admissible to the program.

Farncombe Estate Weekend Packages

Filed under: Journeys

A few days ago I discovered a hotel package that caters to history buffs today's find is for the audiophile. ‘Cylinders to CDs’ is a weekend course at Farncome Estate in England. The weekend package on May 19-21 covers the history of recorded sound from Thomas Edison to the present and into the future. The course includes the history of  broadcasting and recording. The weekend includes a trip to Keith Harding’s World of Mechanical Music Museum in Northleach, Gloucestershire.  The course is just one of an impressive list of weekend packages that Farncombe Estate offers that include everything from flower arranging and bobbin lace making to whisky and wine tasting and art appreciation . The accommodations aren't overly lavish but the Cotswold countryside is scenic. The weekend and a single room costs £200.


Join Luxist on Facebook!

Featured Galleries

Langham Yangtze Shanghai
Robb Report Limited Edition Series
Agent Provocateur's
Jimmy Choo Launches Project PEP
Jerry Rice in Atherton
Sierra Lodge
Own Original Works of Art - MoMA and Peter Norton Team Up To Raise Money for P.S. 1
James Patterson in Palm Beach
Peter Nitz Bejeweled Handbags