Education category, Page 63
Georgia college president tapped to lead Point Park University
Point Park University’s board of trustees Monday announced the appointment of Donald J. Green as the school’s eighth president. Green, who is president of Georgia Highlands College, a multi-campus state college in the University System of Georgia, will take the helm at Point Park this summer, officials said. He succeeds...
Leading the class: Seton Hill, Saint Vincent found ways to bring students back safely
Jessie Delio was thrilled when she learned Seton Hill University would welcome students back to classrooms at its hilltop campus in Greensburg last fall. Like millions of other college students across the country, the Erie woman gathered her books, packed her bags and headed home in spring 2020 when schools...
Shortage of bus drivers could affect Pittsburgh students going back to school
The return to classrooms within Pittsburgh Public Schools this week was a success, district officials said — but a looming shortage of bus drivers could threaten the district’s ability to bring in more students. A severe shortage of bus drivers means the district won’t have enough open seats for everyone,...
Colleges prepare for a freshman class unlike any other after a pandemic year
As elementary and high schools plot strategies to combat lost learning over the pandemic year, colleges and universities across the region are preparing to support a freshman class unlike any they have ever welcomed. Thousands of high school students poised to attend college next fall likely will be stepping out...
Students lead U.S. push for fuller Black history education
TRENTON, N.J. — Ebele Azikiwe was in the sixth grade last year when February came and it was time to learn about Black history again. She was, by then, familiar with the curriculum: Rosa Parks, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and a discussion on slavery. Just like the year...
Student loans canceled for students who attended schools operated by Education Corp. of America
Students who attended schools operated by the defunct Education Corporation of America will have their private student loans canceled. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced an agreement on Tuesday that will result in the cancellation of about $2.6 million in private Pennsylvania student loans for 1,300 students who attended schools...
Survey: Majority of Hempfield students reported feeling comfortable with remote learning
While students largely agree spending more time in school is extremely important, the majority of older Hempfield Area students reported feeling comfortable with remote learning this school year, district leaders said. According to a survey sent to sixth through 12th graders, 13% of the 800 students who responded reported feeling...
Pennsylvania revises school reopening guidelines
The Pennsylvania Department of Education and Department of Health on Monday announced new recommendations for schools — suggesting most should reopen for some degree of face-to-face instruction. The new recommendations bring the state into alignment with recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which in mid-March...
Ligonier Valley students set to return to classrooms 5 days per week
Younger students in Ligonier Valley School District are set to return to classrooms full time this week. On Tuesday, students in grades K4-6 will be able to attend classes in person five days per week, following Easter break. Seventh-graders also will have the option of full-time instruction in a classroom...
Pressley, Warren push Biden to nix $50,000 in student debt
BOSTON — President Joe Biden should help those struggling under crushing student loan debt by immediately canceling up to $50,000 of debt for federal student loan borrowers, Democratic elected officials said Thursday. Biden can make the move by using existing authority granted to him under the Higher Education Act, said...
Larry Davis, pioneering dean of Pitt School of Social Work, dies at 74
Editor’s note: Mr. Davis’ age was incorrect in the original version of this story. When Larry Davis was promoting his most recent book “Why Are They Angry With Us?” in February 2016, he shared his frustration over the lack of progress when it came to race relations in America. “The...
Pitt issues shelter-in-place order amid covid surge
The University of Pittsburgh will increase public health restrictions to its Oakland campus today at 9 p.m., following several days of high covid-19 case numbers. In posts on social media, the university instituted a shelter-in-place period beginning at 9 p.m., which will remain in place “until the (Covid-19 Medical Response...
Pitt says covid is ‘widespread’ in residence halls, adds 30 cases
The University of Pittsburgh saw another surge in cases over the weekend, according to the most recent report from the school’s Covid-19 Medical Response Office. Pitt on Tuesday recorded 29 new cases among students and one new employee case on its Pittsburgh campus. There are 67 students in isolation, while...
