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Former British PM heckled in Maine college speech
Sunday, May 20, 2012 3:39:09 PM CST
A handful of protesters briefly interrupted a Maine college graduation speech by British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for world unity.
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Google's Schmidt challenges: no screen time for 1 hour a day
Sunday, May 20, 2012 2:45:34 PM CST
(Reuters) - Google Inc Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt challenged college graduates on Sunday to take the radical step -- at least for their generation -- of tearing their eyes away from their smartphones and computer screens. "Take one hour a day and turn that thing off," Schmidt told graduates at Boston University, where he received an honorary degree and was applauded by an audience that had grown up relying on the technology company's search engine, e-mail and other services. "Take your eyes off that screen and look into the eyes of the person you love. ...
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NATO Protests Take Over Chicago
Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:20:00 PM CST
FIRST PERSON | Due to the NATO Summit, never in my 34 years as an Illinois resident had I had a tougher time getting into Chicago than this weekend. According to the Chicago Tribune, many businesses and all Chicago public schools have been shut down due to the anticipation of protests during the NATO Summit.
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Florida's Education Woes Should Be Wake-Up Call to Nation
Saturday, May 19, 2012 3:52:00 PM CST
COMMENTARY | According to Reuters, high school education in Florida is in bad shape. Fifty percent of sophomores did not pass the reading portion of the standardized Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Days before the reading scores were released, the state's Board of Education voted to lower standards needed to pass the writing portion. The Board's vote occurred because preliminary results revealed only 1 in 3 high school students would have passed the writing portion.
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Half of Florida high school students fail reading test
Friday, May 18, 2012 5:25:16 PM CST
MIAMI (Reuters) - Nearly half of Florida high school students failed the reading portion of the state's new toughened standardized test, education officials said on Friday. Results this year from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test showed 52 percent of freshman students and 50 percent of sophomores scored at their grade levels. Students in the 10th grade must pass the exam in order to eventually graduate but can retake it if they fail. The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT. ...
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Oregon bans American Indian team names, mascots for schools
Friday, May 18, 2012 5:17:59 PM CST
PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - The Oregon state board of education has banned public schools from using American Indian names and mascots for their athletic teams, out of a concern they disparage native American people. The move is believed to be one of the nation's most sweeping prohibitions of its kind in favor of native Americans who say their culture is stereotyped by a number of sports teams. It follows years of controversy surrounding a range of teams, from the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. ...
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Obama Focuses on Education in Florida, Nevada TV Ads
Friday, May 18, 2012 1:41:30 PM CST
President Obama’s re-election campaign is courting voters in Florida and Nevada with a new, positive 30-second TV ad on higher education. The spot, which began airing Friday, features pictures of a young Obama with his mother and at school as the narrator paints a picture...
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NYC schools chief pushes buyout plan for teachers
Friday, May 18, 2012 8:23:59 AM CST
New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is proposing to offer buyouts to hundreds of teachers who don't have permanent jobs.
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5 Ways Teachers Can Evaluate Educational Games
Friday, May 18, 2012 4:14:16 AM CST
Dr. David Dockterman is chief architect, learning sciences at Scholastic Education and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is an educational software pioneer and has designed dozens of award-winning instructional technology programs.
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The 1 Percent Solution
Friday, May 18, 2012 12:22:03 AM CST
Seattle—Nick Hanauer toddled through his early years in a cramped Greenwich Village apartment. His mother waited tables at the Bitter End. His father worked low-level jobs on Wall Street and as an editor at a publishing house. When Nick was 5, his folks left New York to join a family pillow-making business in the Pacific Northwest. They raised their three sons in a three-bedroom house in the suburbs and sent them to public schools. After Nick, the eldest, earned a philosophy degree at the University of Washington, he went to work for his father. ...
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Kansas budget negotiators resume talks
Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:25:54 AM CST
Budget negotiators said Wednesday that proposals to increase spending on Kansas public schools and other government programs are joined at the hip to a pending compromise on tax cuts.
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NH House, Senate pass school tax credit bills
Thursday, May 17, 2012 9:07:50 AM CST
The New Hampshire's House and Senate passed similar plans Wednesday to give businesses a tax credit for donating to scholarship organizations to send students to private or public schools.
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6 Ways to Save on Toys for Your Kids
Thursday, May 17, 2012 7:48:04 AM CST
Kids are expensive--it's a fact of life. If you're like many parents, you may just grin and bear it while forking over a hundred or more dollars for the latest, greatest toys. After all, you could argue that they're worth it. However, your money could be put to better use by saving for your kids' college education, saving for retirement, or paying off debt. But luckily for your kids, you don't have to stop feeding their toy habit completely in order to save some dough.
