http://www.post-gazette.com/ Local news on the educational front en-us Copyright 2012, post-gazette.com. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:40:03 -0500 15 http://www.post-gazette.com/includes/images/144x39pgtoplogo.gif http://www.post-gazette.com/ 144 39 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210195-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml These websites provide information that helps consumers learn more about their higher education choices: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 09:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210481-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The college is using federal grant money to link displaced workers with jobs in the booming Marcellus Shale industry. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 08:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210416-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Since October, students have been spending time at a station stocked with a variety of healthy alternatives for lunch. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210414-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Eden Christian Academy will have a new head of school in July. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210429-57-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml A fourth-grade class sat in the Ingram Elementary School library, reviewing for a math test without calculators, pencils or paper. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 07:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210472-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Some North Hills Junior High School students may be coming to school extremely hungry on Mondays, the staff has noticed. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210413-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Mars Area School District officials want more information on the adults who volunteer in the schools. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210476-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Dean Ingold, who had served 11 years on the Shaler Area school board, has returned to the board to represent Region 1. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 06:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210474-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Representatives of Provident Charter School said they will appeal the decision of the North Hills school board. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210417-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seneca Valley administrators say the disruption and competition over birthday treats and reward foods in the classroom needs to end. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:56:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210508-56-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml An ad hoc committee tasked with determining a 12-year plan of action for the district made its recommendations to the school board. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 05:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210196-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Today more numbers are available than ever for making decisions about postsecondary education, including how much an education boosts pay on average. This special section shows how you can use the numbers to make decisions about higher education. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:52:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209199-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Many of the roughly 20 million students enrolled in postsecondary education hope a degree or certificate will advance them to the next step. However, when applying to a school, many may have little idea how students fared after graduation and what role the institution played in their success. What they do know is that times are tough. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209201-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml When high school students think about prospective careers, they usually look at salaries, typical workdays and possible employers. Such things are important, of course. But to realize their dreams, first many must earn a degree or certificate and possibly pass a credentialing exam. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209197-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml West Mifflin Area High School senior Caitlin Hawthorn is having a busy year: three Advanced Placement courses, captain of the silks, school musical, track and other activities -- and she is spending a good deal of time documenting her hectic life on 10 college applications. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209198-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The college green is lush and sunny, conjuring daydreams of Walt Whitman and pick-up football. For more than 100 years, the red brick buildings have housed the higher mysteries of calculus, chemistry and Coriolanus. Your daughter, your son loves the place. And the cost after four years? More than your house is worth. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209547-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Your checklist in the hunt for resources for college. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209196-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Nearly every college is ranked in something. But does rank matter? The answer varies widely depending on whom you ask. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1209200-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml For students focused more on earning a degree amid competing demands than on enjoying the camaraderie of campus life, online higher education has become an increasingly popular option. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 03:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210628-56.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn State University filed a lawsuit Wednesday saying its insurer should have to pay for defense costs in a lawsuit over alleged child sex abuse by former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12047/1210649-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Obama administration will propose a $5 billion competitive grant program to encourage states to overhaul the teaching profession, federal education officials said Tuesday, using its Race to the Top school improvement competition as a model. Thu, 16 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12046/1210357-55.stm?cmpid=education.xml Options discussed Monday for closing a $2 million Mt. Lebanon School District budget gap include increasing the property tax rate, dipping into discretionary cash and cutting programs and staff. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12046/1210279-143-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml If financial prognosticators somewhere deep inside Penn State University have even a rough idea of what the child sex scandal ultimately will cost the school, campus leaders were mum about it Tuesday. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 08:59:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12046/1210328-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Mars Area school board last night approved the district's 2012-13 calendar that sets the first day of school for students Aug. 27. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 05:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12046/1210197-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml A former Penn State vice president wants a judge to throw out charges he lied to a grand jury investigating former football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky and didn't properly report suspected child abuse. Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210146-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Corinthian Colleges Inc. has given the National Urban League $1 million to expand GED programs in Pittsburgh and Orlando. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210058-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Catharine Murray Ryan, a Pittsburgh philanthropist, academic and former chaplain, will be awarded Seton Hill University's highest honor this spring. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 12:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210115-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Administrators had proposed the changes, along with the adoption of a food allergy management policy at last week's meeting. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 05:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210079-454-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn State University said it has paid $3.2 million for legal fees, consultants and public relations firms to address the scandal that exploded with former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's Nov. 5 arrest on child sex abuse charges. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 01:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210019-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A total of 70 Duquesne University employees -- 50 staff and 20 faculty -- have taken the voluntary buyout that the school offered in December as a hedge against an enrollment slide and declining revenue, the school said Monday. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210055-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Several Pittsburgh students are in Harrisburg for Valentine's Day, but it's not so they can deliver chocolate and flowers to Gov. Tom Corbett. Instead, it's so they can send him a message: that the governor's proposed education budget is breaking students' hearts. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210087-84.stm?cmpid=education.xml An $8 billion fund to train workers at community colleges was a major plank of President Barack Obama's proposed budget, and the president of Community College of Allegheny County praised the measure as a job creator. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12045/1210100-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml As part of his budget, President Obama on Monday proposed an $8 billion Community College to Career Fund, with the goal of training two million workers for well-paying jobs in high-demand industries. Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209942-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Community College of Allegheny County President Alex Johnson said today he will donate a $20,000 performance bonus awarded him last week to scholarships and other education charities, given the financial challenges CCAC faces due to a weak economy. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:46:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209932-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Thiel College announced it will use the $25 million bequest from the late businessman William S. Dietrich II to fund an honors program named for his parents, who graduated from the school in the 1930s. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 09:24:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209868-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Jaunna Cobb, 11, thought she lost her chance to play basketball this season when she was cut from the fourth and fifth grade co-ed Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209851-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Community College of Allegheny County is entering the public phase of its fundraising campaign and has increased the overall goal to $40 million, up from $30 million. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12044/1209914-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Sixty educators from across the nation roamed the halls and ringed the rooms of East Mooresville Intermediate School, searching for the secret formula. They found it in Erin Holsinger's fifth-grade math class. Mon, 13 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12043/1209686-122.stm?cmpid=education.xml Best-selling author Jeffrey Zaslow was killed Friday when he lost control of his car on a snowy road after promoting his latest book in northern Michigan. He was 53. Sun, 12 Feb 2012 15:54:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12043/1209696-55.stm?cmpid=education.xml A meeting last week in the Duquesne City School District to talk about education options turned into a contentious session that Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12043/1209698-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Each time Jordan Montgomery shouted "Budget cuts," the crowd of 250 gathered in Schenley Plaza yelled back, "I've had enough." Sun, 12 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12042/1209675-100-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Snow showers and 25 degree temperatures didn't deter about 200 people who gathered today in Schenley Plaza to protest Gov. Tom Corbett's budget proposals. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 17:22:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12042/1209624-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml In the world of teen dating, where text messages and Facebook and Twitter have intensified the eternal difficulties of young romance, parents and teachers and even teenagers themselves can easily miss the warning signs of love gone dangerously wrong, experts say. The girl who wants to know where her boyfriend is at all hours of the day. Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209296-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Scientists by nature are prone to thinking big, imagining the secrets waiting to be unlocked with the right mix of talent and money. So one can imagine the scale of thinking that has occurred since the Richard King Mellon Foundation notified the Center for Energy within the University of Pittsburgh's Swanson School of Engineering that it had been chosen to receive a $22 million grant. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 12:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209357-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Officials of the West Mifflin Area School District are predicting significant cuts for the 2012-2013 school year. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:49:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209322-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Trustees at the Community College of Allegheny County awarded a $20,000 performance bonus to school president Alex Johnson Thursday in keeping with his contract that allows for such awards each year of up to 10 percent of his base salary. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:15:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209256-84-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration is freeing 10 states from the requirements of No Child Left Behind, responding to complaints from teachers and school administrators across the country that the nation's main education law is outdated and punitive. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209345-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The rapid growth of Latino and other immigrant populations in Chicago's suburbs is outstripping the ability of public schools to provide bilingual programs mandated by Illinois, and government financing for the programs is shrinking, state records show. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209342-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- Education was historically considered a great equalizer in American society, capable of lifting less advantaged children and improving their chances for success as adults. But a body of recently published scholarship suggests that the achievement gap between rich and poor children is widening, a development that threatens to dilute education's leveling effects. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209343-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml A decade after the No Child Left Behind law rewrote the nation's education policies, President Obama freed 10 states from some of its crucial provisions on Thursday, including a deadline for bringing all students to proficiency in reading and math by 2014. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12041/1209344-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml BELL, Calif. -- When thieves broke into the high school music room here this week, they cut through the bolts on all the storage lockers and ripped two doors off their frames. But they didn't touch the computer or the projector or even the trumpets. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209019-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml A crisp romaine salad with chicken or tofu and Kraft Creamy Italian dressing led the menu Wednesday. Scattered around the tray were raw carrots, cooked corn and peas, an apple and a whole wheat roll. The drink of the hour was milk -- skim, 1 percent or soy. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 15:44:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209180-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The University of Pittsburgh announced today that a center within its Swanson School of Engineering is receiving a $22 million gift from the Richard King Mellon Foundation. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 14:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208952-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Two Mars Area High School sophomores are proving that you are never too young to start your own business. T.J. Pieffer, 15, of Mars, is the star of a weekly show, "Teej Tuesday," which he broadcasts on YouTube. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209126-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Committee members Randy Lott and Robert Rinsma -- former school board members -- and parent Joe DeCrosta presented the findings Wednesday night for the board to consider as they begin to craft a budget for next year. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:15:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1209124-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Forty educators with 965 years combined experience signed up for the North Allegheny School District's early retirement incentive, board members were told Wednesday. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 06:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208958-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Gov. Tom Corbett may not have thought the after-school and summer tutoring program operated by the Clairton City School District for students performing under grade level was important when he cut the funds that supported it in his 2011 budget and maintained that cut in his 2012 budget proposal Tuesday. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:36:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12040/1208953-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seneca Valley School District administrators are working on a policy to better protect students and employees who have food allergies. Assistant superintendent Jeffrey Fuller said 193 pupils and several staff members in the district have serious allergies. Thu, 9 Feb 2012 05:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208966-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A group that says it wants to reform Penn State University???s board of trustees today announced its endorsement of three candidates for the three alumni board seats up for election this spring. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 16:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208752-122-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Robert Glaser is renowned in the academic world for co-founding the Learning Research and Development Center at the University of Pittsburgh, but many of his achievements aren't the kind you'll see on paper. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 09:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208754-454-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pennsylvania's public universities, hit by severe funding cuts this year, would collectively lose a quarter of their general appropriation next year under Gov. Tom Corbett's proposed 2012-13 state budget, which provides nearly flat funding for public school districts. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12039/1208762-56-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml It appears there is still hope that a K-8 school will exist in Duquesne next year despite announcements by state Education Department officials that the district's school would dissolve after the 2011-12 school year. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208662-100-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Gov. Tom Corbett has unveiled his plan for a $27.14 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, proposing another round of significant cuts to higher education and smaller decreases across many agencies. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 15:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208603-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml A Pittsburgh philanthropist has bestowed her alma mater, Carlow University, with the largest gift it has ever received: $5 million to establish a new student center. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 08:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208654-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Seneca Valley School District is considering changing its grading scale. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 05:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208653-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Denise Balason was selected last night to fill a vacant seat on the Hampton school board. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 05:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208652-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The North Hills school board Monday night unanimously rejected the application of Provident Charter School to locate within the district. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 05:17:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12038/1208618-84-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama will use the backdrop of a White House science fair today to highlight a nationwide shortage of math and science teachers and unveil a plan to invest $100 million to help train 100,000 new educators over the next decade. Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208545-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Downtown-based Education Management Corp. has argued in court filings that a 2011 policy change by the Department of Education proves that EDMC didn't previously break rules for compensating college recruiters. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 22:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208493-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Downtown-based Education Management Corp. has filed a muscularly written defense of the recruiter compensation practices for which it has been sued by the federal government and several states, in an effort to get that lawsuit dismissed. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 14:56:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208492-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Carlow University has received the largest gift in its history: $5 million from Rita M. McGinley, a 1940 alumna, honorary degree recipient and a Carlow Woman of Spirit. