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Seismic Review Underway for Schools
Under the assumption that a 7.5 earthquake is inevitable, an informal survey estimates that 58 percent of about 800 Utah school buildings were constructed before modern seismic standards of the mid-1970s. 03/16/2010
UW Students Develop Apps to Aid Disabled
A group of computer and engineering students at the University of Washington has created five mobile-phone applications to help simplify everyday tasks for people with disabilities. 03/16/2010
Cutting Recess Not Good for Students, Research Indicates
Eighty percent of more than 1,950 principals nationwide say recess has a positive impact on student achievement. Two-thirds of principals believe students listen better and are more focused in class after recess. 03/15/2010
Panel Recommends Changes in Teacher Evaluation
A panel of parents, teachers and administrators is expected to recommend that Los Angeles increase the pay of high-performing teachers and link teacher evaluations to student test scores. 03/15/2010
More Civics Education Needed
Florida lawmakers are considering proposals to improve the "civic health" of students by increasing the focus on subjects such as government, geography, history and civic responsibility. 03/15/2010
An Early Warning System to Prevent High School Dropouts
To help educators identify potential dropouts, the Early Warning System Tool, a free application, calculates students' on-track status and flags those at risk of dropping out. 03/15/2010
Middle Schoolers Partner With Special-Needs Classmates
One Texas middle school has started a peer-mentoring program called "Helping Our Peers Excel" that, for one class each day, pairs students in general education with peers who have special needs. 03/14/2010
Forget Goofing Around: Recess Has a New Boss
At Broadway Elementary School, there is no more sitting around after lunch. Instead there is Brandi Parker, a $14-an-hour recess coach, who corrals kids behind bright orange cones to play organized games. 03/14/2010
Students Earn Money, Experience Mapping Watershed
A Virginia high school has teamed up with a local agency to use GIS programs to map the culverts in an area watershed. Students are paid for 40 hours of work and gain job experience. 03/14/2010
Going Green Is Popular at Long Beach Schools
"Green" programs in 70 Long Beach schools incorporate litter reduction and recycling programs into classrooms. Those classroom contributions have played a large role in lowering the city's total refuse. 03/13/2010
A New Twist on Learning
Bridgman, Michigan, first-grade teacher Heather Wilson is using videoconferencing technology in her classroom, allowing students to connect with peers and others nationwide. 03/12/2010
All Hail Braille
Fifty-two Utah students who use their sense of touch, not sight, gathered last week for the annual Braille Challenge. The students, ages 6 through 17, tested their abilities to decipher and type Braille. 03/10/2010
Effort to Reduce Spanking in N.C. Schools
Children's advocates in North Carolina are this year seeking a spanking ban on students with disabilities after losing political tussles over corporal punishment in public schools the past few years. 03/10/2010
Students Research Issues
Fourth-graders at a Kentucky elementary school have created and presented to school officials a report that makes the case for more recess. The report stemmed from a classroom lesson. 03/10/2010
N.Y.C. School Built Around Unorthodox Use of Time
A Brooklyn school is finding success with an alternative-scheduling model that has educators teaching just three classes each day, while maintaining class sizes that are regularly as small as 14 students. 03/09/2010
Teachers Will Be Rated By Their Peers
This fall, some Florida teachers will be rated by their peers. Principal evaluations will count for 30 percent, peer evaluation for 30 percent, and student performance for 40 percent of their ratings. 03/10/2010
Schools Using Gum, Candy to Help Students Focus During Tests
Citing research that shows chewing increases the ability to concentrate and has a positive effect on thinking, many schools are offering hard candy and chewing gum to students as they take state tests. 03/09/2010
Schools' New Math: the Four-Day Week
A growing number of U.S. school districts are moving to a four-day week, in a move they hope will help close budget gaps and avoid teacher layoffs, but that critics fear could hurt students' education. 03/08/2010
Hawaii Officials Tout Online School Testing
Hawaii public schools have begun testing a new online version of the state's annual assessment exam, which officials say will be a better gauge of student progress, provide quicker feedback, and be cheaper. 03/08/2010
Kansas City Wants to Close Half Its Public Schools
Kansas City's schools are on the brink of bankruptcy and considering a bold move. A plan before the school board calls for closing 29 of 61 schools and cutting 700 of 3,000 jobs to close a $50 million shortfall. 03/07/2010
Merger Considered for School Districts
School officials in two Texas counties are considering consolidating their small districts as a way to boost state funding. Texas school finance laws disadvantage small districts, a superintendent says. 03/06/2010
Des Moines School Budget Cuts Target Elementary Arts Programs
Officials unveiled $33 million in spending cuts including eliminating 60 percent of elementary art, music, and PE jobs. Next year, students would spend 30 minutes a week in each of those subjects. 03/06/2010
As Fights Continue, Superintendent Exhorts Parents
