Education News
Mental calculation in a prodigy is sustained by right prefrontal and medial temporal areas
Brain Development with Mental Math & Abacus -- Children have an amazing ability to learn, but their vast brain potential is not always nurtured to the fullest extent. With the proper guidance and tools, children as young as 4 or 5 are capable of mastering mathematical skills and calculating ability that will yield benefits that last a lifetime.
Ancient Asian Calculating Tool May Hold Key to Boosting Children's Mental Math Skills -- In Asia, many schools have rediscovered the secrets of the abacus, an ancient calculating device that offers remarkable benefits for nurturing young minds and encouraging proficiency in mathematics and mental calculation. With abacus instruction, children can achieve much more than just excellent math skills. Abacus use can build confidence, provide a sense of achievement, promote intuitive thinking, enhance problem-solving capability, stimulate creativity and improve concentration and mental endurance.
Worshipers Kicked Out Of N.Y. School On Principle -- For years, small churches have been meeting in New York City's public schools. One church, Grace Fellowship, has been gathering at PS-150 in Queens since 2006. In one week, though, they will be evicted. "Freedom for a church to take over a school and convert it to a house of worship is not what our Constitution stands for," says a civil liberties proponent.
Fallout Continues In L.A. School's Lewd Photo Scandal -- A second teacher has been removed from Miramonte Elementary School in Los Angeles as part of an investigation into lewd photos. One teacher has already been charged with lewd conduct with 23 students.
Prison Meal Deal: Where The Staff Serves Lunch ... And Time -- At the Fife and Drum Restaurant, located in a Massachusetts minimum-security prison, inmates learn to cook and wait tables. Regulars praise the tasty lunches served up at bargain prices. Prison officials say such job training reduces the chances prisoners will re-offend.
Las Vegas Principal Hopes To Beat The Odds -- Nevada has the lowest high school graduation rate in the country. But now a multi-million dollar federal grant is helping one district turn its schools around. Host Michel Martin speaks with a principal who spent last Saturday knocking on the doors of students who dropped out, encouraging them to come back to school.
Getting America's Dropouts Back On Track -- Nearly a quarter of U.S. public high school students fail to graduate on time, or at all. The president wants a rule requiring students to stay in school until age 18. But even with the requirement, Washington, D.C. has one of the lowest graduation rates. Host Michel Martin speaks with WAMU's Kavitha Cardoza and former dropout, Rashida Harris.
College Administrator Resigns Over Fake SAT Scores -- An administrator at Claremont McKenna College resigned after acknowledging that he falsified entrance exam scores for years to publications responsible for ranking the small school among universities, an official said. The name of the administrator was not released.
Claremont McKenna Admits Inflating SAT Scores -- Officials at Claremont McKenna College announced Wednesday that the school submitted inflated SAT scores for several years to publications such U.S. News and World Report to boost its rankings. Claremont McKenna is ranked among the top 10 liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and has recently seen an upswing in popularity among applicants.
Dropout Has Thanks, Not Blame, For Teacher -- Roger Alvarez dropped out of high school despite the efforts of his English teacher, Antero Garcia. "You were determined to help me, but what was I willing to give? I could have actually tried," Alvarez says.
Higher Dropout Age May Not Lead To More Diplomas -- In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on every state to require students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18. But unimpressive results in states that already have that requirement raise questions about how effective the initiative would really be.
Obama Stresses Importance Of College Affordability -- President Obama told students in Michigan that their universities should stop raising tuition so much faster than the rate of inflation.
College Presidents Have Problems With Obama's Message On Tuition -- The president says he's putting colleges "on notice" about tuition hikes. College officials say the White House shouldn't be prescribing how schools cut costs.
Kids Have A Say In Louisville's School Lunch Menu -- New guidelines announced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday call for less fat and more fruits in school lunches. In Louisville, Kentucky, the Jefferson County School District lets students evaluate its healthy food offerings.
Stanford Takes Online Schooling To The Next Academic Level -- Last semester, Stanford University professors tried something radically new: They opened their classes to the world for free. Within hours, thousands had signed up to participate. The classes' success could transform the way we look at higher education.
Atlanta Schools To Repay $363,000 For Cheating -- A state investigation in July revealed widespread cheating by educators in nearly half of the Atlanta's 100 schools dating back to 2001. Now, the district will return money won by educators who cheated on tests. It also has agreed to tutor students affected by the scandal, which could cost $4 million.
Defending Climate Science's Place In The Classroom -- The National Center for Science Education has long defended educators' right to teach evolution in public schools. Now climate science too is under attack. NCSE executive director Eugenie Scott talks about how teachers and parents can fight the push to get climate change denial into the classroom.
