Education category, Page 57
Carnegie Mellon University going back to in-person learning
With the latest wave of the omicron variant peaking and beginning to taper off, Carnegie Mellon University is allowing a large majority of its classes to once again be taken in person. A campuswide email signed by provost Jim Garrett, dean of students Gina Casalegno and vice-president of operations and...
SAT going digital in shifting college admissions landscape
The SAT exam will move from paper and pencil to a digital format, administrators announced Tuesday, saying the shift will boost its relevancy as more colleges make standardized tests optional for admission. Test-takers will be allowed to use their own laptops or tablets but they’ll still have to sit for...
Graduation rates dip across U.S. as pandemic stalls progress
High school graduation rates dipped in at least 20 states after the first full school year disrupted by the pandemic, suggesting the coronavirus may have ended nearly two decades of nationwide progress toward getting more students diplomas, an analysis shows. The drops came despite at least some states and educators...
Extra covid tests from feds unlikely to make much difference in Western Pa. schools
A White House plan to deliver millions of covid-19 tests to schools by the end of the month likely won’t change much in Western Pennsylvania. Those already using the tests appreciate the extra resources. The rest have no plans to change course. Burrell School District “is not interested in testing...
A digital divide haunts schools adapting to virus hurdles
When April Schneider’s children returned to in-person classrooms this year, she thought they were leaving behind the struggles from more than a year of remote learning. No more problems with borrowed tablets. No more days of missed lessons because her kids couldn’t connect to their virtual schooling. But coronavirus cases...
Parents, retirees teach class as omicron sidelines faculty across nation
Clark County, Nevada, was short nearly 2,000 teachers this week. The district had 400 substitutes to cover them. That simple math problem forced central-office staff into classrooms, students into auditoriums, and eventually led one of the largest districts in the U.S. to halt instruction. “It was putting a real strain...
Duquesne moves closer to accreditation for its medical school
Duquesne University’s proposed College of Osteopathic Medicine is not expected to open until 2024, but the school has achieved “candidate status” from the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA), according to a university statement. Among other things, the change in status means Duquesne will begin additional funding for the college....
Families despair over post-holiday return to remote learning
DETROIT — Parent Latonya Peterson sums up her frustration over Detroit schools returning — at least temporarily — to virtual learning in three short words: “I hate it.” Facing a surge in covid-19 cases, the Detroit district this week joined a growing number of others in moving classes online after...
Teacher shortage stokes covid threat for W.Pa. schools fighting to stay in the classroom
More than 5,000 schools across the country, including in Pittsburgh, spent last week teaching children remotely or delaying their return to the classroom as covid infections continued to skyrocket with the spread of the highly contagious omicron variant. While the vast majority of districts in Southwestern Pennsylvania and elsewhere have...
Pittsburgh Public Schools adds more buildings to weeklong remote learning
Five more Pittsburgh Public Schools will move to remote learning through the end of the week, bringing the number of schools to 14 that will be closed for in-person learning because of staffing shortages. The district added Arsenal 6-8, Liberty PreK-5, Manchester PreK-8, South Hills 6-8 and Whittier PreK-5, saying...
Some Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings go remote because of staffing shortages
Students in 12 Pittsburgh Public Schools buildings learned remotely Monday because of covid-related staffing shortages. An alert posted to the district’s website said students would have livestreamed lessons at the following schools:Allegheny PreK-5.Carrick High School.Crescent Early Childhood Center.Greenfield PreK-8.Liberty PreK-5.Lincoln PreK-5.Montessori PreK-5.Morrow PreK-8.Perry High School.Phillips PreK-5.Weil PreK-5.Whittier PreK-5. A covid-19...
Slippery Rock program for students with intellectual disabilities offers Greensburg woman chance to thrive
Lizzie Ammons had fought too hard to let the prospect of college slip from her grasp when word began circulating that Slippery Rock University might shutter its Rock Life program — one of about 300 college programs across the nation for students with intellectual disabilities. Ammons, 21, of Greensburg was...
