Students Sue for Homework

Scanners to be installed on buses, too

(NEWSER) - Roll-calls are so 20th century. A cutting-edge Florida district is scanning students' fingerprints as a way of taking attendance, Popular Science reports. And the schools are getting even more careful: While the scanning systems are currently in school buildings, some will soon be moved to buses, allowing the district to monitor kids as soon as they leave home in the morning. Parents who aren't fans of the system—which costs some $30 per student each year—can opt out. More»

College presidents predict big increase in education via the web

(NEWSER) - Online education will be booming over the next decade, according to a new Pew survey of college presidents. Some highlights, as noted by Today's Digital Life :

• Half of the presidents surveyed say most undergrads will take at least some classes online in 10 years, up from the current estimate of 15%.
• 62% say more than half of textbooks will be digital in 10 years.

But the social network has its benefits

(NEWSER) - Brace yourselves, parents: a flood of new research shows the damaging effects Facebook can have on kids. Middle school through college-age youths who checked the site at least once within a 15-minute study bloc received poorer marks, researchers found. Meanwhile, teens on Facebook appear to be more narcissistic, and kids who use media and other new technology every day face a higher risk of anxiety and depression, studies suggest. More»

Michigan approves plan to cut $327M deficit

(NEWSER) - Michigan has approved a plan to close roughly half of Detroit’s public schools, pushing the average high-school class size in the struggling city to roughly 60 students, the Wall Street Journal reports. The plan is designed to eliminate the district’s $327 million deficit, but even its creator, district emergency financial manager Robert Bobb, thinks it’s a bad idea, since it could drive more students away, depriving the school of enrollment-based funds from the state. More»

It seems so unlike the feel-good talk show host...

(NEWSER) - Oprah Winfrey, plagiarist? That's what a Philadelphia writer claims in a new lawsuit. Charles Harris, who authored a booklet called How America Elects Her Presidents in 2000, says he mailed 10 copies to Winfrey in 2008 hoping she would promote it. Instead, he claims, she recited portions of the work without giving him credit, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Her production company told Harris the books were never received, he says, but he claims to have delivery confirmation. More»