The school district and the parents "must stand together and deliver the clear message" that unruly behavior won't be tolerated, said superintendent Julie Janssen in the wake of chaotic disruptions at the school. 03/05/2010
LA Principal Apologizes for Choice of Black Heroes
The principal of a South Los Angeles elementary school has apologized after some children carried photos of O.J. Simpson, RuPaul, and Dennis Rodman in a parade celebrating Black History Month. 03/05/2010
Principals Combat School Bullying
Some Australian high school principals share a common vision: to promote positivity in their schools. When issues arise, they are dealt with in a peer manner, with the older students helping the younger ones. 03/04/2010
Children Encountering Less Bullying, Study Finds
There's been a sharp drop in the percentage of America's children being bullied or beaten up by their peers, according to a new national survey by experts who think anti-bullying programs are having an effect. 03/04/2010
Baltimore Schools and Johns Hopkins Team Up
A new partnership, "Johns Hopkins Takes Time for Schools," allows the 14,000 employees at Hopkins to take two days of paid leave a year to pursue service opportunities in the school system. 03/03/2010
Soft Drink Sales Drop in Schools
Sales volume of full-calorie soft drinks has dropped 95% in secondary schools since the 2004-05 school year, according to a report from the American Beverage Association and Keybridge Research. 03/08/2010
Students Challenge Rubik's Cube
Students in one Oklahoma elementary school's Gifted and Talented Rubik's Cube Club have modified the popular puzzle to create their own more challenging versions. 03/08/2010
Music Video Gets Students on Oprah
A video produced by students and faculty at Florida's Ocoee Middle School was featured on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," with Winfrey offering to renovate the school's library and donate 2,000 books. 03/05/2010
Ed Tech Plan Prods K-12 to Innovate
The Obama administration released its National Ed Tech Plan, which focuses on using technology to customize learning, taking advantage of online learning, and one-to-one computing for all students. 03/05/2010
Rallies Reduce Test Stress
Indiana educators are holding pep rallies, rolling out the red carpet, performing dance routines and rewriting popular-song lyrics to help students relax and encourage them to do well on standardized tests. 03/04/2010
Technology Turns Students Into Educators
Students at a rural Texas high school have developed lessons about the local cotton-production industry, which they're sharing with students across the country through videoconferencing technology. 03/04/2010
Cleaning Up the Chemistry Classroom
Teachers in a Delaware high school are taking a natural approach to chemistry -- abandoning Bunsen burners and dangerous substances and using only safe and biodegradable supplies. 03/04/2010
School's Program Combines Fitness With Learning
A "Reading, Running and 'Rithmetic" program at an Oklahoma City elementary school is using the number 26 to help students hit education and fitness goals. 03/04/2010
Teacher Applies Earthquakes to Classroom Lessons
The tremors of recent earthquakes in Chile and Haiti were felt as far away as Pennsylvania, a fact that might have gone unnoticed were it not for the seismograph in a classroom at Holland Middle School. 03/04/2010
The Garden is a Classroom
Students at four Dallas elementary schools are getting the chance for more hands-on studying outdoors, thanks to REAL School Gardens and the addition of learning gardens at their schools. 03/04/2010
Survey: Supportive Leadership Helps Retain Top Teachers
A national survey of teachers suggests that while higher salaries are far more likely than performance pay to help keep top talent in the classroom, supportive leadership trumps financial incentives. 03/03/2010
Play Pays Off
Students at a Baltimore school don't have PE classes, instead they participate in a structured-recess program that educators say teaches students valuable life skills and helps ward off obesity. 03/02/2010
Fitness May Boost Kids Grades
A two-year study of 1,200 students found that those who scored high on fitness evaluations also averaged higher academic performance on standardized tests than their peers. 03/02/2010
Smart Shorties: Students Mix Rap Music and Math Problems
A teacher's idea coupled with her students' hard work has resulted in Smart Shorties, a rap-based math curriculum that helps kids memorize math rules. The curriculum has attracted the interest of Scholastic. 03/02/2010
A School Where You Shouldn't Raise Your Hand
Educators at a California magnet school are using the Paideia curriculum, a method that emphasizes critical-thinking skills and allows students to drive classroom discussions and work on individualized projects. 03/01/2010
Music's Healing Powers
Researchers say music may provide promise for people with disabilities involving speech, movement and social interaction, and can also be used to improve reading and memory. 03/01/2010
Teachers Struggle With Virtual Boundaries
Many teachers say they need clear social networking guidelines, and education leaders nationwide are struggling to determine the appropriate use of text messaging and social-networking sites. 03/01/2010
Grant Pays for Schools' Special Needs Playgrounds
Special needs children across one Alabama county will soon have the freedom to go down a slide and cross the monkey bars when construction of four "green" playgrounds is completed this year. 03/01/2010
FEBRUARY 2010
Internet Safety: Who Should Teach Kids About It?
