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Can Your School Afford Healthier Cafeteria Food?

By Sarah Gilbert What parent could disagree with new federal mandates requiring that school food be healthier? Up until recently, most of them were crying that the new USDA guidelines, proposed in January, weren’t strict enough, allowing “flavored” milk (read: sweetened) as long as it’s non-fat or low-fat so schools could “limit saturated fat in … Continue reading »

100 Things Every American Should Know – Do You?

This summer, while celebrating our patriotism with barbecues and fireworks, see if your knowledge of American history and government is as good as Salt Lick Brisket … See how many you can get 1. What is the supreme law of the land? 2. What does the Constitution do? 3. The idea of self-government is in … Continue reading »

Parents, Listen More, Talk Less

By Kathleen M. Comerford Lately, I hear more and more complaints about education and educators: Teachers are not teaching well. Students are failing. People graduate with less than the minimum skills needed to survive in the workforce. High school teaches nothing. College costs way too much. Professors are overpaid and lazy, and they indoctrinate students … Continue reading »

Brain Calisthenics for Abstract Ideas

Like any other high school junior, Wynn Haimer has a few holes in his academic game. Graphs and equations, for instance: He gets the idea, fine — one is a linear representation of the other — but making those conversions is often a headache. Or at least it was. For about a month now, Wynn, … Continue reading »

Would Separating Teaching from Research Make Universities More Productive?

Scrambled or Fried? U.S. Public Schools on the Hot Plate

Written by Tiffany Owens American public schools are still on the hot plate. On a state-level, school administrators are scrambling to save budgets. At least 21 states have proposed cutting spending on K-12 education for the 2011-12 fiscal year. A 2010 national survey of school administrators found that nearly half laid off employees last year … Continue reading »

Entrepreneurship vs. Scholarship?

With state funding for higher education on the wane and the public growing more restive about continuing increases in tuition, universities are seeking out other sources of money. A popular strategy — one with less potential risk than raising money from donors (especially when that money comes with strings attached and from sources that some … Continue reading »

Texas A&M System Regents Say TPPF Not at Fault For McKinney Departure

By VIMAL PATEL Sources familiar with the departure of Mike McKinney as A&M System chancellor say he was pushed out, but not for resistance to a conservative think tank’s ideas. Instead, they say, a variety of incidents that centered on poor media communications and continued faculty discontent led to his departure. Three regents who spoke … Continue reading »

Teaching Them How to Think

By any reasonable measure, George Plopperis a skilled and successful teacher. The associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute won awards for his teaching in 2000 and 2001 when he was still at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas (and in 1993 as a graduate student at Harvard University). … Continue reading »

IBM Changed the World, Then Changed With It

When Shelby Carter Jr. was hired by IBM as a sales representative selling electric typewriters in 1956, it was one of the most coveted job offers of the time. “It started with a grueling selection process, with all kinds of written tests and interviews,” said Carter, 80, who left his job as a district manager … Continue reading »

Closer Scrutiny for Texas for-profit Colleges for Accountability

By Diane Smith Texas students would soon be able to scrutinize for-profit and career colleges using the state’s online accountability system for higher education institutions, under legislation awaiting Gov. Rick Perry‘s signature. Entering information about for-profit and career colleges in the state databank will help students gain a sense of “buyer beware,” said Sen. Florence … Continue reading »

Amid School Finance Scuffle, Pre-K Measure Returns

By Morgan Smith Expect the Texas House to revisit old battles over school finance — and open a new one, for the lower chamber at least, over pre-kindergarten accountability — when it takes up Senate Bill 1 (today) on the floor. Among the swarm of amendments offered to the fiscal matters bill will be several … Continue reading »

City, State, School District Sign ‘Education Accountability Agreement’

By DAFNEY TALES, JAN RANSOM & CATHERINE LUCEY, talesd@phillynews.com 215-854-5084 Mayor Nutter and Superintendent Arlene Ackerman at City Hall yesterday. IN A SHOW of solidarity, dignitaries gathered at City Hall yesterday to celebrate what they described as an “unprecedented” coming together of city, state and school officials to oversee district finances.

Some Austin Students Struggle to Meet Graduation Requirements

By Melissa B. Taboada and Laura Heinauer officials changed Johnston High School‘s name, redesigned its approach to teaching the curriculum and were required to replace more than three-quarters of its faculty, but it appears the campus, which has struggled for years to meet state academic standards, again will rank among Austin‘s most troubled schools. More … Continue reading »

Texas High School Students Encouraged to Pursue Careers in Agriculture

It wasn’t supposed to happen. There wasn’t supposed to be an agriculture curriculum. There wasn’t supposed to be an instructor. And there definitely wasn’t any money to send seven African-American students from one of the smallest and lowest income towns in Texas to Washington, D.C., to speak with high-level USDA officials. But it happened. High … Continue reading »