- Birthdays, dinosaurs, and other potentially frightening or exclusive topics are now banned from NYC tests.
- AT&T Aspire, specifically launched to confront high school dropout rates, is going beyond charitable giving and using a “social innovation” approach. This practice uses technology to develop atypical approaches to help prepare students at-risk of dropping out of high school for the workplace or college. AT&T Aspire is encouraging Ohio organizations demonstrated to improve graduation rates to apply for funding.
- The report “What Kids are Reading: The Book-Reading Habits of Students in American Schools” by Renaissance Learning states that the average reading level of the books read by 9-12 graders is a little above 5th grade. There is featured commentary from teachers, librarians, authors, and university professors with their opinion on what students today should be reading and the banned book list.
- Black Eyed Peas front man Will.i.am coauthored an article about STEM schools. His goal is to celebrate and draw attention to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics in order to expose these subjects to young kids. He has started his own program, i.am.FIRST, and, in collaboration with other philanthropies, launched the children’s contest Wouldn’t It Be Cool If…
- Dayton Public Schools are the first of six major urban districts to complete its Ohio School Facilities Commission master facilities plan. The OSFC approved $488 million for Dayton school building improvement in 2002.
