Chronic absenteeism isn’t the problem–it’s the signal
Chronic absenteeism will not be solved by a stricter attendance policy--it will be solved by people
Feds issue more guidance on swine flu
Schools and colleges should be ready with hard-copy packets and online lessons to keep learning going even if swine flu sickens large numbers of students this year, U.S.…
Web startup offers an easy way to donate unwanted gift cards to schools
Plastic Jungle, an online marketplace for unused gift cards, now allows people to donate the full value of unwanted cards to classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org, reports the New…
Virtual 3-D lab aims to stimulate learning
Students at a Baltimore County high school this fall will explore the area surrounding Mount St. Helens in a vehicle that can morph from an aircraft to a…
Schools gear up for swine flu shots
Hundreds of schools are heeding the government's call to set up flu-shot clinics this fall, preparing for what could be the most widespread school vaccinations since the days…
$650M in new grants target innovation
U.S. schools will have a chance this fall to compete for part of $650 million in new "innovation" funds that are intended to reward districts that have designed…
Google rivals to fight book-scanning settlement
The fight against a legal settlement that would give Google Inc. the digital rights to millions of copyrighted books is starting to resemble a heavyweight brawl in the…
Facebook privacy lawsuit ‘a jumbled mess’
Parts of a new privacy lawsuit filed against Facebook earlier this week represent a lack of understanding of how social networks such as Facebook work, as well as…
Tenn. schools lift gay web filter
Two Tennessee school boards have been mandated to unblock online access to web sites containing information about LGBT issues, reports The Advocate.
Momentum building on STEM education
As part of the Obama administration's emphasis on bringing education into the 21st century, it comes as no surprise that policy makers have trained their focus on STEM…
Focus on school data bolsters case for SIF
As little as a few years ago, the Schools Interoperability Framework (SIF)--a solution that allows school software applications from various vendors to share information seamlessly--was making slow headway…
Study: Campuses unprepared for catastrophe
Most colleges and universities are prepared to respond to bomb threats, hazardous material spills, and severe weather, but only a small fraction of campuses have policies that would…
California lists state-approved digital textbooks
Following up on their plan to encourage the use of free, open digital textbooks among the state's schools, California education leaders on Aug. 11 released a list of…
Student can re-enroll after blog dispute
A University of Louisville nursing student expelled over blog posts about an assignment to follow a woman the day she gave birth has won the right to return…
Teachers tread with caution on Facebook
With technology evolving as fast as a teen's thumbs can move over a cell phone, teachers are seeking to strike a balance on what's considered appropriate contact in…
Feds revise swine flu guidance
In a departure from previous guidance on the issue, the U.S. government on Aug. 7 said schools should close this fall only if large numbers of students have…
NECC 2009: Video highlights
The rise in mobile technologies, how to lobby Congress successfully for more ed-tech support, and how Baby Boomers can help meet the need for 21st-century teachers: These were…
Gay-friendly online high school sees nationwide interest
A Minnesota-based online high school catering to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students has received strong interest from students across the country, reports the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Flooding causes evacuations at U. of Louisville
Employees were evacuated by boat from a flooded building at the University of Louisville on Aug. 4 after heavy rain pounded the region, submerging cars up to their…
Royalty rates settled for college internet radio
Campus-based internet radio broadcasters have an established royalty rate after an agreement was reached with SoundExchange, a nonprofit organization created to collect and dole out music royalties to…
Coach sued for requesting Facebook logins
In a case that could set a precedent for whether school officials can legally peek into students' private social-networking accounts without justifiable cause, a high school cheerleader is…
Cheerleader sues school, coach for demanding Facebook login
A high school cheerleader claims a coach forced her to give up her Facebook account login information, only to see her account's contents shared widely with school officials,…
Court rules against Blackboard in patent fight
A federal appeals court ruling this week voided part of a Blackboard Inc. patent that competitor Desire2Learn was accused of violating, and technology experts say the end of…
BU student’s song-swapping trial begins
A Boston University graduate student was "a kid who did what kids do" when he swapped songs through file-sharing networks like Kazaa, his lawyer said July 28 as…
Experts split on ‘Kindle in Every Backpack’
Education experts are split after a recent proposal published by some influential members of the Democratic Party suggested the government provide electronic reading devices to every student in…
Kindle pilot is discriminatory, advocates charge
Some legal experts say groups advocating on behalf of blind students have a strong case with their lawsuit against Arizona State University (ASU). The suit claims using the…
Gates: U.S. ed has no choice but to improve
The U.S. must improve its educational standing in the world by rewarding effective teaching and by developing better, universal measures of performance for students and teachers, Microsoft co-founder…
Swine flu shots at school: Bracing for fall return
U.S. swine flu vaccinations could begin in October, with children among the first to get the shots at their local schools, the Obama administration said July 9 as…
Let retiring ‘Boomers’ transform schools
An innovative and potentially ground-breaking approach to 21st century education is placing baby boomer retirees from STEM fields into "learning teams" with educators in an attempt to give…
Editorial: Different animals
In the July issue of eSchool News, we published the text of the final speech given by Craig Barrett as chairman of Intel Corp. In his speech, Barrett--who…
American education reform: Stranded on islands of excellence
(Editor's note: What follows is the edited text of a speech given at an Arizona charter schools event on May 17 by Craig Barrett, who retired as chairman…
Layoffs prompt teachers to move online
In what could be a result of widespread teacher layoffs, some virtual schools and online learning providers are reporting huge increases in teaching applications for the coming school…
Hard times push Catholic schools toward crisis
In a trend that has been intensified by growing economic worries, declining enrollment in Catholic schools across the nation is forcing many of those schools to close. Key…
ISTE urges tech training for future teachers
Educational technology advocates are hoping that Congress amends the fiscal 2010 budget to include funding for a grant program that focuses on improving new teachers' abilities to use…
GOP leaving ‘No Child’ behind
As the Obama administration considers new legislation to fix schools, House Republicans have chosen an education policy leader who is eager to turn the page on the No…
ED: Blended learning helps boost achievement
A new analysis of existing online-learning research by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reveals that students who took all or part of their class on line performed…
ED: Blended learning helps boost achievement
A new analysis of existing online-learning research by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) reveals that students who took all or part of their class on line performed…
NECC 2009 looks to education’s future
The economic recession doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm for the 2009 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C.: At a time when tight school budgets have…
NECC 2009 looks to education’s future
The economic recession doesn't seem to have dampened enthusiasm for the 2009 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in Washington, D.C.: At a time when tight school budgets have…
NECC 2009: Computers and Infrastructure
