Education News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Detroit Teachers' Union Threatens Lawsuit Over District Policies

Sat, 26 May 2012 18:03:00 -0400

Under Michigan's new teacher tenure law, teachers in Detroit Public Schools were sent layoff notices and must go through a rehiring process. But that process violates contracts within the Detroit Federation of Teachers, so the union might file a lawsuit, Michigan Radio reports.

Scientist: Evolution debate will soon be history

Sat, 26 May 2012 15:18:27 -0400

Richard Leakey predicts skepticism over evolution will soon be history.

Quiet Revolution's old dreams fuel Quebec protests

Sat, 26 May 2012 10:49:51 -0400

Quebec's generous social services date back to sweeping reforms in the 1960s, a period of intense nationalism. Yet many Quebecers look back at the "Quiet Revolution" with regret over one unfulfilled promise: free higher education.

Mississippi school district agrees to not handcuff students to objects

Sat, 26 May 2012 00:07:55 -0400

(Reuters) - The Jackson, Mississippi, school district has agreed to stop shackling students to fixed objects, after it was sued for handcuffing pupils to railings and poles at a school for troubled children, officials said on Friday. The Southern Poverty Law Center sued Jackson Public Schools in 2011 over its treatment of students at the district's Capital City Alternative School. Students at that campus have been suspended or expelled from other schools. ...

Miss district agrees to stop handcuffing students

Fri, 25 May 2012 19:00:56 -0400

Jackson public schools will no longer handcuff students to poles or other objects and will train staff at its alternative school on better methods of discipline.

Kennedy widow asks Mass. grads to work for justice

Fri, 25 May 2012 18:15:00 -0400

The widow of U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy has called on Boston College Law School graduates to use training from their Catholic education to work for justice.

Visa change for Beijing-sent teachers upsets China

Fri, 25 May 2012 10:30:52 -0400

A U.S. clampdown on visas for instructors at China's flagship cultural program overseas has incensed Beijing, with state media pouncing on it as an attempt by Washington to frustrate Chinese global ambitions.

FACT CHECK: Romney off on Obama's love for unions

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:56:16 -0400

When Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney decried President Barack Obama as beholden to the nation's teachers' unions and unable to stand up for reform, he glossed over four years of a relationship that has been anything but cozy.

Public schools see cuts eased in NC House budget

Fri, 25 May 2012 08:31:55 -0400

House budget panels approved Thursday large portions of their blueprint for North Carolina state government spending next year that restore funds to the public schools but leave intact many cuts to other agencies already approved last year.

Obama's Education Hypocrisy -- Again

Fri, 25 May 2012 03:00:00 -0400

If you were a child in the District of Columbia school system (51st in state rankings for academic achievement, first for school violence), you and your parents probably greeted the election of Barack Obama with great joy. If someone had suggested to you then that the president would attempt to torpedo the scholarship program that permits some District kids to attend the private schools of their choice, you might have thought you were hearing racist smears. But that is what happened. ...

I Welcome Mitt Romney Using Education as a New Campaign Front

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:26:00 -0400

COMMENTARY | According to Reuters, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has taken time from his economic offensive against Democratic president Barack Obama to open a new front in the intense 2012 presidential election: Public schools.

Is College Still Worth It? Teachers React to Unemployment Statistics

Thu, 24 May 2012 18:19:00 -0400

For Ohio high school teacher S. Alexander Cooke, the end result of college shouldn't be about the employment waiting after graduation.

College Graduates and Unemployment: A Teacher's Perspective

Thu, 24 May 2012 17:13:00 -0400

FIRST PERSON | As a teacher, I wonder about my students after they graduate. Most attend college, but others become successful business owners and trade workers without college. College's importance depends on one's career choice.

Suu Kyi to make first foreign trip since 1988

Thu, 24 May 2012 15:37:26 -0400

Myanmar pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi will travel overseas next week for the first time in more than two decades to attend an economic forum in Bangkok, her party said on Thursday.

