May 20, 2012 12:05PM

Former British PM heckled in Maine college speech

A handful of protesters briefly interrupted a Maine college graduation speech by British Prime Minister Tony Blair calling for world unity.

May 20, 2012 11:20AM

NATO Protests Take Over Chicago

FIRST PERSON | Due to the NATO Summit, never in my 34 years as an Illinois resident had I had a tougher time getting into Chicago than this weekend. According to the Chicago Tribune, many businesses and all Chicago public schools have been shut down due to the anticipation of protests during the NATO Summit.

May 19, 2012 02:52PM

Florida's Education Woes Should Be Wake-Up Call to Nation

COMMENTARY | According to Reuters, high school education in Florida is in bad shape. Fifty percent of sophomores did not pass the reading portion of the standardized Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Days before the reading scores were released, the state's Board of Education voted to lower standards needed to pass the writing portion. The Board's vote occurred because preliminary results revealed only 1 in 3 high school students would have passed the writing portion.

May 18, 2012 04:25PM

Half of Florida high school students fail reading test

MIAMI (Reuters) - Nearly half of Florida high school students failed the reading portion of the state's new toughened standardized test, education officials said on Friday. Results this year from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test showed 52 percent of freshman students and 50 percent of sophomores scored at their grade levels. Students in the 10th grade must pass the exam in order to eventually graduate but can retake it if they fail. The results came days after the Florida State Board of Education voted to lower the standards needed to pass the writing part of the test, known as FCAT. ...

May 18, 2012 04:17PM

Oregon bans American Indian team names, mascots for schools

PORTLAND, Oregon (Reuters) - The Oregon state board of education has banned public schools from using American Indian names and mascots for their athletic teams, out of a concern they disparage native American people. The move is believed to be one of the nation's most sweeping prohibitions of its kind in favor of native Americans who say their culture is stereotyped by a number of sports teams. It follows years of controversy surrounding a range of teams, from the Cleveland Indians in Major League Baseball to the Washington Redskins of the National Football League. ...

May 18, 2012 12:41PM

Obama Focuses on Education in Florida, Nevada TV Ads

President Obama?s re-election campaign is courting voters in Florida and Nevada with a new, positive 30-second TV ad on higher education. The spot, which began airing Friday, features pictures of a young Obama with his mother and at school as the narrator paints a picture...

May 18, 2012 07:23AM

NYC schools chief pushes buyout plan for teachers

New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is proposing to offer buyouts to hundreds of teachers who don't have permanent jobs.

May 18, 2012 03:14AM

5 Ways Teachers Can Evaluate Educational Games

Dr. David Dockterman is chief architect, learning sciences at Scholastic Education and an adjunct lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is an educational software pioneer and has designed dozens of award-winning instructional technology programs.