About half of school administrators say their districts require lessons in online safety. And many teachers have taught nothing about security issues or online ethics. So who is teaching kids about cyber safety? 02/26/2010
Elementary School Offers Saturday Science Academy
A Saturday science academy is using a hands-on approach to motivate students. The program is for kids who are performing just below grade level and who might be motivated by the extra effort. 02/25/2010
Progress Slow in NYC Goal to Fire Bad Teachers
The Bloomberg administration has made getting rid of inadequate teachers a linchpin of its efforts to improve schools. But in the two years, officials have managed to fire only three for incompetence. 02/23/2010
Students to Create History Book for School's 50th Anniversary
Students in one California elementary school's gifted-and-talented education program are creating a book to document the 50-year history of their school and reveal the changes that have occurred during that time. 02/24/2010
City Will Make Changes to Teacher Evaluations
Boston schools Superintendent Carol R. Johnson says she plans to overhaul the teacher-evaluation system and supports a recommendation to tie teacher evaluations to student achievement. 02/25/2010
A Vote to Fire All Teachers at a Failing High School
The school board in Central Falls, Rhode Island, voted to dismiss the entire staff at the city's only public high school as part of a turnaround strategy to address a four-year graduation rate of 48 percent. 02/24/2010
Colo. Teacher Tackles Gunman, Saves Students
A Littleton, Colorado, middle school math teacher tackled and subdued a gunman who was reloading a rifle and preparing to shoot students who were heading home for the day. 02/24/2010
Giant Strides
South Carolina educators say they've seen improvement in reading scores among special education students who participate in a reading program that teaches English as if it were a foreign language. 02/22/2010
Student Space Opens Room for Learning
Students in one Oregon school district now have round-the-clock online access to class work and teachers through a closed social-networking site called Student Space. 02/22/2010
Georgia Schools Switching to 4-Day Weeks
With budget cuts looming, more systems are considering four-day school weeks. Peach County officials have estimated they saved $313,000 in transportation and utilities costs by making the schedule change. 02/22/2010
School Creates 'No Cussing Club' to Combat Bullying
A two-year study shows that violence and profanity decreased 64 percent after their school implemented the No Cussing Club chapter in their district. Today, 30,000 students belong to local clubs. 02/22/2010
Obama Wants to Raise Reading, Math Standards
All states will be required to prove that their reading and math standards put students on track for college or careers as part of President Obama's effort to overhaul No Child Left Behind. 02/22/2010
Students Take a Turn at Teaching Tech
Seventh-grader Addy McGill was one of dozens of middle-school students who recently traveled to a local elementary school to show the younger students a thing or two about technology. 02/22/2010
Research Finds Words/Music Brain Link
Researchers say there's an overlap in the way the brain processes music and language learning, and that music education could be used to improve speech in people with dyslexia or autism. 02/20/2010
Family Sues School District for Spying
A school in Philadelphia is accused of spying on students with webcams from the school-issued laptops. Now a couple is suing the school for spying on their son and using the information to discipline him. 02/20/2010
Teaching Reading 'Behind the Glass'
A Wyoming district has helped students raise their reading level by having a group of teachers watch a struggling student and a teacher through one-way glass to provide critiques for the teacher. 02/18/2010
Technology Advances for Toddlers
Educators at a Massachusetts school are piloting a technology program that uses iPods loaded with age-appropriate applications to offer instruction in letters, numbers and shapes to 3- and 4-year-olds. 02/18/2010
Florida School Offers Recession-Era Shopping Op: Clothing Swap
On "Family Share Night," students sorted through piles of clothes that were collected at the school. The exchange night turned out to be a popular family event, complete with a spaghetti dinner and door prizes. 02/18/2010
Obama: No Weeknight Television for Malia, Sasha
In the latest issue of Essence magazine, President Obama says there's one sure way parents can help kids learn, regardless of financial means: Forbid them from watching TV on school nights. 02/16/2010
State Will Try History Do Over
North Carolina officials have reversed a decision to limit high-school history lessons to post-Reconstruction years after the plan was criticized by teachers, districts, and lawmakers. 02/17/2010
Students Spend Challenging Day
Students in a teen leadership class at a Texas high school are participating in a project to help them understand what life is like for students who have such disabilities as visual or hearing impairments.02/16/2010
Technology Lab Helps Students Find Voice
An assistive technology lab that serves schools in three Florida counties contains an array of devices to help students with special needs communicate with parents, teachers, and fellow students. 02/15/2010
In Touch With Math and Science
Some Colorado schools are working to incorporate problem-solving skills into science, technology, engineering. and math learning by using real-world issues in the curriculum. 02/15/2010
Laptops Bring Lessons to Life
Teachers in one New Mexico school can sign up to use one of two mobile laptop labs equipped with 25 students units and one for the teacher. The lab is changing how teachers use computers in their lessons. 02/15/2010
Panel Considering 4-Day Week Option in Arizona District
The Scottsdale schools have created Time Task Force, which is charged with exploring a range of options, including a four-day week and a 200-day school year, to make the most of every minute of every day. 02/15/2010
Fitness Room Inspires Kids to Get Fit
The fitness room at one Florida elementary school -- complete with light free weights and cardio machines -- has exceeded all expectations. From couch potatoes to avid athletes, students are loving it. 02/13/2010
Experts Say Schools Need to Screen for Cheating
Some education experts say more districts should conduct regular screening for cheating on standardized tests, as the outcomes of those tests carry increasingly significant consequences. 02/12/2010
Will Paper Airplanes Sell?
