Study: Alaska Teacher Pay Plan Would Help, But Cost Too Much
A new study completed for the Alaskan legislature by University Alaska Anchorage’s Center for Alaska Education Policy Research argues that implementing a standardized salary schedule for teachers in the state would be too expensive to implement, although it would be beneficial for school districts. According to the new pay schedule, teachers in Anchorage would receive […]
Closing Underperforming NYC Schools Worked, Study Shows
Critics were harsh when Mayor Michael Bloomberg closed dozens of large high school that were failing in New York City. They claimed the mayor was destroying communities and neighborhood institutions. But this week a study was released by the Research Alliance for the New York City Schools at New York University saying that the closures benefited […]
Chicago’s Emanuel, Claypool Push for Education Funding
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and his schools chief are continuing their push for state lawmakers to create a new formula for state education funding in an effort to provide more aid to Chicago Public Schools. In his speech at a City Club of Chicago luncheon earlier this week, CPS chief Forrest Claypool compared the education system to a […]
In Nod to Teen Sleep, Seattle Changes High School Start Times
This week, the Seattle School Board voted to move most school start times to 8:30 a.m. so that students may sleep later. Rebecca Klein, writing for The Huffington Post, says the vote makes Seattle one of the largest districts in the country to change school starting times based on research that shows teenagers enhance their learning […]
Despite More Tech Use, Australia Computer Literacy Skills Decline
Results of national information and communication technology tests show that computer literacy skills have declined across Australia over the past three years despite an increase in the use of laptops and iPads. The tests, taken by over 10,000 students in years 6 and 10 from 650 government, Catholic and independent schools every three years since 2005, […]
New York State Regents Call for 10% Education Spending Increase
New York’s education policymakers are asking the state to add $ 2.4 billion to the school system budget in 2016 because of financial challenges including increases in the cost of health-care and a rise in the minimum wage. The state Board of Regents discussed the request this week in a move that would bring the amount the […]
Proposal Would Change Florida’s School District Makeup, Funding
School districts in South Florida are large, mostly county-wide areas, but they could soon become smaller city and suburban districts if a legislative proposal passes. State Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) and Rep. Matt Caldwell (R-Ft. Myers) sponsored a bill that would allow partisan elections, and in some cases city and county commissions might become school […]
Julia Steiny: A Small Gesture Toward Spreading Higher Ed Wealth
By Julia Steiny Consider for a moment that almost 90 colleges and universities have endowments of a billion – that’s with a “B” — dollars or more. At 5% interest, a billion earns $ 50 million a year. Harvard, of course, is the big winner at nearly $ 37 billion, an amount so large that others […]
Teens, Parents Support E-Cigarette Restrictions, Survey Shows
Even teenagers are calling out electronic cigarette companies to tighten up their rules. Over three-fourths of teens and adults said by way of the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health at the University of Michigan that e-cigarettes should be restricted in public places, be labeled with health warnings, and be taxed in the […]
1 in 45 US Kids Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder
A new federal study has found that as many as one in 45 children in the US suffer from autism spectrum disorder (ASD), revealing that the count of diagnoses appears to be underestimated. The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) administered in 2014 showed that over 2.2% of the nation’s children between the ages of three- […]