Education category, Page 78
IUP plans to have single dorms, in-person classes this fall
Indiana University of Pennsylvania announced a return to campus this fall, in a plan that includes face-to-face instruction and residential living. Come fall, all students living in residence halls will have a private bedroom. Some will have a private bathroom as well; shared bathrooms will be used by no more...
Greater Latrobe sets graduation options, plans survey to prep for fall instruction
Greater Latrobe School District is holding out hope for a belated commencement ceremony for the high school Class of 2020. But district officials note those plans, and options for instructing remaining students next fall, will depend on the status of the covid-19 pandemic. A survey is planned to solicit district...
New CMU study shows inequity in internet access among children
A study led by a Carnegie Mellon University professor used national data to measure how many children have internet access at home and what factors contribute to the long-existing digital divide. The findings, said lead researcher Ananya Sen, are especially potent as most K-12 school districts have moved to online...
Derry Area to bid seniors farewell with lunch, parade
Derry Area School District’s traditional breakfast for graduating high school seniors couldn’t be held this year because of social distancing guidelines during the coronavirus pandemic. Instead, members of the Class of 2020 are invited to a drive-through farewell luncheon on Friday. It will be followed by a parade through the...
Remote learning at The Neighborhood Academy in Pittsburgh a seamless transition
Most days of the week, Page Hempfield tunes in for an advising appointment at 9 a.m. on Zoom. She and other students are able to check in, ask questions and get updates about homework and about their school, The Neighborhood Academy. Then, in her bedroom of her North Versailles home,...
Historically black colleges work to help students amid virus
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Ja’nayla Johnson worked hard in high school with the dream of being the first in her family to graduate from college, but she started to doubt herself as several colleges rejected her. Then Bennett, a small historically black women’s college in North Carolina, saw Johnson’s potential and...
Pittsburgh Public Schools uncertain about fall classes, continues tech purchases
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials on Thursday said they remain uncertain as to whether in-person learning will begin in the fall. “Based on our timeline right now, I would say there is an expectation, but we just don’t know,” said Superintendent Anthony Hamlet. “I’d say the greatest challenge right now is...
Hampton teacher 1 of 12 finalists for Pennsylvania’s Teacher of the Year award
A longtime educator with the Hampton Township School District is among the dozen finalists for the 2021 Pennsylvania Teacher of the Year award, Gov. Tom Wolf announced today. Mathematics teacher Kathleen Dickensheets, who has been with the district for 33 years, is one of three teachers from western Pennsylvania selected...
Penn State Extension extends discounts for online courses due to high demand
When Penn State Extension officials made online courses free during April, public interest was overwhelming. “We would’ve filled Beaver Stadium with students,” said Extension Director Brent Hales. “We had over 109,000 people sign up.” There was so much demand — it initially crashed extension servers, Hales said — that officials...
Pennsylvania receives $523.8M to support schools during pandemic
Pennsylvania will receive $523.8 million in federal funding to help schools respond to the coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tom Wolf announced Wednesday. The money from the U.S. Department of Education is available through the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund. The Pennsylvania Department of Education applied for a grant last...
Eden Hall trout to be harvested, delivered to 412 Food Rescue in Millvale
Fish that were raised at Chatham University’s Eden Hall will be harvested today and Saturday to feed people across the Lower Valley. The coronavirus pandemic canceled usual operations at the Aquaculture Center in Richland Township, where fish are raised to feed students and fulfill other projects at the campus along...
19 students from Pittsburgh region earn National Merit Scholarships
Nineteen students in the Tribune-Review’s coverage area were announced among the winners of $2,500 National Merit Scholarships. Winners were selected from more than 15,000 candidates. In June and July, an additional 4,100 college-sponsored National Merit Scholarships will be announced. Here are the winners, their hometown mailing addresses and (high schools):...