Third- and fourth-grade students who are gifted at several Wyoming elementary schools are becoming entrepreneurs with a seven-week project that has them starting their own businesses. 02/11/2010
Haitian Children Begin Enrolling in U.S. Schools
Nearly 1,000 youngsters who survived Haiti's catastrophic earthquake have enrolled in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale area's public schools, joining the largest concentration of Haitians in the United States. 02/11/2010
Wi-Fi Turns Rowdy Bus Into Rolling Study Hall
Bored students on buses often break the monotony by teasing, texting, flirting, and shouting. But on buses with wi-fi students are quiet, typing on laptops as the bus cruises down the road to school. 02/11/2010
High Schools to Offer Plan to Graduate 2 Years Early
Dozens of public high schools in eight states will introduce a program next year allowing 10th graders who pass a battery of tests to get a diploma two years early and immediately enroll in community college. 02/10/2010
Student Suspended for Facebook Page Can Sue
A South Florida teenager who sued her former principal after she was suspended for creating a Facebook page criticizing a teacher can proceed with her lawsuit, a federal judge has ruled. 02/10/2010
TV Class a Boon to Schools
Television-production classes at an Arizona high school offer students the flexibility to use state-of-the-art equipment and pursue individual interests in careers such as broadcasting and filmmaking. 02/11/2010
Could Revolutionary, Civil Wars Be Taken Out of High School?
A proposal in North Carolina would focus American History courses in high school on the time since 1877. Students would be taught about earlier U.S. history in elementary and middle school classrooms. 02/11/2010
Doubt About Learning Styles Washington Post columnist Jay Matthews shares news of a new study, "Learning Styles: Concepts and Evidence." He offers this simple summary of the 15-page paper: Learning styles are hogwash. 02/11/2010
400 Teachers May Face Firing Over Test Scores
More than 400 teachers in the Houston school district have performed so poorly that their students have lost ground. HISD's superintendent is asking the school board to allow the district to fire those teachers. 02/10/2010
Kids With Special Needs Find Balance With Yoga
Specialized yoga classes for children with disabilities in the Dallas, Texas, area help kids improve their balance, strength and self-control, says a yoga instructor who provides such classes. 02/09/2010
Work Begins on 'Next Generation' of Science Standards
A panel of experts has begun work on a new set of national science standards focusing on a smaller number of concepts and designed to deepen students' understanding of science. 02/09/2010
First Lady Launches National Obesity Fight
First lady Michelle Obama has launched a nationwide campaign to fight childhood obesity. The program is part of her effort to teach America's children about better nutrition and exercise. 02/09/2010
D.C. Schools Reported 220 Abuse Allegations Against Teachers
D.C. school officials reported more than 200 allegations of students being choked, shoved, slapped, kicked, or verbally abused by teachers, according to information compiled by D.C. police. 02/09/2010
Engineering Class Designed to Bridge Gender Gap
While students at an all-girls school in Montgomery County were laboring to build bridges out of popsicle sticks, their teachers were trying to build bridges for them into the male-dominated field of engineering.02/08/2010
Students Collaborate to Clean the World
Students in one community have connected with Clean the World to collect soap for the Haitians affected by the January earthquake. CTW recycles soap, shampoo, and lotion discarded by hotels. 02/08/2010
Farm to School Program Changes Kids' Views on Food
Students at one Vermont elementary school are part of the National Farm to School Network, which aims to get healthier meals into cafeterias and teach kids about nutrition and supporting local farmers. 02/08/2010
Whatever Happened To ... Opera in Elementary School?
