The advocacy organization Partnership for 21st Century Skills has announced it has newly filled several positions on its executive board.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 09/21/09
How does your education system define technological literacy? Chances are, whatever the definition, it doesn't align with what the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) is proposing as it develops a nationwide test for technological literacy among students. And that's going to cause serious problems, according to the State Educational Technology Directors Association (SETDA), which is now publicly urging the group to reconsider its position.
The United States Department of Education has followed through on its promise to speed up stimulus package spending for education. The department announced that it's released $11.37 billion to states a little less than a month earlier than planned, with funds targeting Title I, IDEA, and Vocational Rehabilitation. It's also published new guidance on the use of the funds.
The European Commission's decision to investigate Oracle's plan to acquire Sun Microsystems is focused largely on the future of the open source MySQL database.
- By Jeffrey Schwartz
- 09/08/09
A newly released survey from the American Association of School Administrators shows that, while the approximately $44 billion in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) stimulus funds thus far allotted for education has helped, many administrators do not think the money has gone toward "investing wisely" as generally defined by the United States Department of Education.
- By Scott Aronowitz
- 09/03/09
The United States Department of Education is speeding up stimulus package spending for education. The department this week announced that it's releasing $11.37 billion to states about a month earlier than planned, with funds targeting Title I, IDEA, and Vocational Rehabilitation.
President Barack Obama is calling on states and districts to set higher standards for student achievement. In a speech delivered at the United States Department of Education headquarters in Washington, DC Friday, Obama highlighted some of the top reforms he thinks will help accomplish this and also announced $4.35 billion in competitive grants designed to help support innovative reform efforts.
Blackboard's patent on learning management system technologies has been overturned by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit. The court ruled Monday in favor of Desire2Learn and invalidated some claims in patent No. 6,988,138, also known as the "Alcorn patent" or the "138 patent." But the saga will continue.
The United States Department of Education is beefing up support for school safety and security programs. ED this week launched $26 million in emergency management grants, which are being awarded to 108 school districts; the department has also announced $32.8 million in safety and health grants.
Following the release of $270 million in EETT funds to states July 1, another $650 million from the EETT component of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) is anticipated to be released to the states by July 15. Guidelines for their use will be released at the same time, according to the United States Department of Education.
- By Geoffrey H. Fletcher
- 07/07/09