States skeptical about ‘Race to Top’ school aid contest
The initial results of the Obama administration’s signature school improvement initiative, known as Race to the Top, have left a sour taste for many states, reports the New…
Funding
Grants and Funding information and news for K-12 and higher-ed.
New startups aim to help budding researchers with the click of a mouse
The Eureka Fund, based in San Francisco, is one of a handful of new nonprofit organizations that aim to finance small-scale, independent scientific research through online contributions, reports…
Delaware, Tennessee win first ‘Race to the Top’ grants
Broad support from key stakeholders, including elected officials, teachers' unions, and local business leaders, was an important factor in awarding the first round of "Race to the Top"…
HISD’s online radio plans make some waves
A new internet-based radio station could generate more than $500,000 a year for the Houston Independent School District, reports the Houston Chronicle.
$20 billion in ed funding slashed from student aid legislation
In last-minute maneuvering designed to get the measure to pass, lawmakers eliminated $20 billion in proposed education funding from the student aid overhaul enacted by Congress last week:…
Could school bus ads save district budgets?
School districts have imposed all sorts of drastic cuts to save money during the down economy, reports the Associated Press—and some have now resorted to placing advertisements on…
Connecticut might waive student loans for ‘green’ job workers
Paul Goulet hopes Connecticut will help him get from under nearly $8,000 he's borrowed for college after losing his job in a paper manufacturing plant.
Obama offers blueprint for rewriting NCLB
President Barack Obama on March 13 unveiled a plan to overhaul the 2002 No Child Left Behind education law championed by President George W. Bush.
Kansas City to close nearly half its schools
The Kansas City Board of Education voted March 10 to close almost half of the city’s public schools, accepting a sweeping and contentious plan to shrink the system…
Cracks in school innovation fund might present problems
Just days before the U.S. Department of Education released applications for the $650 million Investing in Innovation (i3) Fund on March 8, education technology researchers and developers expressed…
Nation’s ed-tech chief reacts to budget concerns
Karen Cator, director of education technology for the U.S. Department of Education, has heard the concerns from ed-tech groups about President Obama’s 2011 budget proposal, which would fold…
Feds release new national ed-tech plan
The new National Education Technology Plan, released March 5, sets an ambitious agenda for using technology to transform teaching and learning, ed-tech advocates say--and a call to action…
Angry students protest cuts to schools, colleges
Anger over rising tuition and school budget cuts boiled over as students across the country staged rowdy demonstrations that led to clashes with police and the rush-hour shutdown…
Race to the Top finalists announced
The U.S. Department of Education has named 16 finalists in the first round of its Race to the Top competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform…
Cuts to public TV funding put the squeeze on Big Bird
Facing huge budget deficits, a number of states across the nation are taking a hard look at whether they can continue to support public television, Stateline.org reports.
Technology makes student aid more accessible
Over the past decade and a half, the internet has made it easier for families to learn about, find, and apply for college scholarships, government grants, and other…
Plan to stem dropout rate stirs controversy
The Obama administration is offering a $900 million carrot to the nation’s school systems to tackle what many view as an abysmal dropout rate that threatens America’s ability…
Computer snafu might cost schools $1 million
North Chicago Community Unit School District 187 stands to lose close to $1 million in federal Impact Aid funding because of an apparent glitch in the submission of…
Obama urges states to raise academic standards
Saying America’s “primacy in the world” is at stake, President Barack Obama on Feb. 22 prodded states to raise their academic standards by using the best leverage he…
Center to focus on high-tech evolution
Forget fossils and DNA comparisons. A new center at Michigan State University will shift the focus of evolution from the past to the future, reports the Free Press.
Google donates $2 million to support Wikipedia
Google Inc., the internet's most profitable company, is giving $2 million to support Wikipedia, a volunteer-driven reference tool that has emerged as one of the web's most-read sites,…
Schools face big budget holes as stimulus runs out
The nation's public schools are falling under severe financial stress as states slash education spending and drain federal stimulus money that staved off deep classroom cuts and widespread…
AASA keynote: Focus on children, or risk nation’s status
Referring to the significant challenges facing public education today as a crisis that threatens the nation’s status as a global leader, educational trailblazer Geoffrey Canada urged school leaders…
Lawmakers seek to overhaul e-Rate
A new House bill seeks to overhaul the e-Rate, which provides telecommunications discounts to eligible schools and libraries, to make it a more useful tool in the federal…
UCF awards $1M for 7 education projects
The University of Central Florida has awarded nearly $1 million to fund seven projects in disciplines from accounting to digital media aimed at enhancing undergraduate education.
Gibbons calls for changes to public education
In a speech to the state Monday, Gov. Jim Gibbons demanded that lawmakers consider major changes to public education in the special session tentatively set for Feb. 23,…
Microsoft opens its cloud to researchers
Researchers have until March 15 to submit proposals to the National Science Foundation that would grant access to Microsoft’s massive cloud-computing power for three years.
University fundraising falls 12 percent in 2009
Charitable contributions to colleges and universities plummeted an average 11.9 percent nationwide in 2009, the steepest drop in at least three decades, reports the Associated Press.
FY11 budget plan folds ed tech into new program
President Barack Obama’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2011 calls for sweeping changes to programs within the U.S. Department of Education, including a restructuring of federal education technology…
Obama calls for more school funding
Education is one of the few areas of the federal budget that would not see a spending freeze, if President Barack Obama gets his way this year.
USDA awarding $310 million for broadband projects
The Agriculture Department is handing out another $310 million in stimulus money to bring high-speed internet connections to 14 rural communities around the country, reports the Associated Press.
Federal money for ed-tech research soon available
A federally funded research center to be introduced Jan. 25 is intended to bring digital innovations into classrooms and museums, reports the New York Times.
Grant-giving continues despite financial limitations
Some grant-giving entities have had to make adjustments in their award programs owing to the economic downturn, affecting both educators and students.
Schools weigh in on national broadband plan
To help provide broadband access to more citizens, the Federal Communications Commission should expand the eligible uses of e-Rate discounts to include after-school programs and community centers, many…
Technology gives engineering programs a real-world impact
Drexel University engineering student Jeffrey Dowgala says real-time information recorded by electronic sensors has helped him and his classmates understand the many environmental factors that can affect a…
$34 million? Schools say no thanks
Turning their backs on millions of dollars--and potentially controversial changes that come attached to the money--a divided Broward County, Fla., School Board rejected signing on to the state's…
Study questions learning-style research
As educators struggle to define effective 21st-century instruction, one practice that many have viewed as fundamental to teaching and learning has come under new fire: catering to different…
States race to meet federal Race to the Top deadlines
Expect to hear a lot in the next two weeks about states racing to qualify for the first round of federal Race to the Top grants, reports the…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 2
Using student data to help inform instruction is one of the Obama administration's four key focal points in its efforts to reform education--and technology is an important tool…
Top 10 ed-tech stories of 2009: No. 4
The federal stimulus package approved by Congress in February included $650 million designated specifically for education technology. That doesn't include billions more for other programs, such as Title…