A Maryland teacher is training educators to integrate opera into their lesson plans. In one of her first productions, her immigrant students created an opera about orphan eaglets who lived at the National Zoo. 02/07/2010
Colts Curriculum Gets Kids Excited
Each Friday, third-grade students sport their Indianapolis Colts jerseys as their teacher uses Colts game statistics to create word problems for his Go Blue Math curriculum. 02/06/2010
Some Schools Still Use Paddling
Quite a few schools still use paddling as a means to punish students. A study shows that 22 states still participate in corporal punishment. More than 220,000 students experienced such punishment in 2006-2007. 02/06/2010
'Math for Moms and Dads' Event Planned
As part of the local education association's Public Engagement Project, high school students are volunteering to teach elementary students' parents skills they can use to help their children learn math at home. 02/06/2010
Teachers Get Tough Economic Lesson
Education majors who thought they'd get a job "because all the baby boomers will be retiring" are learning that the current recession is making employment anything but secure. 02/06/2010
How to Boost Student Learning? More Recess Might Help
In spite of the fact that testing has led to cutbacks in playtime at many schools, a new Gallup survey reveals that more than 80 percent of principals believe recess has a positive impact on academic achievement. 02/04/2010
Teachers' Union Protests Student's Article
A Nevada teachers' union continues to challenge a school district's decision to allow a high school newspaper to publish an article discussing parent criticism of the school's music teacher. 02/01/2010
High School Computer Class Taught Without Computers
Every day, students at Surrattsville High School in Prince George County Maryland, file into a computer class that's taught without computers, without enough textbooks, and with no permanent teacher. 02/04/2010
Indy's Schools Set 1-Hour Delay After Super Bowl
Indianapolis students can sleep in a bit Monday thanks to a one-hour delay scheduled to give bus drivers more time to get to work the morning after the Super Bowl. They'll have to make up half the time. 02/03/2010
At 80, Lewisville ISD Teacher Still Helps Shape Minds, Futures
At a time when schools struggle to retain teachers, Dale Swall, who has taught for more than half a century, has no plans to quit. "I'll stay as long as the school will let me," said the fourth-grade teacher. 02/03/2010
Teaching Mariachi Could Help Improve Grades
Students enrolled in a free after-school enrichment are learning to play mariachi music on violins and guitars. According to studies, participation should help improve students' grades and state test scores. 02/03/2010
Arizona Principal Suspended Over Letter Sent Home
A school principal who penned a sarcastic letter that chided parents for children who were "too lazy or too stupid" to complete assignments was suspended after the letter was mistakenly sent home. 02/02/2010
Parents Invited to Take Part in Children's Lessons
One Massachusetts school district offers a monthly Bring Your Parents to School Day so parents can sit in on their children's classes. The program gives parents first-hand exposure to lessons being taught. 02/01/2010
Students With Autism Piloting Communication Apps
Students with special needs at a Wisconsin middle school are taking part in a pilot program designed to test iPod Touch applications to improve communication and learning for all students. 02/02/2010
EETT Eliminated in 2011 Obama Budget Proposal
Despite an overall $3.5 billion increase in education spending, President Obama's proposed 2011 budget zeroed out the only federal source of funding specifically dedicated to education technology. 02/01/2010
Two New School Policies: Cell Phones, iPods Okay in Classroom
Officials are changing the technology policies at a Colorado high school to allow students to use cell phones and iPods as educational tools. The new policy helps mitigate the school's lack of computers. 02/01/2010
Students to Help Teachers With Tech
Students will help teach middle- and high-school teachers how to best use technology in the classroom as part of a partnership between Microsoft and the Corporation for National and Community Service.02/01/2010
'Abstinence-Only' Delays Sex in Young Teens
There has been more rhetoric than hard science in the debate about sex education, but a new study finds that abstinence-only programs can be as effective as safe-sex programs. 02/01/2010
Parents Invited to Take Part in Children's Lessons
One Massachusetts school district offers a monthly Bring Your Parents to School Day so parents can sit in on their children's classes. The program gives parents first-hand exposure to lessons being taught. 02/01/2010
JANUARY 2010
Head of Class Often Is Female
A Texas school district is putting out the call for male teachers. Just 22 percent of the district's teachers are male. According to the National Education Association, 24.5 of the nation's teachers are male. 01/31/2010
Adding Lights, Animation to Education
Two fifth-grade instructors share with their district's board a mimio board device that they use to keep students engaged. The board makes an ordinary dry erase board work like a smart board. 01/31/2010
Initiative Urges Students to Walk to School
One Indiana community is adding crosswalk beacons and other school zone safety features as part of a its new "Safe Routes to School" plan aimed at encouraging more children to walk to school. 01/30/2010
Good Morning, Farragut!
