Education category, Page 71
Pittsburgh schools will join districts suing JUUL, other e-cigarrette makers
Pittsburgh Public Schools will soon join the ranks of districts suing JUUL, the e-cigarettes manufacturer. The school board voted to retain legal counsel at a meeting Wednesday. “I think that this is a wise decision to join in and file and participate,” said board member Terry Kennedy. “It costs us...
Pitt dean says U.S. is in a great racial crisis
If Larry E. Davis had been able to give the lecture he gave Tuesday evening back when it was originally scheduled last spring, it might not have had the same effect. His lecture “Will Race Always Matter?” was sponsored by the Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy at...
U.S. officials meet at CMU to discuss artificial intelligence
As part of his two-day visit to the Pittsburgh region this week, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette participated in a discussion at Carnegie Mellon University, along with U.S. Chief Technology Officer Michael Kratsios. The “fireside chat,” moderated by CMU’s Vice President of Research Michael McQuade and livestreamed via Brouillette’s...
Frances Wolf urges USDA and Congress to extend child food services
Pennsylvania’s First Lady Frances Wolf joined 17 other first spouses and partners to urge federal leaders to continue child nutrition programs for the rest of the school school year. In letters to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and to congressional leadership sent Friday, Wolf and her counterparts asked the entities...
Fall enrollment increases at Slippery Rock and Cal U
Early enrollment numbers from two local public universities suggest the global pandemic is yielding a silver lining where graduate school enrollment is concerned. Officials at California and Slippery Rock universities said total enrollment at both schools is up slightly this fall, thanks to a bump in those opting to pursue...
Carnegie Mellon publishes report on sustainability progress
Carnegie Mellon University marked a milestone this week in its efforts toward sustainability, equity and social justice. The university released a new report Wednesday that assesses actions taken to advance Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a set of 17 objectives adopted by the United Nations. The SDGs, or “global goals,” aim...
Attorney: Duquesne’s ‘knee-jerk’ move to oust professor for using racial slur threatens academic freedom
Duquesne University risks setting a dangerous precedent and violating its own rules regarding academic freedom by trying to oust a professor for using a racial slur during a lecture about race, the suspended professor’s attorney said Wednesday. “It’s a knee-jerk reaction,” Warner Mariani, attorney for the embattled professor, Gary Shank,...
Pa. Health Secretary Levine urges college students to protect themselves from covid
Pennsylvania Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine called on college students to follow the coronavirus safety guidelines recommended by their institutions and by health care professionals. The bulk of Levine’s message Monday was directed at people between the ages of 19 to 24, many of whom are college students, where...
Teacher departures leave schools scrambling for substitutes
INDIANAPOLIS — With many teachers opting out of returning to the classroom because of the coronavirus, schools around the U.S. are scrambling to find replacements and in some places lowering certification requirements to help get substitutes in the door. Several states have seen surges in educators filing for retirement or...
West Mifflin recalling student computers for ‘urgent security updates’
The West Mifflin Area School District is recalling student devices for “urgent security updates,” according to a post on the district’s website. The recall will begin Monday and will run through the week. Members of the technology department will work to resolve issues reported by students during the first week...
Duquesne professor placed on leave for using racial slur during lesson
Duquesne University placed an education professor on paid leave Friday after backlash erupted in response to his use of a racial slur during a virtual class on Thursday. The class was captured in videos and posted to social media. Effective Friday afternoon, “that faculty member in the video is on...
No move to remote learning, as Penn State adds 272 covid cases since last update
A week after Penn State President Eric Barron said he would consider moving the university to remote learning, he announced Friday that such a move was not yet necessary. The announcement came on the heels of Friday’s updated COVID-19 dashboard, which showed 272 new cases of the coronavirus at University...
CMU’s Heinz College announces layoffs
Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy will lay off a number of staff members, school officials said this week. The affected staff were notified Tuesday morning. In an email to Heinz College faculty and staff, Dean Ramayya Krishnan said the financial impact of the covid-19...
W&J College sends 26 students home for violating covid-19 guidelines
Washington & Jefferson College has sent more than two dozen students home for violating covid-19 guidelines since the fall semester began, the institution said Wednesday. The semester began Aug. 24. In the past two weeks, 26 students have been asked to return home to continue their studies remotely, according to...
Apollo-Ridge teacher wins state award for teaching real-world applications of geography
A Vandergrift woman who teaches at Apollo-Ridge High School won a state award for teaching how knowledge of geography could be applied to real jobs. Jessica Johns, a social studies teacher, received the 2020 Pennsylvania Geographical Society John J. Katana K-12 Distinguished Teaching Award. “I am very humbled and very...
Pittsburgh principal drops rap video encouraging students during pandemic
The principal of Pittsburgh Miller Pre-K is encouraging students to excel during remote learning — with song. In a video posted Tuesday morning, the school district tweeted a video of Margaret Starkes, “the Rapping Principal,” dropping a few bars of reassurance for students on their first day of school. All...
Pittsburgh Public Schools have technical difficulties on 1st school day
The first day of classes at Pittsburgh Public Schools on Tuesday morning was marred by technical difficulties. Parents took to social media to inform the district of their technology’s shortcomings. Some parents said their students couldn’t log in on the laptops the district provided. Others cited issues with specific platforms...
Franklin Regional students return to class amid covid-19 restrictions
Students in the Franklin Regional School District returned to classes Tuesday, and elementary students got to check out the newly renovated Sloan Elementary School. The board last month pushed back the start date to Sept. 8 after state guidelines changed regarding the coronavirus. Students through eighth grade had three options...
West Virginia University suspends in-person classes as covid-19 cases increase
West Virginia University on Monday suspended in-person classes at its Morgantown campus for undergraduate students for at least two weeks. Additionally, the university placed 29 students under interim suspension from its Morgantown campus Sunday, due to violations of the university’s student code of conduct. The university has limited social gatherings...
How Western Pa. schools are making the best of remote learning
It’s too early to say what long-term impact remote learning might have on children in the age of the coronavirus. But experts say whether a child learns at home or at school, parents should be working with them to determine how to best meet their needs. “When you talk about...
Colleges using covid dorms, quarantines to keep virus at bay
STORRS, Conn. — With the coronavirus spreading through colleges at alarming rates, universities are scrambling to find quarantine locations in dormitory buildings and off-campus properties to isolate the thousands of students who have caught covid-19 or been exposed to it. Sacred Heart University has converted a 34-room guest house at...
Here is covid-19 data from Western Pa. colleges
Western Pennsylvania is home 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: Approximately 35,000 students Number of new cases: There were 40 new...
Pitt reports 35 new coronavirus cases in 3 days
The University of Pittsburgh saw a large increase in covid-19 cases last week, according to the most recent update to its covid-19 data dashboard. Since last week, the university recorded a total of 46 new cases among students — 35 of which were recorded just Friday through Sunday. There are...
NYC delays start of school year to allow more prep time
NEW YORK — New York City is delaying sending students back to classrooms by 11 days to give teachers more time to prepare, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday. The development comes after de Blasio emphasized for months that the city’s 1.1 million public school students need schools to resume...
Pittsburgh Public School employees who distributed laptops showing covid-19 symptoms
Two Pittsburgh Public Schools employees from Montessori PreK-5 are experiencing covid-19 symptoms after participating in a technology distribution event at Montessori on Friday. The district said both employees were wearing personal protective equipment and abiding by social distancing guidelines during the distribution. Both employees have been tested and are awaiting...
