We are excited to announce our most expansive program of three-hour seminars and learning events to be offered as part of the IECA Fall Conference. These were developed based on feedback from members as well as school and college attendees. Collectively they cover a wide variety of topics that offer something for all: Whether in … Read more »
I had a wonderful opportunity yesterday to meet with two officials of the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC to explore Canadian options for teens in the U.S. and abroad. What I discovered are two professionals committed to adolescent opportunities and enthusiastic about outreach to IECA member educational consultants. I learned much in my conversations with … Read more »
Today’s announcement by the Obama administration to simplify the FAFSA application (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is a most welcome admission that the form, with its 150+ questions, has become so complex and cumbersome that the very families the process should be helping has, instead, chased them away. Today’s announcement of minor changes for the … Read more »
Among the many benefits an educational consultant brings to a student in their school or college search is direct knowledge from having visited scores of campuses, conducting evaluative visits. Such visits give Independent Educational Consultant Association members an eye-witness, ear-to-the-ground, personal way of understanding what makes a campus tick: its social and academic balance, the … Read more »
For the first time in decades, IECA has launched its annual membership renewal drive in the middle of an economic recession. In many parts of the country, notably the industrial Midwest and much of California, conditions are beyond a recession. It is only fair to assume that members (and potential members) wonder if they should … Read more »
The Association of Boarding Schools has just changed its Web address from schools.com to www.TABS.org. The new address is up and running but next month they will unveil a newly designed Web site. Among the new features will be a searchable database of IECA member educational consultants, including all specialty areas. This inclusion marks a … Read more »
A new report by the Brookings Institution may offer a solid explanation for a phenomenon that I’ve written about in recent blogs and noted by many IECA members: the dramatically varying impact of the recession on consultants’ practices, with some reporting “best year ever” and others reporting declines of 40% and more. The new study … Read more »
I spent about 40 minutes speaking with Graham Frey, chancellor of Kaplan Virtual Education, this afternoon. The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) gave me confidence that the curriculum was serious and the online course guide confirmed this. The list of honors courses was reassuring as well. What I wondered about was not the … Read more »
I have begun to hear reports from members—and colleges—across the United States that indicate an unusual year shaping up for state colleges. Most have reported overall increases in applications, and it appears, from what I’m hearing, that it is in-state applicants driving this increase. Out-of-state applications appear to be about even with years past. The … Read more »
Last night I had the opportunity to have dinner with colleagues representing a number of educational associations, both college and independent school focused. Each expressed concern that the outlook for the rest of this year and through 2010 is poor, predicting declines in conference attendance by as much as one-third, and anticipating declines in membership, … Read more »
