Numbers

Ecstatic students cried tears of joy on Thursday, August 14, as they collected their eagerly awaited A-level results from Luton Sixth Form College.

Youngsters squealed as they ripped open the important envelopes – many of which contained the key to a place at university.

One thrilled success story was Kishan Manani, of Farley Hill, Luton, who scooped three A grades and one B.

The 18-year-old said: “I cannot describe my feelings because UCAS said I didn’t make my offer but I did!”

Kishan will now head off to Imperial College, London, next month to study physics.

Friends Nisha Parmar and Hela Patel were all smiles as they looked at their results together. Nisha, of Dallow Road, achieved two As and a B and Hela, who travelled from London everyday to the college, collected one A, one B and one C.

The girls will both start courses at The University Of Hertfordshire next month, Nisha to study business, accounting and finance and Hela to study child nursing.

Words: Laura Kempsell
Video: Natalee Hazelwood
www.lutontoday.co.uk

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http://thelotteryfilm.com/

In a country where 58% of African American 4th graders are functionally illiterate, The Lottery uncovers the failures of the traditional public school system and reveals that hundreds of thousands of parents attempt to flee the system every year.

The Lottery follows four of these families from Harlem and the Bronx who have entered their children in a charter school lottery. Out of thousands of hopefuls, only a small minority will win the chance of a better future.

Directed by Madeleine Sackler and shot by award-winning cinematographer Wolfgang Held, The Lottery uncovers a ferocious debate surrounding the education reform movement. Interviews with politicians and educators explain not only the crisis in public education, but also why it is fixable. A call to action to avert a catastrophe in the education of American children, The Lottery makes the case that any child can succeed.

Duration : 0:1:52

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http://www.ted.com Accepting his 2008 TED Prize, author Dave Eggers asks the TED community to personally, creatively engage with local public schools. With spellbinding eagerness, he talks about how his 826 Valencia tutoring center inspired others around the world to open their own volunteer-driven, wildly creative writing labs. But you don’t need to go that far, he reminds us — it’s as simple as asking a teacher “How can I help?” He asks that we share our own volunteering stories at his new website, Once Upon a School.

Duration : 0:24:30

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Hundreds of anxious Brooklyn parents learn if their children were accepted by one of the city’s nine charter schools. http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/charter_chase_fuels_school_lottery_5yAE9Q4vr5aXTSPsIfLo2M

Duration : 0:1:54

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