Resources

A photo of a student and boyfriend kissing–is that appropriate for a high school yearbook? Does it make a difference if kissers are same-sex or opposite sex? In Newark, N.J., a picture of graduating senior Andre Jackson kissing his boyfriend was blacked out of about 250 copies of the East Side High School yearbook when […]

Folks in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County (N.C.) district says that even if their plans for a massive bond issue in November are successful, they still might not have enough money to add space for the growth they’re anticipating. So they are beginning to talk about (ssshhh!) year-round schools. That would enable the district to effectively increase […]

At first blush, it just seems wrong–dangling cash in front of kids as an incentive for coming to school and doing well on standardized tests. That’s what the New York City school system is planning to do this fall, The New York Times says. Maybe I’m just jealous–I’m thinking that back […]

What should schools do about families that don’t pay their children’s lunch bills? According to The Los Angeles Times, the Chula Vista (Calif.) Elementary District and other school systems around the country are proclaiming, “Let Them Eat Cheese.” When lunch accounts are in arrears, students are given one menu choice: a cheese sandwich. The strategy […]

More than 280 presidents of U.S. colleges and universities have signed a pledge to fight global warming and make their campuses climate neutral. The American College & University Presidents Climate Commitment seeks to persuade the top leaders at more than 1,000 campuses to join the cause in the next couple of years. The pledge […]

In New York, they’re boasting about their test scores on a recent math exam. Students’ numbers are up statewide and especially in New York City. But as the education system places more and more emphasis on boosting test scores, this article in The New York Times urges a little caution about proclaiming that the promised […]

That could be the title of a horror film, or it could be a description of some not-quite college students described in The Los Angeles Times. Maybe one of them sat next to you in Introduction to Contemporary Ideologies, or was the guy always hanging out in the dorm lounge and never seemed to be […]

In Irvine, Calif., parents of an autistic boy say they were forced to shower teachers with gifts so their son would get the care he needed. Subsequently, the school board has adopted a policy that encourages students and families to write personal notes and letters of appreciation to district employees instead of giving them presents. […]

A second-grade teacher at an exclusive private girls’ school in Bryn Mawr, Pa., hasn’t been invited back after 22 years. She has decided not to go quietly, The Philadelphia Inquirer says, and the lawsuit she has filed, as well as the response of others to the allegations, contains plenty of ugly accusations.
The teacher says the […]