As colleges obsess over rankings, students shrug (AP) --
AP - When US News & World Report debuted its list of "America's Best Colleges" nearly 30 years ago, the magazine hoped its college rankings would be a game-changer for students and families. But arguably, they've had a much bigger effect on colleges themselves.
Brown U. student uncovers lost Malcolm X speech (AP) --
AP - The recording was forgotten, and so, too, was the odd twist of history that brought together Malcolm X and a bespectacled Ivy Leaguer fated to become one of America's top diplomats.
Year-over-year jobs data by race and education (AP) -- AP - Year-over-year jobs data by race and education
Former Ala. professor's lawyers want trial delayed (AP) -- AP - Lawyers for a former Alabama professor accused of killing three colleagues during a faculty meeting want a state appeals court to delay her March trial because officials haven't paid for expert witnesses or testing by a neurologist.
Some colleges cut tuition, hasten graduation (Reuters) -- Reuters - Even before President Barack Obama announced plans last month to push colleges to improve affordability, a number of schools beat him to the punch by lowering tuition and helping students graduate in fewer semesters.
AP source: Facebook IPO won't affect Newark pledge (AP) --
AP - Facebook's public stock offering apparently will not affect its company co-founder's pledge of shares worth $100 million to the Newark, N.J., school system.
Sallie Mae will credit $50 fee to suspend payments (AP) -- AP - Private student lender Sallie Mae is changing how it handles a fee it charges struggling borrowers who seek to temporarily suspend payments.
Summary Box: Sallie Mae changes policy on loan fee (AP) -- AP - THE NEWS: Private student lender Sallie Mae is changing how it handles a fee that struggling borrowers must pay to temporarily suspend payments.
Lawmakers delay hearing on school trans fat ban (AP) --
AP - The nation's leanest state is taking its sweet time as it considers a proposal aimed at getting junk food out of schools.
Stomach illness strikes 300 San Francisco students (Reuters) -- Reuters - A Jesuit high school in San Francisco was closed for the rest of the week on Wednesday after about 300 students and 30 faculty were stricken by a stomach ailment marked by nausea and vomiting, officials there said.
When Charter Schools Fail: Crackdown Can Disrupt Students (Time.com) -- Time.com - States are closing subpar charter schools, but shuttling students back to mediocre public schools may be doing kids more harm than good
Suspect in Utah school bomb plot charged (AP) -- AP - Authorities on Tuesday charged a 16-year-old boy with a felony in what they say was a plot to detonate a bomb at a Utah high school.
Authorities probe use of seclusion rooms for disabled (Reuters) -- Reuters - Federal and state investigators are probing reports that disabled children at a public elementary school in Connecticut were locked in a room to control their behavior or as a punishment, officials said on Tuesday.
$173,000 in fees sought in RI prayer banner case (AP) -- AP - Lawyers for the 16-year-old Rhode Island atheist who sued over a prayer banner displayed at a public high school are asking a court to order the city of Cranston to pay $173,000 in attorneys' fees.
Education: States should do more to reach students (AP) --
AP - In its initial review of No Child Left Behind waiver requests, the U.S. Education Department highlighted a similar weakness in nearly every application: States did not do enough to ensure schools would be held accountable for the performance of all students.
Suggestions to Fix Higher Education (ContributorNetwork) -- ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | According to Time.com, President Barack Obama has a tough road ahead in convincing colleges and universities to lower tuition rates and increasing infrastructure costs for schools.
Michigan School District Files Lawsuit, Forms Coalition to Block EFM (ContributorNetwork) -- ContributorNetwork - Highland Park (Mich.) School District, which was placed under the auspices of an emergency financial manager on Monday, announced the formation of a coalition designed to oppose state control and decide upon alternative measures, according to Michigan Radio.
Charter Schools -- Unsafe Pressure-Release Valves We Don't Need (ContributorNetwork) -- ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | Sarah Butrymowicz on Time.com reports about myriad difficulties facing charter schools and the families of their students when those schools are forced to close. Charter schools are defined in as schools that "get public funds but operate without usual bureaucratic constraints." The purpose, to be sure, is noble: Help students who are not thriving in traditional public schools pursue academic success in smaller, more supportive environments.
19-year-old dies in fall from Park City chairlift (AP) -- AP - A 19-year-old University of Utah student likely suffered a medical episode before she fell from a popular Park City ski resort and died, an official said Monday.
College Tuition Controversy Highlights Challenges (ContributorNetwork) -- ContributorNetwork - COMMENTARY | According to the Associated Press, President Barack Obama is upset with colleges and universities that have been raising their tuition rates, forcing an increasing number of students into debt as college degrees are worth less in a down economy. He has threatened to cut federal dollars for these schools and transfer the money to schools that offer good education for a reasonable price.
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