education

Stories 261 - 280 | << Prev   Next >>

US Granting 'No Child Left Behind' Waivers

States can submit applications next month

(Newser) - Arne Duncan promised to take action on No Child Left Behind if Congress didn't, and now he's making good on that promise. With efforts to reform the controversial 2002 education law stalled in Congress, the Obama administration will allow states to apply to be exempted from the law....

Santorum: Government Wants to 'Indoctrinate' Kids

GOP candidate decries early education programs

(Newser) - Apparently, early education programs are a government plot. That’s the impression Rick Santorum gave yesterday at a tiny town hall meeting in Iowa. “It is a parent’s responsibility to educate their children. It is not the government’s job,” the GOP presidential candidate told a crowd...

Jeff Smink: Why We Need Summer School

 Why We Need Summer School 
opinion
Jul 28, 2011 2:32 PM CDT

Why We Need Summer School

Low-income kids lose two months' worth of learning each year: Jeff Smink

(Newser) - Americans hate to sacrifice the traditional “lazy summer”—but the long breaks are taking a toll on kids’ education. “Summers off are one of the most important, yet least acknowledged, causes of underachievement in our schools,” writes Jeff Smink in the New York Times . On average,...

Gay History Now Mandatory in California Schools

Governor signs law requiring lessons in LGBT accomplishments

(Newser) - Gay rights supporters are hailing this as a big win in California: Public schools will be required to teach the accomplishments of gay Americans under a measure signed into law yesterday by Gov. Jerry Brown, reports the Los Angeles Times . The San Francisco Chronicle says it's the first such...

Google+ Could Be &#39;Education Game Changer&#39;
Google+ Could Be 
 'Education Game Changer'
OPINION
Jul 14, 2011 3:33 PM CDT

Google+ Could Be 'Education Game Changer'

Teachers can connect with students without privacy issues: Liz Dwyer

(Newser) - Count another one for the Google+ camp: Liz Dwyer at Good writes that the new social networking tool "could end up being a serious education game changer." Google's format allows teachers to set up specific "circles" just for students or classrooms, eliminating those "weird privacy...

Is Cursive Irrelevant? Indiana Thinks So

Schools no longer required to teach it

(Newser) - Inevitability department: Indiana has removed a district requirement that elementary schools teach students cursive handwriting, reports Fox 59 in Indianapolis. Beginning this fall, schools can teach cursive if they want, though they may prefer to use the time honing typing skills: Students will now be expected to be proficient in...

Ga. Superintendent Covered Up Rampant Cheating

Report says administrators hid evidence, punished whistleblowers

(Newser) - For years, Atlanta Superintendent Beverly Hall has been considered one of the best in the country—thanks in part to students’ lofty test scores. But that was all a lie, according to a state investigation released today, which finds that Hall’s administration covered up rampant, systematic cheating, and even...

Florida Leads Way in Education Equality

State has narrowed gap between rich and poor students: ProPublica

(Newser) - Jeb Bush has made a name for himself for education reform in Florida , and a first-of-its kind analysis by ProPublica suggests he's not just blowing smoke by at least one important measure. Florida now has the highest percentage of high school students in advanced classes and, crucially, "that...

Kids Need Better Computer Classes
 Kids Need Better 
 Computer Classes 
OPINION
Jun 24, 2011 12:57 PM CDT

Kids Need Better Computer Classes

Middle-schoolers tuning out because they're not engaged: Neil McAllister

(Newser) - It's no wonder that young students shy away from computer programming, writes Neil McAllister at InfoWorld . The way schools teach it is so ... boring. "Traditional computer science classes at the high school level and earlier teach programming as if it was an end unto itself," he writes....

California Can't Afford Teachers for $105M School

Meanwhile nearby high school badly overcrowded

(Newser) - California is just about finished building its new $105 million high school, which would be good news for the overcrowded Alvord Unified School District—if it actually had the money to run the thing. Instead, budget constraints are so tight that the district can’t afford to hire administrators, teachers,...

College Degree Is Great Defense Against ... Cancer?

