Education
New Reading Standards Aim To Prep Kids For College — But At What Cost?
Almost the entire country has signed onto the Common Core Standards Initiative. The standards incorporate more nonfiction texts across all subjects to improve reading scores. But some fear the push for nonfiction reading could lead students away from passionate engagement with literature.
WSFC School System Delays Security Changes
The Winston-Salem Forsyth County School Board wants more information before initiating new security measures at its 79 school.
In California, Parents Trigger Change At Failing School
Parents in Adelanto have used a "parent-trigger" law for the first time to shut down and take over an elementary school. It's a revolt led by parents who say Desert Trails has failed their children, but others say it's not the school's fault.
2 Pi: Rhymes And Radii
High school math teacher Jake Scott teaches his students with the help of his hip-hop alias, 2 Pi. By rapping about equations and formulas, Scott helps students remember his lessons and forges a deeper connection with them.
Elite Colleges Struggle To Recruit Smart, Low-Income Kids
Top schools often offer scholarships that not only include free tuition, but also free room and board for top students from poor families. Each year, however, colleges are confronted with a paradox: No matter how many incentives they provide, enrollment of highly talented, low-income student barely seems to budge.
For Many Kids, Winter Break Means Hungry Holidays
Most kids look forward to their school's winter break. But millions of students in the U.S. get free or reduced-price meals at school, and when school is closed, many of those children eat less until classes are back in session.
Teenager's Faith At Odds With Locator Tags In School IDs
A federal court in Texas on Monday will take up the case of a high school student who refuses to wear her location-tracking school ID. The 15-year-old sophomore believes the ID with the tracker is "the mark of the beast" from the Book of Revelation.
Why A Principal Created His Own Currency
He created incentives that 11-year-olds could relate to. (Somehow, "Come to school and you'll be better off in 20 years," just wasn't working.)