Education category, Page 68
NYC again reopens schools to in-person learning
NEW YORK — It’s back to school again for some New York City schoolchildren, weeks after the schools were closed to in-person learning because of rising covid-19 cases. The nation’s largest public school system, which shut down in-person learning last month, on Monday brought back preschool students and children in...
Virginia Military Institute removing Confederate statue
LEXINGTON, Va. — The Virginia Military Institute began work Monday to remove a prominent statue of Confederate Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, an effort initiated this fall after allegations of systemic racism roiled the school. A crew was inspecting the statue at the public military college in Lexington, poised to haul...
Colorado student, scientist named Time’s ‘Kid of the Year’
LONE TREE, Colo. — A 15-year-old Colorado high school student and young scientist who has used artificial intelligence and created apps to tackle contaminated drinking water, cyberbullying, opioid addiction and other social problems has been named Time Magazine’s first-ever “Kid of the Year.” Gitanjali Rao, a sophomore at STEM School...
School closings threaten gains of students with disabilities
Without any in-school special education services for months, 14-year-old Joshua Nazzaro’s normally sweet demeanor has sometimes given way to aggressive meltdowns that had been under control before the pandemic. The teenager, who has autism and is nonverbal, often wanted no part of his online group speech therapy sessions, and when...
Serra Catholic High School to resume in-person classes, athletics suspended
Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport will resume in-person instruction on Wednesday, according to Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh officials. However, all athletic and extracurricular activities are suspended due to possible covid-19 exposure. Spokesman Bob DeWitt said the school has also taken other student action out of an abundance of caution....
Pittsburgh Promise gives 10,000th scholarship
Vanessa Thompson remembers feeling stunned as she sat with her mother when they received that first college tuition bill in the fall of 2008. Thompson was attending Chatham University, the first in her family to go to college. “We’re both crying like ‘how are we going to pay this bill?’”...
Former Lehigh University student admits poisoning roommate
EASTON — A former Lehigh University student on Monday admitted poisoning his roommate’s food and drink with a heavy metal substance. Yukai Yang, 24, pleaded guilty to attempted murder. Under terms of a plea agreement, the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office will withdraw other charges in two seperate cases against...
U.S. colleges mull new virus protocols for students’ return
COLCHESTER, Vt. — St. Michael’s College managed to keep coronavirus cases at bay for almost two months this fall with students tested upon arrival and once every three weeks. But in mid-October, cases at the small Vermont school started to climb. The outbreak was linked to an ice rink more...
Kiski Area High School reopens, district introduces online covid tracker
Kiski Area High School reopened Monday after a week-long closure, allowing students to attend class in person for up to four days a week. Students had moved online last week after seven cases of covid-19 were reported among students and staff. The school district had just reported two new cases...
Schools’ Thanksgiving lessons jettison Pilgrim hats, welcome truth
BOSTON — A friendly feast shared by the plucky Pilgrims and their native neighbors? That’s yesterday’s Thanksgiving story. Students in many U.S. schools are now learning a more complex lesson that includes conflict, injustice and a new focus on the people who lived on the land for hundreds of years...
A look inside schools’ reopening decisions
Gary Peiffer was “cautiously optimistic” at the beginning of this school year. The superintendent of Greensburg Salem School District felt ready for the district’s planned hybrid model. Federal CARES Act funds had been used to purchase laptops, cleaning materials and plastic barriers. Teachers had gone through training for new remote...
Nov. 20: Here is covid-19 data from select Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: About 30,000 students Number of new cases: There were 98...
Pittsburgh schools’ Westinghouse Academy to close after 1 student, 2 staffers contract covid-19
Westinghouse Academy will close until Dec. 1 because a student and two staffers tested positive this week for covid-19, Pittsburgh Public Schools officials said. All three people last were at the campus on Friday, Nov. 13, according todistrict spokeswoman Ebony Pugh. The school, located on Murtland Street in Pittsburgh’s Homewood...
Region’s international student enrollment declined with global pandemic
A flood of international students who fueled growth at the region’s colleges and universities for the last decade is waning in the face of the global pandemic. Fall enrollment numbers show international enrollment at nine local universities and Penn State declined by about 2,500, or approximately 12%, this fall as...
Westmoreland, Allegheny tech schools get grants for new equipment
Two Westmoreland County career and technology centers and another in Allegheny County will update their educational equipment with the help of state grants. The Department of Education this week awarded nearly $1.2 million in competitive matching grants to 32 such centers across the state, and to two school districts, for...
Westmoreland County Community College and IUP ink dual admissions deal
Students at Westmoreland County Community College who plan to complete a four-year degree after finishing work on an associate degree can tap a new dual admissions program with Indiana University of Pennsylvania. An agreement the two institutions inked Wednesday outlines terms of the new program, designed to streamline the transfer...
Report outlines struggles of Pittsburgh Public Schools’ tech distribution during pandemic
A report shared Wednesday by City Controller Michael Lamb lends more detail into how devices and internet are being provided in Pittsburgh Public Schools amid online learning. The controller’s audit report reflects the results of an investigation requested by the school board following an August meeting. According to the report,...
Clarion president hopeful universities merger reduces tuition by 25%
The university leader tasked with overseeing the merger plan for California, Clarion and Edinboro says she is confident her group can reduce students’ costs at the state-owned universities by 25%. Experts say the cost reduction will be a heavy lift as colleges and universities across the nation face a new...
Blackburn Center continues student outreach through videos, virtual lessonsVideo
The Blackburn Center is going virtual this year to ensure programs offered at districts across Westmoreland County are still available to students. Over the summer, members of the Greensburg nonprofit began filming videos to teach kids about topics like bullying, dating violence and sexual harassment. The videos are available to...
Kiski Area now allowing 4 days of in-person learning
Schools across the region are shutting their doors, but Kiski Area School District is increasing face-to-face instruction time. The district began offering a hybrid option this week that allows for four days of in-person instruction with one day of remote learning. This option is available in addition to the district’s...
Feds reject Pa.’s plan to spend up to $300M in stimulus money for property tax relief
Spotlight PA is an independent, non-partisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. HARRISBURG — For more than a decade, state lawmakers have sent yearly payments to Pennsylvania’s school districts so they can lower...
Edinboro University president announces departure amid merger study
Just 16 months after assuming office, Guiyou Huang, president of Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, announced Monday that he is leaving in January to become president of Western Illinois University. Huang’s departure comes as officials at the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education work on the second phase of a study...
Nov. 13: Here is covid-19 data from selected Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home community to several colleges and universities, attracting students from around the state and country. During the coronavirus pandemic, many are tracking the number of positive covid-19 cases as they emerge on campus. University of Pittsburgh Enrollment: About 30,000 students New cases: There were 118 student cases...
Kiski Area High School to close next week over covid concerns
Kiski Area High School will move to fully remote learning next week, following reports of seven cases of covid-19 among students and staff. The district said the school would follow a remote learning schedule from Monday through next Friday. Career Center Students will still report on days they’re scheduled to...
Pittsburgh Public Schools returning to all remote instruction next week
Pittsburgh Public Schools will close all school buildings and return to fully remote instruction next week, district officials confirmed. The district had reopened for in-person instruction — for a small number of students — on Nov. 9. Those students included those with special needs and English learners. The majority of...
