Free Republic

At The Clearwater School north of Bothell, the voices of students and staff are equal. One person, one vote — whether it’s a 5-year-old or the school’s founder, Stephanie Sarantos. The Daily Herald put the school’s direct democracy model into action recently. Before a reporter could come to Clearwater, students debated whether to allow the visit. Clearwater, founded in 1996, is part of a loose network of about 45 schools following the Sudbury model of direct democracy and student-controlled learning. It’s the only accredited school in the state using the model. This year, the state Department of Commerce approved a...

A pro-BLM teacher forced out of her job at a South Carolina school Once an eighth-grade history teacher at the school in small-town Hilton Head, non binary instructor Lane Cogdill was moved schools two summers ago over the since deleted TikTok video, which at the time sparked debates and even death threats for Cogdill. Amid the backlash, the teacher - also an avid TikToker with a pronounced social media following - was transferred to a nearby adult education center in Beaufort amid calls for Codgill's firing. The controversy would soon sputter out, while Cogdill would continue posting progressive, often polarizing...

A group of students at the University of Southern Maine in Portland, Maine are calling for their professor to be fired after she said in class only two sexes exist. Christy Hammer, a professor of education, allegedly made the statement during a heated debate about gender identity in her 'Creating a Positive Learning Environment' class, causing an uproar among the graduate students. Only one student agreed with the educator. The rest maintained both biological sexes and social genders are on a spectrum The point was first made during class on September 7, but was repeated a week later after student...

Eighth-graders’ scores on national U.S. history and geography tests have declined since 2014, while their performance in civics has held steady at the basic level, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress results released Thursday. "Right now, the value of history, geography and civics is quite clear," Lesley Muldoon, executive director of the National Assessment Governing Board, which sets NAEP policy, said on a press call. "Everyone needs to understand the world around us and our role in it."

If you havenÂ’t heard, universities around the world offering their courses online for free (or at least partially free). These courses are collectively called MOOCS or Massive Open Online Courses. In the past seven years or so, over 800 universities have created around 10,000 of these MOOCs. And IÂ’ve been keeping track of these MOOCs the entire time over at Class Central, ever since they rose to prominence. In the past four months alone, 190 universities have announced 600 such free online courses. IÂ’ve compiled this list below and categorized the courses into the following subjects: Computer Science, Mathematics, Programming,...

Dallas ISD is researching the histories of Ben Franklin, Sam Houston, Thomas Jefferson and 17 other historical figures, looking into whether their connections with slavery or the Confederacy should prompt reconsideration of their names on DISD campuses. Last Thursday, DISD administration recommended changing the names of four schools honoring Confederate generals: Stonewall Jackson, Robert E. Lee, Albert Sidney Johnston and William L. Cabell elementary schools. During that discussion, it was mentioned that there is a much broader list of at least 21 names that bear further investigation, if trustees were compelled to do so.

The state would set up a "school climate center" and individual districts would face additional reporting, training and other requirements to reduce school bullying under a bill passed by the Minnesota House on Monday, May 6. The bill passed 72-57, with all the support from Democratic-Farmer-Laborers and all the opposition from Republicans. The companion bill is scheduled for a hearing in the Senate E-12 finance subcommittee Tuesday. Bill sponsor Jim Davnie, DFL-Minneapolis, said the measure would take Minnesota from having one of the weakest anti-bullying laws in the country to "instead being a leader in building safe and supportive school...

NEW MILFORD -- A mother was arrested and Hill and Plain Elementary School was locked down late Tuesday morning because the woman went onto school property and allegedly knocked on windows to try to see her child, police said. April Gage, 33, of Prospect Street, was arrested and charged with second-degree criminal trespass and second-degree breach of peace. Police said Gage went to the school about 11:30 a.m. Grandparents current have custody of the child, police said. Gage was held on $1,500 bond for an appearance Wednesday in state Superior Court in Bantam.

While a California school district is seeing a boom in interest in a controversial educational philosophy that goes back more than 100 years, at the same time it's fighting a lawsuit over whether the system is legal in public schools. California's capital city offers two Waldorf-inspired public schools -- John Morse Waldorf Methods School (K-8), and the high school George Washington Carver School of Arts and Sciences. The Sacramento City Unified School District now is facing a trial in federal court on allegations that those schools are religious, making them ineligible to receive taxpayer dollars. The lawsuit, filed in 1998...

Pickens writes "The BBC reports that four out of five parents living in the UK have been stumped by a science question posed by their children with the top three most-asked questions: 'Where do babies come from?', 'What makes a rainbow?' and 'Why is the sky blue?'. The survey was carried out to mark the launch of a new website by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills called Science: So what? So everything."

WATERBURY, Conn. -- Waterbury's school board has adopted a new policy to deal with school bullies quickly. No longer must a student be involved in intimidating a student over a series of incidents to be identified as a bully. A student can be labeled a bully for as few as two incidents and these need not be against the same victim. The new policy also comes with stronger reactions. Parents of both the victim and the bully must come and meet with school administrators, in a mediation session. A bully can be suspended for up to 10 days or can...

St. Paul, Minn. — A few Somali parents in Willmar complained that the public schools weren't allowing their Muslim children to step out of class for daily prayer. Some didn't send their children to school last week in protest. Today, school officials said they won't change their policy, which allows students to pray during lunch time and between classes. For now, families have reluctantly agreed to send their children to school, but the issue may resurface later in the school year. This is the first school year Somali parents have had an issue with Willmar public schools over when their...

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -- Staff members of an elementary school staged a fictitious gun attack on students during a class trip, telling them it was not a drill as the children cried and hid under tables. The mock attack Thursday night was intended as a learning experience and lasted five minutes during the weeklong trip to a state park, said Scales Elementary School Assistant Principal Don Bartch, who led the trip. "We got together and discussed what we would have done in a real situation," he said. But parents of the sixth-grade students were outraged. "The children were in that room...

[ed. - that chill in the air and wafting scent of Magic Markers can only mean one thing - it's time for America to get its edumakatin' back on! To commemorate this annual rite of passage, I'll be posting a series of skool-themed selections, like this 2005 piece from the iowahawk vault of old crap.]Dear Parent or Guardian:On behalf of the faculty, staff, administration, and grief counselors of Rockwood District 603, please let me extend a warm welcome to you and your student for the upcoming 2005-6 school year at Rockwood Public Schools. In the enclosed information packet you will...

The National Spelling Bee began its first rounds today. All of the action can be followed at: www.spellingbee.com. Also, the championship rounds will be broadcast live on ABC (for the first time) beginning at 8PM EST Thursday evening. I'm placing my guess on Speller #238, Samir Patel, from Fort Worth, Texas. He will be worth the price of admission for you to watch tomorrow evening. He was HILARIOUS last year when we participated in the Bee!

LIVERMORE, Calif. - It didn't take a nuclear physicist to realize changes were needed after a $40,000 ceramic mural was unveiled outside the city's new library and everyone could see the misspelled names of Einstein, Shakespeare, Vincent Van Gogh, Michelangelo and seven other historical figures. "Our library director is very frustrated that she has this lovely new library and it has all these misspellings in front," said city councilwoman Lorraine Dietrich, one of three council members who voted Monday to authorize paying another $6,000, plus expenses, to fly the artist up from Miami to fix the errors. Reached at her...