Why getting that degree could have unexpected health benefits

(Newser) - The gap in cancer death rates between college graduates and those who only went to high school is widening, the American Cancer Society reports. People with college degrees are seeing a significant drop in cancer death rates, while those who have spent less time in school are seeing more modest...

Congress Must Change No Child Left Behind: Duncan

Education secretary promises to take action if Congress doesn't

(Newser) - If Congress doesn’t do something about No Child Left Behind, then Arne Duncan will. The education secretary promised to take steps to ease some of the sanctions for states that are trying to improve schools, if Congress doesn’t act on rewriting the 2002 law by the beginning of...

Lawmaker's 3rd-Grade Kid Writes Him Letter of Protest

'Please put the budget higher, dad'

(Newser) - A North Carolina state lawmaker has received some very personal letters of protest—from his daughter and her third-grade class. GOP Rep. Mike Stone’s daughter asks him to “please put the budget higher, dad” as the state weighs education spending cuts, reports the AP . “Our school doesn’...

Zuckerberg Wants Under-13s on Facebook

Educational benefits mean age limit should be lifted, founder says

(Newser) - Pre-teens have a lot to gain from social media sites, says Mark Zuckerberg, and he tells an education summit that he'd like under-13s to be able to use Facebook. The Children's Online Privacy Protection Act bans websites that collect information about users from signing up users under 13,...

'Don't Say Gay' Bill Clears Tennessee Senate

Homosexuality can't be in prepared class material in schools

(Newser) - The "don't-say-gay" bill moves on: A measure aimed at curbing discussion of homosexuality in schools has made it through the Tennessee Senate. The final version got watered down a bit, explains the Tennessean : K-through-8 teachers can respond to questions on gay issues, but they can't make the...

High School English: A Waste of Time?
High School English:
A Waste of Time?
OPINION
May 15, 2011 3:14 PM CDT

High School English: A Waste of Time?

No one wants to teach grammar because it's not fun: Kim Brooks

(Newser) - Sometimes, while Kim Brooks is grading essays by her college composition students, she cries. "Not real tears, exactly—more a spontaneous, guttural sob, often loud and unpleasant enough to startle my husband or children," she writes in Salon . Why? Because many of these students "simply ... cannot write....

For Backbreaking Work, Teacher Pay Is Staggering
For Backbreaking Work, Teacher Pay Is Staggering
DAVE EGGERS
May 1, 2011 8:34 AM CDT

For Backbreaking Work, Teacher Pay Is Staggering

Like soldiers, teachers need more resources to compete, not blame.

(Newser) - When America fails in combat, we don't blame the troops for being lazy, we blame the top brass. So why is it that our response to a failing education system is to blame the teachers? asks Dave Eggers, writing with Nínive Clements Calegari in the New York Times...

Why Cursive in Schools Still Matters
 Why Cursive 
 Still Matters 
Apr 30, 2011 12:29 PM CDT

Why Cursive Still Matters

Handwriting style fights forgery, bolsters motor skills, and more

(Newser) - Cursive handwriting may seem archaic in a time of word processors and text messages, and in schools nationwide, it’s being taught less and less. But the ability to write in cursive has hidden benefits, experts tell the New York Times . When it comes to signatures, for example, “it’...

Homeless Mom Faces Jail for Enrolling Son in School

Woman charged with grand larceny after boy sent to wrong school

(Newser) - A homeless mother who sent her child to the wrong Connecticut public school could be jailed for up to 20 years for stealing $15,686—the cost of a year's education in Norwalk. Tanya McDowell was charged with grand larceny after authorities discovered that she sent her 6-year-old son...

&#39;Don&#39;t Say Gay&#39; Education Bill Advances in Tennessee
'Don't Say Gay' Education Bill Advances in Tennessee
in case you missed it
Apr 24, 2011 7:03 PM CDT

'Don't Say Gay' Education Bill Advances in Tennessee

Teachers can't talk about homosexuality before high school under bill

(Newser) - A Tennessee state Senate committee has passed a bill to make sure teachers don't mention homosexuality in classes below ninth grade, the Knoxville News Sentinel reports. The Republican sponsor of the so-called “don’t say gay” bill got it passed 6-3 after some legal wrangling, and it now...

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