Assault was 'work of the Taliban': minister
Reuters Nov 25, 08 8:00 AM CST
(Newser)
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Afghan officials have nabbed 10 Taliban militants accused of throwing acid in the faces of eight schoolgirls and four female teachers, Reuters reports. President Hamid Karzai called for their arrest and said the group would be publicly executed. “The attack was the work of the Taliban and we have not finalized our investigation,” said a deputy minister. The Islamist group didn't allow girls to be educated while it held power in Afghanistan; members deny responsibility for the attacks.
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Institutions launch campaigns to teach skeptical students the virtues of sleep
Boston Globe Sep 30, 08 2:26 PM CDT
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New research on the connection between sleep and performance has colleges scrambling to get their students to bed, the Boston Globe reports. According to a university doctor, “pulling an all-nighter is the equivalent of driving drunk and is detrimental to reaction time and memory.” But some habits are hard to break, and information campaigns appear to be falling on tired ears.
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Los Angeles campus tense after killing, sexual assaults
Los Angeles Times Sep 19, 08 5:58 AM CDT
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USC students are demanding the university beef up security after a film student was fatally stabbed yesterday in a neighborhood attack, the Los Angeles Times reports. The Idaho native was killed after an argument with a man in an apartment complex near the LA campus. A wave of anxiety has gripped the campus since the slaying—and two recent sexual assaults near university-owned housing.
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Cash-strapped districts turn to parents for 'communal' supplies
New York Times Aug 30, 08 6:34 AM CDT
(Newser)
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Ever-expanding back-to-school lists are squeezing family budgets, the New York Times reports. The bill often tops three figures as school ask for pricey items like flash drives—often specifying the brand name. And many cash-strapped districts are turning to parents to provide supplies like paper towels, baby wipes and Band-Aids, once held by the school custodian or nurse.
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Biz schools, test maker go after students who used test-prep site
BusinessWeek Jun 29, 08 6:04 PM CDT
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More than 6,000 students are embroiled in a cheating scandal that could cost them their place at one of the nation’s business schools, BusinessWeek reports. The prospective MBA students were members of ScoreTop.com, a test-prep site that featured current GMAT questions. Test publisher GMAC sued the company, later winning $2.3 million, its domain name, and access to key data.
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Online outings 'can be the next best thing,' educator says
Christian Science Monitor Jun 7, 08 2:08 PM CDT
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More school buses are being left in park these days, thanks to rising fuel prices and technology that lets students go on “virtual field trips.” “If you can’t go somewhere, this can be the next best thing,” said one administrator, as schools enjoy low teleconferencing costs and help from institutions ranging from NASA to the Bronx Zoo.
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65-foot plunge was made famous in 1979 film
ABC News Jun 5, 08 7:37 AM CDT
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A teenage rite of passage made popular in a movie claimed a life yesterday when an 18-year-old high school graduate plunged 65 feet to his death into an Indiana quarry pool, ABC reports. The plunge was featured in the 1979 coming-of-age movie Breaking Away and is routinely copied by local youth, despite the best efforts of law enforcement to stop them.
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Up to 10K kids died; parents blame gov't
New York Times May 25, 08 9:56 AM CDT
(Newser)
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As a massive earthquake shook Sichuan province, subpar construction turned many Chinese schoolrooms into the mass graves of as many as 10,000 children, the New York Times reports, and grieving parents are pointing fingers at Beijing. The government, aware of the problem, had issued warnings on school safety in the years before the quake—but in many cases, the shoddy buildings remained. “This is not a natural disaster,” said one parent. “They stole our children.”
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Boiling water and pepper spray poured on pledges' backs
CNN May 8, 08 4:52 AM CDT
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Ten Tulane University frat boys face battery charges after taking "Hell Night" hazing way too far and severely burning two pledges, CNN reports. The Pi Kappa Alpha members poured boiling water with pepper spray in it and "crab boil" seasoning mix onto the backs of pledges to see who could withstand the most pain. The two who held out the longest before screaming were hospitalized.
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Sexes sharing a room no biggie, students say
Associated Press May 3, 08 2:45 PM CDT
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Parents who schooled in same-sex dorms are surprised to hear that their kids are sharing coed college rooms, the AP reports. About two dozen schools—including Brown, Penn, and Oberlin—allow the practice, and more are following suit this year, including Stanford. Schools say coed dorm users are usually heterosexual and happen to like living with a friend of the opposite sex.
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Group, worried about future competitive disadvantage, advises focus on basics
Washington Post Mar 13, 08 1:38 PM CDT
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A presidential panel today called US math education “broken” and demanded greater focus on key skills ranging from preschool to middle school, the Washington Post reports. The National Mathematics Advisory Panel responded to concerns that Americans are growing less competitive in the realm, and pointed the way to better teaching, better textbooks—and even reducing “math anxiety.”
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Slump in high school grad numbers will
spark 'buyers market'
New York Times Mar 9, 08 4:34 PM CDT
(Newser)
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Students will find college entry far easier in coming years as the number of high school graduates falls, the New York Times reports. The annual US grad count is expected to peak at around 2.9 million in the next year or two, and then slump until 2015. “For the high school graduate, this becomes a buyers’ market,” said University of Vermont President Daniel Fogel.
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US teens have big holes in history, lit education: study
USA Today Feb 26, 08 7:00 PM CST
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US teens know little history and less literature, says a study out today. Only 52% of 17-year-olds could name the theme of George Orwell's 1984, and 43% knew when the Civil War was fought. Students faired far better on topics that schools cover, however, such as Pearl Harbor and Martin Luther King Jr., USA Today reports.
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