Education

Alan Alda's Challenge to Scientists: What is Time?

1:03pm December 14, 2012

Alan Alda founded The Flame Challenge last year to promote better science communication, and he started by asking scientists to come up with a kid-friendly explanation for a flame. Now, Alda is back with round two of the popular contest, and kids want to know: What is time?

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Eden Full took time off from her studies at Princeton University to work on her startup full time, after being selected for the inaugural class of the 20 Under 20 Thiel Fellowship.

Who Needs College? Young Entrepreneuer Bets On Bright Idea For Solar Energy

10:44am December 13, 2012

by Steve Henn

Eden Full dropped out of Princeton to found a startup company that brings the solar panel technology she invented to developing countries as part of a fellowship. The unusual program, funded by tech entrepreneur Peter Thiel, gives young people $100,000 to skip college and focus on their work and research instead.

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High school sophomore Jessica Miller watches her chemistry teacher's lectures on an iPad. Class time is used for working through problems and quizzes, rather than lecturing.

More Teachers 'Flipping' The School Day Upside Down

9:12am December 13, 2012

by Grace Hood

With "classroom flipping," teachers record their classroom lectures online for students to watch at home. Classroom time is then used for problem solving and homework.

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A crowd seeks help applying for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program at the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles in August. Schools have been inundated with requests for the documents needed to qualify.

New Policy For Young Immigrants Creates Paperwork Deluge

6:29pm December 12, 2012

by Karen Grigsby Bates

A new law provides a path to temporary legal status for some youth in the U.S. illegally, but families must produce a bevy of documentation to qualify. In California, some school districts have devised new systems to help manage the high demand for data and school transcripts.

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Education

Two Triad School Districts Win Federal Race to the Top Grants

9:38pm December 11, 2012

Two North Carolina school districts are among 16 nationwide to land federal funds in the first federal Race to the Top competitive grants. In all, 372 North Carolina School districts applied for the grants, but only Guilford County and Iredell-Statesville Schools won in the highly competitive process.

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Education

Be a Superhero: A Wake Forest University Student Learns A New Side Of Courage

3:27pm December 11, 2012

Spelman College has dropped NCAA athletics in favor of a comprehensive fitness program. The school now offers classes like Zumba to help encourage all students to exercise more.

To Trim Down, Spelman Trades Sports For Fitness

6:40pm December 06, 2012

by Kathy Lohr

Officials at Spelman College, a historically black women's college in Atlanta, have decided to scrap the school's NCAA program. With few students participating in organized sports, the college has decided to devote those funds to a fitness program designed to reach the entire student body.

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Education

Satellite Colleges Setting Up Shop In Phoenix Suburbs

5:41am December 06, 2012

by Peter O'Dowd

Phoenix suburbs are becoming a magnet for small universities. Five schools — Benedictine, Albright, Wilkes, Upper Iowa and Westminster — have announced plans for satellite campuses in downtown Mesa. And at least three more are coming to Peoria.

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When The Art Of The Deal Includes Improv Training

9:09am December 05, 2012

by Julia Flucht

Some top-tier business schools — Duke, UCLA, MIT and Stanford — are teaching improv as a way for students to increase collaboration, creativity and risk taking. An instructor at MIT says success in business, as in improvisation, can hinge on your ability to rebound.

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Education

Cooper Union Students Protest Threat To Free Tuition

9:09am December 05, 2012

by Joel Rose

A student occupation at Cooper Union is entering its third day. The New York school of art, architecture and engineering is famous for not charging tuition to undergraduates. Administrators say the school is facing a financial crisis and needs to find new revenue sources.

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