News
International Education News Round-up
(December 7-13, 2009)
Students foil laptop filters
(Daily Telegraph 12/12/2009)
Students hack their free laptops and disable internet filters to access blocked sites and install unauthorized programs.
For students, a right to be mean online?
(LA Times 12/13/2009)
While schools are meting out discipline for what they see as cyber-bullying, some courts, parents and free speech advocates are pushing back.
Schools caution against pricey teacher gifts
(Boston Globe 12/07/2009 James Vaznis)
School superintendents in Boston are penning letters this holiday season to parents, cautioning them against going overboard with gift-giving to teachers, principals, and other staff members.
Colleges bring admissions forms into the digital age
(CommercialAppeal.com 12/07/2009 Juanita Cousins)
Technology has upgraded the college admissions process, admissions experts say, placing prospective students a few keystrokes from campus but giving the illusion that colleges are more selective.
Intense reading program 'rewires' kids' brains
(Inquirer 12/10/2009 AFP)
Children who undergo intensive remedial reading programs not only become better readers but can also end up with rewired brains that are better at communicating, according to a new study.
Britain 'losing out on tens of thousands of overseas students', says report
(The Guardian 12/07/2009 Jessica Shepherd)
According to reports, Britain is losing tens of thousands of overseas students – worth £8.5bn a year to the economy – because of errors and obstructive behavior by immigration officials.
Schools use dirty tricks to attract best pupils, research finds
(The Guardian 12/08/2009 Jessica Shepherd)
Headteachers are courting the parents of bright children and manipulating waiting lists, say academics from the London School of Economics.
5,000 teenagers a year have repeat abortions
(Daily Mail 12/07/2009 Steve Doughty)
In 2008 there were 5,218 repeat abortions among girls under 20 in England, research says.
Headteachers attack new child protection rules
(The Guardian 12/11/2009 Jessica Shepherd)
Private and state school leaders say child protection rules will stop language exchange programs and discourage parents from helping out at schools.
(Published 14 December 2009, Smart Communications Inc.)
