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Finding ways to reach students outside of the classroom has increasingly led teachers to the internet. Many educators are posting assignments, grades, and other things via school websites for students to access. Google has now made it even easier for a teacher to get on the web--for free.

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http://www.eschoolnews.com/news/top-news/index.cfm?i=52732;_hbguid=1bcc0f56-11e9-4e17-bbbe-1b1eb9968f5e

Colleges resist use of endowment to raise aid

Despite growing pressure from Congress, the nation's wealthiest colleges and universities are guarding their endowments from the calls to expand financial aid and curb tuition hikes. Though lobbyists and national aid associations, colleges are fighting a handful of proposals passed around in Congress.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2008/02/28/colleges_guard_soaring_endowments/

An F in Literature and a C in History

Today's teens are surprisingly short on knowledge about historical or cultural reference such as Uncle Tom's Cabin or McCarthyism a study out today finds. Though students scored poorly in some topics, those subjects covered in school, of those surveyed, 88% knew about the bombing of Pearl Harbor and 97% could identify Martin Luther King Jr. as the man who delivered "I Have a Dream."

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2008-02-26-teens-history_N.htm

Colleges not crediting IB courses

Enrollment in International Baccalaureate (IB) programs is booming and College admissions counselors love seeing IB courses on a student's transcripts. What's the catch? Well, many colleges are not granting college credit for one-year IB courses even though they are akin to the one-year Advanced Placement, or AP, courses which do come with credit. Moreover, some students can get credit for passing tests after a two-year IB course, but that credit is equivalent to one year in AP.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/24/AR2008022402191.html

Gap in Higher Education Affects Climbing the Income Ladder

Scholars at the Brookings Institute concluded, on Wednesday, that economic mobility, the chance that children of the poor or middle class will climb up the income ladder, has been almost stagnant for the past three decades. "A growing difference in education level between income and racial groups, especially in college degrees, implies that mobility will be lower in the future than it is today," stated Ron Haskins, a former Republican official and welfare expert who authored the education section of the report.

Check out the rest of the article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/us/20mobility.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=education&adxnnlx=1203688902-F1wkmGfRLaHi2dOGa2JRFA

Endowments widening disparity amongst colleges

Stanford and Harvard had an exceptional 2007 in fund-raising; individually, they raised over half a billion dollars for their respective institutions. All totaled, colleges and universities raised approximately $30 billion. This is sure to fan the flames of those who feel universities are turning into fund-raising machines.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/20/education/20educ.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Science wins in Florida, but not by much

Despite objections of religious conservatives, a divided Florida Board of Education adopted new science standards that embrace evolution. To reach a compromise, the slim majority agreed to re-word the references to evolution as "scientific theory."

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.theledger.com/article/20080220/NEWS/802200457/1039

Harmful or Helpful - the focus on standardized testing

Teacher groups in Texas requested that a special state committee ease up on high-stakes testing that has forced many schools to put their focus on test preparation and school ratings than learning. All four of the teacher groups asked the panel to consider major changes in the state's school accountability system.

Check out the article at:
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/021908dntexschoolratings.35a109c.html

More AP test takers, Racial gap still wide

According to a recent report released by the College Board, more public school students are taking and passing Advanced Placement (AP) exams. The proportion of students taking these exams has grown as well as the proportion scoring a 3 or higher--a 3 is the benchmark at which some colleges will offer course credit. Black and Hispanic test takers, however, still lag behind their white counterparts in taking and passing these exams.

Check out the entire article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/14/education/14exam.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

In Las Vegas, over 50% of students end up homeless

Clark County School District counselors and teachers face a growing problem: the number of homeless children is growing year after year. Experts cite the rash of people veering into Las Vegas at the idea of an easy paycheck run into trouble trying to match wages to high rents.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2008/feb/13/school-without-home/

Higher education spending considered by Congress

New legislation being considered by Congress would force states to spend a minimum amount on higher education or risk losing federal funds. Though proponnets see this as a necessary stopgap for the ever increasing tuition at public institutions, critic warn that this could be a "dangerous precedent."

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.stateline.org/live/details/story?contentId=279728

School closed? Find out at the speed of light

It used be that the emergency-notification system at the school district meant recording a raspy message on an automated answering machine and leaving a message for the local TV and radio station. For the parents, it meant waiting for the entire list to scroll through to see if their child was going to hop back in bed or put on some shoes. Not any more...

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/10/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/10Rnotify.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Congress taking aim at the high cost of college

Yesterday, the House approved legislation that would establish a list of the nation's most expensive colleges. The bill, which received bi-partisan support, seeks to hold down costs at colleges by requiring the Education Department to publish a list of the most expensive colleges and cut down on the states' eligibility for new federal grants if the states reduced funding for public colleges.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/education/08education.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin

Moneyball comes to public school teachers

New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein is trying to mimic the success of the Oakland A's professional baseball team in the 90s with his public school teachers - that is if the union doesn't stop him. Klein's new initiative is based off of unbiasing crunching numbers that he calls "value-added" data to sort out differences among teachers.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nydailynews.com/opinions/2008/02/06/2008-02-06_what_public_schools_can_learn_from_recen-3.html

Endowments Widen Gap Between Colleges

America's already stratified system of higher education is growing even more so as the nation's wealthiest colleges grow their endowments into the billions of dollars. This disparity creates tension with less wealthy colleges as they try and compete.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/04/education/04endowment.html?ref=education

The college test drive

Precollege summer programs are the buzz at winter fairs in high schools across the country. Students can sign up to take courses at universities across the US, or even abroad, to get a taste of the "college life." Take public speaking courses or SAT preparation classes and then hop in a bus to go the art museum or the beach.

Check out the entire article at:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/03/travel/03heads.html?_r=1&ref=education&oref=slogin