Jun 02 Bridging America’s ‘digital divide,’ National education organizations urge FCC to increase E-Rate funding By Elizabeth Jones Many school districts across the country are unprepared to support the bandwidth it takes to accommodate new education trends in digital learning and testing. In fact, fewer than one in three of America’s classrooms have Internet access, according to… Continue reading
May 30 More state legislatures jumping Common Core ship By Kyla Calvert Mason The Common Core standards for math and English could be out in two more states. State legislatures in Oklahoma and South Carolina have sent bills to their governors’ desks to withdraw from the standards, which have been adopted by… Continue reading
May 29 Watch Political fight simmers over school lunch menu changes By PBS News Hour The 2010 Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act required schools to use more wholesome ingredients and set fat, sugar and sodium limits. But Republican lawmakers have proposed a one-year waiver, arguing that students won't eat the new offerings or that schools can't… Continue watching
May 29 Hurricane Katrina legacy continues in New Orleans with all-charter school district By April Brown When students in the New Orleans Recovery School district head back to class next fall, not one will be attending a traditional public school. The Louisiana city’s Recovery School District, formed after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, closed its… Continue reading
May 28 Computer science’s diversity gap starts early By Kyla Calvert Mason When Vanessa Hurst graduated from college in 2008 she became part of a rare breed: women who hold bachelor’s degrees in computer science. In the U.S. in 2001, 27.6 percent of bachelor’s degrees awarded in computer science went to women,… Continue reading
May 27 Watch Temporary portable classrooms get sustainable makeover By PBS News Hour Pre-fab classroom buildings, or "portables," are supposed to provide a temporary, affordable solution to overcrowded schools. But many are kept in use well beyond their intended expiration dates, accumulating additional costs and sometimes causing difficulties. Special correspondent Katie Campbell of… Continue watching
May 23 Girls in STEM to take center stage at White House Science Fair By Elizabeth Jones Next Tuesday, students from around the country are headed to the 2014 White House Science Fair hosted by President Barack Obama. In an effort to address gender gaps in scientific research and careers, this year’s fair will focus specifically… Continue reading
May 22 Death of Philly first grader at school leads to calls for nurses, funding By Kyla Calvert Mason A Philadelphia first grader collapsed in his classroom at Andrew Jackson Elementary School in South Philadelphia Wednesday and died two hours later, according to the Philadelphia Daily News. The 7-year-old boy was the second student to die in the… Continue reading
May 22 Have resegregation trends changed your high school? By Frank Bi, Kyla Calvert Mason Use our searchable database to see how these trends are playing out in your high school. Continue reading
May 21 Watch Using dancers’ discipline as leaping off point for academics By PBS News Hour The National Dance Institute of New Mexico aims to instill in young people the lessons of success through lessons in dance: hard work, perseverance and health. This year, NDI taught nearly 8,000 students — a majority from low-income families —… Continue watching