classroom

18 Stories

Louisiana's Plan for Ten Commandments in Schools on Pause

Federal appeals court stops Louisiana from requiring commandments be posted in classrooms

(Newser) - Louisiana's plan to make all of the state's public school classrooms post the Ten Commandments next year remains on hold under an order Wednesday by a federal appeals court in New Orleans. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals rejected a state request to temporarily stay an earlier...

LA, San Diego Won't Reopen Schools in Fall

Teachers and districts agree it's not safe yet

(Newser) - Public schools in San Diego and Los Angeles will not reopen this fall, the two largest districts yet to announce they'll have online classes only. The districts, with a combined 825,000 students, announced their decisions Monday despite the Trump administration pressuring schools to end their coronavirus shutdown and...

Students Told to Write 'Funny' Captions for Slavery Photos

New York teacher is under investigation

(Newser) - A Long Island teacher is under investigation for assigning students to write "funny" captions for images of slaves in cotton fields. The 8th graders at John W. Dodd Middle School in Freeport, New York, were given the black and white photos and told to "write something funny" as...

Donations Pour In After Oklahoma Teacher's Post

Laurissa Kovacs included an image of a broken classroom chair

(Newser) - Teachers in Oklahoma will continue their protests for better pay and more education funding for a fourth day on Thursday, reports the AP . One of those participating in the walkout is middle school art teacher Laurissa Kovacs, who has received an overwhelming response to a Facebook post about classroom conditions,...

Girl Wielding Pepper Spray Lands 9 Kids in Hospital

Incident sends 9 to hospital

(Newser) - Welcome to Pepper Spray Nation. America's newly favorite weapon is making its way from the streets of California to the aisles of Walmart to the country's high schools. DNAInfo reports that nine Harlem students were rushed to a NYC hospital yesterday afternoon after a 14-year-old used pepper spray...

Teacher Fights for Job After Quip About Deadly Field Trip

It was a frustrating day, says teacher

(Newser) - A Brooklyn teacher is fighting for her job after a callous quip about a beach field trip that resulted in the drowning death of a student. "After today, I'm thinking the beach is a good trip for my class," teacher Christine Rubino commented on her cell phone, apparently...

Teacher Loses Baby Breaking Up Class Fight

She's elbowed in stomach

(Newser) - A popular Bronx teacher who stepped in to break up a classroom fight lost the baby she was carrying when she was accidentally elbowed in the stomach. The tragedy occurred shortly after a late student marched into class and ordered another teen out of chair. As the confrontation became heated...

Teacher Wins $225K After Losing Voice

Vocal chords damaged after working in noisy classroom

(Newser) - A British teacher ruined her voice while struggling to make herself heard in a noisy classroom—and has been awarded $225,000 in compensation. Joyce Walters developed nodules on her vocal chords and had to give up teaching after working in an adult education center that placed her in a...

Kids Prescribed Pot for ADHD
 Kids Prescribed Pot for ADHD 
SCHOOL DAZE
Jan 26, 2010 7:49 AM CST

Kids Prescribed Pot for ADHD

Schools' zero-tolerance policies go up in smoke

(Newser) - Schools with a zero tolerance drug policy are running smack dab into the smoldering roach of marijuana legally prescribed to their students. "It does put us in an awkward position," said a principal in Oregon, one of 14 states where medical marijuana is now legal. Hard as it...

How to Spot Great Teachers

 How to Spot Great Teachers 
glossies
Jan 10, 2010 8:26 AM CST

How to Spot Great Teachers

Teach for America sheds light on two decades of insight

(Newser) - Teach for America is opening its books on 20 years of trial and error in figuring out what makes some teachers great and others complete busts. As it screens college applicants, it now pays special attention to two characteristics: perseverance and life satisfaction. By perseverance, it means "not just...

Keep Computers Out of Class, Prof Argues

(Newser) - An SMU dean has a message for his fellow college professors: Ditch the PowerPoint. Jose A. Bowen isn't anti-technology, explains the Chronicle of Higher Education, he just thinks too many instructors rely on it as a crutch. He's challenging others to "teach naked," without computers in the classroom,...

Schools Cutting Cursive as Computers Prevail

Penmanship takes a backseat to science, reading instruction

(Newser) - Cursive may become a thing of the past as schools pressed for time focus their attention on science and reading, the Indianapolis Star reports. Cursive is still widely taught, but the emphasis has shifted from writing beautifully to writing efficiently as wider use of computers has also edged out cursive’...

Schools Accused of Abusing Time-Out Rooms

Experts say seclusion rooms being misused to discipline troubled kids

(Newser) - The practice of locking misbehaving children in school "time-out rooms" is troubling a growing number of parents and educators, the AP reports. The rooms—often tiny converted storage spaces—are meant to give kids a place to calm down, but experts say they are being used instead to discipline...

Silicon Valley Unplugs for Meetings

Companies go 'topless' to boost employees' attention

(Newser) - Tired of competing for attention with iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops, some Silicon Valley companies are banning them from meetings. One exec calls it going "topless," short for laptopless, and the Los Angeles Times reports that it's boosting some companies' efficiency. "Aside from just being rude," an...

NYC Charter School To Pay Teachers $125K

Only public funds and grants to be used in test of teacher quality

(Newser) - A New York City charter school plans to employ a radical new setup meant to test the value of teacher quality over extras in the educational experience, the New York Times reports. Though the Equity Project, set to open in 2009, will have large classes and fewer classroom resources, teachers...

Net Makes Star of MIT Eccentric
Net Makes Star of MIT Eccentric
Dec 19, 2007 8:11 PM CST

Net Makes Star of MIT Eccentric

Physics professor creates rainbows, has Net-happy acolytes in India and China

(Newser) - The latest Net sensation doesn’t defend Britney Spears or mimic the history of dance; instead he explains electrostatics, pendulums, and the conservation of energy. Walter Lewin, a 71-year-old MIT physics professor, is one of the first academic superstars of the Internet, bringing educational showmanship—say, demonstrating rockets by riding...

More Schools Ban Cupcakes
More Schools
Ban Cupcakes
Dec 17, 2007 10:16 AM CST

More Schools Ban Cupcakes

Holiday parties to substitute fruit, other 'healthy' treats to replace banned sweets

(Newser) - Holiday parties in classrooms around Chicago won't be covered with red and green sprinkles this year, the Chicago Tribune reports. More and more schools are banning cupcakes in favor of "healthy" things like fruit skewers fashioned into reindeer antlers. It's part of a national trend to make special-occasion snacks...

Go to Berkeley Online, for Free
Go to Berkeley
Online, for Free
Oct 3, 2007 6:52 PM CDT

Go to Berkeley Online, for Free

School posts 300 hours of classes on YouTube, offering 'public window into university life'

(Newser) - Now you can get a UC Berkeley education online, as the school has begun posting course lectures on YouTube. Forget the kittens and the exploding soda cans: there are more than 300 hours of videotaped class time at youtube.com/ucberkeley. Said a vice provost of the experiment, it “will...

18 Stories