Education News Headlines - Yahoo! News

Boston cardinal skips event over Irish PM's role

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:29:00 -0400

BOSTON (AP) — Cardinal Sean O'Malley skipped Boston College's commencement Monday to protest its decision to honor Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, who backs legislation to permit abortion, and O'Malley's views were echoed outside the ceremony by a few dozen anti-abortion activists.

NH Senate backs conservation, higher education

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:43:33 -0400

The Senate Finance Committee voted Monday to tentatively set the University System of New Hampshire's aid at $153 million — the same amount as the House but $12 million less than the system's trustees ...

Florida governor signs budget, but vetoes college tuition hike

Mon, 20 May 2013 16:24:06 -0400

By Bill Cotterell TALLAHASSEE (Reuters) - Florida Governor Rick Scott signed the largest budget in his state's history on Monday while vetoing a college tuition increase and axing $368 million in projects he said did not meet his Republican criteria of job creation, education improvement and holding down the cost of government. Scott, who had a tough time selling some of his economic priorities in the Republican-led legislative session that ended May 3, used his line-item veto to delete a 3 percent tuition hike. ...

GM giving paid internships to 110 HS students

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:27:05 -0400

General Motors is kicking the tires on a unique new internship program for Detroit-area high school students. GM has hired 110 students for paid summer internships, the automaker said Monday in announcing ...

Saudi women teachers demanding full time jobs

Mon, 20 May 2013 13:37:43 -0400

About 30 Saudi women teachers have demonstrated outside the kingdom's Education Ministry, demanding full time jobs. An Associated Press reporter saw women holding posters Monday calling for full time contracts ...

BC ceremony notable for who will attend, who won't

Mon, 20 May 2013 02:38:56 -0400

BOSTON (AP) — This year's commencement at Boston College looks to be notable for who will be there, as well as who won't.

Karzai seeks Indian military aid amid Pakistan row

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:38:00 -0400

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai will seek increased military aid from India during a three-day visit starting Monday and will discuss recent cross-border clashes with Pakistan, India's archrival, an aide said.

Obama's Morehouse visit shines spotlight on HBCUs

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:42:26 -0400

ATLANTA (AP) — When President Barack Obama addresses graduates at Morehouse College on Sunday, he'll also be speaking to the broader community of historically black colleges and universities — a proud corner of higher education that has struggled more than most during the last few years of economic distress.

NC colleges look to expand advanced manufacturing

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:32:08 -0400

North Carolina's community colleges are working to train factory workers comfortable in a new manufacturing world of computers and robots. State community college leaders are meeting Friday with manufacturers ...

Common Core: Teachers Are Not Prepared

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:27:00 -0400

Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is a classic. When I think about today’s bridge over troubled water, I think about how prepared I am to implement the Common Core State Standards (CCSS). I think about how to bridge Common Core State Standards and Career Technical Education (CTE) together.

Colleges face enrollment shortfalls, offer discounts: report

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:13:31 -0400

By Andrea Burzynski NEW YORK (Reuters) - Many leading U.S. colleges and universities face a shortfall in enrollment for fall classes and will offer price discounts as they compete for students in an ever expanding higher education market, according to Forbes. The magazine highlighted 50 public and private U.S. colleges listed in the Princeton Review's "Best Colleges" list that are still accepting students in their 2013 freshman classes. ...

Brown v. Board site to mark anniversary of ruling

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:53:07 -0400

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Brown v. Board of Education National Historic site will display a black doll used in a series of famous race studies to mark the 59th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended legal segregation in public schools.

College student arrested for threats to schools across Los Angeles

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:51:53 -0400

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Police arrested a college student accused of making telephone threats that sparked security alerts across the Los Angeles area on Thursday, including the evacuation of a community college and the lockdown of a second college campus and numerous public schools. East Los Angeles College was evacuated while students and staff at about 10 nearby public schools were confined to their campuses after police received an anonymous call at about 8 a.m. local time from a person saying he was headed to a school with a gun, the sheriff's department said. ...

Learn How to Pay for Short Study Abroad Trips

Wed, 15 May 2013 10:21:58 -0400

Short-term study abroad students can pay for some - but not all - program expenses through withdrawals from a 529 plan, a tax-advantaged higher education investment account.

