Education category, Page 76
Cal U, Clarion target adults who left without degree as part of new coalition in higher education
Two Western Pennsylvania universities struggling with declining enrollments are hoping to tap a pool of adult students with some college credits but no degree as part of a new, national network targeting adult learners. California and Clarion universities, part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, are among 13...
Western Pa. health care leaders: Your simple actions matter the most to prevent covid-19
This letter was signed by nine regional health care leaders, named below. Over the past three months, our organizations have proudly come together in an unprecedented fashion to address the enormous challenges we have faced as a community due to the novel coronavirus (covid-19) pandemic. This public health crisis is...
Pittsburgh Catholic schools plan temperature checks, masks for students
Elementary schools in the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh are set to reopen Aug. 27, and high schools have staggered start dates, the diocese announced Tuesday. Daily temperature readings will be required for students, teachers and staff; school buildings will be disinfected regularly, classrooms will honor social distancing and a mask...
Penn-Trafford School District announces school reopening plan
Penn-Trafford School District plans to reopen for all students when the school year begins, though distance learning will still be available for those who wish to stay home. The school board this week approved their reopening plan, though district leaders said they will remain flexible as the coronavirus pandemic continues....
Alabama students throwing ‘covid parties’ to see who gets sick, officials sayVideo
College students in Tuscaloosa, Ala., who tested positive for the coronavirus have been attending parties in that area as part of a perplexing and unwise contest to see who will be the first to contract covid-19, according to an ABC News report. Tuscaloosa is the seventh-largest city in the state...
Penn State planning to equip all police officers with body cams at all 22 campuses
Penn State plans to equip all campus police officers with body cams within the next year to “be more transparent and accountable,” according to a news release by the university. Penn State announced Tuesday morning that, after extensive research, it will purchase body cams for every officer — about 150...
Supreme Court lifts ban on state aid to religious schooling
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday made it easier for religious schools to obtain public funds, upholding a Montana scholarship program that allows state tax credits for private schooling. The court’s 5-4 ruling, with conservatives in the majority, came in a dispute over a Montana scholarship program for private...
Mellon Foundation grant aims to add low-cost Wi-Fi to high-need communities
As covid-19 cases increase in southwestern Pennsylvania, educators are just one of the groups struggling to see what their future may look like. School districts across the nation are looking at the myriad forms that fall classes could take, and it is just one of the areas R.K. Mellon Foundation...
Princeton strips Woodrow Wilson’s name from school, citing his racist past
Princeton University Saturday announced it would strip the name of former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from its school of public and international affairs and one of its residential colleges, following letters and calls from students and alumni. “We have taken this extraordinary step because we believe that Wilson’s racist thinking...
Westmoreland Intermediate Unit captures $200K Mellon grant to boost virtual learning
The Westmoreland Intermediate Unit will use a $200,000 grant from the Richard King Mellon Foundation to expand and enhance virtual learning for children age 3 through grade 8 and their families. The intermediate unit’s Learning Equitable Accessibility Network project is among 37 proposals that were granted a total of $5.25...
Norwin graduation falls within state guidelines, district says
When Norwin High School conducts its commencement ceremonies for almost 400 seniors Friday night, there likely will be more than 250 people — graduates and guests — gathered at Knights Stadium for each of the two sessions. Although Westmoreland County is in the green phase of the state’s covid-19 restrictions...
Southwestern Pa. high school seniors granted Comcast scholarships
More than 20 Southwestern Pennsylvania high school seniors received $2,500 scholarships from Comcast NBC Universal. The Comcast Leaders and Achievers Scholarship program awarded $187,500 to 75 Pennsylvania high school seniors. The program honors students for their community service, academic performance and leadership skills. “We are honored to recognize the amazing...
Seton Hill launches new online certificates
Seton Hill University will launch new undergraduate online certificate programs this fall in Addictions and Substance Abuse and Business Leadership, as well as a graduate certificate in Adaptive Online Instruction that focuses on online teaching skills. Officials at the Greensburg university said all three programs can be completed in eight...
