education news stories on Newser

Afghan School Girls Sprayed With Poison

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 May 2012 14:20:32 CDT

One hundred and twenty-two Afghan school girls and three teachers were sprayed with poison and hospitalized today, the latest in a long string of poisonings designed to deter girls from going to school. The poison induced dizziness, vomiting, and headaches, and made some girls pass out, but "generally they are...

Get College Degree, Live 9 Years Longer

Evann Gastaldo — Wed, 16 May 2012 08:52:45 CDT

Sure, college costs a lot of money and you won’t necessarily get a job after you graduate, but good news! At least you'll live longer in your loan-induced poverty, because higher education is linked to longer life. An annual report from the CDC shows that those who obtain a bachelor’s...

Just 32% of US 8th-Graders Proficient in Science

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 10 May 2012 12:35:46 CDT

Just 32% of US eighth-graders are proficient in science, according to the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress exam. While that is a slight gain from 2009’s 30%, teachers and policy makers are concerned with the continued low numbers, the Wall Street Journal reports. "This is deeply disappointing," says the...

Student Loan Rate Hike Is Overhyped

Kevin Spak — Thu, 10 May 2012 11:33:58 CDT

Congress is up in arms over how to keep rates on Stafford student loans from doubling in July, but Mark Kantrowitz and Lynn Shaughgnessy have a question: Who cares? "The partisan posturing is a distraction from far more pressing issues that face students," the college experts write in the New...

Brooklyn School Bans Hugs

Kevin Spak — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 14:14:05 CDT

The Brooklyn Prospect Charter School is cracking down on that most deviant of tween behaviors: hugging. The school has instituted a rule banning hugs in the hallways, outraging many students and teachers, the Brooklyn Paper reports. Though the rule was purportedly instituted after a sixth-grader said a hug from an...

Your Major Is Hard? Pay More Tuition

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 18:04:05 CDT

The tougher your major in college is, the more tuition you could have to fork over. More and more public universities are billing a higher tuition to students who major in math, business, and science programs. The schools' rationale is that it's more expensive to teach these specialties, and that...

The 13 Most Worthless Majors

Matt Cantor — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:57:22 CDT

Hey, college students: If your life plans include getting an actual job, you may want to avoid the stars of the Daily Beast 's "most useless" majors list. Majors are ranked in terms of employment, taking into account unemployment rates among recent and experienced grads, earnings, and likely job growth...

NY Test Asks Kids About Baffling 'Talking Pineapple'

Matt Cantor — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 11:33:05 CDT

No amount of studying could prepare students to assess the wisdom of a talking pineapple, but that's what New York kids were asked to do on a state test. The eighth-grade reading exam offered a fable-like story about a pineapple challenging a hare to a race. Other animals weigh in,...

150 Schoolgirls Poisoned in Afghan Attack

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 10:19:44 CDT

About 150 Afghan girls were poisoned today after drinking the water at their Takhar province school, in what officials believe was a deliberate attack by Islamist militants opposed to educating girls. "We are 100% sure that the water they drunk … was poisoned," an education department spokesperson tells Reuters , speculating...