Seattle schools back down from standardized test after protests

Tue, 14 May 2013 19:04:37 -0400

By Eric M. Johnson SEATTLE (Reuters) - The Seattle public school system, facing a rebellion that stoked the national protest movement over standardized testing in U.S. public schools, is backing away from the contentious multiple-choice exam for its upcoming school year. Teachers, educators, and students at several Seattle schools staged a boycott in January against the computerized Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test, saying it was not aligned with the state's curriculum and produces "meaningless results" upon which teachers' performances are evaluated. ...

Syria: Damaged landmarks await peace, restoration

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:49:14 -0400

Omar Islam has undertaken a Sisyphean task. In the midst of Syria's civil war, this former archaeology student with a master's degree in restoration work is dodging sniper fire, artillery, and airstrikes to catalog the destruction of Aleppo's historical landmarks.

Updates to 2 Schools' 2013 Best Colleges Ranks

Tue, 14 May 2013 10:38:21 -0400

Two schools - University of Mary Hardin-Baylor and York College of Pennsylvania - recently advised U.S. News that they submitted inflated data that were used in the 2013 Best Colleges rankings, resulting in their numerical ranks being higher than they otherwise might have been. In both cases, the same incorrect data were also reported to many other parties including the U.S. Department of Education.

Greek workers walk out to protest ban on teachers' strike

Tue, 14 May 2013 09:06:01 -0400

By Renee Maltezou and Harry Papachristou ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek public sector workers walked off the job on Tuesday to protest against a government decision to ban a strike by high-school teachers, shutting down several schools and reducing staff at hospitals to a minimum. But turnout at a planned rally and march to parliament was poor, hit by rain and a growing sense of resignation among Greeks inured to frequent strikes against austerity measures. ...

Michigan District Fires All Teachers, Closes Every School

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:20:40 -0400

Summer break has started very early for kids in one Michigan school district.

$20 million US grant for Nevada solar power work

Mon, 13 May 2013 16:21:24 -0400

The National Science Foundation has awarded a $20 million grant to Nevada's higher education system to help find ways to make large-scale solar power plants more practical and efficient on arid desert ...

Biden: Don't listen to cynics' claim US in decline

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:16:27 -0400

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Today's college graduates are well-positioned to lead America in the 21st century and shouldn't listen to cynics who say the nation is in decline, Vice President Joe Biden told thousands of new degree holders at the University of Pennsylvania on Monday.

Project Pinstripes Dresses Detroit Students for Success

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:21:00 -0400

Everyone's talking academic success in Detroit, it seems. In April, Detroit Public Schools announced the "Neighborhood-Centered, Quality Schools" initiative to improve quality of education and life for under-served students and schools. Businesses are coming on board to help fund DPS's community extension services. JPMorgan Chase granted $1.5 million to nonprofits working in economically disadvantaged schools in Southwest Detroit, says the Detroit News. ...

News Summary: Greece, teachers in new tussle

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:59:49 -0400

SCHOOL DAZE: The Greek government invoked emergency powers to prevent protesting teachers from disrupting university entrance exams this month. Civil servants' unions retaliated by calling a 24-hour strike ...

Greece uses emergency power on striking teachers

Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:08 -0400

The Greek government said Monday it will use emergency powers to prevent protesting teachers from disrupting university entrance exams this month. Civil servants' unions retaliated by calling a 24-hour ...

Greek state workers to strike against teachers' walkout ban

Mon, 13 May 2013 10:37:04 -0400

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek public sector workers will walk off the job on Tuesday to protest against a government decision to ban a strike by high-school teachers that would disrupt university entrance exams. It is the third time this year that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras has threatened workers with arrest if they go ahead with protests, as he tries to show Greece's foreign lenders that Athens is sticking to unpopular reforms. ...

Ex-Penn St head was top paid among public colleges

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:46:04 -0400

Former Penn State President Graham Spanier became the highest paid public college president of 2011-12 when he was forced out over his handling of the sex abuse scandal involving former assistant football ...

Teen texting at the wheel tied to more driving risks

Mon, 13 May 2013 00:21:04 -0400

By Genevra Pittman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Teenagers who text while driving are also more likely to engage in other risky activities, such as riding with an intoxicated driver or not wearing a seatbelt, a new study suggests. Researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found four in every nine high school students had sent or received texts while driving in the past month. ...