Students at a Tennessee elementary school produce a daily 5- to-7-minute video news program shown throughout the school. The school's news studio was funded through a grant, fundraisers, and private donations. 01/28/2010
'Health Heroes' Dish Up Nutritious Food
A grant aimed at reducing childhood obesity given by the nonprofit group Youth Service America is allowing a Maryland high school to teach students how to select and prepare healthy and nutritious food. 01/26/2010
New Program Combines Technology and Community Service
Students at six schools from across the country are taking part in a pilot program that uses "service learning" as a way to revitalize their schools and communities while gaining valuable 21st-century skills. 01/27/2010
'CalcBots' Provide Unique Learning Experience
Members of the science club at a Maryland middle school are studying science and math through robotics as part of a program sponsored by NASA and the National Defense Education Program. 01/27/2010
Survivor Challenges Added to Math
Students, teachers and parents at a Massachusetts elementary school took part in a math competition modeled after the show "Survivor," working in "tribes" to complete "Survivor"-themed math challenges. 01/28/2010
All-Kindergarten School Gives Kids an Edge
Parents who were skeptical at first are being won by an all-kindergarten school, and last year's achievement numbers show students are scoring better than their peers in the rest of the district. 01/28/2010
Report: States' Policies Protect Ineffective Teachers
Most states are holding tight to policies that protect incompetent teachers and poor training programs, shortchanging educators and their students, according to a new national report card. 01/28/2010
Teachers and Policymakers Differ on Effectiveness Measures
Teachers' views on how instructional effectiveness should be measured, as well as how it could be improved, are not well-aligned with current education policy initiatives, according to a new survey report. 01/27/2010
Special-Needs Students' Book Debuts in New York Public Library
A group of students with special needs from a Staten Island, New York, high school wrote and illustrated a book about their hopes for their futures as part of a privately funded arts program at their school. 01/27/2010
Special Needs Students Package Meals for Haiti
Students with disabilities at one Georgia high school pitched in to help package food for people in Haiti after the earthquake there. The students practiced skills they might use some day in the workplace. 01/27/2010
Teacher-Dismissal Powers Found to Affect Absences
Chicago teachers who didn't have tenure took fewer days off after principals were given more flexibility to dismiss probationary teachers, a new study has found.01/27/2010
Victims of Bullying Face Lingering Health Issues
Some people get beyond the bullying they endured as children, but there is mounting evidence that many are left with scars -- in terms of poorer mental and physical health -- that last a lifetime. 01/26/2010
Students With Autism Find Success with 'Puppy Love' Treats
Students who have autism at Michigan's Seaholm High School are learning accounting, self-achievement and other work skills by running a successful dog-biscuit bakery out of their classroom. 01/26/2010
Study: Female Teachers' Math Anxiety Affects Female Students
Women teachers could be passing their math anxiety on to girls, according to University of Chicago researchers who surveyed the attitudes of female first- and second-grade teachers about math. 01/25/2010
Marijuana in the Classroom? Sometimes It's Legal
Medical marijuana legally prescribed to young people is showing up in classrooms, putting teachers and principals in a challenging position. In many districts, there are no clear guidelines. 01/25/2010
Study Links Rise in Test Scores to Nations' Output
Research suggests that modest gains in student achievement as measured by one international assessment could boost the country's gross domestic product by tens of trillions of dollars over coming decades.01/25/2010
Learning About the Body Takes Guts
A number of New Mexico schools are taking part in the OrganWise Guys program, in which the body's organs are represented by characters that teach young students about nutrition and health. 01/24/2010
Mayan Numbers Help Students Learn Math
Some California middle-school students are learning about Mayan culture and history as part of their math lessons. The approach, known as "ethno-mathematics," connects math with culture to engage students. 01/24/2010
Focus on Penmanship Makes a Return to Classroom
Handwriting is back as part of the curriculum in on Michigan district. Teachers are using Handwriting Without Tears, a multisensory approach to handwriting developed by an occupational therapist. 01/24/2010
Free Videos Explore the Science Behind the Olympics
A free video series that uses the Winter Olympic Games to explain scientific principles can be used as a resource for teachers interested in incorporating the Games into their lessons. 01/24/2010
Thousands Get Fired Up at DPS Reading Corps Rally
About 3,000 people turned out for a training session for Detroit's students Volunteer Reading Corps. The Corps was created after it was estimated that 50 percent of Detroit students read below grade level. 01/23/2010
Ensuring Technology's Future
Sally Ride made her mark as the first female astronaut in the U.S. She recently spoke with Forbes about what it's going to take to educate the next generation of technologists and scientists. 01/21/2010
Students' Quilt Is a Warm Gesture to Foster Kids
Eighth-graders in one Fairfax County consumer sciences class cut quilt squares, add batting, and create child-size quilts that will be donated to children in Fairfax County's foster care program. 01/21/2010
Geocatchers Get Around
A Pennsylvania PE teacher is hoping to use geocaching -- a high-tech treasure-hunting game that uses coordinates and GPS -- to combine environmental education with physical activity for her students. 01/20/2010