Penn State announces in-person spring semester classes despite omicron
Despite covid-19 surging throughout the country, and with health experts warning of challenging weeks ahead, Penn State announced Thursday night that it will start the spring semester in person, as planned, because it feels it can do so “safely but carefully.” Still, according to the university, conditions around University Park...
University of Pittsburgh issues shelter-in-place request, required covid testing for students
The University of Pittsburgh’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office has released a plan for the spring semester that includes a phased move-in beginning Jan. 8 along with a shelter-in-place request and testing for students. Pitt will make available one covid-19 test through Quest Diagnostics for all of the approximately 34,000 students...
Grads tasted a life without student debt, but that’s set to end next year
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In the mornings, before she starts work at her software development job, St. Petersburg’s Amanda Leaders sits down with coffee and thinks about whom to send a postcard. The hobby began in September when she noticed a sale at Vistaprint. She ordered a set of postcards...
Franklin Regional receives grant to expand annual Science Olympiad for elementary, middle-school students
Franklin Regional elementary teachers will be up-sizing their annual Science Olympiad in 2022 with the help of a $2,500 grant from the Spectroscopy Society of Pittsburgh. “We were able to establish an elementary and middle school Science Olympiad program in partnership with the SSP,” said fourth grade teacher Megan Melucci....
Peduto Chief of Staff Dan Gilman to take on new role at Duquesne University
Dan Gilman, who served as Mayor Bill Peduto’s chief of staff, announced Monday that he will be taking on a new role at Duquesne University when Peduto leaves office in January. Gilman will serve as a senior advisor to Duquesne University President Ken Gormley and will move into the chief...
Penn State says omicron could lead to remote learning in spring semester
As Penn State University officials monitor the spread of the omicron variant, they are urging those in the University Park campus community to prepare to work remotely next semester. Penn State is planning to begin the spring semester in person. But with local covid-19 hospitalizations at an all-time high and...
Leechburg Area School District to take closer look at student emails via Google service
Leechburg Area School District officials plan to take a closer look at student emails. District technology director Katie Robson said the district will be looking for safety concerns such as online predators, adult content, cyber bullying, drug use, depression, suicidal thoughts and more. Katie Robson said administrators will use a...
Pitt launches teacher prep program amid growing shortage of teachers
No one can remember exactly when the University of Pittsburgh last offered an undergraduate degree in education. But officials at Pitt say it is high time for a change. They recently announced the university, which boasts a robust graduate school of education, will open a new bachelor’s program in education...
Diocese of Pittsburgh announces Central Catholic alum will return to school as principal
The Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh has announced a Central Catholic alumnus will be the school’s next principal. Brother Michael Andrejko, FSC, has been named the next principal of the school in Pittsburgh’s Oakland neighborhood, formally beginning in the position on July 1. A brother for more than 30 years, Andrejko...
Pa. Supreme Court upholds lower court decision throwing out mask mandate
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Friday affirmed a lower court ruling that the state’s acting secretary of health did not have the authority to issue a mandatory mask mandate for schools in August. The ruling ends the mandate effective immediately. Going forward, school districts can implement their own masking policies...
Penn State names 1st woman university president
When Neeli Bendapudi takes the reins as Penn State’s 19th president on July 1, officials hope her broad portfolio will help her boost the university’s struggling regional campuses. Penn State’s board of trustees capped a 10 month national search Thursday with a unanimous vote to appoint Bendapudi, who has served...
Pitt continues to sort through vaccine mandate
Officials at the University of Pittsburgh aren’t saying how many students, faculty and staff are facing ouster for failure to meet today’s deadline to provide proof of covid-19 vaccination or an approved exemption. Unlike officials at Excela Health System and UPMC who have temporarily put their vaccine mandates on hold,...
How, and when, to talk to your kids about school safety
As school threats appear on the news and social media, parents may feel prompted to talk with their children about the topic. The handling and subject of such conversations depend on the child’s age, said Amber Sparrow, a professional counselor who works at UPMC Children’s Community Pediatrics in Monroeville. Sparrow...
