In the past decade, distance education, specifically online courses, has steadily increased in popularity among college students as a convenient, more affordable means to a degree. In fact, the U.S. Department of Education reported that the number of students adding online courses to their college schedules increased 150 percent from 1998 to 2008. However, distance learners are less likely to do as well as traditional learners, according to findings reported by Columbia University Teachers College research associates Di Xu and Shanna Smith Jaggars in a paper, “Adaptability to Online Learning: Differences Across Types of Students and Academic Subject Areas.” In their study, Xu and Jaggars

College students from across the state have descended on Sacramento today for a protest again cuts in higher education. About 5,000 students are expected to rally on the west side of the Capitol Mall, near the traffic circle, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. according to the event permit. We'll be live blogging with photos, videos, audio interviews and whatever else we can muster. If you're at the protest today, or just have something to say on the issue, join the conversation by clicking on the "Comment Now" link below.   Editor’s note: The “News Digest” goes out every Tuesday morning and highlights our best stories, photos and videos from the week prior. Sign me up.

On February 26 2013, the Sacramento City Council will likely vote on altering Ordinance 2010-037, the law that governs the medical marijuana dispensaries and their permitting process. The council will be deciding whether to alter the sensitive-use requirements from 600 feet away from schools and parks to 1,000 feet away. The medical cannabis community has been lobbying for weeks now in an attempt to make the city council understand how negatively this will impact our community. The common justification for modifying city law to match federal law is that children need to be protected. There’s a fear of minors walking past dispensaries and smelling cannabis, or being harassed or harmed by l

More than 85 people attended a poetry benefit at the Guild Theater on April 21, 2012 to raise funds for the “Que Llueva Café” scholarship which aims to support the dreams, hopes, and aspirations of college bound undocumented students so they can earn their college degree and allow their hard work and sacrifice to persevere. Thirty scholars were chosen holistically by a panel of community volunteers through CORE, Chicano Organizing and Research in Education earlier this month. Every year, the group aims to raise $15,000 to help undocumented scholars working towards higher education.  Recipients live everywhere in the United States, not just in California. “When we first put this scholarsh

American River College (located at 4700 College Oak Drive in Sacramento) is exhibiting a collection of photos from the Andy Warhol Photographic Legacy Program through March 30. The collection will be on display in the school’s Kaneko Gallery in its Fine & Applied Arts Area. The gallery’s hours are 11am-4pm Monday-Thursday and 11am-2pm Friday. Parking permits are $1 for the day. ARC is the only community college in the state to receive such a gift, which includes 150 portraits, celebrity snapshots, couples, nudes, painting ideas, party photos, still lifes, and outdoor images. Art faculty Ken Magri and ARC Foundation Executive Director Kirsten DuBray worked to secure the collection, which

If you had told me I would be doing homework at this point in my life, I would have been either amused or horrified. Given that, had you told me I would find it just as loathsome as I did in high school, I’d have offered no resistance. I can’t help but appreciate the Karmic humor in the fact that currently I am enrolled in a class that compels me to study a text called “Orientation to College.” The curriculum requires that I write weekly essays on topics such as “Why Go To College?” and “The Value of Being Civilized,” when what I’d really like to present are topics like, “Why I Know I Definitely Won’t Need Algebra” and “The Case for Allowing People Over 40 to Earn Credits for Life Experie

  In the mood for a low-country Regina Spektor-meets-Jimmy Buffett-on-whiskey act followed by a Dave Matthews crossed with a beached-out Buddy Holly number? Well, you can... this coming Tuesday, November 8 at the Naked Lounge in downtown Sacramento (1111 H St.), starting at 8:30. This all ages show features two of California's up-and-coming, on-the-scene singer-songwriters, Jo Elless (www.joelless.com) and Mike Macchia & Tyler Canaday (Mike's Lost and Found, http://www.youtube.com/TheMikeMacchia). Midwest and northeastern roots, with a little dixie thrown in for good measure, Jo Elless is a Berklee-trained multi-instrumentalist who arranges her songs for wind orchestra (all of the instru

It’s getting harder and harder for students to find, apply for and pay for good education. One student named Irvis Orozco, 23, is attending his final year at UC Davis and is currently involved in many community outreach programs such as interning for the UCLA Labor Center at Asian Resources, the Building Healthy Communities Project and Dream Act Advocacy at the Capitol and in the Sacramento region with 100 other students throughout the nation. Being completely integrated into his community, one would never guess he was not born in the United States as a citizen but came when he was seven months old. Undocumented students like Orozco are hopeful that more educational doors will be opened f

SACRAMENTO, CA -- The ESM Group announced today a partnership with the NBA’s Sacramento Kings for the inaugural Kings Leadership Academy. The Academy gives 11th and 12th grade students the opportunity to get an insiders’ perspective on how a sports business is run and to become an active participant in this unique process. It will run from August 8th - 12th at Kings Headquarters in Sacramento. “The Sacramento Kings have a long-standing history of giving back to the community and are excited to partner with The ESM Group for this unique opportunity” said Matina Kolokotronis, Kings President of Business Operations. This interactive academy will afford students the chance to work with other

What’s better than a summer afternoon filled with sunshine, great music, and tons of Italian food? Mama mia, it’s Hot Lunch Concert Series in the park. The Hot Lunch Concert Series is back for its third year serving Tuscan-inspired pizzas every Thursday from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. from now until Sept. 1 at Fremont Park, 16th and P streets. A brilliant collaboration of free music and lunch, which includes a pizza and drink for just $10 (including tax) from Hot Italian, located on 16th and Q streets in Midtown. “Hot Lunch is a standout event because it showcases musicians in the city that really have a presence,” said Roshaun Davis, spokesman for Unseen Heroes, a promotion company working wi

