Rutgers student kills self after sex act broadcast online
A Rutgers University student jumped to his death off a bridge a day after authorities say two classmates surreptitiously recorded him having sex with a man in his…
School Administration
School Technology News for K-12 and higher-ed school administrators.
Schools still conflicted over Web 2.0 tools
Many school systems have discovered that Web 2.0 tools such as blogging, social networking, and collaborative authoring software can help create participatory learning environments—but the gap between schools…
CUNY, IBM to open unique school in New York City
The City University of New York and IBM will open a unique school that merges high school with two years of college, allowing students to earn an associate's…
Obama calls for more STEM teachers, longer school year
Barely into the new school year, President Barack Obama issued a tough-love message to students and teachers on Sept. 27: Their year in the classroom should be longer,…
ASBO conference helps schools save money
New technologies that can help schools save money and improve efficiency were on display during the Association for School Business Officials’ annual conference in Orlando Sept. 24-26.
Putting our ideas of assessment to the test
Here’s a pop quiz: What are the skills that today’s students will need to be successful in tomorrow’s workplace? The answer to this question has enormous implications for…
Education Department grants $442M for teacher merit pay
The federal Education Department is giving school districts and nonprofit organizations from across the country $442 million to create merit pay programs for teachers and principals, reports the…
Study: Teacher bonuses failed to boost test scores
Offering big bonuses to teachers failed to raise students' test scores in a three-year study released Sept. 21 that calls into question the Obama administration's push for merit…
Report: ‘Top-third’ teachers essential to U.S. success
Improving teacher effectiveness has risen to the top of national education priorities, but the key to attracting, training, and retaining truly effective teachers may lie in the “top-third”…
Midwestern states revamp teacher evaluations; Duncan talks education, technology
Illinois is not alone in the recent changes it has made to teacher evaluations. Several other Midwestern states are taking similar steps, reports the Catalyst Chicago. But a…
Doctors eye health hazard in powerful laser pointers
A 15-year-old boy damaged his eyes while playing with a laser pointer he'd bought over the internet, say doctors who warn that dangerously high-powered versions are easily available…
Microsoft sends Bing back to school
Microsoft on Sept. 8 is launching Redu, a Bing-powered web site that aims to act as a "homeroom" for people interested in learning more about the state of…
In a new role, teachers move to run schools
At a school in Newark, N.J., the teaching staff is the administration, reports the New York Times—raising teacher morale but potentially blurring educators’ focus. Dominique D. Lee and…
Education’s less-than-certain windfall
There's $10 billion for schools in the state aid bill Congress passed last month, but some school systems have reason to wonder whether they are going to see…
The school that gives kids their own iPads
A private school in Scotland has given sleek new iPads to every single one of its pupils to use in class this year and to even take home,…
First virtual school in Mass. opens today
The Massachusetts Virtual Academy opens in Greenfield on Sept. 2, not only as the first in the state, but also as the first virtual school in New England…
GPS keeps track of Chicago-area school bus riders
Palos Heights School District 128 is among a growing number of school systems using GPS technology to keep track of whether students get on and off their buses…
California schools cancel deal with online Kaplan University
California's community colleges have dropped a controversial plan that would have allowed their students to take some courses at the online Kaplan University and make it easier to…
Texas governor offers school grants to spur sharing
Texas schools that cut bureaucratic costs by sharing services—from accounting to transportation—would get grants worth 10 percent of their savings under a plan Gov. Rick Perry proposed Aug.…
Newspaper’s teacher ratings stir up controversy
In a move that has many local educators seething, the Los Angeles Times has published an online database comparing more than 6,000 elementary school teachers based on a…
New Jersey schools chief fired after Race to the Top gaffe
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie fired his education commissioner on Aug. 27, days after it was revealed that a simple mistake on an application form might have cost…
Are qualified teachers always effective teachers?
Amid a growing consensus that “highly qualified” doesn’t necessarily mean “highly effective,” a movement is under way to reshape how the nation views successful teaching.
Oregon’s education board seeks rules on virtual schools
This week, the Oregon Board of Education took a small step toward resolving a five-year dispute over one of the thorniest questions of the virtual-schools movement, reports the…
Back-to-school IT projects reshape campus life
The top back-to-school IT projects at 10 colleges and universities show a tidal wave of change in higher education, Reuters reports—and many of the changes could presage broader…
What’s more important: School buildings or the teachers who fill them?
A new public school building in Los Angeles that cost more than $500 million to build--at a time when the city has laid off more than 3,000 teachers…
Math, science teachers get paid less than others
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports that lawmakers and other Washington state officials have talked a lot about focusing more on science and math education, but researchers at the University…
Mac-based districts could face SIS quandary
Education industry giant Pearson says its PowerSchool student information system will cease to support Macintosh database servers by Dec. 31, forcing Mac-using districts to make some tough decisions.
School administrator resigns over Facebook posting
A Massachusetts school administrator has resigned after she called residents of the town where she worked “snobby” and “arrogant” in a Facebook posting, reports the Boston Globe.
Fighting Obama education plans, colleges boost lobbying
Academia might be a bastion of liberal thought, but in the past two years, the higher-education industry often has lined up opposite the White House and congressional Democrats—and…
Superintendents turn to tech academies to boost skills
As the need for tech-savvy students becomes more pressing, school leaders' technology skills must also keep pace, and superintendents across the nation are enrolling in technology-focused professional development…
Schools, tech companies tailor social sites for students
Colleges and universities across the United States are going beyond simply creating web sites and pages on Facebook for students to "friend" or "fan"; they’re also working with…
Forbes uses online professor ratings to help determine top colleges
A small private Massachusetts college ranked first in a report from Forbes.com on the best U.S. colleges in 2010, beating ... Read more
APQC: Process management can improve education
An ambitious program aims to transform K-12 education outcomes by focusing on the processes through which schools strive to achieve those outcomes--and it already has led to positive…
New database aims to help Michigan schools stop dropouts
One in every four Michigan students will not graduate from high school with their class, a fact that is forcing the state to take a new approach to…
Inexperienced companies chase U.S. school funds
With the Obama administration pouring billions of dollars into its nationwide campaign to overhaul failing schools, dozens of companies with little or no experience are portraying themselves as…
Lesson plan in Boston schools: Don’t go it alone
Earlier this year Massachusetts enacted a law that allowed districts to remove at least half the teachers and the principal at their lowest-performing schools, reports the New York…
At U. of Iowa, recruitment success has its perils
Like an airline overselling a flight, the University of Iowa extended admission this year to several thousand more applicants than it could accommodate on campus in this fall’s…
L.A. Unified superintendent says he’ll depart next spring
Amid persistent budget woes and increasing political pressure, Los Angeles schools Supt. Ramon C. Cortines confirmed on July 22, his 78th birthday, that he plans to step down…
Feds to create an Online Learning Registry
In a move to help rural schools keep pace with more developed districts, the U.S. Department of Education said it will create an Online Learning Registry that will…
Schools save money with refurbished computers
At less than half the cost of purchasing new computers, buying high-quality refurbished machines is cheaper and more efficient, some education technology directors say—and that’s a big deal…