Aung San Suu Kyi to receive honorary Oxford doctorate

Thu, 24 May 2012 14:36:52 -0400

Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is to be awarded an honorary doctorate by Britain's prestigious Oxford University, her alma mater announced Thursday.

College Grads Facing Higher Levels of Unemployment

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:12:00 -0400

FIRST PERSON | As a ninth grade AVID teacher in Davis, California, a huge part of my job is preparing freshmen for admission to the college of their choice. I help them plan their high school schedules to make sure they have their admission requirements satisfied. They register for and complete the PSAT, set up College Board accounts, research and tour all types of colleges, and create a final project highlighting the school of their choice. I teach them the value of a college education, and how much more money college graduates make than mere high school graduates.

Despite Unemployment Statistics, College is Still a Good Option for Many

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:08:00 -0400

FIRST PERSON | For the first time ever, more people 25 and over with some college education are unemployed than those who only hold a high school diploma. While this may seem shocking to some, as a former high school teacher, and current community college professor, I am not surprised to see these statistics.

Report: More students taking science, math

Thu, 24 May 2012 10:24:04 -0400

More high school students are enrolling in math and science classes and seeking online learning opportunities. Fewer want or are able to find jobs while in school.

Hawaii teachers union approves union contract

Thu, 24 May 2012 09:29:49 -0400

Hawaii's teachers union has approved a new contract that members overwhelmingly rejected earlier this year.

U.S. Education Department probing University of Montana rape reports

Wed, 23 May 2012 19:38:33 -0400

(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Education is investigating whether the University of Montana responded promptly and appropriately to at least 11 reported rapes and sexual assaults at its Missoula campus since 2010, a spokesman for the agency said on Wednesday. The investigation coincides with the opening on May 1 of a probe by the federal Department of Justice into complaints the university, Missoula police and a local prosecutor had failed to aggressively investigate more than 80 rapes reported in the city over the past three years. ...

5,100 new voucher slots available to La. students

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:32:56 -0400

More than 5,000 Louisiana students in 33 parishes can get new taxpayer-funded voucher slots at private schools this fall, under a law pushed by Gov. Bobby Jindal that created a statewide voucher program.

Miami teachers union calls for tax amnesty

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:31:39 -0400

The teachers union in Miami-Dade County has proposed what could be an innovative way to raise extra money for education: A tax amnesty program that would go after homestead exemption cheats.

Reward for Obama documents grows to $20,000

Wed, 23 May 2012 09:18:07 -0400

There’s a growing interest in President Barack Obama’s obscured youth, his college education and his Chicago career — and now the financial incentive for people to provide interesting documentation has doubled to $20,000.

6-year-olds wander from Pa. school to museum

Wed, 23 May 2012 08:56:17 -0400

Pittsburgh Public Schools officials are investigating an impromptu field trip of sorts that occurred when two 6-year-old students wandered away from their school and walked to the city's Children's Museum a few blocks away.

US schools with single-sex classrooms may face ACLU lawsuit

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:22:39 -0400

LITTLETON, New Hampshire (Reuters) - The American Civil Liberties Union is threatening legal action against as many as a dozen school districts from Maine to Mississippi unless they stop programs the group says illegally segregate boys and girls into single-sex classes and promote stereotypes. The group also was demanding that Florida's Department of Education launch an investigation into widespread single-sex teaching in that state, where 32 schools in 16 districts offer single-gender classes. ...

Teachers strike across Spain, protesting cuts

Tue, 22 May 2012 14:33:39 -0400

MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish teachers went on strike on Tuesday to protest against cuts in education spending that unions say will put 100,000 substitute teachers out of work but that the government says are needed to tackle the euro zone debt crisis. The central government has ordered Spain's 17 autonomous regions to cut 3 billion euros ($4 billion) from education spending this year, as part of a tough program to trim the public deficit to an EU-agreed level of 5.3 percent of gross domestic product. ...

