http://www.post-gazette.com/ Local news on the educational front en-us Copyright 2010, post-gazette.com. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 07:45:40 -0400 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/images/144x39pgtoplogo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043192-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml In the blueprint for overhauling federal education policy that President Obama sent to Congress on Monday, his administration seeks to confront some of the major educational challenges that have developed during the eight years that President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law has been a powerful influence on the nation's public schools. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043093-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml During a geology field trip in 2004, the professor told his students that a road-cut featuring rock formations near Pittsburgh International Airport was a great place to find plant fossils. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043099-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Duquesne University plans to brief the city planning commission today on a proposed change to the school's master plan to allow a residence hall to be built with 12 stories instead of eight. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043100-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The University of Pittsburgh trustees' budget committee gave its blessing on Monday to several construction projects, including a $28.2 million upgrade to physics and astronomy department laboratories. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043116-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The state Department of Education announced the team that Wednesday will make a presentation aimed at winning up to $400 million in Race to the Top money to improve education. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10075/1043153-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml Two Catholic elementary schools in McKees Rocks and Coraopolis are on the endangered list because a private foundation is unable to continue donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to each next school year. Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043017-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Paleontologists at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History have described a new species of early terrestrial amphibian whose fossilized skull was found in 2004 near Pittsburgh International Airport and named after the University of Pittsburgh student who found it and the FedEx Corp., which owns the property where it was discovered Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:18:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043004-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The state Department of Education today announced the team that Wednesday will make a presentation aimed at winning up to $400 million in Race to the Top money to improve education Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:25:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1043000-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A University of Pittsburgh astronomer is a key member of an international team that will use the Hubble Space Telescope to peer through time and space to witness galaxy formation that occurred a mere 600 million years after the Big Bang Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042970-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The University of Pittsburgh trustees' budget committee gave its blessing today to several construction projects, including a $28.2 million upgrade to physics and astronomy department laboratories Mon, 15 Mar 2010 09:34:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042964-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml LINDEN, N.J. -- When classes let out at 3 p.m., 85 children in a state-subsidized program at Linden's School No. 1 head down the hall for three more hours of reading, math games, homework help and stepping lessons. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042963-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml NEWARK -- At Broadway Elementary School here, there is no more sitting around after lunch. No more goofing off with friends. No more doing nothing. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10074/1042855-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pennsylvania is committed to adopting the uniform set of national standards for math and English unveiled last week as long as the standards meet two conditions. Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10073/1042821-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Obama administration on Saturday called for a broad overhaul of President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law, proposing to reshape divisive provisions that encouraged instructors to teach to tests, narrowed the curriculum, and labeled one in three American schools as failing. Sun, 14 Mar 2010 04:00:00 -0400 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10072/1042505-56.stm?cmpid=education.xml Two foundation-aided Catholic schools will close and be consolidated with two others in what the Diocese of Pittsburgh says will help keep its educational offerings accessible and affordable despite the city's shrinking population. Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042299-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Four city Catholic schools supported through the Extra Mile Education Foundation will be merged into two schools over the next several years, according to a news release from the Diocese of Pittsburgh today Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042295-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Montour school board is pushing the bid date for its high school renovation project to March 30 and will delay its official meeting until March 31. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042294-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Central Valley school board is set to solve its two-principals-for-one-high-school problem by splitting the job in two. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042293-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml In Elgin on Monday night, it is not going to matter who is bluffing, winning or losing in the heated debate under way in Springfield over the state's gargantuan budget hole. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042173-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Community College of Allegheny County trustees yesterday authorized administrators to lower the visible height of a science center planned for the Allegheny campus if the city treats the hillside development as a high-rise. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042171-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, has named an interim chancellor due to the death of Chancellor Emmanuel I. Osagie. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10071/1042207-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seated in her power chair, 17-year-old Hailee Agnew looked as if she would never stop smiling. Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1042095-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, will host a memorial service for Chancellor Emmanuel I. Osagie, and has named an interim chancellor Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1042090-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Peters Township High School principal Dr. Thomas Hajzus said he is taking a paid medical leave until this summer due to a "severe" case of diabetes Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041740-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml At first glance, New Story school in Monroeville resembles most others with posters of encouragement in the hallways and the sound of activity from inside the classrooms. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 09:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041671-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml It takes a tuned-in dad to realize that the kids cereal Cap'n Crunch can inspire genius in a group of 9-year-olds. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041688-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Ladies who lunch at the Crafton United Presbyterian Church on Bradford Avenue in Crafton have a special relationship with their teen and pre-teen servers. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1042026-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml West Jefferson Hills solicitor Ira Weiss testified he advised Superintendent Terry Kinavey that the district could face legal action if it did not hire Denise Breisinger. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 07:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041767-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Mt. Lebanon school board may vote Monday on an alcohol policy to address violations that are not school-related. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041759-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml When Barbara McDonnell was appointed the community education liaison for the Duquesne City School District in fall 2008, one of her major responsibilities was to track the progress of high school students. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 06:18:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041817-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Moon Area school directors Monday night became the seventh school board among 12 member districts to approve the three-part Parkway West Career and Technology Center budget. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041823-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Stephen Catanzarite said organizers of the proposed Baden Academy Charter School "don't feel deterred at all" by the harsh review of their plans by Ambridge Area School District administrators. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 05:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1042024-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A panel of educators convened by the nation's governors and state school superintendents proposed a uniform set of academic standards on Wednesday, laying out their vision for what all the nation's public school children should learn in math and English, year by year, from kindergarten to high school graduation. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041660-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A year after Pennsylvania's new Right to Know law took effect, Mt. Lebanon School District is facing unexpected costs to comply with an increasing number of requests for e-mail correspondence. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041658-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Penn Hills School District will soon send furlough notices to 64 of its 417 teachers for the upcoming school year. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041659-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A presentation called Building Disability Awareness, sponsored by Easter Seals Western Pennsylvania, wasn't just a lecture. It was a hands-on experience. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10070/1041662-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Because Seneca Valley rejected a financing proposal for an $11 million building project at Butler County Area Vocational-Technical School, it will have to find another way to borrow the money. Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041704-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Duquesne University today announced plans to build a residence hall to meet growing on-campus housing needs. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:30:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041598-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Emmanuel I. Osagie, who had been chancellor of Penn State Fayette since February 2007, died unexpectedly Tuesday of complications from an illness. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:59:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041576-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Rafaela Espinal held her first poolside chat last summer, offering cheese, crackers and apple cider to draw people to hear her pitch. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041578-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml One of the world's foremost experts on comparing national school systems told lawmakers on Tuesday that many other countries were surpassing the United States in educational attainment, including Canada, where he said 15-year-old students were, on average, more than one school year ahead of American 15-year-olds. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041577-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml For a few days last fall, the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood celebrated a big victory: the tiny advocacy group had successfully pushed the Walt Disney Company to offer full refunds to everyone who had bought the company's popular Baby Einstein videos from June 2004 to September 2009. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10069/1041471-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Carnegie Mellon University and La Roche College are among eight colleges nationally being singled out for awards by NAFSA: The Association of International Educators, the Washington, D.C., organization announced Tuesday. Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041404-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Two Pittsburgh-area campuses are among eight colleges nationally being singled out for awards by NAFSA: The Association of International Educators, the Washington, D.C., organization announced today. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 19:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041344-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Moon Area school board Monday night approved the Parkway West Career and Technology Center budget on a 6-3 vote, despite some misgivings. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 05:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041343-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Ambridge Area school board will vote Wednesday night on a proposed Baden charter school and if the school directors listen to their administrators, the vote will be a foregone conclusion. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 05:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041339-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. -- For two years in a row, Kwame Yankson, a business school student at the University of Virginia, has sent a flurry of résumés to investment banks. He has cold-called Wall Street recruiters. And he has landed coveted interview slots. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041340-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seeking to step up enforcement of civil rights laws, the federal Department of Education says it will be sending letters in coming weeks to thousands of school districts and colleges, outlining their responsibilities on issues of fairness and equal opportunity. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041341-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml At a time when some colleges are favoring applicants who do not require financial aid, Hamilton College in upstate New York has decided to swim against that tide. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 02:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041231-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The prosecutor described to the jury a childhood filled with abuse, isolation, molestation and horror. The victim, who says he was abused from the ages of 9 to 17, is now a grown man. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041269-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml What makes an effective teacher? That is the question facing administrators in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers as they go about implementing a performance pay plan that is part of the $40 million grant that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the school district last year. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041230-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The 101-year-old St. Athanasius Catholic School in West View will close in June because declining enrollment has made tuition too expensive for most families. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10068/1041208-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A college student whose body was found in a Carnegie Mellon University fraternity this weekend had been drinking vodka inside the house before his death, city homicide detectives said. Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041169-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Because Pittsburgh Vann K-5 may close this summer, the city school district is planning a community forum on the recommendations for new school assignments. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 16:46:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041045-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml When we touch something hot, molecules in our body go to the surfaces of our nerve cells and open up signaling channels that start the pain message heading up the spine. Mon, 8 Mar 2010 13:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041028-34.stm?cmpid=education.xml After Asher King, a kindergartner at the Kentucky Avenue School in Shadyside, had taken a couple of bites of stir-fried brown rice with vegetables, he pronounced his verdict: "I loved it at first and now I still love it!" Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041127-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- Federal regulators have closed a credit union that served school employees amid losses and a Department of the Treasury investigation Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041126-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml EDINBORO, Pa. -- A fire did minor damage to a heating and air conditioning unit on the roof of a science building under renovation at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania Mon, 8 Mar 2010 10:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10067/1041125-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The century-old St. Athanasius Elementary School will close its doors after this school year because of low enrollment Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:34:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10066/1040865-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Facing a classroom of their peers in a church hall filled with literature on preparing for college, three teenage girls led the others in an opening prayer. Sun, 7 Mar 2010 11:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10065/1040714-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml While complimenting Pittsburgh Public Schools' progress and promise in special education, evaluators from the Council of the Great City Schools said the district needs to work on placing fewer students in special education. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10065/1040731-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Penn Hills School District has given furlough notices to 64 teachers and other professionals, according to the teachers union. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10065/1040737-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Carnegie Mellon University is establishing a dual doctoral degree program engineering with Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, enabling students to earn two degrees, one from each university. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10065/1040749-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml School districts awaiting word from the state Department of Education on whether they will have to make up their snow days will have to wait a bit longer. Sat, 6 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10064/1040573-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Carlow University today announced that full-time undergraduate tuition for the coming year will go up 3.9 percent, an increase of $440 per semester, to $11,300 per semester. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 13:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10064/1040396-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A judge relied on the testimony of a witness over the police version of events in dismissing charges Thursday against Jordan Miles, a high school student charged with assault and resisting arrest. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10064/1040423-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml As one of 16 finalists, Pennsylvania is still in the running for a share of $4.35 billion in federal Race to the Top money, but fewer than half of the finalists will become winners next month. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10064/1040399-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn Hills teachers and the school board have agreed to submit all of the remaining contract issues to fact-finding, according to a joint news release issued Thursday. Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040377-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A Pittsburgh Allderdice High School sophomore is suspected of making two pipe bombs in jewelry class, but no explosives were involved and no one was injured. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 18:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040294-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn Hills teachers and the school board have agreed to submit all remaining contract issues to fact-finding, according to a joint news release issued today. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040283-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml School districts awaiting word from the state Department of Education on whether they will have to make up their snow days will have to wait a bit longer Thu, 4 Mar 2010 15:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040269-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pennsylvania is still in the running for Race to the Top money from the U.S. Department of Education Thu, 4 Mar 2010 14:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040131-51.stm?cmpid=education.xml Somewhere in the city today, researchers from the Quality of Life Technology Center will go to the high-rise residence of an older adult living alone and equip such everyday items as a pillbox, telephone, or sofa with wireless, computerized sensors. Their hope is to use those small sensors to track any decline in the resident's cognitive or physical abilities long before either normally would be noticed. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:51:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039968-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Catholic Institute of Pittsburgh, the real estate arm of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh, has purchased roughly 71 acres on the north side of Route 228. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 09:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039939-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The parents of Montour High School students are pretty clear on what they want next year, when the high school will be closed for renovation. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 09:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039898-58.stm?cmpid=education.xml The debate continues over the approximately $453 million in proposed major school construction projects scheduled in the region. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040004-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml "More homework, please" is not a request usually heard from fourth-graders. But that's what students at South Park Elementary School say about the papier-mache puppets they fashioned from recycled homework. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 08:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040014-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Some parents of children attending Steel Valley middle and high schools will be seeking alternative methods of getting the students to class later this spring. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040015-58.stm?cmpid=education.xml It's a far cry from modular classrooms in vacant parking lots and windowless warehouses in run-down neighborhoods of Houston to the quiet hush of the nearly 230-year-old hallowed halls of W&J. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:34:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040248-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml McKeesport Area High School's Amped Robotics Team will unveil its newest robot today at the 2010 FIRST Robotics Competition in Washington, D.C. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040074-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Four snow days taken weeks before the end of winter could result in a lengthier school year in Woodland Hills. District officials, however, are trying to prevent that. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040070-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Following a brief strike in early February, contract talks were to resume at 6 p.m. yesterday between the Penn Hills School District and the union representing its 417 teachers. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040058-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml With Gateway School District residents facing property tax millage increases, building administrators presented ideas to whittle expenses at their respective schools. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 06:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040021-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Paying for a $21 million expansion and upgrade of Ross Elementary School will cost North Hills property owners the equivalent of a half mill in property taxes. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 05:37:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040142-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seventeen states including Pennsylvania have resolved to significantly raise college completion rates by 2020, something a group spearheading the effort called critical to America's economic future. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039940-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The fact that the Montour school board is changing its construction team - again - may sound like cause for alarm. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039966-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml When parents, teachers and school board members met in early January to discuss concerns about teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, the superintendent and a teacher took quick action. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040114-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Swissvale police arrested 11 Woodland Hills Junior High School students following a massive brawl that broke out in the school parking lot as classes let out Wednesday afternoon. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1040117-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Leechburg Area School District complex was locked down Wednesday as police sought two burglary suspects seen in the high school. Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10063/1039925-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Here's a snapshot of the major suburban school construction projects either in progress or in planning: Thu, 4 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10062/1039937-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Students in the Leechburg Area School District will be allowed to leave their buildings on time this afternoon, but they must go directly to their buses or be picked up by family members. Wed, 3 Mar 2010 15:10:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10062/1039830-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Benefits the Drug Abuse Resistance Education program Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10062/1039825-84.stm?cmpid=education.xml High school sophomore Elizabeth Marince cringes when she hears the "r word." She doesn't even like to utter the word when talking about why no one should be called a "retard" or "retarded." Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10062/1039811-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Pittsburgh Public Schools administration has unveiled a proposal for high school career and technical education that would require $38 million in capital improvements. Wed, 3 Mar 2010 00:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10061/1039680-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml ERIE, Pa. -- A dining hall at a Penn State satellite campus is badly damaged following an overnight fire Tue, 2 Mar 2010 10:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10061/1039616-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A rookie member of the North Hills school board came under fire Monday night for comments she wrote about non-English speakers and new immigrants on her Facebook page. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 05:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10061/1039561-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A day shy of his 21st birthday, West Virginia University sophomore Sean Kyrie Rascoe visited a Morgantown bar with three friends, then returned with them to a vehicle parked in a campus garage. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 02:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10061/1039597-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama on Monday addressed the nation's school dropout epidemic, proposing $900 million to states and school districts that agree to drastically change or even shutter their worst performing schools. Tue, 2 Mar 2010 02:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10060/1039471-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml A 20-year-old West Virginia University student from Hagerstown, Md., died early Saturday after he fell from a moving car in the Mountainlair Student Union parking garage Mon, 1 Mar 2010 10:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10060/1039365-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Community College of Allegheny County will make do at its May 13 commencement without an appearance by the leader of the free world. Mon, 1 Mar 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10058/1039085-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml As a physicist, James Maher is prone to offering remarks that are long on precision and logic. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 09:24:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10058/1039052-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml University of Pittsburgh trustees gave final approval Friday to the school's budget for 2009-2010, mirroring a Dec. 15 vote by its budget committee that was contingent on receipt of the school's tardy state appropriation. Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10057/1038880-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml It was a nice idea . . . Fri, 26 Feb 2010 14:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10057/1038746-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Pittsburgh school board will ask the state to forgive five school days lost because of the February snowstorms. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10057/1038845-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Jon Thomas, president of Thomas & Williamson, said his firm "specializes in accelerated work projects," including several school renovations completed in a single summer. Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038592-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Pittsburgh school board last night voted to ask the state to forgive five school days lost because of this month's snow storms Thu, 25 Feb 2010 09:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038269-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml In some ways, former Monaca school superintendent Mike Thomas could be compared with Muhammad Ali. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038296-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Some new kids are in town at South Allegheny High School, and they have a lot to say -- without uttering a word. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 07:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038361-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml With a mixture of old and new board members who are often at odds with one another, the West Mifflin Area school board hasn't had a lot of unanimous votes on important issues recently. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038357-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Residents of the Steel Valley School District may be digging deeper into their pockets when paying their school taxes next year. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:23:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038359-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml School directors in Upper St. Clair are hoping that the trend of "abnormally low" construction bids that began last summer will continue this year. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038351-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A taxpayer wants to know how much the ongoing hearings into the termination of the West Jefferson Hills superintendent will cost. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038352-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml During the termination hearing for suspended Superintendent Terry Kinavey, focus shifted from Mrs. Kinavey's involvement in the hiring of an English teacher to the plagiarism charges she faces. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038393-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml It was a school board meeting like no other Tuesday night in Chartiers Valley. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 06:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038403-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The school board of Shaler Area School District voted Feb. 17 to make March 12, originally scheduled as a teacher in-service day, the first of five days that will make up snow cancellations. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038401-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml April 5, the day after Easter, originally was scheduled to be part of spring break in Pine-Richland schools, but now it will be a snow makeup day for students. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038392-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A feasibility study of the Carlynton School District is recommending that preventative maintenance continue on its three buildings but no major additions or renovations should be done. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038307-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Moon Area school board will keep its anti-nepotism policy in place for at least another month as members continue to debate the pros and cons. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038376-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml For all the talk of savings -- $2.5 million in their school system's first two years -- the superintendents insisted that academics formed the true bottom line for the merger of their districts. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 05:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038258-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Mt. Lebanon residents, claims one, like to debate. The proposal for an extensive renovation of the high school continues to give them plenty to talk about. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038477-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The University of Pittsburgh's high-priority nanoscience and technology research initiative is expected to benefit from a school trustees' decision Tuesday to okay $28.2 million in expansion and renovation of physics and astronomy department laboratories. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10056/1038270-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml "In what part of the chloroplast is carbon fixed during the Calvin cycle?" That was one of the biology questions at Saturday's Southwestern Pennsylvania Science Bowl competition. Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10055/1038218-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A trustees panel at the University of Pittsburgh today approved several building and renovation projects, the biggest of which is a $28.2 million enlargement and renovation of the astronomy and physics department's laboratories Wed, 24 Feb 2010 12:51:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10055/1038182-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The North Hills School District has approved snow make-up days for the current school year. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 09:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10055/1038174-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The fallout from two Jan. 22 senior skip day parties in Collier continued Tuesday night in Chartiers Valley when residents presented a petition demanding that Patti Figorski resign as board president. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 06:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10055/1038173-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Classes will be held April 30, previously a teacher in-service day. Seniors will graduate June 4 as planned, but other students must attend classes until June 10 -- two days longer than scheduled. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 05:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10055/1038122-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Financial pressure to increase student tuition at Pitt and Penn State will grow if state lawmakers adopt Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to "flat fund'' the state-related universities in fiscal 2010-11, university leaders said Tuesday. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1038006-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml HARRISBURG -- Pitt and Penn State will be under greater pressure to increase student tuition if the Legislature goes along with Gov. Ed Rendell's proposal to "flat fund'' the state-related universities in fiscal 2010-11, university leaders said told a state House appropriations committee today. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:24:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037951-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Mt. Lebanon School District held a public hearing last night to provide an overview of the planned $113.3 million high school renovation project and to take comments from residents. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037956-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Moon Area School Board last night approved -- barely -- applying for the right to levy one extra tax hike, but turned down the chance to apply for another Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037954-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Upper St. Clair School District Superintendent Dr. Patrick O???Toole will file a request with the state Department of Education that may absolve students from having to make up recent snow days. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:18:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10054/1037851-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Indiana University of Pennsylvania President Tony Atwater is among 43 candidates vying for the presidency of Florida Atlantic University, the Florida institution said. Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10053/1037701-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml As Vatican officials consider whether a popular Benedictine monk may return to ministry after pornography was found on his computer, some students at St. Vincent College are rallying to support him, arguing that the case against him is flawed. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10053/1037636-485.stm?cmpid=education.xml Caitlin Zankowski, far right, jumps in celebration as the donation total of $7,838,054.36 is announced on Sunday at the conclusion of the annual THON dance marathon at Penn State's University Park Campus. Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10053/1037712-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml Like many of his classmates at Bishop Canevin High School, Sean Conway had never heard of the Caribbean island of St. Lucia until a teacher asked for the students' help. ... At School: This is one of an occasional series on school life Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10052/1037530-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Lock Haven University wants to build a classroom and research center that will bring to campus new science majors, including aspiring chemists. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 13:15:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10052/1037529-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml When Danish entrepreneurs Peter and Ulla Bak raised the possibility of starting commuter rail service along three major Pittsburgh highways, the University of Pittsburgh's G.M. "Bud" Smith Jr. was skeptical. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10052/1037577-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Edinboro University trustees Friday recommended extending the contract of President Jeremy D. Brown, who became president in July 2007 under a three-year contract. Sun, 21 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037122-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The board hired Ray Braszo, the district's former football coach, as a physical education teacher, but failed to hire a girls' softball coach after the team opposed the candidate listed on the agenda. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 09:51:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037010-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml A former Carnegie Mellon University professor who was head of computer security during the Clinton Administration pleaded guilty Wednesday to four drunken-driving cases, including three in eight days in the summer of 2008. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1037121-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Former Monaca superintendent Mike Thomas announced Thursday night that he is retiring, leaving his role as superintendent of merger affairs for the Central Valley School District. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:55:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10050/1036994-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Rev. Alvin Adams, who has been on leave from his parish and chaplaincy at Bishop Canevin High School for nearly a year while the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh investigated reports that he sexually abused young people decades ago, has been permanently restricted to ministry as chaplain to nuns. Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036860-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Youngstown State University has selected a new president, Cynthia Anderson, who has been vice president for student affairs at the university for the past 15 years. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036849-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Superintendent Terry Kinavey told a high school vice principal she didn't care if she lost her job "as long as she did right by the kids." Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036628-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Baldwin-Whitehall school board voted 8-1 this month not to approve the application of the Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School to start a charter school in the district. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036660-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Union construction worker John Samudosky lives across the street from the site where the new West Mifflin Middle School will be built, and he'd like to work on the project. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036663-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The apparent new majority on the school board continued to make its imprint by voting against the superintendent's advice and replacing the construction manager on the middle school project. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036640-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Ed Maritz is out as Sto-Rox school board president and Kevin Kochirka is back in, but Dr. Maritz said he does not expect the change to affect the positive tone the two men have set. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036540-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Sto-Rox school board president Kevin Kochirka wants the district to get together with Duquesne, Wilkinsburg, Clairton and some of the other "have-nots" to start an organized campaign for change. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036572-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pine-Richland school board adopted a preliminary budget Monday night that factors in an increase of 3.99 mills to the property tax rate. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:55:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036550-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Eighth-graders at Mars Area Middle School may be able to explore four different languages next year. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:54:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036551-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml As of Tuesday, North Allegheny fourth-graders became the district's first elementary students to study a foreign language. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036616-56.stm?cmpid=education.xml Norwin School District residents are facing the biggest property tax increase in seven years. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036618-56.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn-Trafford and Norwin may be high school football rivals, but when both decided it was time to replace their stadium turf, they became one team. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 05:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036726-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pennsylvania is among eight states that will pilot a plan that could result in some students earning a high school diploma and entering college at the end of 10th grade. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10049/1036745-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The snow mounds dotting city streets are on their way out, but snowy, icy sidewalks remain a problem for Pittsburgh Public Schools officials concerned about getting students to and from school safely. Thu, 18 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036533-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Butler County Community College Board of Trustees today unanimously approved the reappointment of Dr. Nicholas C. Neupauer as president. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036498-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Three Carnegie Mellon University researchers have been named to the National Academy of Engineering, the federal government's chief advisory agency on engineering research issues. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036490-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pennsylvania is among eight states that will participate in a pilot plan that could result in some students completing high school and enrolling in college at the end of 10th grade. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 12:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036463-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A Community College of Allegheny County student on Tuesday received preliminary approval from student government to form a recognized campus chapter of an organization that advocates for the right to carry concealed firearms on campus Wed, 17 Feb 2010 10:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036315-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Jazz/NPR station WDUQ-FM (90.5) is launching its winter fundraising drive today. Public radio fundraisers are always crucial, but this time around, the stakes are even higher. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10048/1036325-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The lengthy meetings of the school board of Pittsburgh Public Schools brought one of its grades down, but the board still managed to hold on to a B- overall from an education advocacy group. Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10047/1036123-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The University of Pittsburgh says it is giving professors the option of holding Saturday makeup classes if they feel the sessions are needed to cover material missed due to successive storms in in recent days that deposited more than two feet of snow. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10047/1036124-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Slippery Rock University trustees Friday unanimously recommended extending the contract of university President Robert Smith, who took the helm in 2004. Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 -0500