Education

World Premiere of LEARN Exhibit Educates on Autoimmune Diseases with Tour Inside the Immune System

June 11, 2009 -- Copenhagen, Denmark — Today at the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) congress, LEARN, a unique travel exhibit that provides a walking tour of the immune system and its response to autoimmune diseases, makes its world debut.

Abbott (NYSE: ABT), the global health care company, several Danish patient associations and Hvidovre Hospital in Denmark have joined together in an effort to increase awareness of autoimmune diseases by creating the Living the Experience of Autoimmune ReactioNs (LEARN) exhibit. The LEARN international media event is scheduled for Thursday, June 11, 2009, in Copenhagen's Town Square from 8:15 - 9:30 a.m. (CEST).    » read more »

"STEM" Education Coordination Act seeks to foster "a workforce that can out-discover, out-think, out-innovate, and out-produce our worldwide competition"

June 8, 2009 --WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a speech today on the Senate floor, Senator Ted Kaufman (D-DE) introduced the STEM Education Coordination Act of 2009. As the only serving U.S. Senator to have worked as an engineer, Sen. Kaufman has advocated for a renewed emphasis on science and innovation to meet the increasing challenges of a competitive global economy on numerous occasions.

Co-sponsored with Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), this legislation seeks to ensure existing STEM education resources are employed efficiently and effectively through greater coordination at the federal level.

Full remarks:    » read more »

June 8, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said today that school reforms should be monitored and judged by results that can be backed up by research proving their effectiveness.

Speaking at the fourth annual conference of the Institute of Education Sciences, Duncan told an audience of education researchers that supporting states' efforts to build warehouses of data on student achievement is one of his top priorities.

"Education reform is not about sweeping mandates or grand gestures," Duncan told the group of researchers who conduct research for IES, which is an independent section of the Education Department. "It's about systematically examining and learning, building on what we've done right, and scrapping what hasn't worked for kids."    » read more »

Interested Colleges and Universities Must Sign Up for Yellow Ribbon Program before June 15 Deadline for 2009-2010 Term

June 5, 2009 -- WASHINGTON - The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced today that it has entered into more than 700 agreements with institutions of higher learning across the nation to participate in the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s “Yellow Ribbon Program.”

Many schools signed agreements for participation in not only undergraduate programs, but graduate and doctoral programs as well. Some schools entered into one agreement that covered all their campuses throughout the United States.    » read more »

June 05, 2009 -- NEWARK - New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine today welcomed the announcement by U.S. Department of Education Secretary Arne Duncan that New Jersey's State Fiscal Stabilization Fund application has been approved in the amount of $891 million, and New Jersey will be eligible to apply for another $440 million in the fall. Duncan was in New Jersey for a visit to North Star Middle School Academy's Clinton Hill campus in Newark.

The stop is part of the Secretary's "Listening and Learning: A Conversation about Education Reform" tour.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- Milwaukee — U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visited the Milwaukee Area Technical College today to announce a $7 million special competitive grant to establish innovative and sustainable community college programs that prepare displaced workers for second careers.

This first-of-its-kind grant program will be used to develop national models that can be replicated across the country, especially in communities where autoworkers have lost their jobs.    » read more »

Report Identifies "Expectations Gap" and the Need for More Support at Home as Major Factors in the Rising Tide of High School Dropouts

Washington, DC, June 4, 2009 -- With nearly one-third of all U.S. public high school students failing to graduate each year, AT&T* today announced results from the latest study conducted by Civic Enterprises and Peter Hart Research with America’s Promise Alliance entitled “On the Front Lines of Schools,” where the voices of our nation’s education practitioners reflect their outlook on the high school dropout crisis.    » read more »

Application for Part 1 of Kansas' State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

June 3, 2009 -- U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that $301 million is now available for Kansas under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts.

Kansas will be eligible to apply for another $148 million this fall. Today's funding is being made available per Kansas's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.    » read more »

Application for Part 1 of Michigan's State Stabilization Funds Approved Today

June 3, 2009 -- U. S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced more than $1 billion is now available for Michigan under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. This funding will lay the foundation for a generation of education reform and help save hundreds of thousands of teaching jobs at risk of state and local budget cuts. Michigan will be eligible to apply for another $525 million this fall.

Today's funding is being made available per Michigan's successful completion of Part 1 of the State Stabilization Application, which was made available on April 1st.    » read more »

Funds made available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act which passed earlier this year

June 3, 2009 -- WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) announced today that Michigan has received $1 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding through the U.S. Department of Education’s State Fiscal Stabilization Fund (SFSF).

This funding will help reform our schools and keep teachers in the classroom. The funding was made available following Michigan’s successful completion of the first round of the SFSF application, which was made available on April 1.    » read more »

June 3, 2009 -- “Good morning. The Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education will now come to order.

“I want to start by welcoming Secretary Duncan. I have met Mr. Duncan a few times now, and I chaired his confirmation hearing on the HELP Committee, but this is his first appearance before this subcommittee. So today, Mr. Secretary, we get to talk about money.

“Every year when Congress considers the President’s budget, you hear people say it’s a critical moment in the Nation’s history. In hindsight, some of those moments were probably more important than others. But I would submit that when it comes to education, this is truly one of them.    » read more »

June 03, 2009 -- PRATTVILLE - Alabama Governor Bob Riley visited several hundred teachers going through two weeks of training this summer so their students can benefit from the state’s math and science initiative.

More than 6,000 teachers from 273 schools are receiving training this summer in the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative (AMSTI). The initiative stresses a hands-on approach to learning math and science, and schools that are part of the program receive kits that contain all the material needed to teach the lessons.

Governor Riley has championed AMSTI since he first came into office because the initiative has gotten results.    » read more »

Thirteen Community Groups Will Receive Funding to Hire 1,338 AmeriCorps Workers to Improve Programs for Local Youth

June 2, 2009 -- U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer today announced that the Corporation for National and Community Service will provide a total of $7,719,922 to 13 community centers in New York City. The funding will hire 1,338 AmeriCorps workers to help New York City students improve their education.

"This funding will bring real results to students in New York City schools," Schumer said. “Additional classroom staffing will provide each student the personal attention they need to succeed in school and in the future. I will do everything I can to ensure that programs likes these are funded so that our schools can provide the best education to their students.”    » read more »

Legislation affects veterans, establishes continuing care bill of rights and enhances mandatory reporting in education

June 2, 2009 -- (Salem) – Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski today signed 24 bills into law, including a law to better protect a disabled veteran or service officer from being taken advantage (House Bill 3020), a continuing care “bill of rights” (House Bill 2138) and mandatory reporting for Teacher Standards and Practices investigators (House Bill 2063).

All list of the bills signed today with a summary is below. For the full list of all the bills the Governor has signed this session, visit: http://governor.oregon.gov/Gov/2009_Action.shtml.

House Bills:    » read more »

American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds for schools will save jobs, help drive reform

June 2, 2009 -- DES MOINES, Iowa – Iowa Governor Chet Culver announced today the U.S. Department of Education has approved Iowa’s application for the first $316 million in State Fiscal Stabilization Funds available for public education through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).    » read more »