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ICC prosecutor OK with delay to trial of Kenyans
Thursday, May 17, 2012 12:35:29 AM CST
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday he would not oppose a delay to the start of a trial of four prominent Kenyans, including two leading presidential hopefuls, accused of fuelling post-election violence in 2007. The group, including former Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former Higher Education Minister William Ruto, are charged with masterminding the bloodshed that killed more than 1,200 people. All have said they are innocent. ...
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Students in tornado-hit Ind. town await 'Lady A'
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 6:14:14 PM CST
Tornadoes battered their school and homes, and spring break was spent cleaning up. Henryville has only begun to rebuild, but for one night, its high school students will get to put aside their worries for a private show by one of country music's biggest acts.
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Illinois Considers Allowing Miniature Horses as Services Animals
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 4:51:00 PM CST
According to the Associated Press, the Illinois Senate voted 40-11 on a bill that would add miniature horses to the list of services animals that can accompany individuals with documented disabilities. If signed into law, the horses could undergo special training to accompany disabled people into public schools, stores and other locations. Here are some facts about House Bill 3826.
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ICC prosecutor OK with delay to trial of Kenyans
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 3:08:01 PM CST
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor said on Wednesday he would not oppose a delay to the start of a trial of four prominent Kenyans, including two leading presidential hopefuls, accused of fuelling post-election violence in 2007. The group, including former Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta and former Higher Education Minister William Ruto, are charged with masterminding the bloodshed that killed more than 1,200 people. All have said they are innocent. ...
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Group Sues State of California to Undo Teacher Job Protection
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:37:00 PM CST
Students Matter, a non-profit group dedicated to changing the way the Golden State hires and fires teachers, issued a press release alerting of a lawsuit it filed on behalf of eight minors who are students in California public schools. The defendants include the Los Angeles Unified School district and the Alum Rock Union School District.
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Mark Cuban Correct in Predicting Drastic Shake Up of College Education
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 1:30:00 PM CST
COMMENTARY | According to US News and World Report, billionaire Mark Cuban has predicted an upcoming "destabilization" of the nation's college education system in his blog. For those considering college nonetheless, the outspoken entrepreneur, best known for his ownership of the Dallas Mavericks, provided advice on how to pick the best college deal. Cuban is critical of the high tuition rates of colleges and universities and predicts they will not change until students stop taking such loans, thereby forcing schools to make changes.
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Hawaii teachers to begin voting on rejected offer
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 1:07:40 PM CST
Hawaii's teacher union members begin voting this week on a contract they rejected earlier this year, despite warnings from the state that the agreement is no longer valid.
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Mark Cuban: College Is a Business Decision
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 9:08:50 AM CST
A meltdown is coming to the higher education sector, billionaire computer magnate and NBA Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban warned in a blog post on May 13. With education costs that rise each year, a hungry market of students plied with easy-to-get loans, and little incentive for colleges to make meaningful changes, the arena is ripe for a major shakeup, the entrepreneur writes.
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Activist targeting schools, backed by big bucks
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 8:53:40 AM CST
(Reuters) - During her tumultuous three years at the head of the Washington D.C. public schools, Michelle Rhee set off a lot of fireworks. She's still doing it - on a national stage. Rhee has emerged as the leader of an unlikely coalition of politicians, philanthropists, financiers and entrepreneurs who believe the nation's $500 billion-a-year public education system needs a massive overhaul. She has vowed to raise $1 billion for her national advocacy group, StudentsFirst, and forever break the hold of teachers unions on education policy. ...
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Should kindergarteners be allowed to evaluate teachers?
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 7:33:00 AM CST
Under a new pilot program, Georgia will give students as young as 5 years old a say in grading their teachers on their knowledge and abilities
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Activist targeting U.S. schools, backed by big bucks
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 5:59:52 PM CST
(Reuters) - During her tumultuous three years at the head of the Washington D.C. public schools, Michelle Rhee set off a lot of fireworks. She's still doing it - on a national stage. Rhee has emerged as the leader of an unlikely coalition of politicians, philanthropists, financiers and entrepreneurs who believe the nation's $500 billion-a-year public education system needs a massive overhaul. She has vowed to raise $1 billion for her national advocacy group, StudentsFirst, and forever break the hold of teachers unions on education policy. ...
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Will Californians trust Jerry Brown enough to vote for his tax increase?
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 3:07:48 PM CST
California Gov. Jerry Brown (D) called Monday a “day of reckoning.” In the morning, he outlined more than $8 billion in cuts to higher education, social safety-net programs, and the state court system, among other things. Massive protest rallies ensued across the state.
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Teachers dance behind students in prank video set to Whitney Houston song
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 2:29:44 PM CST
Students at Abby Kelley Foster Charter School were recently asked to film video testimonials for the Worcester, Massachusetts, school. However, unbeknown to the students, their teachers were actually planning an elaborate prank. While the students offer heartfelt speeches, the teachers are secretly dancing behind them with wild abandonment. A soundtrack featuring Whitney Houston's "I Wanna [...]
