Education

Her Dream, Branded as a Threat

Posted by Shemuses from New York Times

Debbie Almontaser dreamed of starting a public school like no other in New York City. Children of Arab descent would join students of other ethnicities, learning Arabic together. By graduation, they would be fluent in the language and groomed for the country's elite colleges. They would be ready, in Ms. Almontaser's words, to become "ambassadors of peace and hope." Things have not gone according to plan.

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One Million High School Dropouts in U.S. Each Year

Posted by Shemuses

"When more than one million students a year drop out of high school, it's more than a problem, it's a catastrophe," retired General Colin Powell, founder of America's Promise Alliance. "It's time for a national 'call to arms,' because we cannot afford to let nearly one-third of our kids fail." His statement of urgency came during a press conference announcing the release of a study that details why nearly one in three U.S. high school students drops out before graduating and how his group plans to reverse the downward spiral of retention.

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Obama: Parents Should Help Students

Posted by Shemuses from 11Alive

The standard Barack Obama venue lately has been high schools. Truman High School, Theodore Roosevelt High School, Jefferson High School. The Democratic presidential candidate has been pitching an audience-pleasing message of economic populism to crowds of a few thousand packed into each gymnasium. But he gets some of his loudest applause when he segues to education - and a bit of a lecture to mothers and fathers on how to be parents.

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A Subprime Schooling

Posted by Shemuses from Forbes

Add another group to those feeling the impact of the U.S. subprime mortgage meltdown: students and educators. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 28% of funding for America's public schools comes from local property tax. Property tax revenues, which in many areas of the country had grown along with property values, are poised to remain flat or even shrink in coming years.

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The Year in Hate

Posted by okami

The latest annual count of hate groups operating in the United States rose to 888 last year, capping a 48 percent increase since 2000.

(THESE are the terrorists Americans should be worrying about.)

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Legislature OKs bill to put state-grown food in schools

Posted by Jon from Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Senate Bill 6483 relaxes food-purchasing regulations to allow schools and state-run institutions to buy fresh produce and meats from Washington farmers -- even if locally grown products cost a little more than their processed or canned counterparts.

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IRIN humanitarian news: Less silence, more science could make anal sex safer

Posted by okami

NEW DELHI, 27 February 2008 (PlusNews) - The silence and taboo surrounding anal sex is putting millions of men and women at risk of HIV, delegates attending the fourth international microbicides conference in New Delhi, India, heard this week.

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