Pittsburgh Public Schools explore changes to athletic eligibility guidelines
School board members on Monday discussed plans to update the eligibility guidelines for Pittsburgh Public Schools athletes. In compliance with the new policy, students with a grade point average below a 2.0 would participate in an academic intervention program in order to participate in interscholastic athletics. The new academic requirements...
Pennsylvania schools planning to reopen in fall, says education secretary
The Pennsylvania Department of Education is planning to allow schools to return to the classroom in the fall but continues to prepare for a worst-case scenario. “It is fully our intent that we’re going to be at a place where we are going to reopen schools for the next academic...
High school yearbooks go virtual for Western Pa. grads
For high school graduates of 2020, that chance to write a senior yearbook message has been taken away with the pandemic. But resourceful teenagers have found a way to sign a yearbook virtually. They’re creating yearbooks on Instagram, the social media platform that emphasizes photographs. In most cases, one student...
Western Pa. colleges making plans for online, face-to-face learning in fall semester
Universities that bring thousands of students to Southwestern Pennsylvania every fall are offering reassurances that they hope to reopen shuttered classrooms and dormitories in August. Although the region is scheduled to begin reopening on May 15, colleges and universities are not yet permitted to resume face-to-face operations in classrooms and...
Franklin Regional librarians start home-delivery service for students
What’s a school librarian to do with no students in the buildings? Take the books to the kids, of course. “Our theory was: they’re staring at a screen all day, and when we offered them the possibility of checking out e-books, the thought was ‘Oh, more screen time,’” said Franklin...
Students eligible for free lunch to receive $370 in SNAP benefits to cover rest of school year
Students who are eligible to receive free or reduced-price meals at school can now be reimbursed for the meals they are no longer getting. The Wolf Administration announced a new program Thursday that will let students benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Students who are eligible through the...
Applications drop for student aid as pandemic raises questions about college enrollment
State officials say the covid-19 pandemic may be driving college decisions for students. Applications for Pennsylvania’s need-based grants for college costs are down by 31,000 — or about 8% — since mid-March compared to this time last year, officials with the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) said Thursday. The...
GetGo donates Girl Scout cookies to educators during Teacher Appreciation Week
Giant Eagle’s GetGo Cafe and Market convenience chain is celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week by giving teachers in the Pittsburgh region a cookie break. GetGo has purchased $25,000 worth of Tagalongs, Samoas, Thin Mints and other Girl Scout cookies for the doubly sweet gesture. Store officials noted the covid-19 pandemic has...
Deadline near to sign up for free Penn State Extension online courses
Mother’s Day is the final day to register for more than 50 online courses Penn State Extension is offering to the public at no cost, to help families and businesses during the coronavirus pandemic. Topics of the courses, which normally require a fee, include healthy meals, food safety, gardening tips,...
Derry Area High School plant sale offers curbside option
Plants from the Derry Area School District greenhouse will be sold to the public weekdays between 8:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Friday through May 22. As part of covid-19 precautions, a maximum of four adults will be permitted in the greenhouse at a given time and are required to wear...
Drive-thru plant sale culmination of student projects at Ligonier Valley greenhouseVideo
Plants grown by Ligonier Valley students soon will be taking root in home gardens in the area — and raising money for educational programs at the school district and at the Loyalhanna Watershed Association. The inaugural sale of herbs and flowering and vegetable plants, started from seed early this year...
Mister Rogers, sea life inspire Greater Latrobe entries in Vans shoe design contest
Shoes re-imagined as sea creatures and as iconic images from “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” could reap rewards for the Greater Latrobe Senior High art program. Greater Latrobe is among 25 high schools across the country vying for prizes of up to $50,000 in the annual Custom Culture Contest sponsored by Vans,...
Fallingwater to offer virtual summer camps, online concert
Fallingwater is closed to the public at least through May 15, as part of precautions against spread of the coronavirus. But the Frank Lloyd Wright architectural gem in Fayette County, and the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy that operates the famous rural residence, are offering several online programs. Virtual summer camps for...
