Education category, Page 29
Oakland is hammock city when sun’s out in Pittsburgh
When Yasmine Zaky noticed the sea of colorful hammocks hanging between trees in front of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, she knew she needed one of her own. “Seeing all these people (while I was) walking past here every day — I was like, ‘Oh, yeah, I definitely need one,’...
Rostraver couple’s $1M donation will help complete Westminster College science center
Bill Maurer of Rostraver got the straight to the point when asked about his family’s $1 million donation to Westminster College. “I’m getting old,” he said. “I know there’s a need for all independent colleges as opposed to a state school, and I think it’s appropriate for those who can...
Harvard again requiring standardized test scores for those seeking admission
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Harvard University announced Thursday that it is reinstituting standardized tests as a requirement for admission beginning with the class of 2029, joining other colleges that are again mandating tests for those hoping to enter the schools. In June 2020, Harvard began a temporary test-optional policy under which...
Pennsylvania’s $10M student teacher stipend program to launch
Anyone planning to do their student teaching in 2024-25 better set their alarms on Thursday to be ready around 9 a.m. when applications for stipends through Pennsylvania’s new $10 million Student Teacher Support Program become available. The stipends will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. The process begins with...
Panel discussion on book ban impact to be held at Greensburg YWCA
Community organization Voice of Westmoreland will hold a panel discussion on the impact of book bans and challenges both locally and nationally at the Greensburg YWCA on Thursday. Titled “What Do We Lose By Banning Books,” the event runs from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Founders Room at 424...
College students are flocking to the Marriage Pact, mostly for fun, but some find lasting love
NEW YORK — It’s the stuff of movies: Two friends vow to marry each other if they’re not hitched by a specified future date or age. Well, the Marriage Pact, an annual matching ritual that has become popular on nearly 90 college campuses around the U.S., has turned that dusty...
Tennessee Senate advances bill to arm teachers a year after deadly Nashville school shooting
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Republican lawmakers in Tennessee advanced a proposal Tuesday to allow some teachers to carry handguns on public school grounds, a move that would mark one of the state’s biggest expansions of gun access since a deadly shooting at a private elementary school last year. The proposal cleared...
More Republican states sue to block Biden’s student loan repayment plan
WASHINGTON — Another group of Republican-led states is suing to block the Biden administration’s new student loan repayment plan, which offers a faster path to cancellation and has already been used to forgive loans for more than 150,000 borrowers. Seven states led by Missouri filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday challenging...
Carnegie Mellon announces $110M AI initiative
Carnegie Mellon University has joined Japanese higher education institutions and the University of Washington in a $110 million partnership for AI research and innovation. CMU and Keio University in Japan will collaborate on ways to advance AI technology. The partnership includes faculty, researchers and students. They will also collaborate with...
Faculty union of state university system overwhelmingly votes to ratify labor contract
The union representing 5,000 state university faculty and coaches across Pennsylvania voted overwhelmingly to ratify a four-year labor agreement, union representatives announced Friday. Of the members of Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties who voted, 96% were in favor of the deal. The deal now goes to Pennsylvania’s...
Pitt trustees vote to buy historic property, endorse 5-year plan
University of Pittsburgh trustees voted Thursday to create a new headquarters building for one of its schools, buy a historic site in Oakland and endorse a five-year strategic plan. Meeting at the university’s Oakland campus, trustees approved plans to make a building currently under construction at Fifth Avenue and Halket...
Hempfield Area schools awaiting funding for weapons detector upgrades
The Hempfield Area School District is waiting to hear back about funding before moving ahead with security upgrades, officials said this week at a safety and security meeting. The district has applied for $450,000 in funding through a competitive grant with the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency. The funds...
As Roe v. Wade fell, teenage girls formed a mock government in ‘Girls State’Video
NEW YORK — In the summer of 2022, days before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, some 500 high school girls gathered in Missouri for a weeklong mock government camp in which they elected their own governor and seated an all-female Supreme Court that would rule on their own...
