Community Colleges: Where’s our $12 billion?
The Obama administration has touted community colleges as the one institution in higher education that can best adapt to the nation's economic realities and still deliver the education…
Year: 2011
Brooklyn College revokes instructor’s appointment to teach Mideast politics
Professor Kristofer Petersen-Overton said he had learned a that Brooklyn College was rescinding his appointment, saying he lacked the academic qualifications to teach such a high-level course, reports…
Forum explores how to spur school innovation
Innovation was a key theme of President Obama’s State of the Union address on Jan. 25, and it also was the theme of a recent forum in Washington,…
School district turns snow days into ‘e-days’
A small rural Ohio school district is experimenting with a new version of the traditional snow day -- one that some kids are not likely to enjoy much,…
Facebook boosts security, allows ‘sponsored stories’
Facebook unveiled new security enhancements on Jan. 26 designed to protect the content of users' profiles, RedOrbit reports. The new security tools include the availability of one-time passwords…
U.K. university awards first Beatles degree
A Canadian woman has become the first person in the world to graduate with a Masters degree in Beatles studies, Reuters reports. Former Miss Canada finalist Mary-Lu Zahalan-Kennedy…
Your professor, your computer, and you
Can students possibly learn more sitting alone, staring at a computer screen for hours on end than they could sitting amongst peers and interacting directly with an expert…
Ohio mom jailed for lying about kids’ school residency
How far would you go to get your children into a better public school? The best intentions of one Ohio woman landed her in jail, AOL News reports.…
Senators pledge bipartisan effort to revamp NCLB
Less than a day after President Obama asked Congress to overhaul No Child Left Behind (NCLB) in his Jan. 25 State of the Union address, a bipartisan group…
How to keep tabs on mobile computers … without being sued for ‘spying’
A Pennsylvania school district was sued last year for remotely activating the webcams on student laptops to find missing machines. In nearby New Jersey, the Brick Township Public…
Obama: Spare education from budget cuts
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 25, President Obama called for more investment in education, innovation, and infrastructure—setting up a showdown between his administration and…
Research finds text-messaging improves children’s spelling skills
A new study from Coventry University finds no evidence that having access to mobile phones harms children's literacy skills, reports ReadWriteWeb. In fact, the research suggests that texting…
Holocaust historical data goes digital
The world's largest collection of Holocaust documents is going digital, the Associated Press reports.
Rep. Rand Paul unveils $500 billion in federal budget cuts
The freshman Republican congressman, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), would nearly eliminate the Department of Education and do away with the Energy Department, reports the Los Angeles Times.
Education group to push for funding
Higher-education supporters have formed another new group that aims to pressure the Legislature to be more generous with education funding, reports the Seattle Times.
Verizon to offer $30/month unlimited data plan for iPhone
You'll be able to get unlimited data with the upcoming Verizon iPhone, carrier execs have confirmed. Meanwhile, word has it that Verizon may nix a cheaper, capped 3G…
Fewer than half of students proficient in science
The nation’s students are still struggling in science, with fewer than half considered proficient and just a tiny fraction showing the advanced skills that could lead to careers…
Google makes ed-tech splash with apps marketplace
Google opened an Apps Marketplace for educators Jan. 25, creating an online repository filled with learning management system (LMS) software, web-based grade books, and other content that can…
Free online course helps educators teach about ocean exploration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is offering a free online workshop for teachers and the general public, called "How Do We Explore?" The course is based…
New site offers college essays, sans plagiarism
Being the first in his family to graduate from high school, Paris Wallace said he sympathizes with teenagers who find themselves alone in the circuitous college application process,…
Future murky for virtual classrooms
Kalynn Greer, 16, can see success in her future now, thanks to an alternative education program that lets her learn online and outside of a classroom. But it's…
Google and Mozilla announce new privacy features
Add two more internet browser makers to the list of companies planning to offer web users new ways to control how their personal data is collected online, reports…
Bill would let ‘sexting’ NJ teens avoid charges
New Jersey teenagers caught texting or posting sexually explicit photos online could avoid prosecution under a measure that would give first-time offenders the chance to complete a diversionary…
Public universities relying more on tuition than state money
In most states, it is now tuition payments, not state appropriations, that cover most of the budget, the New York Times reports.
Florida or Ghana, eReading innovators face the same challenges
Worldreader, an eReader nonprofit with a project in Ghana, and Clearwater High School in Florida, who also have an eReader project, have found they are facing many of…
Feds launch new education data tool
The federal Education Department has launched a new website that aims to provide easy access to key state and national education data for all school stakeholders.
Amid economic uncertainty, ed-tech leaders do more with less
Though education budgets might be frozen or face further reductions in school districts from coast to coast, some educational technology leaders have found innovative ways to update their…
How Google’s leadership shakeup could affect education
Google Inc.’s announcement last week that co-founder Larry Page would replace CEO Eric Schmidt might be appealing to educators who long for the company’s free-wheeling days, but educational…
For-profit college group sues over regulations
A group representing for-profit colleges and trade schools filed a federal lawsuit Friday against the U.S. Department of Education seeking to block new regulations of the sector, the…
LA judge limits seniority-based teacher layoffs
A judge on Friday approved a sweeping overhaul of how teachers are laid off in what education reformers hail as a landmark decision to keep more effective instructors…
Google awards $100 million to Eric Schmidt
Google says it has awarded $100 million worth of equity to outgoing CEO Eric Schmidt, the Associated Press reports.
Are Android tablets vapor? Or just not here?
Everyone seems to have proclaimed that this was the "year of the tablet" at the Consumer Electronics Show. But while I certainly saw a whole lot of tablets…
Facebook raises $1.5 billion
If you thought Groupon's $950 million was big, hold on to your hats. Facebook has announced that it has raised $1.5 billion in funding at a $50 billion…
If education were a business…
A controversial new study published by the Center for American Progress analyzes K-12 school districts based on their productivity: the academic achievement a district produces relative to its…
Verizon challenges new net-neutrality rules in court
In a case with important implications for schools as well as consumers, Verizon Communications Inc. on Jan. 20 filed a legal challenge to new federal regulations that prohibit…
Panel: How to improve special ed
As the push for reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) increases, leaders in the field of special education recently debated whether the Individuals with Disabilities…
Google shake-up is effort to revive start-up spark
Google made the biggest management shake-up in a decade on Thursday, handing the reins of the company to one of its co-founders in an effort to rediscover its…
Meg Whitman joining HP board after purge
Hewlett-Packard Co is shaking up a board criticized by many as dysfunctional, bringing in five new directors including former eBay chief Meg Whitman, as new CEO Leo Apotheker…
Pa. school district sued over truancy fines
A federal lawsuit accuses a Pennsylvania school district of imposing excessive and illegal fines on truant children or their families, including one parent ordered to pay $27,000 and…
Tech talk podcast: Evolving relationships and privacy
The New York Times presents a podcast by professor Sherry Turkle of M.I.T., who discusses her new book “Alone Together: Why We Expect More From Technology and Less…