Fire the teachers? When schools fail, it may work

2010-03-04T17:16:23Z

<div id="subtitle">When schools fail, firing teachers may work; harsh method had mixed results in Chicago, LA</div><div><p>When all the teachers were fired from Central Falls High School last week in a sweeping effort at school reform, their superintendent gave them a taste of the accountability

15 states, DC named 'Race to the Top' finalists

2010-03-04T16:45:40Z

<div id="subtitle">15 states, DC named finalists in first round of $4.35 billion 'Race to the Top' competition</div><div><p>The U.S. Department of Education named 16 finalists Thursday in the first round of its "Race to the Top" competition, which will deliver $4.35 billion in school reform grants.</p><p>Selected from a pool of 41 applicants are:

Physically fit students do better academically too: study

2010-02-25T17:30:22Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Getting students to exercise more might not just address obesity issues but also improve their grades with a U.S. study finding physically fit students tend to score higher in tests than their less fit peers.</p><p>Test scores dropped more than one point for each extra minute it took middle and high school students...

Physical, academic fitness tied at the hip: study

2010-02-25T11:30:12Z

<div><p>NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Physically fit students tend to score higher on standardized tests than their less fit peers, hint findings from a new study.</p><p>Test scores dropped more than one point for each extra minute it took middle and high school students to complete a 1-mile run/walk fitness test, Dr. William J. McCarthy and coll...

Education and economics

2010-02-25T02:16:05Z

<div id="subtitle">ObamaÕs pitch to governors is correct: U.S. needs to improve its schools</div><div><p> In a meeting Monday with governors, President Barack Obama called for strengthening the nationÕs school system. He outlined several sound ideas to improve education, including raising standards and better supporting teachers. America, he said, had to do better to compete in the world.</p><p>Obama said...

Teacher contracts support reforms in worst schools

2010-02-23T14:30:38Z

<div id="subtitle">New teacher contracts in Minn., Conn., Philly support reforms in failing urban schools</div><div><p>Even in a school system known for its academic troubles, the numbers at Vaux High School are jaw-dropping: More than 90 percent of 11th-graders tested last year could not read or do math at...

Obama prods states to raise academic standards

2010-02-22T13:15:26Z

<div id="subtitle">Obama uses federal money to get states to adopt higher standards for high school grads</div><div><p>President Barack Obama wants to rewrite federal education law by sending aid for poor students only to states that adopt new standards to prepare high school graduates for college or a career.</p><p>States that fail to raise the bar could lose their share of federal funding, though it's u...

Obama: US cannot accept second best in education

2010-02-22T07:30:29Z

<div id="subtitle">Obama says US still lags others in math and science skills, urges states to do better</div><div><p>President Barack Obama says America's "primacy in the world" is at stake in the quest to substantially improve educational quality and global competitiveness.</p><p>Speaking to governors gathered at the White House Monday, Obama...

Special session politics might be at play in ÔRace to the TopÕ approach

2010-02-20T02:15:28Z

<div><p> Although qualifying Nevada for the ÒRace to the TopÓ education initiative doesnÕt appear on the governorÕs preliminary agenda for next weekÕs special session, a spokesman for Jim Gibbons said Tuesday that making Nevada eligible for as much as $175 million in federal education funding remains a priority.</p><p>To compete for a share of $4.35 billion in school improvem...

Obama to students: See you at graduation

2010-02-22T08:23:38Z

&lt;div id="subtitle"&gt;Obama kicks off education competition, will speak at winning school's graduation&lt;/div&gt;&lt;div&gt;&lt;p&gt;Coming to a high school graduation near you: President Barack Obama.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The White House and the Education Department are giving public...

First Grandmother

2010-02-15T21:30:55Z

FILE - In this July 22, 2009 file photo, Education Secretary Arne Duncan listens at left, as Marian Robinson, mother of first lady Michelle Obama, reads books to children gathered at the Education Department in Washington. Reuters Health) - Abstinence-only sex education can work -- if it's based on established strategies for helping young people change their attitudes about other types of risky behavior like smoking and drinking, new research shows.</p><p>African-American sixth- and seventh-graders who completed the eight-hour program, which involved a series of brief activiti...

Success seen with experimental abstinence program

2010-02-22T12:53:11Z

<div><p>An experimental abstinence-only program without a moralistic tone can delay teens from having sex, a provocative study found.</p><p>Billed as the first rigorous research to show long-term success with an abstinence-only approach, the study differed from traditional programs that have lost federal and state support in recent years. The classes didn't preach saving sex until marriage or disparage condom use.</p><p...

Obama would overhaul No Child Left Behind

2010-02-22T12:57:20Z

<div id="subtitle">Obama budget shows how he would overhaul No Child Left Behind education law</div><div><p>President Barack Obama is proposing to overhaul the No Child Left Behind education law, replacing the school accountability system that has slapped a failing label on more than a third of schools, inc...

States to government: hands off education

2010-02-22T13:05:30Z

<div><p>WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As the U.S. government discusses reauthorizing a sweeping education law and prepares to distribute billions of stimulus dollars for school reform, state legislatures are sending it a strong message: hands off.</p><p>Education policy has always been the territory of state and local governm...

Obama to seek up to $4B in new education spending

2010-02-22T14:07:24Z

<div id="subtitle">Obama to seek up to $4 billion in new education spending; wants improvements nationwide</div><div><p>President Barack Obama said Wednesday his administration will work with Congress to expand school improvements across the country, saying the success of children cannot depend on where they live.</p><p>As he prepares to ask Congress for bil...

Obama urges reforms in schools, colleges

2010-02-22T14:02:11Z

<div id="subtitle">Obama calls for more school reform, tax breaks for college</div><div><p>As he prepares to ask Congress for billions of dollars in new spending for education, President Barack Obama is urging the spread of school reforms across the country. He says a student's success can't depend on where he or she is growing up.</p><p>Obama says the natio...

SAT and ACT Test Scores Are Important Criteria For College Admissions and Scholarships

2010-02-22T14:21:13Z

Students will be taking the most important tests in their high school career sometime in the next few months. SAT and ACT scores are among the top three criteria for college admissions at the majority of schools. When students do well on these tests, it can greatly improve their college opportunities and chances for scholarships. It is much easier to improve a student?s test scores than it is to improve their GPA. These tests are coachable and when students learn the necessary strategies an...

US teen pregnancy rate up for first time since 1990: study

2010-02-22T14:39:56Z

<div><p>The US teen pregnancy rate rose in 2006 for the first time in 16 years, an report showed Tuesday, as experts speculated that the increase was due to abstinence-only sex education in schools.</p><p>Three percent more girls between the ages of 15 and 19 became pregnant in 2006 than in 2005, four percent more gave birth, and one percent more had abortions, the report by the

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