Opinion: Why blame the teachers?
With states and cities going through hard times, teachers, their pensions and their unions have become big targets for budget cutters, says the New York Times.
Year: 2011
Stakeholders differ on college and career readiness
A new report reveals that while teachers, parents, students, and executives believe that college- and career-readiness is essential to students’ post-high school success, the groups rate this differently…
Kaspar the friendly robot helps autistic kids
Eden Sawczenko used to recoil when other little girls held her hand and turned stiff when they hugged her. This year, the 4-year-old autistic girl began playing with…
Redevelopment agencies shortchanged California Schools $40 million, used funds for golf course
According to the Los Angeles Times, redevelopment agencies in California illegally shortchanged schools by at least $40 million last year, forcing the state to make up the money,…
Taking photos of breakfast and giving meals to children
Breakfast eaters around the country are photographing their bowls of cereal, plates of eggs and assorted pastries, not out of a personal obsession with food but for a…
Professor commissions creepy robot that looks exactly like him
This isn't eerie at all: Geminoid DK, in conjunction with Professor Henrik Scharfe of Aalborg University in Denmark, has created a robotic version of the associate professor that…
3 steps for choosing the right high school classes
Finding success as an applicant, however, rests more on what you do with the talents you possess than the fact that you have them, reports U.S. News &…
Can’t sleep? Turn off cell phones, game consoles after sundown, survey says
According to Yahoo! News, the more often you use "interactive" electronics like cell phones or video games right before bed, the more likely it is you'll miss out…
A call for curricular support as Common Core standards take hold
A diverse group of educators and stakeholders is calling for clear curricular guidance to complement the new Common Core State Standards that most states have adopted, including examples…
Wisconsin labor battle heats up on YouTube
National newspapers, television, and radio stations aren't the only places where the Wisconsin labor conflict is playing out; now, both sides have taken to YouTube with ad campaigns…
Recovery School District Superintendent defends tenure
As the search goes on for his successor, Recovery School District head Paul Vallas can boast of improved test scores and a city wide school choice system with…
Tight budgets mean squeeze in classrooms
Millions of public school students across the nation are seeing their class sizes swell because of budget cuts and teacher layoffs, undermining a decades-long push by parents, administrators…
Survey: IT college grads not ‘ready to go’
Many companies and college IT departments are ready to hire as the economy thaws, but more than nine in 10 college graduates who majored in information technology (IT)…
Sites like Twitter absent from free speech pact
Three years later, the effort known as the Global Network Initiative has failed to attract any corporate members beyond the original three, limiting its impact and raising questions…
Texans duel over millions in school funding
As Texas schools scrounge for cash to buy supplies and threaten to lay off teachers, $830 million in education funding earmarked for the state is sitting at the…
British TV chef in food fight with LA schools
Jamie Oliver's recipe has uncharacteristically curdled since he arrived in Los Angeles last fall to shoot his second U.S. TV series, the Associated Press reports.
Company claim: Emergency alerts get to students in 20 seconds
A two-inch keychain might be the solution for campus officials hoping to avoid public scrutiny next time their emergency text messages hit a logjam and don’t reach student…
Signs of the times: Digital displays go to school
From revenue-generating message boards at concession stands and athletic venues, to point-of-sale displays at campus bookstores and alumni gift shops, to distance-learning applications and asset-reservation panels outside lecture…
Extracurricular sex toy lesson draws rebuke at Northwestern
The president of Northwestern University said Thursday that he was “troubled and disappointed” by a psychology professor’s decision to present his students last week with a demonstration outside…
Budget crisis forces states to spend creatively: Duncan
With some states taking a budget-cutting ax to public school funding, the U.S. education department on Thursday offered some guidance on finding and spending federal money flexibly--but did…
Japan rattled by college entrance exam cheat case
Japanese police arrested a teenager accused of cheating on his university entrance examination by consulting online forums with his mobile phone, prompting outrage Friday in this gadget-loving country…
A tougher, greener battery could power phones in Africa
Fenix International, a San Francisco-based design firm, may have a better solution for these communities: a new ruggedized battery and generator system called ReadySet, LiveScience reports.
Harvard reopens door to ROTC
Harvard University on Thursday became the most prominent college to welcome the Reserve Officer Training Corps back to campus in response to congressional repeal of the ban on…
Is Google’s Android market dangerous?
Google's Android market experienced its first real security lapse on Wednesday as more than a dozen apps were found to be lined with malicious code that could be…
Teachers wonder, why the scorn?
The jabs Erin Parker has heard about her job have stunned her. Oh you pathetic teachers, read the online comments and placards of counterdemonstrators. You are glorified baby…
Facebook now powers comments all around the web
Facebook released its much-feared commenting solution, reports ReadWriteWeb.
Review: Xoom emerges as first real iPad competitor
Motorola's Xoom has been hailed as the most likely tablet computer to rival Apple's iPad--the first with the goods to compete against the uncontested leader in this nascent…
The top places to study video game design–for credit
Princeton Review and GamePro Media have joined forces to handicap what they consider the “Top 10” undergraduate and graduate programs in video game design, reports the Choice.
Jobs breaks from medical leave to unveil iPad 2
Apple is back with a second-generation tablet computer that squeezes more power into a thinner shell while keeping prices in check. Underscoring the tablet's importance to Apple, CEO…
Survey: Districts lack STEM funding, professional development
Though STEM educators highly value technology’s presence and potential in the classroom, they cited a lack of funding and professional development for teachers as two major roadblocks in…
CoSN offers new guidance on social media use in schools
The Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) has released new online guidance to help school district leaders rethink their internet use policies to reflect students' and teachers' increasing use…
Ga. Tech to host disabled STEM students in Second Life
Colleges and universities have shown concern about the growing gender gap in science, technology, education, and math (STEM), and Georgia Tech has found another group often left out…
Wis. schools face deep cuts under gov.’s budget
Gov. Scott Walker is plowing ahead with his full plan for balancing Wisconsin's budget, proposing massive cuts to public schools even as he faces a stalemate over his…
Obama, Jeb Bush to visit Miami high school
When President Barack Obama and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush stand side by side at a Miami high school, it will be an opportunity for the Democrat to…
Cuomo seeks speedy change in teacher evaluations
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Tuesday that he would introduce legislation to speed the implementation of a statewide system to evaluate teachers’ performance, reports the New York…
Teacher rattles table in class, student calls 911
A California school teacher was placed on paid administrative leave after he rattled a table to get the attention of his math students, startling an eighth-grade girl who…
More college graduates take public service jobs
If Alison Sadock had finished college before the financial crisis, she probably would have done something corporate, reports the New York Times.
Viewpoint: School leaders need more help, and not red tape, to transform education
Our public system of education seems to be under constant attack from the media and self-appointed “reformers.” Regardless of the opinion those outside of education might hold, it…
eSchool News February 2011
Highlights 27 Tech-Savvy Supe Awards Meet 10 superintendents whose leadership and vision have spurred an ed-tech revolution. 34 There’s an ... Read more
Readers weigh in on treating education as a business
While many readers argue that schools could learn a lot from business, a majority agree with the premise that businesses and schools have fundamentally different missions and therefore…