Idaho passes Republican bill to curb union rights
The Idaho state legislature approved a bill on Tuesday to strip public school teachers of many of their collective bargaining rights while protesters in five states rallied against…
Legislation
Discord, state by state
The proposal backed by Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, would strip nearly all collective bargaining powers from most public employee unions, reports the New York Times.
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…
Colleges rethink R.O.T.C. after ‘Don’t Ask’ repeal
The Senate vote to repeal the 17-year old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy against gay men and lesbians serving openly in the armed forces removes a reason that…
Education disappointed by net-neutrality ‘loopholes’
Rules meant to prevent internet service providers from discriminating against online content might not be the safeguard that schools and colleges were hoping for, as net-neutrality supporters believe…
Immigration vote leaves Obama’s policy in disarray
The vote by the Senate on Saturday to block a bill to grant legal status to hundreds of thousands of illegal immigrant students was a painful setback to…
Obama signs child nutrition bill
President Obama signed a sweeping overhaul of child nutrition standards Monday, enacting a law meant to encourage better eating habits in part by giving the federal government more…
House sends $4.5 billion school-lunch bill to Obama
The House of Representatives passed on Thursday and sent to President Barack Obama a bill that boosts funding for the school lunch program by $4.5 billion through 2020…
Republicans block child nutrition bill
House Republicans have temporarily blocked legislation to feed school meals to thousands more hungry children, the Associated Press reports.
Groups make late push to salvage bill aiding illegal immigrant students
Immigrant advocate groups have mobilized across the country in what they call a last-ditch effort to persuade Congress to pass a bill that would grant legal status to…
House to vote on bill to improve school lunches
Congress is poised to give President Barack Obama--along with his wife, Michelle --a congressional victory as the House takes up legislation to push greasy foods off the school…
Internet censorship one step closer to law
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted unanimously to pass the Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeits Act (COICA), moving the legislation one step closer to reality, reports ReadWriteWeb.
Justices hear case on taxing of students
“How do you draw the line,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor asked at a Supreme Court argument on Monday, “between a student who is working and a worker who is…
Court hears arguments on violent video games
The Supreme Court on Tuesday expressed sympathy for a California law that aims to keep children from buying ultra-violent video games in which players maim, kill or sexually…
Supreme Court to hear violent video game case
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments Tuesday about the federal court's decision to throw out California's ban on violent games, marking the first time a case involving…
Judge grants injunction vs new Mass. obscenity law
A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction sought by free-speech advocates who argued that a new Massachusetts law aimed ... Read more
NJ senator calls for anti-bully law after suicide
U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg said Wednesday he'll introduce legislation requiring colleges to adopt a code of conduct that prohibits bullying and harassment following the suicide of a student…
House bill would create office of STEM education
Calling the country "woefully inequipped" to teach students about science and math, Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., introduced a bill Sept. 29 that would create an office to oversee…
Net neutrality foes to label policy a ‘job killer’
Broadband providers will send their chief executives to Capitol Hill next week to argue that net-neutrality rules are not necessary and could hurt job creation, trade associations announced…
Given money, schools wait on rehiring teachers
The $10 billion in new money that Congress just approved for schools to rehire teachers, counselors, and support workers is instead being set aside by school districts worried…
More than $300 million cut from federal broadband grants
The new legislation that President Obama signed this week to stave jobs losses among teachers will cut $302 million in federal broadband grants to help pay for the…
Schools get $10 billion to save education jobs
Summoned back from summer break, the House on Aug. 10 pushed through an emergency $26 billion jobs bill that Democrats said would save 300,000 teachers, police, and other…
Lawmaker to push for open online textbooks
While college professors and book publishers must abide by new rules aimed at reducing the cost of textbooks, the law's sponsor says he will push for another bill…
Proposed federal rules crack down on for-profit schools
The Education Department proposed much-anticipated regulations July 23 that would cut off federal aid to for-profit college programs—including many of the nation's largest online schools— if too many…
GOP senators move to block FCC on net neutrality
Seven Republican senators have announced a plan to curb the Obama administration's push to impose net-neutrality regulations on the internet, CNET reports.
Massachusetts panel wants to set limits on virtual public schools
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, apprehensive about a new state law that allows public schools to operate almost entirely in cyberspace, will consider imposing limits…
Lobbyists try to reframe distracted driving issue
Responding to moves by state legislatures to restrict motorists’ use of cell phones and other devices, a major electronics industry trade group and a Washington lobbying firm have…
Groups push feds for video-game age restrictions
Video game aficionados might have to enter a credit card or find another way to verify their age before playing a networked game, thanks to a new push…
San Francisco passes cell-phone radiation law
Imposing roughly the same cautionary standards for cell phones as for fatty food or sugary soda, San Francisco voted on June 15 to require all retailers to display…
Senators propose granting president emergency internet power
CNET reports that a new U.S. Senate bill would grant the president far-reaching emergency powers to seize control of or even shut down portions of the internet.
Daring to discuss women in science
The House of Representatives has passed what I like to think of as Larry’s Law. The official title of this legislation is “Fulfilling the potential of women in…
Delaware Assembly OKs wireless internet for libraries
Public libraries in Delaware will be able to offer wireless internet service and also let parents determine their child's internet access under a measure approved by the state…
Communications law to be reviewed
Two top Democratic legislators said Monday that they would begin a process to modernize telecommunications laws that were last overhauled in 1996 but barely mention the internet, The…
Stakeholders fight for ed-tech funds
Computer-based testing, online high school courses, instructional data systems, and a dropout reengagement program that uses a blended model of instruction are just some of the uses of…
Congress might roll dice, legalize online gambling
A push to rewrite federal law to legalize internet gambling, banned since 2006, is gaining traction as politicians eye billions in additional tax revenue, CNET reports.
Bill would make White House Cyber office permanent
The House Oversight and Government Reform Government Management Subcommittee today reported legislation mandating the creation of a permanent national office for cyberspace within the White House to oversee…
Consumer groups say proposed privacy bill is flawed
A long-awaited draft of a Congressional bill would extend privacy protections both on the internet and offline, but privacy advocates ... Read more
N.Y. lawmakers introduce cyber-bullying law
Just one day after anti-bullying legislation became law in Massachusetts, New York lawmakers are trying to do the same, WTEN reports.
Supreme Court to hear case on video violence
The Supreme Court agreed April 26 to decide whether California and six other states can forbid the sale to minors of violent video games that show images of…
Senators see privacy problem in Facebook expansion
Four U.S. senators want Facebook to make it easier for its more than 400 million users to protect their privacy as the web site develops new outlets to…