She’s a high schooler and an IUP student. State system finds success with dual admission strategy
Ella Fleming’s stomach sank when she walked into her first class at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After all, Fleming was 16. Not to mention, she was almost two years shy of finishing high school during that initial class last fall. “I was absolutely terrified,” said Fleming, of Armstrong Township, Indiana...
College will cost up to $95,000 this fall. Schools say it’s OK, financial aid can numb sticker shock
MEREDITH, N.H. — As more than 2 million graduating high school students from across the United States finalize their decisions on what college to attend this fall, many are facing jaw-dropping costs — in some cases, as much as $95,000. A number of private colleges — some considered elite and...
‘As a parent, it scares the hell out of me,’ Franklin Regional superintendent says of AI
Franklin Regional officials paused a proposed artificial intelligence summer student program after questions arose about its content. Inspirit AI is an eight-session summer program developed and taught by graduates of Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, or MIT. “Students will learn the fundamental concepts of AI and gain...
Eclipse education: Western Pa. schools make plans for day of astronomical event
When the moon passes in front of the sun in the afternoon of April 8, students with the astronomy club at Penn-Trafford High School will be waiting on the football field to see it. Most Penn-Trafford students are being dismissed two hours and 15 minutes early on the day of...
‘We are so excited’: Eclipse gives Edinboro, other colleges a chance to teach
David Hurd’s excitement over what’s about to happen in the skies above him is obvious when he speaks. It even comes through in his voicemail these days. “We are so excited for April 8,” says the recorded message from Hurd, a geosciences professor and director of the planetarium at PennWest...
Pitt-Greensburg math professor wins national award for algebra textbook
University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg math professor Kayla Heffernan won a national award for creating a college algebra textbook that uses a teaching method called guided inquiry. But Heffernan, 33, of Hunker, finds more value in the impact her work has had on students. The POGIL Project is a nonprofit...
Former Greensburg Salem high school principal honored by Pa. House of Representatives
Recently retired former Greensburg Salem Principal David Zilli was surprised with an honor from the state House of Representatives. State Rep. Jill Cooper, R-Murrysville, presented Zilli with a citation commemorating his 35 years in education and 15 years as principal of Greensburg Salem High School at this month’s school board...
Slippery Rock University board seeks $98 million for building renovations
Trustees at Slippery Rock University voted Friday to pursue $98 million for renovations to three prominent but aging campus buildings, including the Morrow Field House, built in 1959. They also approved student fee increases totaling about $270 for the 2024-25 academic year. Both actions were among those taken as the...
‘Class canceled’: Duquesne professor swept up in March Madness cuts students a break
Here’s a note you won’t likely receive from your college professor — that is, unless his and your campus suddenly is in a history-making hunt for college basketball glory. Title: “Class Canceled due to March Madness.” Description: “Go celebrate. I’ll figure it out.” The note posted to social media platform...
Citizen Science Lab, Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens partner on STEAM education
The Citizen Science Lab and Young Black Motivated Kings & Queens began a five-year partnership on March 21 to empower Penn Hills youth through STEAM Education. The partnership kicked off at DeAvry A. Thomas Community Center in Penn Hills, where students were guided in creating a science experiment, fondly called...
Coaches across Pa. state universities reach tentative labor pact with State System
Union and management negotiators have a tentative agreement on a new four-year contract covering athletics coaches across Pennsylvania’s 10 state-owned universities, officials said Thursday. If ratified by the parties, the pact between the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Facilities and State System of Higher Education would run through...
Biden cancels $5.8B more in student debt for firefighters, nurses, public service workers
The Biden administration on Thursday announced $5.8 billion in additional student loan relief for those working as firefighters, nurses and various other public service jobs in Pennsylvania and across the nation. The latest batch of canceled debt applies to 77,700 borrowers. It stems from fixes made by the administration to...