Ill. lawmakers vote to abolish tuition waiver perk

Tue, 22 May 2012 12:32:41 -0400

After years of bad publicity over cronyism and clout, the Illinois Legislature has voted to end a longstanding program that allowed each lawmaker to hand out taxpayer-funded college tuition waivers to students.

National conference in Ohio focuses on teachers

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:33:33 -0400

Educators including the U.S. secretary of education, teacher union leaders and school administrators will focus this week on ways to transform the teaching profession with such targets as better recruiting, preparation and career development, and evaluations based on effectiveness.

The Catholic contraception-mandate mega-lawsuit: A guide

Tue, 22 May 2012 10:15:00 -0400

Notre Dame and 42 other Catholic institutions sue the Obama administration, arguing that they're being forced to facilitate behavior they find "intrinsically immoral"

Catholic dioceses, colleges sue over Obama mandate

Tue, 22 May 2012 09:42:52 -0400

Roman Catholic dioceses, schools and other groups sued the Obama administration Monday in eight states and the District of Columbia over a federal mandate that most employers provide workers free birth control as part of their health insurance.

Spain teachers, students strike over spending cuts

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:40:16 -0400

Teachers and students from every level of Spain's education system went on strike Tuesday to protest wide-ranging government spending cuts, erecting makeshift tombs at university campuses to symbolize what they claim will be the death of the country's schooling system.

Spanish teachers strike at all education levels

Tue, 22 May 2012 04:19:32 -0400

Teachers at all levels of Spain's education system are on strike to protest billions in spending cuts enacted as part of an austerity drive.

Obama Defends Bain Attacks, Reverse Robin Hood, Afghanistan Take-Aways (PM Note)

Mon, 21 May 2012 18:35:40 -0400

Recalling Joplin – In a few hours, President Obama will give a commencement address to high school students in Joplin, Missouri. Use the sliderule to see what the high school looked like one year ago after the tornado – http://abcn.ws/J8M77R Things We Learned Today –...

Arizona Leading the Way on Equal Rights Reform

Mon, 21 May 2012 17:21:00 -0400

COMMENTARY | Despite liberal fears, Arizona has not become a biased state that prohibits the success of minorities since the passage of Proposition 107 banned public equal opportunity programs in the state. The first review released since Arizona voters approved the special consideration ban in public employment, higher education and contracting stated it is too soon to tell the full impact of the law change, according to The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights.

Is Congress getting dumber?

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:40:32 -0400

Think members of Congress act like a bunch of high school students? You might be on to something. A recent study from the Sunlight Foundation found that members of Congress tend to speak at about a 10th-grade level. The Sunlight Foundation analyzed every word spoken by every member of Congress on the floor of the [...]

Full eclipse

Mon, 21 May 2012 14:32:44 -0400

Junior high school students observe the annular solar eclipse through special glasses at the playground of their school in Kawakaki, surburban Tokyo.

Elaine Wynn: Take Holistic Approach to Curbing Dropouts

Mon, 21 May 2012 13:37:41 -0400

About 75 percent of high school students in the United States graduate on time, but those who never get a diploma often earn less, resulting in lost economic activity for the country at large.

Notre Dame sues Obama administration over birth control mandate

Mon, 21 May 2012 12:08:18 -0400

On Monday, the University of Notre Dame filed suit against the Obama administration over its rule that all employers must offer contraception in their insurance plans. Notre Dame is now the seventh religious college to sue over the mandate; it's also the largest school to do so. President Barack Obama gave the commencement address at the [...]

Police: Bus possibly carrying Albanian students falls off a cliff

Mon, 21 May 2012 11:13:02 -0400

TIRANA, Albania - Police say a bus believed to be carrying high school students has fallen off a cliff in Albania.

Teacher-Developed Apps Fill Lesson Gaps

Mon, 21 May 2012 10:39:47 -0400

Facebook and Angry Birds were two of the most downloaded apps last year, but that doesn't mean Web and mobile applications are all play. There are tens of thousands of educational apps aimed at teaching high school students everything from physics to Japanese.