Pitt Greensburg officials pivot on Hempfield campus commencement plansVideo
Two weeks after announcing it would hold a drive-thru commencement, the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg has pivoted and will offer students the opportunity to turn the tassels on their mortarboards and march to “Pomp and Circumstance” at its Hempfield campus on May 1. The change in plans came after...
Pittsburgh Public Schools prepare for students’ return to in-person classes
Her kindergarteners used to sit at tables, in groups. But now there are tiny disks spread across Amy Belitz’s classroom at Lincoln PreK-5, each about three feet apart from each other. Last year, Belitz said, her classroom seated 24 kids. Now there are only nine desks, and there will be...
Latrobe council honors visually impaired teen for leadership, service to othersVideo
At 17, Adison Lemmon knows where she wants to go. On track to join the National Honor Society and to graduate from Greater Latrobe Senior High this semester, a year earlier than usual, the Unity teen wants to become an early childhood and special education teacher. Her choice of career...
Covid cases surge at Pitt
The University of Pittsburgh on Friday recorded 42 new cases of covid-19 at its Oakland campus since Tuesday. There are now 71 students in isolation, according to the university’s online data dashboard. Eight cases have been identified among faculty and staff. The students’ overall five-day moving average is now 8.6...
Faculty union blasts leader of Pa. state universities: ‘His job was to improve the system, not tear it down’
Instructors and coaches are blasting the leader of the state-owned universities for saying that the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education should be reorganized or dissolved. At a Senate budget hearing last week, Chancellor Dan Greenstein warned that if a proposal to consolidate some universities doesn’t happen, he will come...
Covid variant identified on Pitt’s Oakland campus as cases spike
University of Pittsburgh officials confirmed at least one case of the U.K. covid-19 variant has cropped up on campus, something they believe will lead to an uptick in cases that have already spiked in recent days. “We confirmed that the U.K. variant … is present on the Pittsburgh campus,” the...
More than 100,000 educators in Pa. vaccinated through state initiative
More than 100,000 educators have been vaccinated through a Pennsylvania initiative using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, state officials announced Tuesday. A total of 102,161 school teachers and staff have gotten the vaccine since the initiative got started across Pennsylvania. “Vaccinating more than 100,000 teachers and staff in less than...
Pa. House passes bill to loosen rules on substitute teachers
Legislation to provide more flexibility when it comes to finding substitute teachers to staff classrooms won unanimous approval on Monday from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives. The legislation, sponsored by Rep. Barb Gleim, R-Cumberland County, now goes to the Senate for consideration. It aims to help ease the problem districts...
Western Pa. districts welcome new student social distancing guidelines
News of updated student social distancing guidelines was met with enthusiasm Friday at Burrell School District, where Superintendent Shannon Wagner said about 70% of students have chosen in-person learning throughout the school year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will allow schools to relax social distancing measures in...
Ruffs Dale bassoonist, 17, earns Friday Evening Music Club’s Gardner Scholarship
Until Walter Vinoski was 11, he couldn’t have told you what a bassoon even was. Now the 17-year-old Yough senior is the Friday Evening Music Club’s 2021 Mildred Gardner Scholarship Competition winner, earning $1,000 through this year’s virtual competition. He is a member of the Westmoreland Youth Symphony Orchestra and...
More colleges signal fall reopening as stimulus begins to flow
Two more Pittsburgh-based universities — Carlow and Point Park — plan to return to full in-person operations this fall. Friday’s announcements, the most recent in a series at local universities, came as the U.S. Department of Education announced an expanded list of areas new federal stimulus money can underwrite. Those...
CDC changes school guidance, allowing desks to be closer
NEW YORK — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its social distancing guidelines for schools Friday, saying students can now sit 3 feet apart in classrooms. The revised covid-19 recommendations represent a turn away from the 6-foot standard that has forced some schools to remove desks, stagger scheduling...
