Education

Washington education bills lack response to Supreme Court ruling

Alexandra Kocik — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:47:00 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A single shiny red apple sat atop each desk on the Washington Senate floor Wednesday to represent a day full of voting on education issues. Senators deliberated and passed multiple measures. One would rank schools with A through F grades. Another would make it easier for principals to get rid of ineffective teachers.

But Democrats like Sen.

Idaho's Hispanic education gap shrinks

Jessica Robinson — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 19:08:43 +0000

Idaho is starting to see the education gap narrow for Latino students. That's according to the state's Commission on Hispanic Affairs. Latinos are the fastest growing segment of Idaho’s school system.

The commission's director Margie Gonzalez told a legislative panel the days of double digit drop-out rates for Hispanic kids are gone. More Latinos are enrolling in college.

Blind protesters march at Amazon over Kindle accessibility

Ashley Gross — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 23:45:55 +0000

Dozens of visually impaired people with white canes and guide dogs protested outside Amazon.com’s headquarters in Seattle today. They say Amazon’s Kindle e-readers aren’t fully accessible to the blind.

National Federation of the Blind to protest at Amazon.com

Ashley Gross — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 16:54:25 +0000

Update: An Amazon.com spokeswoman did return my call after this story aired, but declined to comment.

Blind people – including former New York Governor David Paterson – are planning to protest at Amazon.com today. They want the company to make its Kindle device and apps more accessible to the visually impaired, especially kids as e-readers start to be used in schools.

Kitzhaber Proposes 'Education Investment' Spending Plan

Colin Fogarty — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 20:37:04 +0000

SALEM, Ore. - Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber is asking state lawmakers to cap cost of living pay increases for public sector retirees.

Opium U? University of Idaho gets big collection of opium pipes

Tom Banse — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 17:08:14 +0000

MOSCOW, Idaho - The "world's most comprehensive collection" of opium smoking paraphernalia has a new home; it's at the University of Idaho. A writer and collector, originally from San Diego, donated the exquisite antiques.

It's taking weeks to carefully unpack and catalogue all the opium smoking implements and accessories. Collector Steven Martin estimates he donated at least 1,000 pieces... ceramic opium pipe bowls, ornamented heating lamps, traveling kits, scrapers, old photographs and mug shots.

Martin is working together with University of Idaho curator Priscilla Wegars.

Idaho school bans 'Like Water for Chocolate' for sexual content

Jessica Robinson — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 03:24:40 +0000

A school district in southwest Idaho says the book “Like Water for Chocolate” is inappropriate for high school sophomores. It’s banning the book from the curriculum.

The 1989 book by Mexican author Laura Esquivel includes vivid descriptions of sexual arousal. Nampa School District spokeswoman Allison Westfall says over the weekend, administrators reviewed the passages after receiving complaints.

“I believe they were specifically about the sexual sections of the book.

Ebbing community college enrollment a promising sign for economy in NW

Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:24:44 +0000

The latest community college enrollment numbers may hold a clue to what’s happening in the Northwest’s economy. Some two-year institutions in the region are seeing the first decline in class registration since the recession.

At the bookstore at North Idaho College in Coeur d’Alene, the piles of textbooks students buy are kind of like a bar graph for the local unemployment rate.

And during the recession those stacks got pretty high as laid off workers streamed in seeking retraining.

Toppenish high principal is national principal of the year

The Associated Press — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 17:19:45 +0000

The principal of rural Toppenish High School, south of Yakima, has been named national high school principal of the year and will be honored in Washington, D.C. in a few weeks.

Three Year Olds Told To Fight By Delaware Day Care Workers, Police Say

Mark Memmott — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 14:04:16 +0000

It's tempting to make a "fight club" reference (and some news outlets have), but the outrageous nature of the allegations seems to call for a more straight-forward approach:

"An organized battle between two toddlers that police say was encouraged by three day care workers and videotaped has resulted in their arrest and the Dover center having its license suspended," 1962 Century 21 World’s Fair. They came back with a mixed bag: phones that fit in your pocket? Check. Flying cars? Still waiting. (None mentioned high-stakes tests, Lunchables or Wikipedia.)

This year as part of the fair’s 50^th anniversary, the Seattle Center asked students to make their own predictions about what school will look like 50 years from now.

Student protesters run into police trouble on Capitol Hill

Evan Hoover and Jake Ellison — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:31:18 +0000

An increase in the number of people protesting with the student group #MicCheckWallStreet last night on Capital Hill brought an increase in police presence with it.

And, not long after more than 80 people took to the streets to “peacefully” protest the rising costs of a college education, according to one organizer, the gathering turned hostile when a single arrest was made.

Key Washington lawmaker calls for K-12 pay raises next year

Mon, 21 May 2012 23:07:31 +0000

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Washington teachers are woefully underpaid. That’s the conclusion of a draft legislative task force report. Now a key Washington state lawmaker says teachers and other school employees deserve at least a cost-of-living pay raise next year.

Twelve years ago, Washington voters approved Initiative 732. It requires annual pay increases for K-12 employees. The initiative didn’t come with any funding.

In recent years -– because of the Great Recession -– the legislature has suspended those pay raises. But now state revenues are starting to recover.