Kareem Abdul-Jabbar bent down Monday to study the solar-powered car being demonstrated by sixth-graders from Miller’s Hill School in Shingle Springs, the Sacramento Bee reports. The NBA Hall of Famer was at the Sacramento Convention Center to kick off the first-ever California STEM symposium, a two-day event designed to help K-12 educators improve how they teach science, technology, engineering and mathematics. “By fifth grade, 92percent of boys and 97percent of girls lose interest” in STEM fields, Abdul-Jabbar said. “I’m really stoked to have the opportunity to impact our kids’ lives in a really positive way. That’s what this is all about. That is why I’m here.”
…Read MorePodcast Series: Innovations in Education
Explore the full series of eSchool News podcasts hosted by Kevin Hogan—created to keep you on the cutting edge of innovations in education.
Jury awards $1M to boy in LA drug sting case
A jury awarded $1 million in damages Monday to a now-14-year-old boy who participated in a drug sting at the request of three former administrators at his Los Angeles Unified middle school, the Sacramento Bee reports. A Superior Court jury deliberated for a day before finding the administrators liable for negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, the boy’s attorney Alexander Calfo said. The $1,015,250 damage award will be put into a trust fund to help pay for the boy’s private education, Calfo said…
…Read MoreFight over teaching evolution in Texas fizzles
Unlike the fiery debate that erupted two years ago, an expected fight about teaching evolution in Texas schools has likely been avoided by state education officials, reports the Sacramento Bee. Texas State Board of Education members are expected take a final vote Friday on minor changes that were unanimously approved Thursday to new science materials…
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