Madison, Ala., schools showcase educational technology
The Madison, Ala., City Schools' technology programs will be on display for educational leaders from across the country this week as part of a technology site visit by…
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Ambitious school technology plans run up against budget deficits
All 1,000 students at Oak-Land Junior High in Lake Elmo, Minn., have laptop computers supplied by the Stillwater School District that they take to every class and can…
Liverpool school district appeals dismissal of case against technology administrator
The Liverpool school district has appealed a decision to dismiss disciplinary charges against its technology administrator, according to the Post-Standard.
Tide turns against schools as foreclosures rise
Across the United States, declining property values and mortgage foreclosures have led to huge losses in property tax revenues, forcing schools to trim budgets, freeze hiring, and in…
Software tests patience in Maryland district
A $4.1 million computer program designed to put Prince George's County, Md., students' grades, attendance, and discipline data online has been plagued with errors in its first year,…
California technology coordinator wins Google contest
Miramonte High School Technology Coordinator Cheryl Davis was named one of six winners of a Google contest to create a lesson plan using Google Earth's new ancient Rome…
Parent voting for school councils is moving online
Next month, New York City's education department will conduct what election officials are billing as the first exclusively online public election in the United States, reports the New…
Funding for cyber charter schools at issue
A March 12 hearing before Pennsylvania's Senate Education Committee was dominated by debate over funding for the state's cyber charter schools, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Hackers transfer $200,000 out of school’s bank account
Officials with the Carl Junction R-1 School District in Missouri say computer hackers apparently were able to transfer nearly $200,000 out of the district's bank account, reports the…
School shooting internet post was likely a fake
German police say they've made great strides toward developing a profile of the gunman in the March 11 school shooting spree that killed 15 people, but one key…
School scraps cell phone jammer program
Just days after testing a cell phone jammer designed to block students from calling and texting during class, a Spokane, Wash., area school has scrapped the program, MSNBC…
School shooter warned of attack, in chat room
The 17-year-old gunman who went on a rampage at his former school and killed 15 people before taking his own life gave a warning in an Internet chatroom…
Schools try separating boys from girls
Single-sex classes are being tried as an experiment to address sagging test scores and behavioral problems in a growing number of schools nationwide, reports the New York Times.
Montana legislators back K-12 distance learning
State lawmakers in Montana have endorsed a measure to create a new distance-learning program that would give students in every school district virtual access to both basic and…
Obama decision on stem cells cheers scientists
President Barack Obama's decision to lift the contentious Bush-era restraints on stem-cell research came with a larger message for all scientists: Follow the data, not political ideology, reports…
Teachers say they might tape-record students
Teachers in El Paso County, Texas, say they might begin tape-recording students in their classrooms as a means of self-protection, reports the El Paso Times.
U.S. to nation’s schools: Spend fast, keep receipts
The New York Times reports that Education Secretary Arne Duncan sent a message to the nation's school officials last week saying, in effect: Heads up! We'll be sending…
Teen-created Muziic likely to irk YouTube
A 15-year-old has created a free-music service by harnessing YouTube's vast library of music videos--and that could rankle YouTube owner Google Inc., CNET reports.
Texting in class sparks bill to ban cell phones
A debate over Iowa students and their cell phones has shifted from the classroom to the Capitol, reports the Des Moines Register.
Panel: Texas schools must embrace electronic textbooks
Advocates for more technology in the classroom, and fewer textbooks, are stepping up their arguments for change this year, trying to convince Texas lawmakers that the future of…
Debate arises between proponents of ‘core knowledge’ vs. ’21st-century skills’
A small group of outspoken education scholars is challenging the assumption that students need to be taught 21st-century skills, saying the push for these skills is taking a…
District wants to provide wireless network to poor students
The Plano, Texas, school district is looking for a way to close the digital divide between poor students and their peers. School officials envision a wireless internet network…
SunGard division purchases K-12 software maker
Software company SunGard Data Systems Inc. said its Florida-based Public Sector business unit has acquired Performance Pathways Inc., which provides instructional management software for K-12 school districts, reports…
EPA to test schools’ air for toxic chemicals
The Environmental Protection Agency soon will begin testing the air around schools for toxic contaminants, reports the Associated Press.
New Jersey students get homework help online
If students in Pennsville Township, N.J., are stumped by a tough homework assignment, now they can connect with expert tutors via the internet, reports Today's Sunbeam of Salem…
College Bowl hits the internet
In an internet-era twist to the old College Bowl idea, one scholarship program is leaving room for a little fun as students compete for college cash, reports the…
Officials: Craigslist doesn’t protect kids
An undercover investigation shows Craigslist is not protecting children from online predators, reports the Detroit News.
Utah to buy educational technology with stimulus funding
Utah will use some of its federal stimulus money to pay for high-tech teaching software and new computer labs in the state's poorest schools as part of an…
Fired superintendent used school eMail account to solicit sex
The Glynn County, Ga., school superintendent, who was fired last week, had used his school system BlackBerry and eMail address to seek sex from people posting classified ads…
OLPC to focus on large-scale deployments of XO laptops
Nonprofit organization One Laptop Per Child is shying away from small deployments of XO laptops to focus on large-scale deployments as it restructures to cope with the recession,…
Adjustable-height desks gaining in popularity
Minnesota's Marine Elementary School and other nearby schools are using a type of adjustable-height school desk, allowing pupils to stand while they work, that sixth-grade teacher Abby Brown…
Study: Internet “addiction” might fuel teen aggression
According to a new study, certain online activities might encourage kids to "release their anger" or otherwise be aggressive in ways they normally would not in the real…
Teachers get MySpace, Google training
Teachers from the San Francisco Unified School District are slated to meet Feb. 24 with representatives from Google, MySpace, CNET, YouTube, and Technorati for training on how to…
Public school web site is a bridge to private aid
It's like "Craigslist," except the goal is to bring people together to support public schools in Hawaii, reports the Honolulu Star-Bulletin: School stakeholders can click on the new…
Court strikes down California video-game law
In a decision that could have a far-reaching effect on other states' efforts, a federal appeals court on Feb. 20 struck down a California law that sought to…
Learning with blogs and wikis
Technology has made it easy for educators to embrace continual professional development, writes Bill Ferriter in the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development's publication, Educational Leadership.
Editorial: Stimulating education, technology
President Obama's stimulus plan includes more than $150 billion in new federal money for education, with "infrastructure projects" like school modernization and repair, programs to make schools more…
Facebook has removed 5,500 sex offenders since May
The AP reports that Facebook has removed more than 5,500 convicted sex offenders from its social networking Web site since May, Connecticut's attorney general said Thursday.
School computer deal gets state’s attention
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist's legal counsel, Jason Gonzalez, has asked the inspector general of the state's education department to investigate a Northeast Florida school computer system deal worth…
Girl arrested after texting in class
A Wisconsin high school resource officer said a 14-year-old girl was arrested after she was allegedly caught text messaging in class and denied having a phone, UPI reports.