Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

19 Apr 2011 15:45

tags

U.S.: AZ Gov. Jan Brewer surprises gun-rights front with veto

  • AZ Gov. Brewer vetoes campus gun carry bill: In a move much to the chagrin of the gun rights movement, Arizona Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a bill that would have allowed firearms on school campuses. Brewer complained the bill was “poorly written,” and that while it’s said to only affect colleges, the exact language refers to them only as “educational institutions,” which speaking literally would include K-12 schools, violating most state and federal laws. With a Republican governor, in a state with some of the loosest gun laws in the nation — they probably thought this was a slam dunk going in. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Apr 2011 22:01

tags

U.S.: Virginia teacher simulates slave-trade in unfortunate classroom exercise

  • The lesson could have been thought through more carefully.
  • Mary B. Wrushen, principal of Sewells Point Elementary School • Regarding a well-intentioned but nonetheless awful idea on the part of Jessica Boyle, a fourth grade teacher at the school. In a lesson meant to illustrate the tragedy of slavery, Boyle separated her students by race–white students on one side, everyone else on the other–and had the white students “bid” on the black kids, as if they were purchasing slaves. A letter was shortly sent to parents, apologizing for such stupidity. Here’s to hoping Haley Barbour weighs in on this. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

12 Apr 2011 17:06

tags

Politics: A win for breast cancer awareness in schools

  • NO school can’t ban anti-cancer “I (heart) boobies” bracelets source
  • » And for the ACLU, there was much rejoicing: The American Civil Liberties Union had taken on the case of two middle school girls suspended from school for wearing breast cancer awareness bracelets with “I (heart) boobies” written on them. In a preliminary ruling, federal judge Mary McLaughlin said they “can reasonably be viewed as speech designed to raise awareness of breast cancer and to reduce stigma associated with openly discussing breast health.”
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Jul 2010 17:48

tags

U.S.: D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee drops hammer on teachers

  • 261 teachers were fired just before the new school year
  • 165 were cited for having poor classroom performance
  • 737 more educators are on thin ice for the next year source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

10 Jun 2010 11:15

tags

U.S., World: Obama itching for another bailout, this time for the Gaza Strip

  • $400 million for schools, housing and businesses source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 2 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2010 11:18

tags

Offbeat: School: You can take your test whenever if we can spy on you

  • Somehow, fingerprints and cameras doesn’t sound better than sitting in a classroom. University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, is testing a new exams-at-your-leisure program by Software Secure. You can take tests anytime, but it shuts off your Internet and watches to ensure you’re not cheating. It’s intended for people who have full-time jobs, but honestly it just sounds a wee bit over-the-top. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Apr 2010 20:25

tags

Tech: Apple’s iPad not passing the test at a couple of big schools

  • GWU The university says its wireless network’s security features don’t play nice with the iPad. We’ve been on George Washington’s campus, and we’re pretty sure it’s because their wireless network sucks.
  • Princeton The Ivy League school has blocked some of the devices on their network due to DHCP issues with the device – something a reader of ours mentioned last week. It, however, is working on a fix. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Apr 2010 17:32

tags

U.S.: “A little soap opera”: Thousands of images in school spying case

  • Apparently, they were using the webcam-equipped laptops for constant surveillance. The Lower Merion, Pa. School District, currently facing a class-action lawsuit for its role in a webcam surveillance scheme, reportedly took photos of plaintiff Blake Robbins while he was sleeping, chatting, and so on – as many as 400 images of Blake alone over a two-week period. (Just imagine how that worked for all the other kids with school-issued laptops.) Administrators reportedly loved the service, which has now been disabled, and Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter has introduced legislation to block usage of surveillance software for this purpose (smart idea, dude). source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Apr 2010 20:04

tags

Culture: Five books the nanny state didn’t want you to read in 2009

  • one The popular “ttyl” book series, which was the most-challenged book series of 2009.
  • two “And Tango Makes Three,” where two sinner male penguins raise an egg unnaturally.
  • three A perennial favorite, the edgy ’90s teen novel “The Perks
    of Being a Wallflower.”
  • four Harper Lee’s classic “To Kill a Mockingbird,” which was nicked on charges of racism.
  • five Some book you’ve never heard of about vampires. What’s it called? Oh, “Twilight.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Mar 2010 10:01

tags

U.S.: Kansas City, Missouri will have lots of empty schools soon

  • 28 of Kansas City’s 61 schools will close this year, in the wake of budget shortfalls
  • 17k students are enrolled
    in the schools, which is half of what it was a decade ago
  • $50M will be saved with the moves, which are understandably controversial source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
top tags
older >>