The Who’s ‘Tommy’ Opening Night UC Davis Wright Hall Main Theatre Thursday, May 19, 2011   With an impressive cast of young performers, “Tommy” lives up to its past Broadway reputation in this UC Davis reproduction. The musical drama is not an easy feat—it is a rock opera composed completely of musical numbers, all of which are performed live on stage and accompanied by a live band. The story, tragic in many ways, is quite appealing. It captures the early childhood of a young boy named Tommy, and follows him throughout a series of family-induced trauma. The powerful message of hope and belief is clearly portrayed by the end of the play, as Tommy overcomes his struggles and emerges a

Rainy weather wasn’t going to stop the thousands of students who marched to the Capitol to fight for higher education Monday morning. California’s budget crisis has students from the UC, CSU, and Community Colleges concerned about their future. Governor Brown’s proposed budget increases community college tuition by 38.5% and cuts $400 million from the California Community College (CCC) system. This proposed budget is one of the reasons the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), an organization run completely by elected student members, puts this annual ‘March in March’ event on. “It’s a fundamental right that every Californian should have access to an affordable and

Roseville, CA – The Robert C. Cooley Middle School will be ground zero for one of the largest youth education forums in Northern California. Close to 1,000 elementary, middle and high school students will converge on the Cesar E. Chavez Youth Leadership Conference and Education Fair on Saturday, March 19, 2011 in Roseville, CA. For over a decade, this event has provided guidance to youth seeking to pursue higher education and grant information. This unique educational forum allows 6th to 12 grade students and their parents an opportunity to learn how to pursue secondary educational and grant opportunities. College recruiters will be available to answer student questions. There will also b

Do you ever feel like you don't belong? Maybe you feel you have gifts and talents that have not been used yet; or are interested in making new friends and being a part of a family. Touchstone Christian Fellowship is a new church located in Carmichael, off Auburn Boulevard, a few exits past the Arden Fair Mall. Just six years into their journey, and they have already made a huge impact on the community. From their Sunday morning family services, to kids puppet shows at the California State Fair, and new Saturday night college student-focused worship services; they are reaching the Sacramento area in a whole new way. Last Thursday, Touchstone had one of their smaller board meetings involvi

Sacramento- Neighbors were awoken by an explosion this morning and looked out their windows to discover smoke and flames coming from the barber shop next door to them. Just before 1:45 a.m. Wednesday morning, Sacramento Fire responded to a structure fire at the 3B's Barber Shop and Beauty College on Grand Ave and Dry Creek Rd. Marcellous York, an employee at the barber shop (living next door), said he woke up to a loud explosion and noticed there was smoke coming from the shop and called 911. The part of the shop that caught on fire was the beauty college section, which is a add-on to the barber shop that came from McClellan AFB. The college had four students currently enrolled, and it wa

Photo courtesy of Julie Mietus When Cristo Rey High School opened its doors four years ago, it embarked on a unique program – and with a unique request to the community. Cristo Rey recruited students of limited financial means who had a goal of attending college. Beyond that goal, the students agreed to embrace an innovative work-study program that would help pay for private Catholic high school education that would have been difficult, if not impossible, for their families to afford. Among the key ingredients, of course, were the organizations that would partner with Cristo Rey and put the school’s students to work as part of the work-study program. On June 2, 53 of the school’s first

 After months of hard work and preparation, your Sacramento Mountain Lions took to the practice field for the first time Thursday morning.   The first day of Mini Camp, which takes place at Grant High School, started off with some stretching and calisthenics. They then broke off into smaller groups for position drills. They finished off with about 45 minutes of very high-energy seven-on-seven drills.     Some impressions from the first day:    Daunte still has a cannon. He completed a couple of really nice deep balls, including one along the sideline that was 50 yards in the air easy. He struggled a bit on the shorter routes, but that is to be expected.  The back-up QBs looked pret

 The first group of students who completed all four years at Cristo Rey High School graduated Tuesday. Purple and white was the color of the day as 53 students crossed the stage of St. Ignatius' hall, family and friends looking on with pride. Many students will attend prestigious schools, including the University of San Francisco, St. Mary’s and Loyola universities in Chicago. The Cristo Rey High School, which started in 1996 in Chicago and established a Sacramento facility in 2006, is known for accepting students from lower-income families. The school provides employment programs, which pay for up to half of students' tuition, and financial aid.  Through their jobs, students acquire sk

Often times in college students are forced to work in groups with some acting as leaders and others lagging. This is not the case with Sac State’s Coms 158 class. They have pulled together to create an amazing public relations campaign for the upcoming blood drive for a nonprofit organization, BloodSource. Each person is volunteering, working and taking this campaign seriously. It is utterly amazing to see each student pour heart into the campaign and take on more tasks than one should sign up for. It is comforting to know that these hardworking students are our future leaders in the public relations profession. With this campaign, the public relations students have united to save lives

One of the best kept secrets of the South Sacramento area is a small, private school tucked away in the Lanai Shopping Center on Freeport Boulevard, neighboring the Sacramento Executive Airport, where it has existed in rented space for 21 years. Over the years, most of the shopping center tenants have moved away. Meanwhile, countless hours of parent, teacher and student work have gone into transforming a run-down property into a school with colorful classrooms and playgrounds. It has an understated entrance, but Camellia Waldorf School is an oasis for children. The kindergarten yard is home to Mr. Mountain, a big pile of dirt, and Ms. Sandy, a big pile of sand. There are climbing struct