External News Feeds

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Millions in Assistance to Build and Improve School Facilities.

School districts create acceptable-use policies (AUPs) to define what is--and is not--acceptable behavior when using their computer resources. But at a time when computers and internet access are seen as increasingly important tools for instruction, many school leaders are struggling with how best to enforce these policies in the event that students transgress them.

"Hybrid" courses, which offer a blend of online and face-to-face instruction, have become increasingly popular in schools and colleges nationwide. Now, a new high school in Hawaii has taken the same concept and applied it to an entire school.

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Introducing the HP 2133 Mini-Note PC, a new notebook designed just for 1:1 computing programs. It's scaled down in size and weight, but it's huge in features--including one of the biggest keyboards in its class, an 8.9" diagonal screen and wireless capability. Learn more now.

Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Congratulates Two Nutrition Professionals From Irvine Unified Who Win National Recognition.

Flash-card programs, eBook reading software, and science and math simulations are among more than a dozen educational software programs developed for Apple's iPhone that appear in the new App Store, which debuted July 11.

A San Antonio-area school district has debuted new classic-yellow school buses that reportedly are the first in the nation manufactured to run on propane. District officials say the new buses are expected to cut fuel costs at least in half--no small matter, given the soaring cost of fuel.

As learning management system (LMS) provider Blackboard Inc. continues its protracted legal battle with rival Desire2Learn, educators say the ongoing dispute over patent infringement could make the growing list of open-source LMS competitors more attractive to school leaders.

Information related to Algebra I Testing Requirement.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Announces Awards to Give Undernourished Children More Access to Nutritious Meals.

Invitation to Participate in the Program Improvement Local Educational Agencies Year 3 Plan Review.

Social studies teachers now have a new resource to help them integrate 21st-century skills into their lessons: a free online document that maps various social studies projects, tasks, and outcomes to corresponding skills--such as problem solving and critical thinking--that are becoming increasingly important for 21st-century success.

A high-profile push by business groups to double the number of U.S. bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States in science, math, and engineering by 2015 is falling way behind target, a new report says.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Comments on Signing of Instructional Materials Legislation.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell, Labor Secretary Announce Plan to Protect Migrant Workers From Heat Illness.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Honors Four Student Winners of a National Math, Engineering, and Science Competition.

Presumptive presidential nominees Barack Obama (D) and John McCain (R) have released more details about their education platforms in recent days, with both candidates making technology a focal point of their plans.

Transformation and collaboration were the central ideas of the 2008 National Educational Computing Conference (NECC) in San Antonio, which kicked off June 29 with a call to fundamentally change education and continued with several other sessions that repeated this theme.

State Schools Chief Jack O'Connell Releases First Annual Report on Dropouts and Graduates Using Individual Student-Level Data.

School IT administrators know that some students will do anything to breach network security systems designed to block inappropriate web sites and keep students on task. When a group of school district IT chiefs met recently to discuss the challenges of reining in students armed with tech savvy and a determination to wreak network havoc, their tales were cautionary, but their advice could prove valuable as computers become more common in K-12 schools.

As schools grapple with budget cuts and rising fuel costs, many districts are finding it necessary to reduce or eliminate field trips, leaving students and teachers with a surprisingly attractive option--virtual field trips.