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Young adults with autism lag in school, work
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 12:19:32 PM CST
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young adults with autism are less likely to go to college or hold down a job than their peers with other types of disabilities, a new U.S. study finds. Researchers found that more than one-third of young adults with an autism spectrum disorder had not gotten a job or gone into higher education since high school. And that number was much higher compared with young adults with learning disabilities or other impairments. It's estimated that about one in 88 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. ...
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Young adults with autism lag in school, work
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 11:35:41 AM CST
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young adults with autism are less likely to go to college or hold down a job than their peers with other types of disabilities, a new U.S. study finds. Researchers found that more than one-third of young adults with an autism spectrum disorder had not gotten a job or gone into higher education since high school. And that number was much higher compared with young adults with learning disabilities or other impairments. It's estimated that about one in 88 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. ...
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Colleges, health care face cuts in La. budget
Tuesday, May 15, 2012 7:23:00 AM CST
A state-run psychiatric hospital in central Louisiana shuttered. A program that aids families with children who have hearing, speech and motor control problems eliminated. College campuses pushed to financial emergency. Medical training programs threatened with loss of accreditation.
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Facebook, Edutopia Collaborate on Social Media Guide
Monday, May 14, 2012 9:27:52 AM CST
As most high school students are gearing up for summer break, many teachers and administrators are planning and prepping for the next school year. Part of their planning may include strategies to integrate technology in the classroom, through digital textbooks, gaming, and social media.
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Nurse Practitioners Seek to Raise Profile
Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:26:35 AM CST
Nurse practitioners, who add years of college education to their training as nurses, will begin a PR campaign this week aimed at getting public acceptance and understanding of their role as health providers, The Washington Post reports.
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Romney Defends Marriage and Faith in Liberty University Speech
Saturday, May 12, 2012 10:07:32 AM CST
Mitt Romney doubled down on his position against same sex marriage, telling graduates at Liberty University Saturday that marriage between "one man and one woman" is an "enduring institution" that should be defended.Coming just days after President Obama endorsed the right of gays and lesbians to marry, the comment earned Romney a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 30,000 people—the largest crowd Romney has ever addressed as a political candidate--but it was his only mention of the hot button social issue. ...
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Romney defends marriage and faith in Liberty University speech
Saturday, May 12, 2012 9:51:48 AM CST
Mitt Romney doubled down on his position against same sex marriage, telling graduates at Liberty University Saturday that marriage between "one man and one woman" is an "enduring institution" that should be defended. Coming just days after President Obama endorsed the right of gays and lesbians to marry, the comment earned Romney a standing ovation [...]
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Colleges go to the dogs for stress busters
Saturday, May 12, 2012 8:20:18 AM CST
Just down the hall from the reference desk at Emory University's law library in a room housing antique legal texts is Stanley the golden retriever puppy, barking his head off.
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Georgia woman, 24, battles flesh-eating disease
Friday, May 11, 2012 2:08:35 PM CST
Whether she was hiking in the woods, growing organic vegetables or working on her master's degree in psychology, Aimee Copeland embraced her passions with determination and a constant smile that made friends wonder if she ever had bad days.
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Starting a New Office Job? Advice for College Graduates
Friday, May 11, 2012 10:57:00 AM CST
Yahoo! News asked readers to offer advice -- inspirational, heartfelt, funny or otherwise -- to the graduating class of 2012. Here's one reader's tip:
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Mo. lawmakers send $24B budget to governor
Friday, May 11, 2012 8:11:31 AM CST
Missouri lawmakers sent the governor a $24 billion budget plan Thursday that shores up funding for veterans homes, gives raises to a reduced state workforce and spares public schools and universities from cuts — a result legislators praised as an accomplishment in what they bemoaned as another tight budget year.
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Students charged with taping under teacher's dress
Friday, May 11, 2012 6:44:52 AM CST
Police have charged two Kentucky high school students with video voyeurism after they say one of them held a cellphone under a teacher's dress, made a video and posted it online.
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Photo before prom leaves Wis. students drenched
Thursday, May 10, 2012 4:43:51 PM CST
You could call it a cautionary tale about what can go wrong when high school students exert too much "pier pressure."
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Detroit names CFO to help steer city's turnaround
Thursday, May 10, 2012 1:50:12 PM CST
DETROIT (Reuters) - Former Department of Education official Jack Martin will be Detroit's newly appointed chief financial officer, representing one of the first major initiatives taken by the city under its fiscal-oversight pact with the state of Michigan. Martin, who began his career at General Motors and is the former head of Home Federal Savings Bank of Detroit, was appointed by Detroit Mayor Dave Bing. He will be paid $220,000 annually. During a press conference, Martin said his main focus will be on better revenue management. ...