Students Focus on Science With Digital Cameras
Students in New York are among the first to participate in a pilot program spearheaded by Columbia University to learn science and engineering concepts by building a fully functioning digital camera from a kit.01/20/2010
Video Game Prepares Texas District for State Test
An additional 22 schools in Austin, Texas, will have access to educational video games to help eighth-grade students prepare for the math portion of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills. 01/20/2010
Rural Districts Consider Student Uniforms
About 20 percent of public schools have school uniforms or uniform policies, with the majority of those being in metropolitan areas. However, the trend appears to be creeping into rural areas as well. 01/20/2010
Paper Cutout Gives Students Geography Lessons
Flat Stanley is alive and well. This popular project for young children, based on the 1964 children's book Flat Stanley, is still providing lessons on geography, English, and math to children everywhere. 01/20/2010
Code Violations Found in Manhattan Schools
More than one third of Manhattan's public school buildings have hazardous code violations, including many that have gone unresolved for years, threatening the safety of children and teachers. 01/20/2010
School Adds Weeding to Reading and Writing
A patch of Brooklyn asphalt will be transformed into an Edible Schoolyard complete with a solar-powered kitchen, chicken coop, composting system, outdoor pizza oven, and cistern to collect rainwater. 01/19/2010
Emotional Training Helps Kids Fight Depression
A curriculum designed by behavioral therapy researchers is providing middle-school students with resilience training to help them ward off depression and anxiety that can affect achievement. 01/18/2010
Media Use by Teens, Tweens at 53 Hours/Week
A report by the Kaiser Family Foundation noted a link between heavy media users and lower grades, showing that 47 percent of the heaviest users earned C's or lower. 01/20/2010
Giving Students Reasons to Read
Educators at a New York middle school are developing initiatives to maintain students' interest in reading. One program rewards students with a chance to win a gift card when they're caught reading. 01/19/2010
State to Launch Online Textbook Pilot in Fall
Students at a West Virginia high school will be the first to test the state's digital textbook project. The state is providing the laptops; teachers will choose the electronic resources. 01/18/2010
Burnley-Moran Kindles an Interest in Reading
Third-graders in one Virginia district may be among the first to use Kindle e-readers in the classroom. The technology allows readers of all levels to participate in reading groups and read independently. 01/18/2010
Technology Brings Dance Classes to School
The Minnesota Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center is partnering with a local school to bring African and break dance artists into the classroom via videoconferencing technology. 01/19/2010
Students Dedicate Day Off to Service
Hundreds of students woke up early on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to volunteer around Chicago in honor of the civil rights leader who sought to end racism and prejudice through civil disobedience. 01/18/2010
After-School Music Classes Fill Gap for 4th, 5th Graders
The music didn't stop in one California community, even when budget cuts forced the end of elementary school music programs. The community banded together to create an after-school music program. 01/08/2010
High School Students Ride the Bus to Lessen Bullying
High school students will be able to keep an eye on students when the bus drivers cannot. Officials hope the high school students will serve as role models to the younger students and prevent bullying. 01/17/2010
Interventions in Education to Help Detect Learning Disabilities
Connecticut schools are being required to implement early-intervention systems that rely more on data rather than teacher observations to determine whether a student needs special-education services. 01/17/2010
Students Take Recycling Program into Art Classroom
Students at a New York state middle school are stepping up efforts to make a positive impact on their environment by composting, recycling and using recycled materials in their art classroom. 01/13/2010
Teachers Bring Music to Classroom Lessons
Elementary-school teachers in a Nevada district use music to help students learn academic lessons. The teaching method is supported by a federal grant for teacher professional development. 01/13/2010
Special Needs Students Keep Stores Running
A team of students with special needs are learning practical skills through working at and managing two stores at their middle school. The students staff the stores, handle money and keep the store's records. 01/13/2010
Experts Urge Earlier Start to Teaching Science
Some academic experts are recommending that science be taught to students beginning in preschool, and a recent push to promote STEM education in schools is adding urgency to their cause. 01/13/2010
Bill Would Change the Way Teachers Are Fired
Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen has proposed a new way of removing tenured teachers. In stead of holding local school-board hearings, the process would be shifted to third-party impartial officers. 01/12/2010
Parents Reject Mesquite Board's Compromise on Boy's Hair
The school board now says Taylor Pugh can return to class without cutting his hair if he wears it in braids. But his parents rejected the compromise. They plan to appeal to the state education commissioner. 01/12/2010
Basketball Players Team Up With Fifth Graders for Math
Fifth-graders in one Illinois district, along with members of a nearby college basketball team, are taking part in a program created by their district's math coordinator to bring math learning to life through basketball. 01/11/2010
DeKalb School Workers Protest Superintendent's Raise