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 13:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12037/1208445-114-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Last year, Donate Life America, the nonprofit that advocates for people to donate their organs, reached an important, 5-year-old goal. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207252-491.stm?cmpid=education.xml "I think the first day in August was so beautiful. They came in their uniforms. You could see the expectations that things were going to be different. We're really going to focus on our learning," she said. But when the school opened ... Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1207983-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The image of the first day of school at the new Pittsburgh Westinghouse 6-12 in Homewood still sticks in one teacher's mind. "I think the first day in August was so beautiful. They came in their uniforms. You could see the expectations that things were going to be different. We're really going to focus on our learning," she said. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12036/1208061-53-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml For about two hours a day, twice a day, five days a week, Cathy Gamble is the queen -- in neon green -- of 44th and Butler streets. The longtime crossing guard greets pedestrians by name and blows kisses from her stark white gloves to the drivers who stop in her wake at this bustling intersection, where she estimates she crosses 300 schoolchildren and countless more adults each day. Sun, 5 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207741-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml Community College of Allegheny County has announced it will play host to job fairs and job-related events in February, March and April, open to the general public. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 15:50:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207604-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Legislation proposed by state Rep. Eugene DePasquale, D-York, would direct $30 million in state funds to 18 academically and fiscally distressed school districts to be used to improve academic achievement. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 14:35:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207448-56.stm?cmpid=education.xml Tara Reis has lived in the 15221 ZIP code her entire life -- she graduated from Woodland Hills High School in 1989, and both of her children now attend school in the district. Although she's been active at her children's schools, she said it was "time to take my service up a notch." Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:45:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207483-57-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The observance of Catholic Schools Week continues with activities and programs under the theme "Catholic Schools -- Faith. Academics. Service." through Sunday. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 10:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207458-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Built in 1939, Baldwin High School had not had a major renovation in the past 35 years. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207499-57-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml At any given moment at The Glen Montessori School in Emsworth, every child can be doing something different. On a recent school day in a primary classroom, 6-year-old Vijay Arora tackles the seven continents as he colors a map of Australia. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 09:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207685-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml A new member of the A.W. Beattie Career Center Joint Committee has suggested changing the way the academic curriculum is offered at the McCandless school to an on-line learning program to address slumping enrollment and a tight budget. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207422-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml North Allegheny school directors hope some of their proposed initiatives will bring in money for next year and allow them to cut the property tax increase in the preliminary budget. School board members approved the $1.26 million budget Jan. 25 by an 8-1 vote. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207433-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml More than half of the 245 students at North Catholic High School this year are being bused to the Troy Hill campus from Cranberry. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:40:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207473-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Nancy Aloi Rose firmly believes teachers are born, not made. That might explain why she never wanted to be an astronaut or a doctor when she was growing up -- always a teacher. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:21:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207487-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml In hope of bolstering math scores on the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment, administrators at Sto-Rox High School have added the Apangea Math program to the curriculum. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207488-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml West Allegheny is considering repairs and renovations to its two oldest school buildings. The school board hired Thomas & Williamson Program Management of Ross on Jan. 18 to conduct a $35,000 facilities assessment focusing on the condition of McKee Elementary in North Fayette and Wilson Elementary in Findlay. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207484-57-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml After a year of negotiations, the West Allegheny school board voted 5-4 on Monday to approve a five-year contract with the district's 159-member support staff union, retroactive to July 1. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 05:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207479-56-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml After a three-month delay, McKeesport Area School District will be able to start construction soon on the new Cornell Elementary/Intermediate School in McKeesport now that an erosion and sedimentation pollution control permit has been obtained for the project. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 04:52:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12033/1207609-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml A group seeking to reform Penn State University's board of trustees by filling three alumni seats with new members has narrowed its potential endorsees to six, including a retired education dean at Slippery Rock University. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12032/1207301-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml In 2004, during the debate over whether to legalize gambling in Pennsylvania, Gov. Ed Rendell predicted that slot machine revenue one day would be able to cut school property taxes by an average of 23 percent. About 71/2 years and 10 casinos later, many homeowners are still waiting for that day. Wed, 1 Feb 2012 02:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12032/1207247-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml By at least one measure, Penn State University appears to be maintaining its luster with prospective students from other parts of the nation, despite the child sex scandal involving a former assistant football coach. Wed, 1 Feb 2012 02:04:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12032/1207246-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml A paramedic and a former EMT for a McKees Rocks ambulance company testified Tuesday that former Pittsburgh Public Schools police Chief Robert Fadzen was profane, improperly identified himself and threatened to return with a warrant when he pulled them over last summer. Wed, 1 Feb 2012 02:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12032/1207371-42.stm?cmpid=education.xml Democratic state Rep. Eugene DePasquale proposed legislation this morning that would direct $30 million to 18 academically and fiscally distressed school districts to be used for research-based methods of improving academic achievement. Wed, 1 Feb 2012 02:03:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12031/1207201-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml By at least one measure, Penn State University appears to be holding its luster with prospective students from other parts of the nation, despite the child sex scandal involving a former assistant football coach. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12031/1207106-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A survey being released today finds that Pittsburgh's three largest universities, and several smaller campuses in the region, had endowment growth in 2011 that outpaced many of their peers around the nation. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 05:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12031/1207163-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The West Allegheny school board voted 5-4 on Monday night to approve a five-year contract with the district's 159 support staff, retroactive to July 1. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 04:58:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12031/1207117-84-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Legislation introduced in the Senate last week would eliminate what Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., called "the powerful incentive" for-profit colleges have to recruit veterans and military service members -- a demographic that has become a lucrative source of federal funds for Downtown-based Education Management Corp. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1207013-115.stm?cmpid=education.xml A Carnegie Mellon University scientist who has developed methods of analyzing complex biological patterns has received a major award from the International Society of Computational Biology. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206918-84-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- Fuzzy math, Illinois State University's president called it. "Political theater of the worst sort," said the University of Washington's head. President Barack Obama's new plan to force colleges and universities to contain tuition or face losing federal dollars is raising alarm among education leaders who worry about the threat of government overreach. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206932-365-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml An attorney hired by the Peters Township High School head football coach has dismissed allegations that players with concussions were allowed back into practices and games, calling them a "witch hunt." The coach, Rich Piccinini, has retained Robert G. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206938-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Sure, Apple iPads weigh less than traditional textbooks. And, yes, students seem less likely to leave such cool devices at home. But the educational opportunities, coupled with a desire to teach students to use 21st-century technology, are driving some local Catholic high schools to add Apple iPads and other one-on-one computer tools. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12030/1206923-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Slippery Rock University Council of Trustees has named vice president for administration and finance Charles Curry to serve as acting president after President Robert Smith retires Feb. 10. Mon, 30 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12029/1206775-176-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml They're from the government and they're here to tweet. Have a question about federal student aid? Need to get your State Department news in Russian? Want Vice President Joe Biden to explain off-shore drilling policies? If you can ask your question in 140 characters or less, you're good to go. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 15:47:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12029/1206774-143-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Deep in the recesses of the Lasch Football Building at Penn State University, a rectangular box sits alone. Brad "Spider" Caldwell led a visitor there Friday morning, up the stairs of a loading dock, through a hallway to a large equipment room and into an opening on the left. "Come on back," he said. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12029/1206796-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Connie Lucas, an elected school board member in the Duquesne City School District, holds little power. A state board of control has overseen the academically and financially failing school district since November 2000, and last year announced the district's single school would close after the 2011-2012 year. Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12028/1206609-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml A 4-year-old legal battle between the University of Pittsburgh and California-based Varian Medical Systems over patents for radiotherapy devices was won by Pitt Thursday at a jury trial. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12028/1206682-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Leaders and experts in higher education had mixed reactions to President Barack Obama's proposals to make college more affordable, applauding some while worried that others could cause more harm than good. "What the president has done is to open the conversation," said John Cavanaugh, chancellor of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Sat, 28 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12027/1206330-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml Joe Paterno had plenty of on-the-field wins, but speakers here Thursday said the nation's winningest major college football coach scored his biggest victories in the lives of young men by stressing education, hard work and -- above all else -- honor. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 12:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12027/1206342-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml A McKees Rocks ambulance company supervisor testified Thursday that Pittsburgh Public Schools police Chief Robert Fadzen swore, yelled and misidentified himself during a phone call last summer, contradicting the chief's account of the conversation. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205854-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml When the federal No Child Left Behind legislation was signed into law in 2002, it called for all students in public schools that receive federal funding to test proficient in math and reading by 2014. But a decade later, education officials realize that goal is unlikely, if not impossible. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206091-491.stm?cmpid=education.xml Photos from Joe Paterno's funeral. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206014-56-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Woodland Hills school board, which pays more than $10 million a year to nearby charter schools, is one of at least two local boards joining in an effort to change the way charter schools are funded. School districts have long complained that they lose money when a student chooses to attend a charter school. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205995-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml When Bethel Park principal Zeb Jansante was planning for the new high school, he tested several different tones for the class bell. The result is not a strident, screaming noise you might recognize from the movies. It's a more pleasant ding-ding-ding, he said. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:57:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205975-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Kevin Rice is proof of the fallacy of vocational-technical education's biggest misconception: that students do not go on to post-secondary school. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206230-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml In a packed sports arena not nearly big enough to hold the emotions of those inside, thousands of Nittany Lions fans today are bidding one last public farewell to Joe Paterno. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 08:39:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206176-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The North Allegheny School District's preliminary budget shows a tax increase of 1.29 mills, but several potential savings and revenue sources are still unknown. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 06:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205999-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml Joseph Vojtecky, a 2005 Sto-Rox High School graduate, has been appointed to a Region 2 school board seat in his home district. Mr. Vojtecky was elected, 5-1, last Thursday over Grace Weber Cropper to fill the seat of Kelly Cropper Hall, who resigned after she was elected Ward 5 Stowe commissioner. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205970-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml Moon Area school directors unanimously voted against a $62.1 million preliminary budget Monday night, effectively removing an option allowing for a tax increase in excess of 2 percent for the fiscal year starting July 1. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:30:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205993-55.stm?cmpid=education.xml Sister Barbara Anne Quinn, principal of Holy Child Catholic School in Bridgeville, believes in miracles. A $10,000 donation to the school's Technology Fund turned into a double blessing when another donor offered to match, dollar-for-dollar up to another $10,000, money raised from the school and parish community for a total of $30,000. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205991-55.stm?cmpid=education.xml The state board of control overseeing Duquesne City School District has a new chairman, but the appointment was kept confidential, even throughout Tuesday's meeting during which the new chairman participated via telephone. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205981-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Saying they wanted to avoid being forced into "crisis mode" later this year, school directors in Upper St. Clair on Monday approved a $63.2 million preliminary budget for next year with a property tax increase that significantly exceeds the state-imposed limit. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205949-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml The North Allegheny Foundation has a new logo and a new slogan -- "Building Excellence in Education" -- and is hoping that an increased presence in the community will jump-start fundraising. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205960-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Officials of Butler County Community College had their eyes on the 6-acre tract behind the university's Butler Township campus virtually since the college opened 47 years ago. But, it was privately owned and not on the market. Thanks to serendipity, though, the land is soon to be part of the BC3 campus. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:02:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1205961-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pine-Richland school directors passed a preliminary budget Monday that seeks to preserve the district's right to raise taxes beyond a state-imposed cap based on inflation. The spending plan proposes a nearly 1-mill property tax increase to fund expenses for the 2012-13 fiscal year. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 05:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206085-114.stm?cmpid=education.xml WASHINGTON -- School cafeterias will be serving more-nutritious meals with twice as many fruits and vegetables, more whole grains and less sodium and fat under new guidelines that will revamp the federally backed school meals program for the first time in 15 years. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12026/1206123-53-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Last summer, Pittsburgh Public Schools police Chief Robert Fadzen pulled over an ambulance on Route 65 that he claimed had been driving erratically Downtown in a non-emergency situation. He did not cite the driver, explaining that he exercised his discretion and believed assurances that the man's bosses would handle the problem internally. Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205814-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml It took minutes Tuesday morning for Penn State University officials to run out of free tickets to Joe Paterno's Thursday memorial service. It didn't take much longer for the American entrepreneurial spirit -- some might say greed -- to kick in. Shortly after the university handed out all tickets to the memorial service, scheduled for 2 p.m. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:09:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205815-455-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- As a Penn State fullback from 1996 to 2000, Mike Cerimele believed that Joe Paterno was teaching him and his teammates how to be men. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:08:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205812-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- They spoke eloquently of the child-sex scandal on their campus and of their clear frustration with the state of governance at Penn State University and how that role is shared -- or not shared -- with faculty. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 10:20:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205762-454-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml HARRISBURG -- As 50 placard-holding students from the ailing Chester Upland schools looked on, Republican and Democratic senators urged Gov. Tom Corbett Tuesday to develop a workable plan to aid financially distressed school districts. "We need a plan, Mr. Secretary; we need a plan," Sen. Jeffrey Piccola, R-Dauphin, told state Education Secretary Ronald Tomalis. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205727-28.stm?cmpid=education.xml A $70 million nano-biomedical-energy technologies facility tops the list of priorities for Carnegie Mellon University under a 10-year master plan that will serve as the blueprint for the school's growth. CMU expects to break ground on the 80,000-square-foot building this summer and have it ready for occupancy in 2015. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12025/1205763-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Members of the Duquesne City school board Tuesday night announced they are calling a community meeting on Feb. 7 to try to get some answers on the future of the school district. Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205686-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml A proposed resolution declaring no confidence in Penn State University's board of trustees failed today in the faculty Senate. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:28:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205618-454-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The campus Joe Paterno transformed into a national sports brand is preparing for the tens of thousands of mourners expected here starting today to pay tearful respects to the coaching legend who died Sunday. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205619-454.stm?cmpid=education.xml A public viewing will be held from 1 to 11 p.m. today at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center on Penn State's University Park campus. A second public viewing is scheduled for 8 a.m. to noon Wednesday at the Pasquerilla Spiritual Center, with a private family funeral service at 2 p.m. Wednesday. A public memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday at the Bryce Jordan Center. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205657-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pine-Richland school directors Monday night gave unanimous approval to a second bond issue to finish the approximate $35 million high school renovation and expansion project. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 06:12:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205656-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Upper St. Clair school board members on Monday voted 7-2 to pass a $63.2 million preliminary budget for next year that calls for a 1.647-mill real estate tax increase and the elimination of 14 teaching and support staff positions. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12024/1205654-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The North Hills school board on Monday approved a 2012-13 preliminary budget of $69,421,800, a 4.2 percent increase from last year. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12023/1205405-143-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml In the snow-covered valley he made happy, a mournful calm followed Joe Paterno's passing Sunday. The legendary coach's death muted the typical energy of college life on this 854-acre campus. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12023/1205423-143-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml When the Rev. David Griffin asked the worshippers at his 9:30 a.m. Mass at the Catholic Campus Ministry to pray for the Paterno family, few in the congregation Sunday morning could have known that Joe Paterno had already died of lung cancer minutes earlier. "Lord, hear our prayer," the congregates responded. This was the church Joe and Sue Paterno called home. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205343-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml University and borough of State College police reported that things were quiet early this afternoon on the Penn State University campus and surrounding community as residents absorbed word of the death of former football coach Joe Paterno. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:14:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205339-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml This is the full text of a statement released by the family of former Penn State University football coach Joe Paterno on his death this morning: Sun, 22 Jan 2012 13:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205263-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The roar of Penn State University fans at a sports event four decades ago kindled Karen B. Peetz's lifelong love for Happy Valley. The uproar over a sports world scandal led to her ascent, on Friday, to the role of chair of its embattled board of trustees. Her father, a salesman, was a Penn State alumnus, bent on a road trip and intent on selling her 11th-grade brother on the school. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205225-28-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Tamika Macon Akers is the model of the Great Recession success story. Before the economic downturn, Miss Akers had the type of job that defined security. She was a data entry clerk for the U.S. Postal Service. She expected to retire from the job with a nice pension after spending a few decades in a position that she said was mind-numbing. Then came 2008. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12022/1205278-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Chatham University will present "Fighting Like a Girl: Activism and the Power to SPARK Change," by Lyn Mikel Brown on Monday. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12021/1205111-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- In remarks Friday as she assumed the chairmanship of Penn State University's board of trustees, Karen B. Peetz pledged her school will not bog down in court victims of a child sex abuse scandal who file lawsuits against the university. She said Penn State will pay abuse-related health and counseling bills going forward for victims it can identify. Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204784-455.stm?cmpid=education.xml Penn State University's embattled board of trustees will try today to conduct routine business in an environment anything but routine, surrounded by reporters and by angry alumni who fault them for the school's worst crisis. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:34:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204842-100-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Steve Garban will step down as chairman of Penn State University's board of trustees. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:26:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204924-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml An eighth-grade boy is accused of pulling a teacher's hair and wrestling him inside a classroom at Greenfield K-8 this afternoon, leaving the teacher with minor injuries. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 17:53:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204840-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Montour School District plans to open a copy center in February in the former administration building along Aiken Road. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 05:43:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12020/1204788-455-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Shortly after Michael A. Driscoll began a new job at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2006, the fine arts dean from Indiana University of Pennsylvania stopped by to see old colleagues and brag about his new institution. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204625-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Community learning centers throughout Pennsylvania will get a $64.4 million boost in federal money via 21st Century Community Learning Challenge Grants Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:07:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204349-57.stm?cmpid=education.xml Jeff Farley of Chester, W.Va., has traded the Bourbon Street vibe for an atmosphere of academia. Mr. Farley assumed the role of vice president for human resources for Community College of Beaver County Jan. 3 after serving as director of human resources for the Mardi Gras Casino and Resort in Cross Lanes, W.Va. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:38:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204378-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml As soon as she stepped on the campus of Shady Side Academy's Junior School in Point Breeze, Ellen McConnell said she "felt like I was home." Ms. McConnell was recently named the new head of the school and will succeed Cheryl Little, who will retire at the end of this school year. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204417-55-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml On Monday and Tuesday, students in grades 6, 7 and 8 in the West Mifflin Area School District will spend their last days in the old middle school -- a structure pieced together from two buildings, one built in 1939 and the other in 1959. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:13:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204572-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml West Allegheny school board members voted 9-0 Wednesday night to pay $35,000 to Thomas & Williamson Program Management of Ross for a facilities assessment. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204571-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Nancy Sciulli DiNardo, who had resigned in September 2010 from the board, was appointed by a 6-2 vote to the two-year unexpired term of her husband, Sam DiNardo, who resigned effective Dec. 22. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:01:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204570-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml All 12 North Allegheny schools made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years, so representatives of those schools received Keystone Achievement Awards at the school board meeting Wednesday. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:54:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204388-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seneca Valley athletes soon will be able to fulfill their physical education requirements just by playing a school sport. A new independent study physical education course was just one of the offerings administrators are introducing to senior high pupils for the 2012-13 school year. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:32:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204393-54.stm?cmpid=education.xml Mars Area School District may change its policy regarding tuition for students who are moving into the district. Children whose parents are buying a home within the district can attend Mars Area schools for 30 days without paying tuition, as long as the parents have a signed sales agreement. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:31:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204373-54-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pine-Richland School District's $35 million expansion and renovation project means more than just a new parking lot, more space and a bigger high school. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:27:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204345-57-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml West Allegheny students have experienced sports success for more than 60 years, and for the first time, their athletic and life achievements are set to be recognized permanently in a hall of fame. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:19:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204362-55.stm?cmpid=education.xml A long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for the Mt. Lebanon High School renovation project is set for 4 p.m. next Thursday. The event, which will be held on the lawn next to the Fine Arts Theatre on Horsman Drive. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 05:05:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204414-56-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml One of the biggest changes in education during the past 35 years is diminished local control, said outgoing Derry Area School District superintendent Roberta McCahan. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 04:56:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204456-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml The Pittsburgh mayor's Denver Broncos jersey is going to a guy in Texas football country. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12019/1204519-53.stm?cmpid=education.xml Having won a one-year delay in implementing the new property assessments, the Pittsburgh Public Schools board has approved both a stable property tax rate and a slightly higher tax break from gaming revenues. The board voted Wednesday to set the millage rate at 13.92 mills for calendar 2012, making the 11th consecutive year without a tax increase. Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12018/1204208-143.stm?cmpid=education.xml In May, weeks after a grand jury investigation of child sex allegations involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky surfaced, Penn State University trustees met with university general counsel Cynthia Baldwin and then-president Graham Spanier. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:11:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12018/1204157-455-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml The legal battles between two Pennsylvania students and the school districts that punished them for impersonating their principals in derogatory online profiles have come to an end. The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday refused the school districts' request to hear the two cases and another of a West Virginia teenager who disparaged a fellow student online. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 01:25:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12018/1204138-28.stm?cmpid=education.xml Educating people in science and engineering leads to growth in research and technology that, in turn, leads to jobs in manufacturing the devices that those people invent. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12018/1204194-298.stm?cmpid=education.xml A federal court judge ordered Tuesday that the state keep the bankrupt Chester Upland School District in Delaware County afloat for a few more weeks by advancing it $3.2 million. That will be enough to pay teachers for now; the biweekly payroll for the district is about $1 million. Wed, 18 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204090-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Educational leadership consultant Judy Johnston has been named chair of the board of A+ Schools, a local public education advocacy organization. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 15:06:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204020-53-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml Pia Campbell could have taken a long weekend. Instead, the Shady Side Academy sophomore spent her Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Pittsburgh Toy Lending Library in Shadyside helping to clean toys and other parts of the facility. "I did not just want to spend the day watching TV and see news feeds about people doing things for the community," she said. "I wanted to do my share." Tue, 17 Jan 2012 13:33:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204022-143.stm?cmpid=education.xml Drama swirling around Penn State University's embattled board of trustees could intensify Friday as the board holds an election to decide if its current chairman and executive committee each will receive another one-year term. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:42:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204078-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Upper St. Clair parent Buffy Hasco was sworn into office Monday night. Shortly afterward, she and other board members heard about some of the tough choices they have ahead, including whether to raise property taxes. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:52:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204077-100.stm?cmpid=education.xml Seneca Valley school board members will be asking the state to allow the district to raise taxes above the current inflationary index. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 05:41:00 -0500 http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12017/1204023-298-0.stm?cmpid=education.xml For years, following the election of a Penn State trustee was about as exciting as watching the grass grow at Beaver Stadium. Only nine of the 32 seats that make up the governing body of Pennsylvania's largest university are elected, and all nine are alumni representatives. Every year, three come up for a vote by fellow alumni. Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500