Pennsylvania to spread $157 million to help schools clean, get ready for classesVideo
Schools in the state — public and private — will get at least $120,000 to help pay for cleaning and sanitizing classrooms, cafeterias, gyms and offices in time for students to return for the resumption of in-person classes in August for the first time since mid-March. Gov. Tom Wolf announced...
Western Pa. high schools honored for voter registration efforts
Eight local schools are among 42 statewide honored with the Governor’s Civic Engagement Award for their efforts to register students to vote during the 2019-20 school year. Brentwood, City Charter School, Deer Lakes, Elizabeth Forward, Franklin Regional, Kiski Area, Leechburg Area and Mt. Pleasant Area were among nearly 160 Pennsylvania...
Pandemic precautions in effect for Greater Latrobe graduation, Student ShowcaseVideo
Sophia Hoch of Unity donned a face mask as she accepted a Student Showcase award this month from Latrobe City Council, complying with the pandemic-related requirements. Masks also will be recommended when she and more than 300 fellow Greater Latrobe seniors attend a belated graduation ceremony, set for June 25,...
Rosedale Tech reopens Kennedy Township campus to students
Before Gov. Tom Wolf even made the official announcement about Allegheny County “going green” during the coronavirus pandemic, officials at Rosedale Tech in Kennedy Township were working to ensure they’d be ready to open the doors and resume on-campus classes. The first day back in class for Rosedale students was...
Students urge Trump to maintain training options for international graduates
Graduate students from Carnegie Mellon University, University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and more than five dozen other top universities say efforts to eliminate a training program for international graduate students could have an unintended impact on the U.S. economy. The program, known as the Optional Practical Training program, permits international...
More U.S. colleges dropping admission exams, report finds
The image of high school juniors and seniors sweating their SAT results may be increasingly dated. A new report from FairTest, a national organization that advocates for the elimination of college entrance exams, found that more than half of U.S. four-year colleges will be “test optional” by fall 2021. The...
Greensburg Central Catholic to air virtual commencement
Photos of the Greensburg Central Catholic Class of 2020 will be featured during a virtual commencement on the school’s Facebook page and YouTube channel Wednesday at 7 p.m. Greensburg Diocese Bishop Edward C. Malesic, Principal Ben Althof and Dr. Maureen Marsteller, superintendent of Catholic schools, will address the 63 graduates....
Pitt to reopen this fall with ‘compressed’ schedule during pandemic
The University of Pittsburgh will reopen this fall under an adjusted calendar and classroom capacity restrictions. Students will not return to campus after Thanksgiving break, making their last day on campus Nov. 20. The move makes Pitt one of many universities to choose an adjusted calendar amid the covid-19 pandemic....
Newly merged Catholic school in South Hills gets a new name
A new Catholic elementary school will be called Ave Maria Academy, the Diocese of Pittsburgh announced Monday. The new school comes from the merger of St. Anne, St. Bernard, Our Lady of Grace and St. Thomas More schools in the South Hills, which will take place July 1. The name...
Point Park University opens search for new provost
Point Park University announced Monday that it would begin a national search for a new provost. “We are seeking a candidate with a strong record as a teacher and scholar, combined with a successful record of increasing responsible academic leadership and administrative experience,” President Paul Hennigan said in a statement....
Cal U reorganizes academic colleges, departments
California University of Pennsylvania will consolidate colleges and departments in a move officials said will streamline academic operations and save $700,000 a year. Plans call for the consolidation of three undergraduate colleges to form the College of Education and Liberal Arts and the Eberly College of Science and Technology. The...
Many school leaders say they won’t be able to resume normal operations by July 1
The Pennsylvania Department of Education said Wednesday that school districts are allowed to resume in-person teaching and other activities July 1, but local school leaders say it’s unlikely they’ll be able to resume normal operations by then. Before schools can open, districts are required to create their own health and...