More than 250 school workers protested their superintendent's $15,000 pay raise, which comes after teachers were required to take a furlough day and lost contributions to their tax-sheltered annuity. 01/11/2010
IPS Cites Poor Performance as 22 Pulled from Teaching
Indianapolis Public Schools has removed 22 of its weakest teachers from their classrooms. They will be given additional training this semester, then given another shot in the classroom while on probation. 01/11/2010
Shaking Up Shakespeare With Digital Media
High-school English and film-studies teacher Joshua Cabat helps students learn Shakespeare by filming each other acting out scenes from plays or film their own revisions of scenes from Shakespeare movies. 01/11/2010
Students Aid Ghana Schools
When their teacher wanted to concretely illustrate the number 1,000, third graders at one school collected 1,000 quarters, which they used to provide lunches for impoverished children halfway across the globe. 01/10/2010
Parents Say Overcrowding's Preferable
When eliminating overcrowding means transferring their children to a new, $25 million school, the majority of parents in this tight-knit community want their children to remain at their crowded old school. 01/10/2010
Teaching Green, Beyond Recycling
While plenty of schools teach students about environmental issues, places like the Green School put an emphasis on civic involvement. The school is one of a loose netwroke of green schools across the nation. 01/10/2010
Students Devise Library Fundraiser
Fifth-grade art students from a Pennsylvania school district have created and are selling note cards as a fundraiser for a public library facing reduced hours because of budget cuts. 01/07/2010
Connecticut Board of Ed Discourages Academic "Tracking"
Connecticut education officials have adopted a policy to discourage the use of academic tracking in schools, saying the practice has a negative effect on the academic success of minority and low-income students. 01/07/2010
Fifth Graders Using Smart Phones for Core Subjects
Some fifth-graders in New York are part of a pilot program to use smart phones linked to the Internet to find and share information in core-subject classes. 01/08/2010
Newspapers Have a Place in Her Classroom
A North Carolina teacher uses newspapers to help her gifted middle-school English students improve their reading and vocabulary skills by prompting discussion about current national and world events.01/08/2010
Teacher Teams Lead to Success
Teachers in a Texas middle school work in teams to teach core academic subjects -- a practice that helps build relationships and reduce class sizes. The teachers work together to improve student achievement. 01/07/2010
Revamp of Indiana Teacher Licensing Gets Board OK
The state panel overseeing teacher licensing approved new rules Thursday that will allow future educators to spend less time learning how to teach and more time focused on subject matter. 01/07/2010
Reading Aloud to Teens Gains Favor Among Teachers
Reading aloud is a technique being used by many teachers in older grades to help improve adolescent literacy. Some are concerned, however, that the technique could mask poor reading skills among older students. 01/04/2010
Obama Revs Up "Educate to Innovate" Campaign
President Obama Wednesday announced the expansion of the "Educate to Innovate" campaign, an initiative aimed at enhancing and encouraging STEM education throughout the United States. 01/07/2010
New Commissioner Opens a Conversation With Best Teachers
Rhode Island's education commissioner gathered three dozen of the state's distinguished educators so she could learn what they are proud of, what concerns they have, and what needs to change. 01/07/2010
Recession Fuels Shift from Private to Public Schools
With budgets feeling the pinch, some families are moving their kids from private to public schools, where they are coming face-to-face with larger class sizes and the public school bureaucracy. 01/06/2010
Don't Reduce Time for Learning
Does it make sense to give teachers time to train and collaborate by taking away time for students to learn? The answer, of course, is no, according to this opinion piece about the decision faced in Des Moines. 01/05/2010
Philosophy Is Part of Middle School Lunch Menu
Schools these days focus mostly on preparing students for tests, but during lunchtime at one school students are tackling the really deep questions: Ethics. Fairness. How to split dessert. 01/04/2010
Gifted Students Design Eco-Friendly Cities
New Jersey seventh-graders are designing an eco-friendly city with the help of an engineer as part of a competition that challenges students to use engineering concepts as solutions to ecological problems. 01/03/2010
Ten Trends the Past Decade Brought to Schools
As we transition to a new decade, one California teacher reflects on some of the educational trends of the recently completed decade. Here is his list of the top 10 trends in California's schools. 01/03/2010
More Choices for Baltimore 8th Graders
Middle-schoolers in Baltimore can pick from nearly four dozen magnet schools rather than being assigned to a comprehensive high school in their own neighborhood. 01/03/2010
Florida School Caters to Students' Learning Styles
The top administrator of the Tampa Day School for K-8 students -- many of whom have mild or moderate learning disabilities -- credits the school's longevity to a personalized approach to instruction. 01/02/2010
Nashville Schools Director Gets High Marks for First Year
Jesse Register took over Nashville schools amid speculation the mayor would assume control of the district. In one year, he streamlined operations, improved safety, and prevented the takeover. 01/02/2010
Schools Teach Kids About Setting, Reaching Goals
Sticking to New Year's resolutions is a challenge, but starting next year, the Virginia Board of Education will require eighth-graders to develop high school plans, complete with career and academic goals. 01/01/2010
