Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Hawaii attempts random drug tests of teachers

Showdown arose from six arrests; union traded pay raises for testing

HONOLULU - Hawaii public school teachers signed off on first-in-the-nation statewide random drug testing in exchange for pay raises, but now the state claims the educators are trying to take the money and run.

Since the teachers' union approved the pact nearly two years ago, they've accepted the 11 percent boost in pay while fighting the random tests as an illegal violation of their privacy rights. No teacher has been tested.

Read full story MSNBC

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Monday, December 22, 2008

Private Colleges Worry About a Dip in Enrollment

First came the good news for St. Olaf College: early-decision applications were way up this year. Now comes the bad news: the number of regular applications is way down, about 30 percent fewer than at this time last year.

“To be quite honest, I don’t know how we’ll end up,” said Derek Gueldenzoph, dean of admissions at the college, in Northfield, Minn. “By this time last year, we had three-quarters of all our applications. The deadline’s Jan. 15. If what we’ve got now is three-quarters of what we’re going to get, we’re in big trouble. But if this turns out to be only half, we’ll be fine.”

Not all private colleges are reporting fewer applications this year. Even in the Midwest and Pennsylvania, where most colleges seem to have dwindling numbers, some are getting more applications than ever.

Read full story New York Times

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Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Uncertainty on Obama Education Plans

As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to announce his choice for education secretary, there is mystery not only about the person he will choose, but also about the approach to overhauling the nation’s schools that his selection will reflect.

Despite an 18-month campaign for president and many debates, there remains uncertainty about what Mr. Obama believes is the best way to improve education.

Will he side with those who want to abolish teacher tenure and otherwise curb the power of teachers’ unions? Or with those who want to rewrite the main federal law on elementary and secondary education, the No Child Left Behind Act, and who say the best strategy is to help teachers become more qualified?

Read full story New York Times

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Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Teacher sorry for binding girls in slavery lesson

White teacher taped hands and feet of two black girls to enliven discussion

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - A white social studies teacher attempted to enliven a seventh-grade discussion of slavery by binding the hands and feet of two black girls, prompting outrage from one girl's mother and the local chapter of the NAACP.

After the mother complained to Haverstraw Middle School, the superintendent said he was having "conversations with our staff on how to deliver effective lessons."

"If a student was upset, then it was a bad idea," said Superintendent Brian Monahan of the North Rockland School District in New York City's northern suburbs.

Read full story MSNBC

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Thursday, December 4, 2008

Study: 49 states flunk college affordability

Only California, with lower-cost community colleges, made the grade

An independent report on American higher education flunks all but one state when it comes to affordability — an embarrassing verdict that is unlikely to improve as the economy contracts.

The biennial study by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education, which evaluates how well higher education is serving the public, handed out "F"s for affordability to 49 states, up from 43 two years ago. Only California received a passing grade in the category, a "C," thanks to its relatively inexpensive community colleges.

The report card uses a range of measurements to give states grades, from "A" to "F," on the performance of their public and private colleges. The affordability grade is based on how much of the average family's income it costs to go to college.

Read full story MSNBC

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