Boston.com -- Education news

GOP report: Deal with Sacramento mayor was rushed

Juliet Williams, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-21T02:41:47Z

Two congressional Republicans say federal prosecutors rushed into a settlement with a nonprofit operated by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson that had been accused of misspending government grants.

Oregon court says teacher can't take gun to class

2009-11-21T01:01:45Z

The Oregon Court of Appeals has rejected a request by a high school English teacher to carry a handgun at school, the latest legal setback for the teacher who says she needs the gun for protection from her former husband.

UConn: Merger with Hartford Hospital not feasible

2009-11-21T00:41:58Z

University of Connecticut officials say a plan to merge the UConn Health Center in Farmington with Hartford Hospital is unlikely to win official approval.

Attorney Anita Hill named to S. Vt. College board

2009-11-20T22:49:23Z

A Brandeis University professor who rose to national prominence during the 1991 Supreme Court confirmation hearings of Justice Clarence Thomas has been named to the board of trustees of Southern Vermont College in Bennington.

Mo. governor: Community colleges to freeze tuition

Chris Blank, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-20T22:25:46Z

Community colleges have joined Missouri's four-year colleges and universities in agreeing to freeze tuition next school year if state officials promise to nick and not slash their budgets.

Planes ready to leave Brunswick, Maine Navy base

David Sharp, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-20T22:02:11Z

The rumble of Navy patrol aircraft flying overhead will soon be a thing of the past as the remaining P-3 Orions depart from Brunswick Naval Air Station.

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2009-11-20T22:02:11Z

Harvard looks to reduce professor ranks

2009-11-20T14:09:24Z

The dean of Harvard University's Faculty of Arts and Sciences said he will reduce the number of professors to help balance a $110 million deficit.

Audit: public schools lax in financial management

Barry Massey, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-20T14:01:09Z

Legislative auditors have faulted poor financial management by school districts for allowing questionable spending of public money, including the purchase of a $91,000 tow truck.

More college-bound students express willingness to help pay burgeoning costs

Humberto Cruz — 2009-11-20T03:54:39Z

Listen up, parents, would-be parents, and grandparents who want to help: The best time to start saving for a child’s college education is as soon as Mommy is pregnant. The best way to do it is as a family, with the children contributing what they can.

Preschool firm looks to Mass.

Dave Copeland, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-20T03:37:04Z

A Georgia company that franchises high-end privately operated preschools plans to open its first Massachusetts location within 12 months.

Editorial Roundup: Excerpts From Recent Editorials

The Associated Press — 2009-11-20T01:43:07Z

Excerpts from recent editorials in newspapers in the United States and abroad: Nov. 15

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2009-11-20T01:43:07Z

Detroit schools seek to force board member to talk

David N. Goodman, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-19T22:46:06Z

The Detroit Public Schools will seek a court order forcing a school board member to testify about his role in a $1.5 billion construction bond issue, the district's emergency financial manager said Thursday.

Study abroad? College students drop, rethink plans

Michelle R. Smith, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-19T20:53:38Z

Economic reality may be cooling the enthusiasm of U.S. college students to study abroad. A survey in September by The Forum on Education Abroad has found that nearly 60 percent of schools and study-abroad groups surveyed say study abroad enrollment is down this fall from last year.

Gates Foundation gives $335M for teacher quality

Donna Gordon Blankinship, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-19T18:52:13Z

Three school districts and a coalition of charter schools have agreed to be test kitchens for some radical ideas for improving teacher quality -- from paying new teachers to spend another year practicing before getting their own class to letting student test scores affect teacher pay.

UC regents vote to reopen troubled LA hospital

Shaya Tayefe Mohajer, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-19T18:42:55Z

California's public university system on Thursday agreed to fully reopen a troubled South Los Angeles hospital that was partially closed in 2007 after deadly lapses in care.

Many parents inaccurately claim college tax credit

Stephen Ohlemacher, Associated Press Writer — 2009-11-19T18:37:05Z

More than 314,000 taxpayers made inaccurate claims for a popular tax credit that helps pay college expenses, getting $532 million they weren't entitled to receive, a government report said Thursday.

State orders trims in voke school budget

Kathy McCabe, Globe Staff — 2009-11-19T06:29:52Z

WAKEFIELD - Under pressure from the state, the Northeast Metropolitan Regional Vocational School District has cut more than $850,000 with its latest budget proposal and sent new assessment bills to the 12 cities and towns that send students to its high school.

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2009-11-19T06:29:52Z

UMass committee OK’s plan to acquire struggling law school

Tracy Jan, Globe Staff — 2009-11-19T05:48:56Z

The University of Massachusetts passed the first test yesterday in its controversial bid to open the state’s first public law school, as a board of trustees committee approved UMass-Dartmouth’s proposal to acquire the nearby private Southern New England School of Law.

City unveils plan for schools

James Vaznis, Globe Staff — 2009-11-19T05:48:29Z

School Superintendent Carol R. Johnson last night revealed the names of 14 Boston schools slated for massive overhauls, reinvention, or possible closing under a plan that would affect more than 6,000 students.

Drug arrest for UMass-Boston student leader

John M. Guilfoil, Globe Correspondent — 2009-11-19T05:40:23Z

The student body president at the University of Massachusetts at Boston was arrested and charged as an alleged repeat drug dealer last week after the Boston police Drug Control Unit raided his Dorchester apartment.

MCAS scores fall shy of target

James Vaznis, Globe Staff — 2009-09-17T03:40:40Z

For the first time since testing began, more than half of Massachusetts schools are out of compliance with federal achievement standards, education officials said yesterday, a finding that raises warning flags for local educators but also sparks questions about whether the national benchmarks are too high.

Science MCAS stymies many

James Vaznis, Globe Staff — 2009-09-03T03:54:39Z

Approximately 6,000 high school seniors are in jeopardy of not graduating next spring because they have not yet passed the new science MCAS exam, state education officials announced yesterday, possibly setting the stage for a new revolt against the 11-year-old standardized test system.

At elite colleges, new aid for the middle

Linda K. Wertheimer, Globe Staff — 2007-09-27T04:00:00Z

Some of the nation's most elite colleges, trying to ward off perceptions that they've become unaffordable to even high-income families, are bolstering their financial aid packages by offering grants to students whose parents earn as much as $180,000 a year.

The long road back

Tracy Jan, Globe Staff — 2007-09-16T04:00:00Z

The English High School, a historic icon and once one of Boston's premier learning institutions, has become one of the city's worst schools. This year, it must improve or face closure. This story is the first of several about the students, teachers, and headmaster at English as they try to reverse the school's troubled course.