Spokane schools’ software pays big dividends
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Month: September 2012
School principals’ workloads to increase under new Indiana law
Beginning this school year, Indiana principals’ job descriptions will include conducting annual teacher evaluations, under a law passed by state lawmakers last year, the Huffington Post reports.
A caveat on reading fiction in school
The new Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts call for students to read a lot more non-fiction and less fiction than they used to, a requirement…
Teachers’ union leader: ‘I know we’ve done things wrong’
It is a soul-searching moment for the teachers' unions, the Huffington Post reports.
Amazon’s Kindle Fire HD family: The highs and lows you need to know
There's no doubt that Amazon's original Kindle Fire tablet was a huge hit. It earned over 10,000 5-star customer reviews, it remained the number-one best-selling product on Amazon…
Watch: Texas school ID tracking chips protested by parents and students
Student IDs in a few Texas schools now have tracking chips that will allow teachers and staff to know where students are at all times, the Huffington Post…
What ‘sequestration’ could mean for school grant seeking in 2013
You might already know that the Budget Control Act of 2011 created a Joint Commission of Congress that is charged with identifying budgetary savings of at least $1.2…
Facebook, Teachbook reach settlement in lawsuit
Facebook and Teachbook, a social networking site for teachers, have settled a lawsuit that began two years ago when Facebook alleged trademark infringement against the company.
Until we get rid of funding inequities, real education reform can’t happen
Many of our schools lack adequate financial support, and the public is willing to pay higher taxes to remedy the situation. The problem lies in the ways our…
Study: The one change districts should make to save $10 billion
A study released Wednesday by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has found that if high-spending public school districts reduced their special education staffing levels to align with the…
High school teachers address post-9/11 stereotypes
Schools across the country will mark the anniversary of the September 11 attacks next week with memorials, moments of silence, and special lesson plans, U.S. News reports.
A new Finnish lesson: Why gender equality matters in school reform
Finland’s Pasi Sahlberg is one of the world’s leading experts on school reform and the author of the best-selling “Finnish Lessons: What Can the World Learn About Educational…
Arne Duncan on team Romney: ‘They see education as an expense’
When addressing the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appealed to the crowd not in his official capacity, but "as a parent…
Court rulings help illegal immigrants’ college-bound children
Several states with financial difficulties have moved quietly in recent years to reduce spending on college education by denying low tuition rates and financial aid to American citizens…
Top ed-tech news: September 2012
A new project aims to transform the first five days of school; federal officials urge teachers to connect through online communities of practice; Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. launches…
Spongelab whets students’ interest in science
As schools look for ways to incorporate more science instruction on a shoestring budget, Toronto-based educational gaming company Spongelab Interactive has a resource that can help.
Education policies, funding at stake in 2012 election
When voters go to the polls to choose the nation’s next president in November, they’ll be making a choice that has important implications for schooling in the next…
Education is a public good, not a commodity
Education is the great equalizer, the bedrock of the American Dream. Despite the highest levels of income disparity since the Great Depression, at a time when the personal…
Are medications, IQ related to learning disabilities?
A recent nationwide survey of nearly 2,000 Americans by the National Center for Learning Disabilities has found that many people are uncertain about the causes and treatments of…
Which is worse? Hungry kids or fat kids?
The latest conflict over New York City school cafeterias has the city dishing out fewer calories than federal nutrition guidelines recommend, leading critics to argue that the city…
‘Magic Pen’ helps high school teachers dig deeper into math lessons
Pretend you're a high school student getting your nightly Facebook fix. As you scroll through your news feed, what do you see? Photos, gossip, YouTube videos, and calculus…
Opinion: How a student drug problem will cripple U.S. education
Drugs have permeated our school system. Schools are no longer a place where all students want to go to, nor are they the safe haven that they were…
Romney calls for smaller federal role in education
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has offered a program of education policy goals that calls for a smaller federal role in both K-12 and higher education, modifying but…
Hong Kong students protest over ‘brainwashing’ classes
Hong Kong students and teachers protested Tuesday for a sixth straight day against plans to introduce Chinese patriotism classes, as political tensions rise days ahead of legislative polls,…
eSchool News July/August 2012
• Romney outlines his plans for education • FTC ill-equipped to guard ePrivacy • Seven iPad alternatives for schools • 2012-13 Readers’ Choice Awards • Dispelling five common…
Blending the Best of Online and Face-to-Face Learning to Improve Student Outcomes
It’s a fact that student engagement leads to better learning outcomes. But how can teachers extend student interaction beyond class ... Read more
Why thousands of K-12 teachers are turning to SchoolTube
Forget the days of bringing an item for show and tell. These days, with most everyone having video capabilities on some sort of technology device, students illustrate their…
The Lizard Project: Why scientists and teachers should work together for science outreach
My high school students recently did something that rarely happens in a science classroom they did science. Although, inquiry based instruction has long been a science education buzz…
New attendance push prized by students, educators
School day wake-up calls recorded by celebrities. Weekend makeup classes. Contests with laptop computers, private concerts and cars as prizes. Educators across the nation are using creative strategies…
Arizona reaches deal over education of English language learners
Arizona has agreed to offer targeted reading and writing instruction to tens of thousands of public school students who were wrongly denied services under an English Language Learner…
LG Intuition ‘phablet’ coming to Verizon on September 6th for $199.99
Sorry, Samsung: You’re about to get some competition in the market for oversized smartphones, BGR News reports.
Five technology skills every student should learn
What are the most critical technology skills for students to learn? We recently asked our readers this question, and here's what they had to say.
Albuquerque schools embrace ‘techbooks’ instead of textbooks
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New distance learning agreement coming soon
Drafters of an interstate agreement on distance learning in higher education are entering the final stages of creating a model agreement that would make it much easier for…
Nearly 900 districts to apply for Race to the Top funding
Nearly 900 school districts across the nation intend to apply for a slice of close to $400 million in grants that the U.S. Education Department will distribute in…
Arkansas district knows how to make students engaged and teachers tech-savvy
Arkansas’ Osceola School District has students use Renaissance Learning’s NEO—a low-cost, battery-powered keyboard with word processing and quizzing capabilities—for their writing projects and Wii gaming systems for physical…
What ‘sequestration’ could mean for school grant seeking in 2013
You might already know that the Budget Control Act of 2011 created a Joint Commission of Congress that is charged with identifying budgetary savings of at least $1.2…
eSchool News July/August 2012
• FTC ill-equipped to guard ePrivacy • Seven iPad alternatives for schools • 2012-13 Readers’ Choice Awards • Dispelling five common grant-seeking myths • New Yahoo! course is…