Risk assessments are awful, but necessary
Here are 5 ways to improve risk assessments in your district
Netflix CEO wades into net neutrality debates
Netflix, the DVD mail-order-company-turned-online-video-giant, is firing back at cable and telecom firms as it weighs in on an increasingly thorny debate over net neutrality, the Washington Post 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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
LA schools step up security after student shooting
Security officers wielding metal detecting wands meticulously searched students Wednesday as they waited in a long line outside a Los Angeles high school where two 15-year-olds were shot…
Nursing students to use iPods for treatment, exams
Students at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) School of Nursing will be able to translate patient questions from English to Spanish, run diagnostic tests, and prepare…
Plan offered to overhaul discipline of teachers
Teachers accused of misconduct should have their cases decided within a speedy 100 days by a special examiner and not be cast into an interminable limbo of waiting,…
3-D means headaches to many, yet companies push on
From Hollywood studios to Japanese TV makers, powerful business interests are betting 3-D will be the future of entertainment, despite a major drawback: It makes millions of people…
More WebOS tablet rumors: cloud storage, ‘Touchstone’ charging, shipping in March?
Looks like the rumor floodgate has finally opened for HP/Palm's long-awaited WebOS tablet--or tablets, as the case may be. The latest word is that the new slates may…
NM teacher on leave after locking up student
A shop teacher at a New Mexico high school has been put on paid on leave after cell phone video surfaced of her locking up a student in…
In Florida, virtual classrooms with no teachers
On the first day of her senior year at North Miami Beach Senior High School, Naomi Baptiste expected to be ... Read more
2 charged with stealing iPad users’ information
Two men who authorities say were competing to impress their fellow hackers were arrested Jan. 18 on federal charges they ... Read more
States look to Indiana as a model for online instruction
Washington state could mimic Indiana’s successful model for online instruction if a state legislator’s proposed bill that would make online college classes more available to students there becomes…
Comcast’s legal win raises questions for education
Educators and students could see new internet service options after the federal government on Jan. 18 gave Comcast Corp., the country's largest cable company, the green light to…
Readers: Here are our favorite apps for education