Salaries of public college chiefs rise, median tops $400,000

Sun, 12 May 2013 18:03:19 -0400

By Atossa Araxia Abrahamian NEW YORK (Reuters) - Salaries of presidents of U.S. public universities rose almost 5 percent in the last fiscal year, even as tuition rose and student debt soared, with the median pay package topping $400,000, according to a report released on Sunday. Penn State's Graham Spanier was the top earner last year at the time he was fired over the Jerry Sandusky scandal, according to the study by the Chronicle of Higher Education, though his compensation was inflated by $2.4 million in severance pay and deferred compensation. ...

Greece invokes emergency powers to block teachers' strike

Sun, 12 May 2013 12:34:45 -0400

ATHENS (Reuters) - Greece has threatened high school teachers with arrest if they go ahead with a nationwide strike that would disrupt university entrance exams that start this week, the official government gazette said. It is the third time this year that Prime Minister Antonis Samaras's government has invoked emergency law to force strikers back to work to try to show foreign lenders who bailed out Greece that the country is sticking to unpopular reforms. ...

Little Richard's boyhood home to be moved

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:48:30 -0400

MACON, Ga. (AP) — Officials in Georgia have decided to move the boyhood home of Little Richard to spare it from a highway construction project.

Bullies Turn Cyberspace Sour

Sat, 11 May 2013 13:20:08 -0400

One in six high school students report being victimized via e-mail, chat rooms, instant messaging, Web sites or texting. Larry Greenemeier reports

A Superintendent Shortage Is Shaking Up America’s Schools

Fri, 10 May 2013 20:01:45 -0400

Earlier this week, Baltimore City Public Schools made headlines when CEO Andres Alonso tearfully announced his retirement at the end of the school year.

Cardinal skipping BC ceremony over abortion issue

Fri, 10 May 2013 18:26:41 -0400

BOSTON (AP) — Boston Cardinal Sean O'Malley said Friday that he won't attend Boston College's graduation because the Jesuit school's commencement speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, supports legislation to permit abortion.

Legislature OKs changes to Ala. school tax credit

Fri, 10 May 2013 11:25:34 -0400

The Alabama Legislature has approved legislation that says private schools and non-failing public schools don't have to accept students transferring from failing public schools. On Thursday, the Senate ...

Wis. budget gets $500M anticipated revenue boost

Fri, 10 May 2013 10:43:04 -0400

Wisconsin's budget surplus grew by $500 million Thursday, leading to a bipartisan call by state lawmakers and Gov. Scott Walker to put some of the money toward public schools two years after funding was ...

Commencement Speeches: Most Suck, These Rule (VIDEO)

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:30:05 -0400

College graduation is a hallmark moment for students across the country; a time of infinite hope where young adults are released into the world with the kind of optimism that can only come from having too little life experience.

'Sugar Man' Rodriguez gets honorary degree

Thu, 09 May 2013 15:48:33 -0400

DETROIT (AP) — Wayne State University had no idea that a folk hero was in its midst when the Detroit school awarded Sixto Rodriguez a philosophy degree in 1981.

Column: Poor little rich kids

Thu, 09 May 2013 13:30:11 -0400

By Chrystia Freeland NEW YORK (Reuters) - If you doubt that we live in a winner-take-all economy and that education is the trump card, consider the vast amounts the affluent spend to teach their offspring. We see it anecdotally in the soaring fees for private schools, private lessons and private tutors, many of them targeted at the preschool set. And recent academic research has confirmed what many of us overhear at the school gates or read on mommy blogs. ...

Delgado, Nunez community colleges to lay off staff

Thu, 09 May 2013 08:48:14 -0400

The governing board for Delgado Community College in New Orleans and Nunez Community College in Chalmette approved plans Wednesday that will result in layoffs at both schools and the cutting of 15 academic ...

Why Historically Black Colleges Are in Serious Trouble

Wed, 08 May 2013 21:00:07 -0400

Historically black colleges and universities are about to have a mess on their hands. Because of a sharp change to a student loan policy, enrollment has dramatically dropped. This is not good for the schools—or hopeful high school graduates.