education

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Emoticons Invade Academia
 Emoticons Invade 
 Academia 
Sep 7, 2009 4:44 PM CDT

Emoticons Invade Academia

Teaching millennials causes new frustrations for college writing professors

(Newser) - College professors have lamented the state of student writing for centuries. But today’s Internet-obsessed culture brings new, infuriating errors to Writing 101 as students brazenly use colloquialisms like “:-)” and “LOL” in essays. “Occasionally, I've seen someone using the number 4 for the word 'for,'”...

Obama Speech: Handwashing, Not Brainwashing

(Newser) - The eagerly anticipated speech President Obama will deliver to the nation's schoolchildren tomorrow contains none of the socialist indoctrination conservatives had apparently feared, Politico reports. Rather, an advance text indicates, he urges kids to work hard, not expect to get something for nothing, and "wash your hands a lot,...

School Speech Uproar Shows Country Divided
School Speech Uproar Shows Country Divided
Analysis
Sep 4, 2009 12:44 PM CDT

School Speech Uproar Shows Country Divided

In addressing kids, Bush 41 didn't have problems like Obama's

(Newser) - When George HW Bush gave a televised address to a public school in 1991 and urged schools around the country to show it in class, no one much cared. When President Obama announced plans to do the same, he drew outrage and comparisons to Chairman Mao. That’s America in...

White House Backs Off on Lesson Plan
White House Backs Off on Lesson Plan
UPDATED
Sep 3, 2009 5:45 PM CDT

White House Backs Off on Lesson Plan

Teachers won't ask kids to say 'how they can help the president'

(Newser) - In response to criticism over a speech President Obama plans to deliver to schoolchildren Tuesday, the White House will make the text of the speech available for review by teachers and school officials a day earlier, the Dallas Morning News reports. The administration also changed a widely criticized part of...

Obama School Address Infuriates Critics

Republicans denounce speech as 'socialist' indoctrination

(Newser) - Conservative critics are blasting President Obama’s plan to give a speech on education in Virginia next week as a ploy to brainwash the nation’s children, the Washington Post reports. The address, which the White House is encouraging educators and students to watch, is part of a push to...

Student Borrowing Soars 25% to Record Levels

Students' fed loans jump 25% from previous year

(Newser) - Some two-thirds of students borrow for college today, and they’re borrowing more than ever: For the 2008-2009 school year, the federal government loaned students $75.1 billion—25% more than the year before. That’s the biggest increase on record, the Wall Street Journal reports. The trend has troubling...

Online Colleges: Ready for Some Respect

Department of Ed. study shows e-learning is effective

(Newser) - The educational establishment has been slow to accept online colleges as serious teaching institutions—programs like the University of Phoenix are commonly dismissed as “diploma mills.” But a new study by the Department of Education shows that, in many cases, students perform better with e-learning than in a...

11-Year-Old Finally Snags His Obama Interview

(Newser) - Damon Weaver, not yet out of elementary school, made his name on the Internet when he interviewed Joe Biden during the 2008 campaign for his school's TV station. Yesterday, the grizzled journalistic veteran bagged his biggest sit-down yet following 8 months of requests—a 10-minute grilling of Barack Obama at...

LA Mayor Wants Outsiders to Run 'Failing' Schools

Teachers union says plan will lead to 'chaos in education system'

(Newser) - The mayor of Los Angeles wants to allow outside groups to place bids for control of hundreds of the city’s schools, the LA Times reports. Antonia Villaraigosa’s education reforms would allow bidding by charter-school organizations and other education nonprofits to run 50 schools scheduled to open over the...

Duncan Poised to Be Most Powerful Ed Sec Ever

Tight with prez, Duncan holds keys to $5B in stimulus funds

(Newser) - Tight with President Obama and with $5 billion at his disposal, Arne Duncan may become the strongest education secretary in history, writes Nia-Malika Henderson for Politico. “Never ever have they had $5 billion to decide what to do in the education system,” says an education advocate. And it’...

Married 41 Years, Profs Turn Sex 101 Into an Institution

UC Santa Barbara profs

(Newser) - For more than 20 years, John and Janice Baldwin have instructed students at UC Santa Barbara about sex, love, and everything in between, while implicitly offering their own 41-year-old marriage as a positive example, the LA Times reports. Their “Sociology of Human Sexuality” is one of the most popular...

Texas Education Chief: Stop Hiring Dropouts

Wants 'voluntary ban' by state biz to get more to finish high school

(Newser) - Texas Education Commissioner Robert Scott, reeling from criticism that the state is underreporting its dropout rates, called yesterday on the state’s leading business group to institute a voluntary ban on hiring dropouts, the Dallas Morning News reports. “It would send a powerful message to these kids,” Scott...

New GI Bill Gives Veterans Better Shot at College

Vastly expanded aid begins tomorrow

(Newser) - The new GI Bill, called the biggest veterans’ educational benefit program since 1944, takes effect tomorrow—and it’s poised to make a big difference, the Houston Chronicle reports. Some 90% of vets will receive two to three times more help paying for college, says one advocate. “This type...

Career-Switchers Flock to Teacher-Training Programs

Unemployment helps drive applications

(Newser) - With unemployment soaring, interest is booming in teacher-training programs for people switching careers, the Washington Post reports. This year, a 20-city retraining program saw applications climb 30%; in many areas there’s more interest than jobs available, outside of science, math, and physical education. The surge could help avert likely...

Prez to Unveil $4B Education Boost Today

Rewards states that push charter schools, teacher performance

(Newser) - President Obama will offer struggling states a carrot and a stick today, as he unveils draft guidelines for a new $4.35 billion education initiative designed to push charter schools, linking teacher pay to performance, and adopting common academic standards. The Race for the Top program, part of the stimulus...

Kid Chorus Rides Lady Gaga, Coldplay Covers to Viral Hits

PS22 students are the latest YouTube stars

(Newser) - The newest viral video stars are the fourth- and fifth-grade members of New York’s PS22 Chorus, thanks in part to celebrity blogger—and fan—Perez Hilton. “He’s the one who really got these kids on the map,” chorus director Gregg Breinberg tells MTV. But it’s...

Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap
 Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap 
Jul 15, 2009 12:27 PM CDT

Deal Near on Calif. Budget Gap

(Newser) - The California Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are just steps away from an agreement that would close the state’s $26.3 billion deficit, the Los Angeles Times reports. Talks are expected to conclude today. “I don’t think there is anything that would make negotiations shut down at...

Colleges Hope to Cash In on Naming Rights for Classes

Hope corporate funds can save programs

(Newser) - With schools hit hard by the recession, some are considering new ways to pull in cash. One idea: corporate sponsorship for classes, Time reports. City College of San Francisco may sell naming rights to 800 classes that might otherwise disappear. College officials have mixed feelings, with some put off but...

Obama to Propose $12B Community College Boost

(Newser) - Barack Obama will announce a plan today to pump $12 billion into community colleges over the next 10 years, USA Today reports. Most of the money—$9 billion—would reward programs that bolster graduation rates, or help graduates find local jobs. Another $2.5 billion would help seed renovation projects,...

Ooops: Chicago Schools Not the Miracle Obama Claimed

(Newser) - Arne Duncan isn’t quite the miracle worker Barack Obama made him out to be, according to a new study from a Chicago civic group. When Obama introduced his nominee for education secretary, he boasted that Duncan had boosted elementary school test results “From 38% of students meeting the...

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